The Future of the Jewish People in Five Photographs

Threatened by the love of would-be friends as well as the hatred of long-established enemies, the Jewish people face a number of critical questions about the future. What matters more: the number of Jewish people, or the qualities of the Jewish soul? Does asking, "Is it good for the Jews?" diminish the more profound question, "Is it good?" Should the Torah be seen as the unchanging anchor of faith or as a starting place for continual reinvention? Does Judaism hold within it a universal and inclusive ethic?

These questions take on more and more significance as Jewish neighborhoods continue to fade, as Jewish identity melts in the embrace of intermarriage, and as a new generation of American Jews seeks a universal moral vision in a religion built for a people who once stood apart.

Each of the five photographs in this book frames one of these critical questions, generating a dialogue that is as honest and practical as it is spiritual and philosophical. Drawing on history, literature, and his upbringing in the Jewish communities of Brooklyn, Peter S. Temes seeks a new understanding of what it means to be Jewish and what the future holds for the Jewish people. The five photographs at the center of his search hint at the possibilities of that future--possibilities that are at once hopeful and inspiring but also challenging and troubling.


Author: Peter S. Temes
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 11/01/2012
Pages: 216
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.68h x 5.93w x 0.76d
ISBN: 9780803239791

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/25/2012 pg. 159
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2012
Shelf Awareness 11/13/2012
Foreword 12/03/2012

About the Author
Peter S. Temes is head of the Pacific Hills School, West Hollywood, California. A former faculty member at Harvard University, he is the author of many books, including, most recently, The Power of Purpose: Living Well by Doing Good.