A collection of lectures on the features of the movement of mysticism that began in antiquity and continues in Hasidism today. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Formerly one of the largest and most militant Islamic organizations in the Middle East, Egypt's al-Gama'ah al-Islamiyah is believed to have played an instrumental role in numerous acts of global terrorism, including the assassination of President Anwar Sadat and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In later years, however, the organization issued a surprising renunciation of violence, repudiating its former ideology and replacing it with a shari'ah -based understanding and assessment of the purpose and proper application of jihad. This key manifesto of modern Islamist thought is now available to an English-speaking audience in an eminently readable translation by noted Islamic scholar Sherman A. Jackson. Unlike other Western and Muslim critiques of violent extremism, this important work emerges from within the movement of Middle Eastern Islamic activism, both challenging and enriching prevailing notions about the role of Islamists in fighting the scourge of extremist politics, blind anti-Westernism, and, alas, wayward jihad.

With their trademark quirky perspective, authors Lisa Birnbach, Ann Hodgman, and Patricia Marx have created yet another surefire hit! More Info About 1,003 Great Things About Being Jewish From the trio responsible for the successful 1,003 series-comes 1,003 Great Things About Being Jewish , the perfect humorous gift book to celebrate being Jewish. Just a sampling of the gems within: * They say Aunt Rose's matzo balls could sink a ship . . . in case you're interested in doing that. * Everyone knows that kosher hot dogs rule. * A Hanukkah bush is a lot easier to bring home than a Christmas tree. * Cool-looking blue and silver wrapping paper instead of red and green. * Where else does a 13-year-old get to say, "Today, I am a man"? * "The remarkable thing about my mother is that for 30 years, she served nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -Calvin Trillin 1,003 Great Things About Being Jewish is sure to have everyone smiling, laughing, and appreciating all things Jewish.

This book tells the story of the Dönme, the descendents of Jews who resided in the Ottoman Empire and converted to Islam along with their messiah, Rabbi Shabbatai Tzevi, in the seventeenth century. For two centuries following their conversion, the Dönme were accepted as Muslims, and by the end of the nineteenth century rose to the top of Salonikan society. The Dönme helped transform Salonika into a cosmopolitan city, promoting the newest innovation in trade and finance, urban reform, and modern education. They eventually became the driving force behind the 1908 revolution that led to the overthrow of the Ottoman sultan and the establishment of a secular republic. To their proponents, the Dönme are enlightened secularists and Turkish nationalists who fought against the dark forces of superstition and religious obscurantism. To their opponents, they were simply crypto-Jews engaged in a plot to dissolve the Islamic empire. Both points of view assume the Dönme were anti-religious, whether couched as critique or praise. But it is time that we take these religious people seriously on their own terms. In the Ottoman Empire, the Dönme promoted morality, ethics, spirituality, and a syncretistic religion that reflected their origins at the intersection of Jewish Kabbalah and Islamic Sufism. This is the first book to tell their story, from their origins to their near total dissolution as they became secular Turks in the mid-twentieth century.

Throughout American history, from the colonial era to the present, Jews have found America generally hospitable. Yet even in this relatively receptive country, which essentially replaced Israel as the "promised land," there have been vexing questions for Jews―questions about the costs of freedom and mobility, especially with regard to the erosion of Jewish tradition and distinctiveness.In this one-volume history of the Jewish experience in America, Gerald Sorin argues that, from colonial times to the present, "acculturation" and not "assimilation" has best described the experience of Jewish Americans. American Jews, Sorin explains, have maintained their unique ethnic characteristics yet have become part of mainstream, middle-class American life. Sorin also shows how the large migration of Jews from Russia and Eastern Europe in the late nineteenth century made a lasting impact on how other Americans imagine, understand, and relate to Jewish Americans and their cultural contributions today.Drawing together all aspects of American Jewish history, this concise volume deals with the transformation of a people, their religion, their move into trade and commerce, their political commitments domestically and internationally (especially after the Holocaust), and their contributions to education and culture.

The Essential Jewish Festival Cookbook offers a unique, comprehensive guide to every aspect of preparing for the majo Jewish festivals, covering, chapter by chapter, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Purim, Pesach and Shavuot. With a selection of stunning photographs to complement the author's trademark easy-to-follow, step-by-step failproof recipes, this book is the essential companion for anyone preparing for all those family occasions which are so central to Jewish life.

Mention 1492 and most people conjure up images of three stout ships making their way west. But 1492 was the year in which the vibrant Jewish community of Spain came to an abrupt and tragic end. This book details the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal and their early immigration to the New World. European anti-Semitism followed the Jews but the newcomers persevered and made a home for themselves in the New World. Starred Review and Editor’s Choice, Booklist, NCCS/CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book and American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, 1990.