American Judaism in Transition: The Secularization of a Religious Community

by Gerhard Falk

Overview

The American Jewish community is in transition. This book describes in detail how American Jews changed from living in a religion-oriented community to living a secular life. Falk discusses how Jewish Americans were greatly influenced by the secularization of Western civilization in general and by the Christian community in Europe and America specifically. The secularization of American Jewish institutions is analyzed by discussing changes in the Jewish religion, Jewish education and Jewish organizations during this century. Special consideration is given to the issue of Jewish survival in America with specific emphasis on the Jewish-Christian intermarriage rate. Contents: Part One: The Present Condition of Judaism in America; The American Jewish at the End of the 20th Century; Part Two: The Development of Secularization in the Western World; The Influence of Jewish Philosophers on the Secularization of Judaism; The Influence of Christians and Other Philosophers on the Secularization of the Western World; The Secularization of the U.S. before 1900; The Influence of Scientific Thinking on the Secularization Process; The Influence of Some European and American Writers on the Secularization Process; The Secularization of the United States in the 20th Century; Part Three: American Jewish Institutions at the End of the Century; The Secularization of the Jewish Religion in America; The Secularization of the American Jewish Family; The Secularization of American Jewish Education; Organized American Jewishness at the End of the 20th Century; Part Four: Jewish Continuity in a Secular Society; The Secular Life in America; Jewish Survival in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761800163
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	07/25/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	5.32(w) x 8.48(h) x 0.89(d)

About the Author

Gerhard Falk is Professor of Sociology at Buffalo State College.

What People are Saying About This

G. V. Tomashevich

"...a major achievement...elegantly written opus, full of bold, original and illuminating insights...this work will long be read and quoted by a wide variety of scholars whose fields it enriches."
— Dr. G. V. Tomashevich

Editorial Reviews

Falk brings a considerable amount of evidence to bear on the decline of the impact of Judaism on most Americans today.
— Lawrence W. Raphael, Director of the Department of Adult Jewish Growth, Union of American Hebrew Congregations

Judaism

"Falk brings a considerable amount of evidence to bear on the decline of the impact of Judaism on most Americans today."

Judaism - Lawrence W. Raphael

...a major achievement...elegantly written opus, full of bold, original and illuminating insights...this work will long be read and quoted by a wide variety of scholars whose fields it enriches.

Dr. G. V. Tomashevich