Customer Comments

An Introduction to Judaism text has a huge task: distill 3,000 years of history, philosophy, folklore and practice into a readable text in manageable bites. Stephen Wylen has managed that, with a good index, to boot. I recommend this book to my "Intro" students because after the initial reading, it can serve as a handy reference book. I have not found any factual errors in the text, and it is highly readable, the best of its class.

This is one of the best books in print on the subject of Conversion to Judaism. Diamant answers all the usual questions, but she also engages with the emotional side of conversion, and with the family issues that may come up. Some reviewers have criticized the lack of halakhic (Jewish legal) information in the book, but this is a book for prospective converts and their families, not Jewish legal scholars or rabbis.

This book shook the Jewish world when it appeared in 1998. Adler takes on the traditional sexist reading of Jewish law (halakhah) and instead of tossing it out, she argues for a new reading. The heart of the book is her "Brit Ahuvim" - Covenant of Lovers - as an alternative to the traditional ketubah, or wedding contract.