Description:
What do Superman, the Manhattan Project, and Star Trek's "Live long and prosper" hand sign have in common? They're all deeply rooted in the American Jewish experience, which is exhaustively documented in the American Jewish Desk Reference. Over 600 pages of timelines, biographies, and encyclopedia-style essays encompass the broad scope of hundreds of years of Jews and Judaism in the United States. Organized into sections including "Judaism and Community in America," "Sports and Games," and "Language and Literature," the book presents its subjects alphabetically or chronologically (in the history section), making particular entries simple to find. The more than 700 entries tell about the first bat mitzvah in 1922, the American response to the Six Days War, and great Jewish basketball player Dolph Schayes. Plenty of photographs from the American Jewish Historical Society illustrate the life stories and historical essays, and add a visual sense of the spirit of life to the well-chosen words. The history section is both concise and comprehensive, beginning with Joachim Gaunse's 1588 arrival on Roanoke Island and closing--for the moment--with the 1999 opening of the Center for Jewish History in New York. Be warned: It's very hard to keep from browsing, so if you need information in a hurry you'll have to struggle to focus. On the other hand, browsing the American Jewish Desk Reference brings so much pleasure you might find yourself learning more than you intended. --Rob Lightner
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