Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The first book-length study of a single congregation breaking in two, Strife in the Sanctuary provides a welcome ethnographic study for sociologists of religion. Plus, its moving story makes it an excellent read for undergraduate classes or anyone interested in religious divisions.
Synopsis
For more than forty years there was a single synagogue in the quiet town of Willamette, Oregon. But then disagreements on gender roles, homosexuality, Israeli politics, and other issues tore the synagogue in two. Where there was once one Jewish community under one roof, there are now two hostile congregations -- one Reconstructivist, one Orthodox -- across the street from the another.
Through a year as a participant in both congregations and in-depth interviews, Zuckerman tells the mesmerizing story of this religious schism. Strife in the Sanctuary -- the first book-length study of a single congregation breaking in two -- contemplates why religious groups split apart and how religious symbols come to mean different things for different groups.