Description: A smart, hip and provocative book for anyone interested in the rich diversity of Jewish thought on contemporary questions.
Brief description: Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg is a leading Jewish thinker, and has written exxtensively on Jewish tradition in post-modenity, Jewish theology after the Holocaust and the rebirth of Israel, the new encounter between Judaism and Christianity, the ethics of Jewish power, and issues of religious and cultural pluralism. He has seerved in the Orthodox rabbinate, academia (history and Jewish studies), and Jewish communal life (President Emeritus of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Founding President of the Steinhardt Foundation), and is the author of numerous books including "The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays" and "For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter Betwen Judaism and Christianity." He received his MA and PhD in American History from Harvard University. He was Associate Professor of history at Yeshiva University and founder, chairman amd professor in the department of Jewish studies of the City College of the City University of New York.
Review Quotes:
"Can Robots Be Jewish? is a celebration--of the ongoing vitality of the Jewish encounter with modernity, of the shared religious language that persists across denominations, of the spiritual power of machloket l'shem Shamayim, argument for the sake of Heaven. No matter where you position yourself on the Jewish spectrum, this book is a gift." --Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute and author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor
"The old joke--'two Jews, three opinions'-- turns out to vastly understate the reality. This wonderful book shows the breadth of Jewish thinking in a way that brings wisdom and humor to vexing questions. It focuses not on doctrine or ritual but on how to live as good Jews in a rapidly changing world. Who ever thought a collection of essays on ethical dilemmas could be a page-turner?"--Steven Waldman, co-founder of Beliefnet and author of Sacred Liberty: America's Long, Bloody and Ongoing Struggle for Religious Freedom "Fresh, delectable, to be consumed in nibbles or in one rapturous sitting. We may be a disputatious people, but on this we can agree: Can Robots Be Jewish? is the chocolate babka of books, leavened with pulpit humor and dusted with divine crumbs of timeless wisdom."--Laura Blumenfeld, author of Revenge: A Story of Hope and daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter and great-great-granddaughter of rabbis "Ten very different spiritual leaders answer each Big Question with clarity, profundity, occasional levity, and a palpable love for Jewish tradition. My favorite answer is Rabbi Yitz Greenberg's hilarious response to "Can robots be Jewish?," which, alone, is worth the price of the book." --Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America "In these essays, often both witty and profound, an astonishing variety of rabbis address the great and not-so-great conundrums of our time. It's hard not to come away from this book feeling more open-minded about yourself and the world we inhabit."--Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity