"The Jewish community is hysterical about Jews marrying non-Jews.
With the exception of Israel, no other issue captures as much
attention, discussion, and debate in Jewish life. Organizations are
scrambling to solve this "crisis" but they are doomed to fail
because there is no intermarriage crisis in the United States
today. But we do have a problem: we have not yet formulated a set
of beliefs, behaviors, and institutional structures that define
what it means to be a Jew in a pluralistic society. Our challenge
is to envision a community within the context of an America where
ethnic and religious walls are permeable. Judaism must become
attractive both to those who are born Jews, or they will choose to
leave, and to those who were not born Jews, so that they will
choose to join."--Gary Tobin
In Opening the Gates, Gary Tobin challenges his fellow American
Jews to avoid the process of entropy that could take a devastating
toll in the Jewish community. "This should be our primary task,"
Tobin passionately argues. Tobin confronts his community with the
eye-opening reality that "in order to rebuild and revitalize
Judaism in this country we must rethink our religion as something
both born Jews and converts must actively choose and stop blaming
intermarriage for Judaism's decline." He implores the Jewish
community to shift its focus from preventing intermarriage to
embracing an open, positive, accessible, and joyful process of
encouraging non-Jews to become Jews. As Tobin bluntly puts it, "We
must abandon the paradigm that our children and grandchildren may
become Gentiles and promote the thought that America is filled with
millions of potential Jews."
Opening the Gates examines therole conversion should play in the
Jewish future. It looks at the way the Jewish community currently
handles issues of intermarriage and conversion and recommends
strategies to incorporate conversion into a larger vision of
building the next Jewish civilization. Tobin suggests what Judaism
might look like if it were to promote itself as a positive choice
for both Jews and non-Jews in the marketplace of religious
affiliation-and tells us what the community needs to do to mold
this future. Tobin's controversial plan is sure to spark productive
dialogue throughout the Jewish community.
The issue is not whether Judaism will survive, but whether it
will matter
A no-holds-barred argument for a radically different
understanding of Jews' relationship to their faith and to their
non-Jewish neighbors. Opening the Gates challenges the American
Jewish community to rethink Judaism as something both born Jews and
converts must actively choose-and to shift its focus from
preventing intermarriage to building a community that attracts and
welcomes converts.
"This bold and impassioned book offers a clear-headed and
unfailingly perceptive analysis of the relationship between
welcoming converts and a healthy Jewish future. The book should be
required reading for all concerned about that future."--Lawrence J.
Epstein, president, Conversion to Judaism Resource Center
"As Tobin promises at the outset of this provocative and
stimulating book, his is a controversial thesis. But it comes from
one of the most articulate thinkers on this subject, and as such,
anyone seriously interested in the future of American Jewish life
simply must factor this well-written work into their own
thinking."--Dr.Daniel Gordis, dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic
Studies
"A revolutionary challenge to the American Jewish community . .
. Solid thinking about achieving and maintaining religious identity
in the midst of a pluralistic culture and what 'conversion' means
in such a culture. Any leader of an American congregation of any
faith will find provocative ideas here."--The Rev. Loren B. Mead,
founding president, the Alban Institute, Inc.
"Gary Tobin has written the most important and challenging book
in American Jewish public policy in years. People may agree or
disagree, but no one interested in contemporary Jewish life will be
able to ignore this work."--Steven L. Spiegel, professor of
political science, UCLA
"Gary Tobin, a leading light in Jewish communal research,
embraces a provocative solution for American Jewry's continuity
problem-a proactive conversion policy."--Barry A. Kosmin, director
of research, Institute for Jewish Policy Research
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
