Table of Contents

  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • Preface
  • Introduction
    • The Purpose of This Book
    • A Range of Jewish Lifestyles, Beliefs and Behavior
  • Christians and Jews
    • Going to Church: The Jewish Roots of Christian Worship
    • Jews, Jesus and Christianity
  • The Jewish Religion
    • From Orthodox…
    • To Reform…
    • To Conservative...
    • To Reconstructionist
    • Contemporary Synagogues and Congregations
    • A Personal Observation
  • Inside the Synagogue
    • The Torah and the Law
    • Prayers and Blessings
    • Symbols: The Mezuzah and the Star of David
    • The Role of the Rabbi
    • The Role of the Cantor
    • Jewish Education
    • Confirmation
    • Congregation Membership and Paying the Bills
    • The Temple
    • Jewish Priests
    • Time for Confession
    • Who’s in Charge?
  • Holidays and Festivals
    • Holidays and The Jewish Calendar
    • Shabbat—The Sabbath
    • The High Holidays—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
    • Sukkot
    • Simchat Torah
    • Hanukkah (Is It Really the “Jewish Christmas?”)
    • Purim
    • Passover
    • Shavuot (The Harvest Festival)
    • Other Religious Events
  • Jewish Life Cycle Events
    • A Jewish Wedding
    • Let’s Go to a Circumcision!
    • Baby Namings and Rituals for Daughters
    • Adoption
    • An Invitation to a Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah
    • A Jewish Funeral: Saying Good-bye to Uncle Harry
    • You Can Only Get a Divorce if You’re Married
  • Jewish Beliefs, Home Life, and Many Differences
    • Is a Kosher Hot Dog Really Kosher?
    • Jewish Food
    • Degrees of Orthodoxy
    • Conversion to Judaism
    • Intermarriage
    • Religious Apparel and Dress
    • Hasidim and Hasidism
    • Creation, Heaven, Hell and Life After Death
    • Where, When, and How Many
    • Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews
    • Women and Judaism
  • Judaism in the World
    • Israel
    • Jewish Art and Music
    • Mysticism and the Repair of the World
    • Money —Stereotypes, Charity and the Scriptures
    • Perform a Mitzvah
    • Controversial Social Issues
    • Old Wars and New Wars
    • The Chosen People
    • Anti-Semitism
    • The Holocaust
  • A Call for Understanding and Community
  • Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
  • Recommended Reading
  • Index