Reading Lists
Rabbi Tilsen recommends the following books. You can find most of them in BEKI's Rosenkrantz Family Library, or purchase them from Amazon.com or wherever fine Judaica is sold.
- The JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh (known as the "New JPS" version) (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society) 1999. ISBN 0827606567. The most accurate translation of the Hebrew Bible along with the original Hebrew text.
- Etz Hayim: Torah & Commentary, David L. Lieber (ed.), Jules Harlow (ed.) (New York: USCJ & The Rabbinical Assembly) 2001. ISBN 0827607121. The Five Books of Moses and the Haftarot in Hebrew with the New JPS English and wonderful commentary. It is the large maroon Humash we use at BEKI.
- A History of the Jewish People, Haim H. Ben-Sasson, ed., (Cambridge: Harvard) 1976. ISBN 0674397312. A comprehensive if dry Zionist synopsis in 1170 pages showing how all of Jewish history leads up to the creation of the State of Israel.
Siddur Sim Shalom, Jules Harlow, ed. (New York: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) 1985. ISBN 0916219011. The prayer book we use at BEKI and in many Conservative communities. No home should be without one. Represents the traditional Askhenazic (European) liturgy. The introduction may be most helpful as an overview. Also available in a Shabbat & Festivals edition, which we use on Shabbat & Festival mornings. Students are encouraged to obtain Or Hadash — A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom by Rabbi Reuven Hammer in place of the Shabbat & Festival edition. 2003, ISBN 0916219208. Or Hadash includes the Shabbat & Festival edition of Sim Shalom.
- Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History, Ismar Elbogen, translated by Raymond P. Schendlin (Philadelphia: JPS) 1993. ISBN 0827604459. Originally published in German in 1913 under the title Der judische Gottesdienst in seiner geschichtlichen Entwicklung. A monumental work.
- Justice and Mercy: Commentary on the Liturgy of the New Year and the Day of Atonement, Max Arzt (New York: Burning Book Press), 1963. A fine introduction to the themes and literary history of the High Holy Days prayer book. Worth searching for in a used book store.
- The Halakhic Process: A Systemic Analysis, Joel Roth (New York: JTS) 1986 (Moreshet Series, Vol 13). ISBN 0873340353. The most complete, concise and accurate explanation of how the system of Jewish law works.
- A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, Isaac Klein (New York: JTS) 1979. ISBN 0873340043. A liberal outline of daily and holiday practices.
- Rereading the Rabbis: A Woman's Voice, Judith Hauptman (Westbrook Press) 1999. ISBN 0813334063. Fascinating insights into the development of the status of women in Jewish law and culture.
- Man is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion, Abraham Joshua Heschel (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux) 1951. ISBN 0374513287. (Hardcover: 0374938792.). Also, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism, Abraham Joshua Heschel (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux) 1955. ISBN 0374513317.
- The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry 1933-1945, Nora Levin (New York: Schocken Books) 1973. ISBN 0805203761. Essential to understanding contemporary Jewish society.
- The War Against the Jews, Lucy Davidowicz (Bantam) reissued 1991. ISBN 055334532X.
- Conservative Judaism: Our Ancestors to Our Descendants, Elliot N. Dorff, (New York: United Synagogue) 1981. A concise outline of the history and development of the Conservative Movement written for youth. Order from USCJ at 1.800.594.5617.
- The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning, Maurice Lamm (New York: Jonathan David), 1969 (revised 2000). ISBN 0824604229. Although composed by a non-Conservative scholar, still among the best books detailing common laws and customs pertaining to mourning. Author often does not differentiates between the idiosyncratic custom of his community and mainstream halakha.
- Does God Belong in the Bedroom?, Michael Gold (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society), 1992. ISBN 0827604211. A liberal traditional interpretation of the sources.
- Birth Control in Jewish Law: Marital Relations, Contraception, and Abortion as Set Forth in the Classic Texts of Jewish Law, David M. Feldman (Jason Aronson), 1998. ISBN 0765760584. A decidedly modern Orthodox view. Cites many of the rabbinic sources.
- In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov: The earliest Collection of Legends About the Founder of Hasidism = Shivhei ha-Besht, Dan Ben-Amos & Jerome R. Mintz, translators & editors (New York: Schocken Books) 1984. ISBN 0805207589.
- Contemporary Jewish Ethics, Menachem Marc Kellner, ed., (New York: Sanhedrin Press) 1978. Twenty-eight topical essays by renowned writers. Not as contemporary as they used to be, but some essays are timeless, if you can find them.
The Book Group meets in BEKI's Rosenkrantz Framily Library periodically. Please contact the BEKI office for more information. You can find most of these books in BEKI's Rosenkrantz Family Library, or purchase them from Amazon.com or wherever fine books are sold.
- 1 June 2002: Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America, Stephen G. Bloom, hardcover $17.50, ISBN 0151006520; paperback $14.00, ISBN 0156013363. Lubavitcher community in a tiny Iowa town.
- 20 April 2002: Jew vs. Jew, Sam G. Freedman, paperback $11.20, ISBN 0684859459. Explores the conflicts within the contemporary American Jewish community.
- 23 March 2002: Thirst: The Desert Trilogy, Shulamith Hareven, $13.56, ISBN 1562790889. Israeli writer who uses the Book of Exodus as a basis for these stories in which characters face challenges through which they have to deal with timeless questions.
- 23 February 2002: An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood, Neil Gabler, paperback $13.56, ISBN 0385265573.
- 19 January 2002: The Chosen, Chaim Potok, paperback $6.99, ISBN 0449213447. Story of the relationship of two Jewish boys in 1940's New York and their different approaches to Judaism.
- 22 December 2001: Bialy Eaters-The Story of a Bread and a Lost World, Mimi Sheraton (Bantam Doubleday) 2000, $13.96, ISBN 0767905024. History of the Bialy and the Polish culture from which it came.
- 17 November 2001: What Remains, Nicholas Delbanco (Warner Books), hardcover $17.46, ISBN 0446524166; paperback $11.16, ISBN 0446677795. A novel of three generations of a Jewish family as it relocates from Germany in the 1930's to London, and finally to America.
- 20 October 2001: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (Random House), paperback $12.00. ISBN 0312282990. A unique, highly regarded story of golems and superheros created in the book by a refugee from Nazi Germany.
Many BEKI members publish books and articles, in a variety of fields. A sampling of them is listed below. If you are a BEKI member and would like your book or publication listed below, please submit the publication data, including ISBN or ASIN, to jjtilsen@beki.org. You can find some of these books in BEKI's Rosenkrantz Family Library, or purchase them from Amazon.com or wherever fine books are sold.
- Red Lines, Black Spaces: The Politics of Race and Space in a Black Middle-Class Suburb, Bruce D. Haynes (New Haven: Yale University Press), 2001. ISBN 0300084900.
- As We See Ourselves: Jewish Women in Nursing, Evelyn R. Benson (Center Nursing Publishing), 2001.
- The BBI Dictionary of English Word Combinations, Morton Benson, Evelyn R. Benson, Robert Ilson (John Benjamins Pub Co), Rev. 1997.
- Larding the Lean Earth: Soil and Society in Nineteenth-Century America, Steven Stoll, 2002.
- The Fruits of Natural Advantage: Making the Industrial Countryside in California, Steven Stoll, 1998.
- The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and the Question of Capitalism in the Progressive Era, Portland, Oregon, Robert Johnston, 2003.
Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street
New Haven, CT USA 06515-1724
(203) 389-2108
Fax (203) 389-5899Email to Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen: jjtilsen@beki.org
