Publisher's Synopsis
This book explores a pattern of crisis followed by a radical break and remake as a persistent phenomenon in Jewish history. The Jewish people have collectively braved many turning points over the past four millennia and, in each instance, did so by making a radical break from past forms of worship, notions of self and nation as well as sense of place in the world. In other words, the Jews have ended numerous times in their history, but not in the sense of "the end," but rather "an end." And yet, despite numerous "ends," the Jewish people have survived due to their ability to transform those radical breaks into seeming continuities which maintained and reinforced a sacred chain of tradition from Abraham through Moses and the march of centuries into the present moment. Each remake, though loyal to the "original," was fundamentally different. Many tend to shy away from declaring their moment as one of crisis and radical transformation. Usually, we are more reserved, claiming we live in a "period of transition." However, the evidence supporting this book's declaration is compelling. The radical break is upon us, and this book explores the beginnings of the remake, dubbed by Mendelsohn Aviv as the Next Jew.
