Lawrence Cohen – Review Column

Hopefully this column will focus on some of the gems on the shelves in the library. This month I would like to draw your attention to one new book and one recently re-issued. Rabbi Louis Jacobs has just published a marvellous introduction to the world of Judaism entitled “The Book of Jewish Belief”. Attractively presented, the book covers every aspect of Judaism from philosophy to the hereafter in a way which is easily comprehensible, and I can think of no better introduction to the “Why?” of Judaism than this volume. Nothing escapes Rabbi Jacobs’ masterly treatment of his subject, whether it be a discussion of the place of the Holocaust in Jewish life or a judgement as to whether we are permitted to ‘jog’ on Shabbat (we are!). After you have dipped into “The Book of Jewish Belief” why not turn to Rabbi Lionel Blue’s recently reissued “To Heaven with Scribes and Pharisees”? It is an antidote to everything pompous which you have come to accept in Jewish life and practice, and best be described as an amusing treatise on what makes the modern Jew or Jewess tick. Are you seeking the Lord of Hosts in Suburbia? Do you regard your Synagogue as a type of Holy Town Hall? Whether you do or not, Lionel Blue’s unique approach will stimulate your grey matter and prompt you to look at your religion from a fresh perspective.

Lawrence Cohen