"In the wake of the Enlightenment...the suddenness with which Jews
began to appear and make a mark in numerous...areas...is nothing
short of astounding. It seemed as if a huge reservoir of Jewish
talent, hitherto dammed up behind the wall of Talmudic learning
were suddenly released to spill over into all fields of Gentile
cultural activity." -Raphael Patai, The Jewish Mind "Quite
suddenly, around the year 1800, this ancient and highly efficient
social machine for the production of intellectuals began to shift
its output. Instead of pouring all of its products into the closed
circuit of rabbinical studies, where they remained completely
isolated from general society, it unleashed a significant and ever
growing proportion of them into secular life. This was an event of
shattering importance in world history." -Paul Johnson, History of
the Jews The Golden Age of Jewish Achievement chronicles the
astonishing record of one people's disproportionate achivements and
the causes behind it. The stunning performance of Jews over the
last 125 years can only be compared with that of the Italians
during the Renaissance, the Greeks during the era of Pericles, or
the Dutch during their own Golden Age. The Golden Age details that
record in more than 60 exhibits covering the range from Nobel
prizes to Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame awards, from Pulitzer Prizes
to chess champions, from philanthropy to Supreme Court Justices and
more. But more intriguing is the question, "Why has this happened?"
(the question posed by Rabbi Harold N. Kushner, author of When Bad
Things Happen to Good People). Through fascinating stories, such as
"Lev Leviev and the Soviet Jews" (at the start of Chapter 20) and
"The Jazz Singer" (at the start of Chapter 13) the book illustrates
the life and circumstances of hundreds of remarkable Jews before
drawing its perspective together in Chapter 25 - Why? Timely, the
book raises notions advanced by Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and
recent debates over "Jewish genes" as well as Charles Murray's 2007
Commentary article where he argued for natural selection. The
Golden Age makes the case for culture. It explains how the
evolution of Judaism, coupled with a tortured 2,000 year history
has shaped a unique combination of cultural values which have made
Jews into the world's most successful tribe of Outliers. For
example, they were history's first tribe to mandate literacy for
all of their people. The book challenges natural selection, second
generation immigrant status, and other theories which have been
advanced over the years to explain the phenomenon. The Golden Age
research is detailed in the extensive exhibits, end notes,
bibliography and index containing more than 4,000 entries. But it
is the stories and the thought provoking analysis that makes The
Golden Age of Jewish Achievement a compelling and much discussed
read.
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
(1)
