I think it will be helpful to share some of the books I've enjoyed reading thus far.
Living a Jewish Life
By Anita Diamant
This is a great, easy-to-read primer and provides enough basic knowledge to inform future reading of more in-depth books.
The Jewish Catalogs (First, Second and Third)
By Strassfeld & Strassfeld
I was introduced to the First Jewish Catalog by my wonderful friend and former housemate, Hadley. Published between 1973 and 1980, these books tout themselves as "do it yourself kits" for cultivating a personal Jewish practice outside of organized Judaism. They're absolutely fascinating and fun to read - the Jewish equivalent of finding your mom's early edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves. They may be out of print, but you can find them used at abebooks.com.
The Jewish Holidays
By Michael Strassfeld
This book has been invaluable! Whenever I have a question about a holiday ritual that no one can seem to answer ("That's just the way we do it!") this book has provided one. It's also a great way to impress your friends with your obscure knowledge.
And, of course, the Torah! I look at contemporary commentary each week (or as often as possible) on chabad.org. It's an especially great place to see what the ladies think.
You might also want to look for a copy of "The Jewish Book of Why".
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mister Anderson - I always love book recommendations! I also just picked up Living Judaism and A Short History of the Jewish People today as required reading for a class I'm teaching - will post reviews here when I complete them.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say in my previous comment that I'm TAKING a class, not teaching one. Also, Raquel Scharf-Anderson has since recommended the URJ's site for Torah study. Check out the link in the right-hand margin.
ReplyDelete