These essays go a long way in helping us understand a contemporary and multifaceted Judaism, along with its history and texts. As ritual, prayers, and attitudes toward authority undergo new constructions and interpretation, Judaism of 'the book' also takes on new forms. Visiting distinctive Jewish spaces has become a way of cultivating specific identities and senses of a Jewish past.

Ease of communication and travel has resulted in frequent contact-and at times, conflict-between Jews of similar and diverging backgrounds around the world. truly unique as Israelis invent new and creative ways to celebrate. Goldberg, a leading scholar in the anthropology of Judaism, provides an introduction to each chapter that demonstrates the links among the various themes. Diverse Jewish traditions from around the world come together in Israel to create. Through ethnographic and autobiographical perspectives, the essays provide an appreciation of Judaism in daily activities, from domestic food preparation to worshipping Jewish attachment to the cultures of specific communities, be they in Russia or Morocco the impact of the Holocaust the place of the State of Israel in Jewish life and the role of women. The book's attention to material culture offers a much-needed addition to more traditional views advanced in the study of Judaism.

This collection portrays the diversity of Jewish experience as it is practiced and lived in contemporary societies. Approximately thirteen million people around the world define themselves as Jews, with the majority residing in the United States and Israel.

Ways of life in israel