This author delves into the profound currents of Jewish thought, from the mystical traditions of Kabbalah and Hasidism to modern Jewish philosophy and culture. Their work explores how religious traditions and textual interpretations evolve across centuries and within diverse cultural landscapes. A central focus lies in examining the intricate relationships between religious fundamentalism, historical interpretation, and contemporary issues of identity. Readers will appreciate the ability to connect ancient spiritual lineages with pressing societal and philosophical dialogues.
Exploring the complex Jewish relationship with Zionism and exile, this collection of essays by Shaul Magid encourages a re-examination of contemporary issues through the lens of Jewish religious and political thought. With a focus on intergenerational dialogue, the work provides a progressive perspective that highlights the necessity of exile in understanding current challenges. Magid's insights aim to deepen the discourse surrounding these critical themes within the Jewish community.
Meir Kahane came of age amid the radical politics of the counterculture, becoming a militant voice of protest against Jewish liberalism. Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League in 1968, declaring that Jews must protect themselves by any means necessary. He immigrated to Israel in 1971, where he founded KACH, an ultranationalist and racist political party. He would die by assassination in 1990. Shaul Magid provides an in-depth look at this controversial figure, showing how the postwar American experience shaped his life and political thought. Magid sheds new light on Kahane's radical political views, his critique of liberalism, and his use of the "grammar of race" as a tool to promote Jewish pride. He discusses Kahane's theory of violence as a mechanism to assure Jewish safety, and traces how his Zionism evolved from a fervent support of Israel to a belief that the Zionist project had failed. Magid examines how tradition and classical Jewish texts profoundly influenced Kahane's thought later in life, and argues that Kahane's enduring legacy lies not in his Israeli career but in the challenge he posed to the liberalism and assimilatory project of the postwar American Jewish establishment. This incisive book shows how Kahane was a quintessentially American figure, one who adopted the radicalism of the militant Left as a tenet of Jewish survival. -- book jacket