Reddit mentions: The best jewish history books

I've got some suggestions!

One of my favorite books is The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India by Rodger Kamenetz. The book chronicles a journey by the first Jewish delegation to meet with the Dalai Lama. The rabbis involved come from different backgrounds. Some are more mystical than others, but each have important things to say. As a bonus, it's a thrilling adventure and you get to learn a little bit about Tibetan Buddhism. Also, Kamenetz is a beautiful writer.

Now, you mentioned "mysticism." So mysticism in Judaism often defaults to Kabbalah. Many Jews and Jewish denominations do not believe in Kabbalah. So keep that in mind. But of course, there are Jews who do believe in it. So certainly it should be discussed. Anyway, there's a lot of misinformation about Kabbalah out there, much of which spread by the Kabbalah Centre. Just as "Yoga" means something different to a Hindu and an American, so too does "Kabbalah" mean something different in Judaism than to an American. New-Age movements are inspired by ancient traditions, but it's best not to confuse them with the ancient traditions.

Anyway, much of Kabbalah derives from the Zohar. Daniel C. Matt is a wonderful scholar, and has a book with selections of the Zohar translated called Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment. He also has a book called The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism which presents translated primary sources to explain many concepts in Kabbalah. It's a pretty book, and a fun read. Also, here is a video of Daniel C. Matt speaking, just to give you a taste of who he is.

Daniel C. Matt's Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment has a forward by Rabbi Arthur Green. Green is a leader in Reconstructionist Judaism and Neo-Hasidism, and a scholar of Jewish mysticism. He has a book called Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition which outlines a liberal and panentheistic Judaism deriving from Hasidic Kabbalah. Green is a theologian while Matt is a scholar, so Green is presenting a cohesive spiritual view while Matt is simply presenting documents. Green's book is pretty short. I think some of his ideas are nice, but some of them didn't do anything for me. Maybe it's the kind of thing you'd like to check out.

Green's book is based on Hasidism which is a mystical Jewish movement which is derived from Lurianic Kabbalah. I have a few books on my reading list for Hasidism waiting to be read. Of what I've read, I greatly enjoyed Ellie Wiesel's Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of the Hasidic Masters. Wiesel's book is a collection of tales and descriptions of the different Hasidic leaders. Stories and the character of different leaders have been very important in Hasidism, so this is a good book to give you a feel of Hasidism. Many of the tales invoke a sense of ecstasy, love, and awe. There's also Martin Buber's Tales of the Hasidim, but I found it a little drier than Wiesel's book.

The Chabad is a well known Hasidic organization. Their website offers a lot of information on regular Jewish concepts, but they also have articles on a whole range of mysticism. Further, the Chabad also has a digital library with many books relevant to their Hasidic philosophy. Their website has a lot to offer, but I have some qualms about the Chabad and am wary to be overly reliant on them. Still, they're certainly a resource you should be aware of.

As /u/juden-shikker points out, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan is a great resource on meditation, Kabbalah, and mysticism. Further, Gershom Scholem is considered the father of academic study of Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism. Scholem has numerous books on a range of mystical topics in Judaism. Moshe Idel was a student of Scholem and in some ways a successor to him. Idel has published many works. Significantly, he has written on Abraham Abulafia and Prophetic Kabbalah (as opposed to Theosophical Kabbalah which is what most people saying, "Kabbalah," refer to). These authors would all serve as great resources for you.

If you're interested in more earth-based spirituality and feminist themes, Rabbi Jill Hammer has a website called Tel Shemesh devoted to these themes. She's also written a beautifully poetic book called The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons. For each day of the Jewish Year she quotes a verse from the Tanakh and a related quote from Midrash or Talmud. She then writes about the importance of that day in the Jewish Year or discusses a seasonally appropriate Jewish legend. It's interesting and beautifully written, however sometimes you have to take what she writes with a grain of salt. I also disagree with some of her sources. Still, though, she's a beautiful writer with something a little different to offer.

And finally there's Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Jewish Renewal. Gosh, what can one even say about Rabbi Zalman and Jewish Renewal? Some love them, some hate them. For some they're purely a phenomenon of one generation which is on its way out. Who knows? Maybe some of his works and the Jewish Renewal organization will be of some value to you. Also, Rabbi Zalman is one of the rabbis who traveled to meet the Dalai Lama in the first book I mentioned.

For the past few months I've been doing a lot of study on Jewish mysticism. So that's why I'm so ready and willing to throw books at you. I have other books as well, but the ones I've listed here give a wide variety of different views in Jewish mysticism and spirituality. Plus, I found all these ones to be pretty fun reads. Hope this could help!

As a person who converted through the Reform movement, I highly suggest that you take a holistic approach to your initial study of Judaism. Getting a better idea of where other movements are coming from will not only give you a better grounding in Judaism as a whole, but it will foster understanding between movements and also put you in a better position to decide which movement works best for you.

Personally, even though I converted Reform, I don't actually identify strongly as a Reform Jew, because it's a bit too free form for me (in particular, I became very frustrated when the response to any question I had about observance essentially boiled down to 'do whatever makes you feel good'). That said, like you, I don't identify completely with the theology or some of the practices of Orthodoxy (separation of men and women being one of them), so I wouldn't make a good Orthodox Jew even though I'm more observant than, oh, 90% of Reform Jews.

Take the advice of other people in this thread and try out several different synagogues and Jewish events in your area, if possible. And read a lot on Judaism from different perspectives. Even if you strongly identify with the Reform movement (which is totally fine--I am not knocking the movement, it just isn't 100% for me), it will still be helpful to understand other levels of observance.

Some books I suggest you check out:

• Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg -- This book gives a brief and easy-to-read overview of the basics of both traditional (Orthodox) and liberal Judaism. VERY good place to start your studies.
  
• Choosing a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant is a good overview of the conversion process and some of the issues coverts face. Been a while since I read this, but it's definitely not from an Orthodox perspective--I think it strives to be more neutral as far as denomination goes.
  
• I also highly recommend To Pray as a Jew by Hayim Halevy Donin. This is an introduction to the synagogue service and its prayers. Very informative book. It is written from an Orthodox perspective, and will be easier to follow once you are further along in your studies, I think, but it's a wonderful resource.
  
  Particularly because you mentioned that you are a feminist, I thought you might also be interested in:
  
  
• How to run a Traditional Jewish Household by Blu Greenberg. This book is written from a Modern Orthodox perspective by a well-known Orthodox feminist. It gives a lot of background and information about Orthodox customs that aren't as well-known to more liberal Jews (like the concept of an eruv, for example). Though I don't identify as an Orthodox Jew myself, I found this book fascinating and it really helped me solidify my own practice and feelings about traditional Judaism.
  
• Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Toward Traditional Rabbinic Ordination by Haviva Ner-David is an account of Ner-David's journey to becoming one of the first women granted the equivalent of Orthodox semicha (ordination) in Israel. I found it very eye-opening. It is definitely possible to be a feminist and be traditional. I don't agree with everything she says/does, but this is another great book to give you a perspective on how and why Orthodox Jews do things the way they do.
  
  Welcome to the path of Jewish study. If you ever have any other specific questions about converting Reform or need support in your studies or your journey, please feel free to PM me any time.

> I've never actually read Maccabees I and II as its outside the Tanach

Yea the only reason I looked into it is because my Rabbi brought it up.

>and any learning I did, but is it a retelling of the same narrative twice or part I and part II respectively?

The first book shows the struggle between Pious Jews (The Maccabees) vs Seleucid King & The Jews that supported the king. The second book creates the terms "Judaism" and "Hellenism", which were coined by the author. Really this is an internal civil war between a pious people and those who were wanted to assimilate into Greek lifestyle. The Maccabees of course forced converted these non-pious people by forced circumcision and massacre.


It is also worth noting that neither book actually mentioned the 'miracle' of the oil. They talk about the re-dedication and the second book talks about 8 days (again going back to Sukkot). The second book even calls back to the feast of booths, and they talk about what could even be the lulav and etrog.

To quote:

1 Maccabees 4:52-59 reads:

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Kislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of the burn offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals… So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings… Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev.

2 Maccabees, is a more stylized and less historically accurate account. 2 Maccabees 10:5-9 reads:

It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Kislev. They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing….therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place. They decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year.

The entire story of the oil lasting for 8 days comes out of the Rabbinic tradition.

It is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud in tractate Shabbat 21b:

What is [the reason of] Chanuka? For our Rabbis taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev [commence] the days of Chanukah, which are eight on which a lamentation for the dead and fasting are forbidden. For when the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils therein, and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against and defeated them, they made search and found only one cruse of oil which lay with the seal of the High Priest, but which contained sufficient for one day’s lighting only; yet a miracle was wrought therein and they lit [the lamp] therewith for eight days. The following year these [days] were appointed a Festival with [the recital of] Hallel and thanksgiving.

> I've never seen this nor read this anywhere but I'd love to hear you out on that one!

I could type this up, but it is easier to scan it, apologies for my laziness.

Here is the album of 5 pages.

It compares the story side by side with Exodus, and shows the similarities in the names essentially one letter difference (which was commonly switched in Aramaic) is the only change from Moses to Mattathias is essentially a one letter difference in transliteration.

>So they had to wait the seven days THEN as purified people make some NEW oil then light the menorah. So yes it could've been any oil but they had to be pure when it was made and when they lit the menorah

The stories don't follow those accounts, they speak of very long times between victory, and re-dedication. Although I think the latter part of your comments are answered already in the sources in the first part of this posts.

Oh also it is worth noting that the Talmud only tells us to light a single candle and only the very zealous should light more:

Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, page 21b

Our Rabbis taught: The commandment of Chanukah requires one light per household; the zealous kindle a light for each member of the household; and the extremely zealous -- Beit Shammai maintain: On the first day eight lights are lit and thereafter they are gradually reduced [by one each day]; but Beit Hillel say: On the first day one is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased. Ulla said: In the West [Eretz Yisrael] two amoraim, R. Jose b. Abin and R. Jose b. Zebida, differ concerning this: one maintains, the reasoning of Beit Shammai is that it should correspond to the days still to come, and that of Beit Hillel is that it shall correspond to the days that are gone. But another maintains: Beit Shammai's reason is that it shall correspond to the bullocks of the Festival [of Tabernacles; i.e. Sukkot], while Beit Hillel's reason is that we increase in matters of sanctity but do not reduce.

Rabbah b. Bar Hana said: There are two old men in Sidon: one did as Beth Shammai and the other as Beth Hillel: the former gave the reason of his action that it should correspond to the bullocks of the Festival, while the latter stated his reason because we promote in [matters of] sanctity but do not reduce.

Our Rabbis taught: It is incumbent to place the Chanukah lamp by the door of one's house on the outside; if one dwells in an upper chamber, place it at the window nearest the street. But in times of danger it is sufficient to place it on the table. Raba said: Another lamp is required for its light to be used, yet if there is a blazing fire it is unnecessary. But in the case of an important person, even if there is a blazing fire another lamp is required.

Also to note a lot of this is covered in The Jewish Holidays a Guide and Commentary

Chag Sameach!

>If we extend the topic of discussion outside of MK there are plenty of quotes attributed to Hitler that shows he didnt plan on peacefully solving what he considered a Jewish problem.


Please show us these quotes.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haavara_Agreement

>The Haavara Agreement was signed on 25 August 1933 after three months of talks by the Zionist Federation of Germany, the Anglo-Palestine Bank (under the directive of the Jewish Agency) and the economic authorities of Nazi Germany. The agreement was designed to help facilitate the emigration of German Jews to Palestine. While it helped Jews emigrate, it forced them to temporarily give up possessions to Germany before departing. Those possessions could later be re-obtained by transferring them to Palestine as German export goods.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Plan

>Rademacher recommended on 3 June 1940 that Madagascar should be made available as a destination for the Jews of Europe. With Adolf Hitler's approval, Adolf Eichmann released a memorandum on 15 August 1940 calling for the resettlement of a million Jews per year for four years, with the island governed as a police state under the SS.

Lenni Brenner stated in his famous book "Zionism in the Age of the Dictators" (which is very much cherished by the left). the following in chapter 7:

>By 1934 the SS had become the most pro-Zionist element in the Nazi Party. Other Nazis were even calling them “soft” on the Jews. Baron von Mildenstein had returned from his six-month visit to Palestine as an ardent Zionist sympathiser. Now as the head of the Jewish Department of the SS’s Security Service, he started studying Hebrew and collecting Hebrew records; when his former companion and guide, Kurt Tuchler, visited his office in 1934, he was greeted by the strains of familiar Jewish folk tunes. [16] There were maps on the walls showing the rapidly increasing strength of Zionism inside Germany. [17] Von Mildenstein was as good as his word: he not only wrote favourably about what he saw in the Zionist colonies in Palestine; he also persuaded Goebbels to run the report as a massive twelve-part series in his own Der Angriff (The Assault), the leading Nazi propaganda organ (26 September to 9 October 1934). His stay among the Zionists had shown the SS man “the way to curing a centuries-long wound on the body of the world: the Jewish question”. It was really amazing how some good Jewish boden under his feet could enliven the Jew: “The soil has reformed him and his kind in a decade. This new Jew will be a new people.” [18] To commemorate the Baron’s expedition, Goebbels had a medal struck: on one side the swastika, on the other the Zionist star. [19]

>In May 1935 Reinhardt Heydrich, who was then the chief of the SS Security Service, later the infamous “Protector” of the Czech lands incorporated into the Reich, wrote an article, The Visible Enemy, for Das Schwarze Korps, the official organ of the SS. In it Heydrich assessed the various tendencies among the Jews, comparing the assimilationists quite invidiously with the Zionists. His partiality towards Zionism could not have been expressed in more unmistakable terms:

>After the Nazi seizure of power our racial laws did in fact curtail considerably the immediate influence of Jews. But ... the question as he sees it is still: How can we win back our old position ... We must separate Jewry into two categories... the Zionists and those who favor being assimilated. The Zionists adhere to a strict racial position and by emigrating to Palestine they are helping to build their own Jewish state.

>Heydrich wished them a fond farewell: “The time cannot be far distant when Palestine will again be able to accept its sons who have been lost to it for over a thousand years. Our good wishes together with our official good will go with them.”

Raziel is probably most famous for the book he gave to Adam. There are many versions of the story, including one where angels steal the book back from Adam out of jealousy. It supposedly passed through the hands of Enoch, Noah, and Solomon, inspiring the Book of Enoch, teaching Noah how to build the Ark, and granting Solomon great knowledge and power in magic respectively. Source

The origin of this story is pretty interesting: "The myth of the Book of Raziel grows out of a midrash attempting to explain the verse, This is the book of the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1)." Source, also a good read

Raziel is mentioned in Targum Ecclesiastes 10:20 - "Do not speak evil of the king in thy conscience, nor in the secret of thy heart, nor in the most hidden place in thy house, curse not a wise man; for Raziel calls daily from heaven upon Mount Horeb, and his voice goes through the whole world; and Elijah, the great priest, goes, flying through the air like a winged eagle, and publishes the words which are spoken in secret by all the inhabitants of the earth." The Targumim are pretty old - they date back to the 1st to 7th centuries. This page offers an interesting theory about Raziel's early role in Jewish mysticism - not as the keeper of secrets but rather the revealer.

According to Maimonides (1135-1204) in his Mishneh Torah, Raziel is the chief of the order of Erelim, also the herald of God and preceptor of Adam.

Now, there is a 13th century medieval grimoire known as "Sefer Raziel HaMalakh". The true author is unknown, but it's commonly attributed to Eleazer of Worms or Isaac the Blind, medieval writers of the time. It draws heavily on Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer Ha-Razim, the former being the oldest and probably the most important Qabalistic text.

As for the Sefer Raziel itself, you can read it online here. Steve Savedow's translation is unfortunately not great, the amazon reviews sort of speak for themselves, but it's better than nothing. You may find something interesting there.

tl;dr Raziel is a very old and important angel, considering he derives from Genesis 5:1. If you are trying to connect to angels in a Qabalistic context, I'd highly recommend starting with the books they originated from, like Sefer Raziel and its predecessors. Hope this helps.

agl1
agl1
13 minutes ago
You are trolling or you are a bot, right?
BUT lets examine it. 'Fake Jews' as in Bible's Synagogue of Satan' - people who say they are Jews but are really are not - ie the present days' zionists - the leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is certainly a zionist. But the rabbit hole goes deeper... Some of the discovarable links: Shabtai Tzvi/Zevi (a self proclaimed Messiah who split up the Jewish community + involved in the 1666 Great Fire of London)-->
Donmeh satanic cult ( https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2011/10/25/the-doenmeh-the-middle-easts-most-whispered-secret-part-i.html ) -->
Jacob Frank (18th centry South East Poland, then this satanic cult was kicked out by the people - missing kids, 'holy' orgies with a large number of partners etc, he went to Germany - the Frankistas ie goodless 'jews' are certainly part of the current deep state / SES ).

The other broad stream of satanist occultists came through Jesuits --> Himmler's SS (modeled on Jesuits, Himmler explained) / push to purify the human race to produce the Übermensch (blond/blue eyes supermans / Human 2.0 androids who - in their theory would be unbeatable able to run everyone else as slaves) - these are the Nazis who through operation Paperclip were transplanted to USA circa 1945 (and to Antarctica, Peron's Argentina etc - Martin Bormann was interviewed under his real name in mid 1970's in Argentina -
see Paul Manning's book: 'Martin Bormann: Nazi in Exile' https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Bormann-Exile-Paul-Manning/dp/1495488144 ).

So the stolen loot from WW2 Europe went to South America, Bormann's 750 shell corporations / also to Switzerland - setting up the Nazis Bank of International Settlements (BIS) / then in the 80's laundered through the US stock exchange (hence the 80's derivatives bubble).

Really the satanic occultist Nazis have survived well, traded humans eg women and kids for superior technology (sold out humanity).
By 1947 they were ready.
US Admiral Byrd's military expedition to antarctica to flush the Nazis out ended in a swift military defeat of Byrd.
In 1953 the Nazis extorted Eisenhower and signed a deal (the Nazis had a superior technology but needed the industrial might of USA to build it all out).
The Nazis then proceeded to infiltrate the Military Industrial Complex - Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boening, Northrop Grumman, Hughes, TRW, NACA/NASA etc. Check out testimony of a whistleblower
William Tompkins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chn7i42aDh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb18kkVlRh4

This lead to a large scale build out of several Secret Space Programs
(SSPs): The Dark Fleet (Nacht Waffen) operating mainly outside the solar system doing the Nazi conquest to other civilisations, the Interplanetary Corporate Conglometate (ICC) a corporate slave sweat-shop in various facilities within the solar system + a handful of others.
Check out testimonies of:
Randy Cramer
https://www.exopolitics.org/mars-whistleblower-reveals-more-of-his-covert-military-service/

Corey Goode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iRu02IFr9M

Penny Bradley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE8eiy6e6o4

Elena Kapulnik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OeJSPpxqmw

Tony Rodrigues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4299-vfPs

Such Secret Space Programs as well as construction and running of the Deep Underground Military Bases (DUMBS) and their connecting transport networks is where approx a quarter of US GDP (trillions of dollars annually disappears to) - according to
Catherine Austin Fitts
https://home.solari.com/the-missing-money-19-trillion-in-undocumentable-adjustments-and-counting-with-dr-mark-skidmore/

A large part of the initial CIA was composed of the General Gehlen's Organisation (in essence Nazis with their intelligence networks in Europe intact now working as CIA) - The Dulles brothers had a big deal to do with that decision [Alan Dulles was later the head of CIA, hated JFK with a passion, was a prime mover in JFK's assassination (then headed the Warren Commission to oversee the cover up). The Nazi faction was sufficiently entrenched in the US by 1963 to be confident of a successful JFK hit cover up.
The continuation of 3rd Reich ie the 4th Reich was well supported by the DVD (Dachau based Nazi intelligence network) that used to call the shots esp in European countrie's politics till now:
Running the DVD asset Ted Heath (UK Prime Minister) who is now widely recognised as a peadophile (supplied with kids by Jimmy Saville)
who in return had to perform a political service - sign UK into the European project, EU now proposes a common european army - in essence a Angela Merkel/Deutche Bank run 4th Reich on the quiet.
Those who oppose it - witness killing a plane load of Polish Government officials in Smolensk 2010, then trying to blame it on Putin.
Check out Christopher Story (RIP) and his work eg:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/European-Union-Collective-Christopher-Story/dp/1899798013

https://christopherstory.org/

But another reliable earner to the satanists were the money from drugs worldwide - eg 'Poppy' Bush hauling coke by the tons in military C130 transport aircraft (and smaller ones as well) eg to Mena airport where Governor Bill Clinton covered everything up and took a nice cut of course then distributing around USA eg using the Cripps and Bloods etc.
Check out Gary Webb (RIP) and his book: Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion
'https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Alliance-Contras-Cocaine-Explosion/dp/1609806212/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4XRH5PPT3SV141C71YTV'

Fortunately the Nazi's had their asses kicked in space and cannot lay down the Law any more: witness Brexit being allowed to happen (thus breaking up their 'European Project' aka 4th Reich by another name.
Also if the Nazis were still in charge - Trump 'the outsider' would NOT be allowed to be in power.
So let's say it is somewhat more involved than just the 'fake jews'...

lol don't be ridiculous, American Jews are even proud of their over-representation in socially liberal, left-wing causes.

From US presidential approval ratings in 2009 (Obama’s approval in the Jewish community is holding steady at 62 percent. Gallup reported 64 percent
approval rating in an October 2009 poll. Obama’s approval rating among Jews is 15 points higher than
among all Americans) http://jstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/JStreetMarch2010PollRelease_FINAL.pdf to 2016 (According to exit polls, 71% of American Jews voted Democrat during the 2016 US Presidential election), the affinity of Jews in the USA for the left is well-noted

here, even is a nice book for you by well-known american jewish politologue Norman Podhoretz on 'Why are Jews liberal?' - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Jews-Liberals-Norman-Podhoretz-x/dp/0307456250

However, worth noting that the opposite is the case in Israel since the 1980's as being in the pressure cooker has encouraged patriotism and national identity to naturally assert itself - https://www.timesofisrael.com/young-israeli-jews-are-mostly-right-wing-increasingly-religious-survey/

For sure, I have met many Israelis who sympathise with right-wing patriot parties in Europe, even of the ethnic variety as long as not literal Nazi of course. But very few of those people around any more. What leftists take for Nazis are just people with a strong sense of tribalism, which exists everywhere from China to India to Kenya to Serbia

> Russian Jew raised secular want to learn about my people but not be
> indoctrinated.

This pretty much won’t happen no matter what you read. Judaism has been a non-proselytising religion for getting on to 2,000 years now.

Among the Orthodox, the standing rule is to turn those looking to convert away at least three times before you even begin to start talking about the process and whether it’s something they should undertake.

Among the Conservative and Reform and Reconstructionist, things aren’t quite so daunting, but the basic underlying theology — that one’s relationship with divinity (assuming there is one: Reconstructionists are atheists, for example) is not dependent in any fashion on whether you are an MoT or not — still informs the process. Conversion is, of course, possible, but it’s not considered necessary in any sense.

Even in Judaism’s ancient sort-of-proselytising days it was mostly a ‘give it a try, you might like it’ kind of sales pitch.

> Book recommendations?

Oi, where to start?

Jews aren’t called ‘the people of the book’ for nothing. We’ve been writing everything down for thousands of years. So there’s a lot of history to explore and there are literally thousands of histories out there to read.

The list below is not in a particular order. And it is idiosyncratically chosen. It is, quite literally, a list of what I can see on my shelves from where I’m currently working that immediately makes me think ‘oh, yeah, that’s got something for the new reader’.

The story of the Jews: finding the words (1000 BCE – 1492 CE)
Simon Schama, 2014.

The story of the Jews: when words fail (1492 – present day)
Simon Schama, 2015.

The Talmud — a biography: banned, censored and burned. The book they couldn’t suppress
Harry Freedman, 2014.

Pirkei Avot (the sayings of the fathers): a modern commentary on Jewish ethics
Leonard Kravitz & Kerry Olitzky (eds), 1993.

The essential Kabbalah: the heart of Jewish mysticism
Daniel C Matt, 2009.

Engendering Judaism: an inclusive theology and ethics
Rachel Adler, 1999.

Hillel: if not now, when
Joseph Telushkin, 2010.

The new joys of Yiddish
Leo Rosten, 2003.

Other lists to meander through:

A best world Jewish history books list on GoodReads.

The top 100 Jewish books according to Rabbi Miriam Spitzer.

The 18 essential texts every Jew should read as put together for Huffington Post back in 2011 (and chosen by people who are relatively eclectic but entirely American).

Hope this is at least diverting, if not helpful.

A couple of books on the more scholarly side; Sufism and Taoism and Mystical Dimensions of Islam are good, if somewhat deep and dense, and useful, orienting. The works of Henry Corbin, such as Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth and Alone With the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, are illuminating. Look into the Sufi mystics themselves as much as commentary, there should be a list somewhere online but Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, Jabir Ibn Hayan ('Geber'),Avicenna and Hallaj as well as the more well known Rumi come to mind. Your best bet if you really want to learn about Sufism is to take up instruction under a Shaykh in an order. Depending on where you are there is possibly a local order you could attend meditations and classes with?

>historically, Jews have at least six defined genders (three on the male end of the spectrum, three on the female end)

Source for this? Not doubting you, but I'd love to learn more. It bothers me that I don't know more about my own culture's historical attitudes/practices around this stuff.

ETA: A friend who's Jewish and studied theology in grad school loaned me the book Balancing on the Mechitza by Noach Dzmura. It's a great place to start for folks looking to learn more about this.

>> The only grain of truth in what you said is the notion that the allies were as brutal as the Nazis.

Please, show me a quote where I was in error. And, while you are at it, take a minute to answer my initial question, please show me quotes in Mein Kampf where Hitler states he want to exterminate Jews.
Downvotes (and vague insinuations such as yours) mean nothing without a clear, factual counter-argument.

I have no dogs in this fight, nothing against jews. I am atheist and simply have a profound interest in history. I, too had strong opinions and always thought Germany as being the trouble-makers but if you want to settle an argument between friends, you need to look at both sides of the story. Our culture only gets one side ( the victors write history ) and people in our culture are all conditioned to accept everything they are taught as the ultimate, unquestionable truth. I could not believe, at first when I read here and there that the Zionist movement had collaborated extensively with Hitler. This fact is very well documented and confirmed by many historians.

I am very much anti-war and do not want to glorify Hitler, just trying to point out that our side of the story is filled to the brim with lies and propaganda. These lies are taught in schools, the magical "6 millions jews were killed" is a fairy tale, still taught as truth.

This sub, + 4-5 years of digging into history books ( many of these banned ), showed me that our side was just as guilty of war crimes and massacres as the Germans were. I highly recommend you look into the horrific Dresden bombing.

This thread is a perfect example of why our history books are filled with lies: the truth is buried, by the most powerful political party on earth.

Like I said friend, massive downvotes on threads like this, without any valid rebuttal really means "OH SHIT QUICK BURY THIS BEFORE TOO MANY PEOPLE THINK ON IT".

Oh, if you are interested, here is one of my favorite documentary on WWII.

Peace to you and loved ones.

Don't do it. You will feel invisible at best.

It's easy to like the idea of Orthodoxy, but life is difficult enough for transgender people who were born Jewish, even when their communities are supportive. As far as Jewish law is concerned, you hardly exist. Unless you're going stealth, I don't know how far you'll get with "an extra sense of community" as you convert. And then where is tradition getting you? Maybe you actually love the gender binary, but do you really want to join a religion that can't affirm your journey?

I'm sorry that I'm writing such a discouraging comment, but it's in solidarity. You'll know when you arrive at your homecoming.

Check these out:

• Siddur Sha'ar Zahav
  
• Torah Queeries
  
• Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in the Jewish Community
  
• Queering the Text: Biblical, Medieval, and Modern Jewish Stories

I have a few. In order from most popular and general to most academic and specific. All of these are great. Probably the second is my favorite.

Yiddish Civilization


The Golden Age Shtetl

Yankel's Tavern

The Lord's Jews

This is an awesome book about Jews that are trans. Beyond The Mechitza

I'm Reconstructionist and the movement is very accepting of queer and trans Jews.

I've also felt accepted by Reform Jews and Conservative Jews. I don't know any Orthodox Jews personally, so I couldn't say.

I asked a similar question recently and got some great comments and book recommendations. Based off those recommendations, I bought this book. I've only read the intro and Shabbat portions so far (it arrived yesterday) but I'm really enjoying it, particularly because she includes personal anecdotes.

Some things you may or may not like:

• Yiddish Civilization
  
• Born to Kvetch
  
• Jewish Identity and Civil Rights in America
  
• (Obligatory) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culture, 2nd Edition
  
• The Cambridge Guide to Jewish History, Religion, and Culture (Comprehensive Surveys of Religion)
  
• Cultures of the Jews: A New History and the followup: Cultures of the Jews, Volume 2: Diversities of Diaspora
  
  I encourage you to read about the books as parts of them might interest in you if not the entirety of the text. Please consider writing a book review in the event that you read something of note!

If you haven't read Born to Kvetch, I recommend giving it a try. It's quite a strange and entertaining read. I donated a bit to this new translation project on that basis..

Will check at home!

Oh vey, the chutzpah of this mensch:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Joys-Yiddish-Completely-Updated/dp/0609806920

Also, simply awesome:

https://youtu.be/vWF3IDk9Gek

These Redditors help explain how things like this happened: https://www.amazon.com/None-Too-Many-Canada-1933-1948/dp/155263289X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Zionism-in-the-Age-of-the-Dictators/dp/0985890991/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8

>In 1933 the German Zionist Federation sought Hitler s patronage: "Zionism hopes to be able to win the collaboration even of a government fundamentally hostile to Jews. . . . Boycott propaganda . . . currently being carried on against Germany . . . is in essence un-Zionist." Zionism became the only other legal political movement in the Nazi Reich. That same year, the World Zionist Organization (WZO) made the Ha'avara (Transfer) Agreement, undermining the boycott against Nazi Germany. German Jewish emigrants to Palestine had to buy Nazi goods that the WZO sold in the Middle East. In 1937 the Haganah (later the Israeli army) sent an agent to Berlin. They would provide spy intelligence if the Nazis further eased the monetary regulations for emigrants to Palestine. The Zionist-Revisionist movement (today the ruling Likud Party) set up a detachment at Mussolini's naval academy. He personally reviewed them in 1936. They wanted him to replace Britain as Zionism s patron. In 1941, the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel (later Likudniks) told the Nazis that they wanted a "Jewish state on a national and totalitarian basis, bound by a treaty with the German Reich," and offered "to actively take part in the war on Germany s side." This is the sordid history documented in Lenni Brenner's Zionism in the Age of the Dictators. This updated edition features a new afterword by the author.

There is a great book about trans Jewish people. “Balancing the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community” It’s an anthology of people’s stories.

One of them has inspired me to have my Hebrew name changed. It’s currently Esther but I want to change it to David, after my father who passed away April 4, 2014.

If you can find it for cheap (I did on Book Outlet), this book is great: How to Run a Jewish Household.

https://www.amazon.ca/How-Run-Traditional-Jewish-Household/dp/0671602705

Basically because they always have been. Normon Podhoretz has a book on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/Why-Jews-Liberals-Norman-Podhoretz/dp/0307456250

In the last 20 years, we have slowly but surely been shifting right.

Anybody interested in deeper reading on the topic should read None is Too Many

https://www.amazon.ca/None-too-Many-Canada-1933-1948/dp/155263289X

The Tao Te Ching is also a religious text. And the Quran is also a deeply philosophical text.

If you're interested in learning how they are related, you should read Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts. It is by Toshihiko Izutsu, a renowned Japanese scholar of theology.

Try this:
http://www.islambuddhism.com/docs/CommonGround.pdf esp p.79

Also regarding Islam and Taoism

https://www.amazon.com/Sufism-Taoism-Comparative-Philosophical-Concepts/dp/0520052641

Tales Of The Chassdim is on Kindle.

Archives for the links in comments:

• By EdwinaBackinbowl (imdb.com): http://archive.is/submit/
  
• By faderjack (en.m.wikipedia.org): http://archive.is/gbN7x
  
• By Izkata (tvtropes.org): http://archive.is/wI8L5
  
• By Lostboulevard (amazon.com): http://archive.is/6oFmx
  
• By psyngleton (reuters.com): http://archive.is/qDGSl
  
• By Lostboulevard (independent.co.uk): http://archive.is/AZ4Xn
  
• By benkkelly (en.wikipedia.org): http://archive.is/pnEGe
  
• By kgoblin2 (en.wikipedia.org): http://archive.is/eAOiz
  
  
• By kgoblin2 (en.wikipedia.org): http://archive.is/YBdEP
  
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https://www.amazon.com/Sufism-Taoism-Comparative-Philosophical-Concepts/dp/0520052641

http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520052642

https://www.scribd.com/document/263605121/sufism-and-taoism-a-comparat

http://www.seekeraftertruth.com/toshihiko-izutsu-sufism-taoism/

Careful, you might uncover some very uncomfortable truths. ;) That's edited by a Jewish academic, incidentally.