The American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan

by Emanuel Goldsmith, Mel Scult, Robert Seltzer

Overview

Mordecai M. Kaplan, a pioneering figure in the reinterpretation and redefinition of Judaism in the 20th century, embraced religious liberalism, naturalism, and empiricism, and gave expression to a unique American attitude in philosophy and theology. This volume, the first comprehensive treatment of Kaplan since his death in 1983 . . . illustrates Kaplan's links to traditional Jewish roots and demonstrates his evolutionary philosophy of Jewish culture, his Zionist orientation, and the vast range of his thought and action. The volume also features a complete bibliography of Kaplan's writings.
— ChoiceA must for every serious thinker probing American Jewish culture, history and theology.
— Alfred GottschalkPresident, Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion
These highly knowledgeable essays provide us with a new and more complex image of a central personality in 20th century American Jewish life. They are indispensable for understanding the influences that helped shape Mordecai Kaplan's thought and personality, the nature of his relationships with significant contemporaries, and the various aspects of his ideology and practical program for American Jewry.
— Professor Michael A. MeyerDepartment of Jewish HistoryHebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion
This leading American Jewish thinker of the pre-war period is still the point of departure for any attempt to construct a Judaism for this new age in the history of the Jewish people. The volume brings them an and this thought to life.
— Dr. Arthur GreenPresident, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814730522
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	10/01/1992
Series:	Reappraisals Jewish Social History , #5
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	478
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

EMANUEL S. GOLDSMITH is Associate Professor of Yiddish and Jewish Studies at Queens College, CUNY. MEL SCULT is Professor of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College, CUNY and author of the forthcoming Mordecai M. Kaplan: Prophet of Renewal, 1881-1934.

ROBERT M. SELTZER is Professor of History at Hunter College, Chair of the Hunter Jewish Social Studies Program, and the author of Jewish People, Jewish Thought.

Editorial Reviews

The life, thought, work, and contemporaries of the renowned Judaicist (1881-1983) are explored in 23 contributed essays by authors who approach Kaplan from a broad range of perspectives. Includes a complete bibliography of Kaplan's writings, beginning with his first publication in 1907 and ending with his posthumous works. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews