Synopses & Reviews
As anti-semitism finds new followers and Israel makes peace with old enemies, Jews in the modern world face constantly metamorphosizing relationships. From the eighteenth century to the present, unprecedented opportunities have grown up alongside new challenges for the Jewish people. While modern society is permitting Judaism a place, profound questions over Jewish identity are taking shape.
The essays gathered in Judaism in the Modern World address the issue of Jewish persistence amidst changing forms of identity. Exploring a wide range of sources, the essayists examine historical issues, the Holocaust and its repercussions, literature, and theological dimensions while seeking the nature of Judaism in modern times. As they reassess Judaism's past while pursuing a meaningful Jewish future, these essays raise crucial questions about the tradition's central mythic structures, such as covenant and redemption.
The contributors to this volume broach everything from feminism to the creation of the state of Israel. Sander Gilman illustrates how Jewish identity is inextricably linked to the physical, showing how racial identity both reflects and defines Jewishness. Raul Hilberg examines Holocaust remembrance, in the wake of Holocaust denial, as an act of revolt. A wide-ranging and thoughtful collection, Judaism in the Modern World will appeal to readers concerned with the fate of Judaism in the modern era.
Review
“Civil disobedience is the voice of our consciences, the courage which mocks our fear of authority, the point where right defies rules. This book wisely and elegantly charts the methods and philosophy of dissent, it is a must read and a good read for anyone concerned with the injustices of our times.”
-Jock Young,author of The Vertigo of Late Modernity
Review
“Crimes of Dissent will immediately engage students and activists alike. Using clear and concise first-person narratives, the book explains why and how people engage in civil disobedience and the ways that law enforcement responds. The reader stands to learn important concepts and ideas regarding political dissent, it's long history, and the theory behind it.”
-Luis A. Fernandez,author of Policing Dissent: Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement
Review
“This book is a timely reminder of the long history of the criminalization of dissent and civil disobedience that from time to time gets buried under the mass of numbers and figures so loved by many criminologists. Here we get the real story of dissent as narrated by dissenters themselves and the effects of the criminalization process on the everyday lives of both their families and themselves.”
-Mike Presdee,author of Cultural Criminology and the Carnival of Crime
Review
"
is a highly engaging examination of contemporary forms and meanings of political activism in the United States. Written from the perspective of the scholar activist, the book is one part promotion of law violating forms of political action - 'crimes of dissent' - and one part handbook on civil disobedience." “Civil disobedience is the voice of our consciences, the courage which mocks our fear of authority, the point where right defies rules. This book wisely and elegantly charts the methods and philosophy of dissent, it is a must read and a good read for anyone concerned with the injustices of our times.”
“Crimes of Dissent will
Review
"A most welcome event. Now, in one easily accessible volume, all the collective wisdom of some of the very best contemporary Jewish scholarship is at one's fingertips." -Steven T. Katz,Cornell University
Review
"As a teacher of a modern Jewish history course, I'll constantly be referring my students to this collection of insightful articles on major issues relating to modern Jewish identity by some of today's leading Jewish Studies scholars." -Lawrence Baron Nasatir,Professor of Modern Jewish History and Director, Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies, San Diego State University
Review
"In this sweeping volume, fourteen of American Jewry's best scholars and thinkers confront the central issues that define Jews and Judaism in the modern world. . . . One emerges with renewed appreciation for the tragedies, hopes, ideals and paradoxes of twentieth century Jewish life."-Jonathan D. Sarna,Joseph H., and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University
Review
“As a window into the contemporary American subculture of dissent, Crimes of Dissent is a fascinating read. The current American microcosm of dissent -- which is at turns strange and familiar, idealistic and pragmatic, ludicrous and lucid -- is revealed in full glory.”
-Law and Politics Book Review,
Review
“Civil disobedience is the voice of our consciences, the courage which mocks our fear of authority, the point where right defies rules. This book wisely and elegantly charts the methods and philosophy of dissent, it is a must read and a good read for anyone concerned with the injustices of our times.”
-Jock Young,author of The Vertigo of Late Modernity
Review
“Crimes of Dissent will immediately engage students and activists alike. Using clear and concise first-person narratives, the book explains why and how people engage in civil disobedience and the ways that law enforcement responds. The reader stands to learn important concepts and ideas regarding political dissent, it's long history, and the theory behind it.”
-Luis A. Fernandez,author of Policing Dissent: Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement
Review
“ is a highly engaging examination of contemporary forms and meanings of political activism in the United States. Written from the perspective of the scholar activist, the book is one part promotion of law violating forms of political action - ‘crimes of dissent - and one part handbook on civil disobedience.” -Socialist Studies: the Journal of the Society for Socialist Studies,
Review
"This book gives an account of people who 'deliberately and publicly violate the law as expressions of protest against perceived racial, economic, or social injustice' (p. viii). The accounts are generated primarily through interviews with 21 activists who have transgressed the law. They are used to illuminate both the personal and social consequences of dissent and provide a particular insight into the workings of the United States police and justice systems."-Bruce Curtis,Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology
Synopsis
From animal rights to anti-abortion, from tax resistance to anti-poverty, activists from across the political spectrum often deliberately break the law to further their causes. While not behaviors common to hardened or self-seeking criminals, the staging of civil disobedience, non-violent resistance, and direct action can nevertheless trigger a harsh response from law enforcement, with those arrested risking jail time and criminal records.
Crimes of Dissent features the voices of these activists, presenting a fascinating insider's look at the motivations, costs and consequences of deliberately violating the law as a strategy of social change.
Crimes of Dissent provides readers with an in-depth understanding of why activists break the law, and what happens to them when they do. Using dynamic examples, both historic and recent, Jarret Lovell explores how seasoned protesters are handled and treated by the criminal justice system, shedding light on the intersection between the political and the criminal. By adopting the unique vantage of the street-level activist, Crimes of Dissent provides a fascinating view of protest from the ground, giving voice to those who refuse to remain silent by risking punishment for their political actions.
About the Author
Alan L. Bergeris the Director of Jewish Studies and teaches in the Department of Religion at Syracuse University. The author/editor of four books, including Crisis and Covenant, he is on the editorial board of Studies in American Jewish Literature and has served as a judge for the National Jewish Book Awards.