2011: A Year in Books

The holidays are over, the coffee-table books have all been unwrapped and set aside, and winter isn't going anywhere for a while. In short, it's time to settle in for some good reading. The literary critic D. G. Myers here presents the 38 best Jewish books of 2011, all of which merit your attention.

2010: A Year in Books  D.G. Myers,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  From the popular to the scholarly, a reader's and buyer's guide to 34 of the best books of 2010.  SAVE

Retrieving American Jewish Fiction  D.G. Myers,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  A historical symposium of some neglected classics, and an introduction to the avot and imahot of American Jewish writing.  SAVE

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Swiss illustration of I Maccabees.

The First War of National Liberation

This is the 2,179th anniversary of the world's first war of national liberation. There have been many since. To a surprising extent, such wars have followed the pattern first established by the Maccabees. They, like later heads of independence movements, were leaders of a people conquered and occupied by a great empire.

The History of the Menorah  Daniel Sperber,  Journal of Jewish Studies.  When the Maccabees recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem, its golden menorah was gone. So, following a soldiers' custom, they made a menorah out of their hollow spear-heads.  SAVE

Sri Lanka Leader Says International Criticism “Tainted”  Agence France-Presse.  There were international allegations that the Sri Lankan army massacred civilians as they ended the Tamil rebellion. The Sri Lankan president disagreed.  SAVE

The Warrior Rabbi  Aryeh Tepper,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Shlomo Goren, first chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, helped revive the tradition of the Jewish warrior.  SAVE

Mel and the Maccabee  Alex Joffe,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Should Mel Gibson play Judah Maccabee in "Hannukah—the Movie?"  SAVE

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Orthosexuality

The Talmud tells a story about one Rabbi Kahana who hid under the bed of his master, Rabbi Abba (better known as Rav), as the latter was having sex with his wife. Kahana, shocked at the type of frivolous language used by his mentor, commented that Rav was behaving ravenously.

Rendezvous with Reality  Benjamin Abramowitz,  Commentator.  Yeshiva University's student newspapers have published articles far more sexually explicit than the currently controversial one—but they all had educational or journalistic merit.  SAVE

A Guide for the Orthoplexed  Steven Bayme,  Lookstein.org.  The Newlywed's Guide to Physical Intimacy has generated a lively discussion on a forum for (mostly Orthodox) Jewish educators.  SAVE

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Love, Marriage, and the Israeli Rabbinate

The organization Tzohar is fighting for the right to perform its popular "alternative" weddings in Israel. A recent dispute with the Ministry of Religious Services was apparently resolved after a media war, frantic mediation, and a high-level Knesset meeting.

The Chief Rabbinate  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Founded as a body that would help unify the modern Jewish state, the rabbinate (Hebrew: rabbanut) has evolved into something else entirely.  SAVE

Fairy Tale  Merav Michaeli,  Haaretz.  Calling a Tzohar wedding an "alternative" shows how keenly some Israelis want to escape the rabbinate's authority.  SAVE

Will Tzohar Declare War on the Rabbanut?  Elli Fischer,  On the Contrary.  In the area of kashrut, the rabbinate is not transparent or accountable; but Tzohar may not have the will to mount a fundamental challenge.  SAVE

Has the Chief Rabbinate Outlived Its Usefulness?  Shlomo Riskin,  Jerusalem Post.  The rabbinate is unfriendly and inflexible—but it can be reformed.  SAVE

Without the Rabbinate, I'll . . .  Yair Ettinger,  Haaretz.  In addition to marriage, initiatives to sidestep the rabbinate also exist in the realms of divorce, conversion, and burial.  The Chief Rabbinate responds to Haaretz's series here.  SAVE

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