The twentieth century will forever be marked by the horrific event of the Shoah. As a young man, the future John Paul II witnessed this horror during the Nazi occupation of Poland. His pontificate achieved a number of groundbreaking steps in the Catholic Church's relationship with the Jewish people. This book both reflects upon John Paul II's achievements, and seeks to continue the theological and philosophical dialogue that he cherished. By examining together the words and deeds of John Paul II, eminent Jewish and Catholic scholars exemplify in this volume the dialogue that John Paul fostered. Together, Jews and Catholics can encourage each other in the tasks of knowing the Creator, living a life worthy of the created dignity that human beings possess, and defending the vulnerable among us. As Dostoevsky warned before the horrors of the twentieth century, without God, anything is permitted. Following in the footsteps of John Paul II, we discover that our search for meaning and truth is one that needs to be undertaken arm-in-arm. Contributors include Hadley Arkes, David G. Dalin, Robert P. George, Matthew Levering, Bruce Marshall, David Novak, Michael Novak, Gregory Vall, and George Weigel.

In 1939 Harold E. Stassen was elected governor of Minnesota at age 31. He went on to a distinguished career as a key political figure of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In 1943 he resigned as governor to enter the United States Navy at the height of World War II. In the postwar years he participated in writing the charter of the United Nations, and later served as a key diplomat in the Eisenhower administration, very nearly achieving a nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet Union. He is perhaps most famously known as being a perennial candidate for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, seeking it 12 times between 1944 and 2000 (1944,1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000), but never winning it. This book covers all these activities.

Over a career spanning forty years, David G. Dalin has written extensively about the role of American Jews in public life, from the nation's founding, to presidential appointments of Jews, to lobbying for the welfare of Jews abroad, to Jewish prominence in government, philanthropy, intellectual life, and sports, and their one-time prominence in the Republican Party. His work on the separation of Church and State and a prescient 1980 essay about the limits of free speech and the goal of Neo-Nazis to stage a march in Skokie, Illinois, are especially noteworthy. Here for the first time are a collection of sixteen of his essays which portray American Jews who have left their mark on American public life and politics.

Joseph Lieberman's Vice Presidential nomination and Presidential candidacy are neither the first nor last words on signal Jewish achievements in American politics. Jews have played an important role in American government since the early 1800s at least, and in view of the 2004 election, there is no political office outside the reach of Jewish American citizens. For the first time, Jews in American Politics: Essays brings together a complete picture of the past, present, and future of Jewish political participation. Perfect for students and scholars alike, this monumental work includes thoughtful and original chapters by leading journalists, scholars, and practitioners. Topics range from Jewish leadership and identity; to Jews in Congress, on the Supreme Court, and in presidential administrations; and on to Jewish influence in the media, the lobbies, and in other arenas in which American government operates powerfully, if informally. In addition to the thematically unified essays, Jews in American Politics: Essays concludes with an invaluable roster of Jews in key governmental positions from Ambassadorships and Cabinet posts to federal judges, state governors, and mayors of major cities. Both analytical and anecdotal, the essays in Jews in American Politics offer deep insight into serious questions about the dilemmas that Jews in public service face, as well as humorous sidelights and authoritative reference materials never before collected in one source. The story of the rich tradition of Jewish participation in American political life provides an indispensable resource for any serious follower of American politics, especially in election year 2004.

For the first time, Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience makes available critical documents which have shaped debate over religion and state issues throughout the course of American Jewish history. Following a comprehensive historical introduction, Professors Jonathan D. Sarna and David G. Dalin present a wide range of primary source materials which articulate the different positions held within the American Jewish community on numerous past and present church-state issues, including the constitutionality of former state Sunday Laws, or "blue laws"; whether or not Orthodox Jews serving in the military should be permitted to wear yarmulkes while in uniform; whether Jewish prisoners have a right to kosher food; whether prayer, nonsectarian or otherwise, should have any role in public schools; whether menorahs should be displayed alongside Christian symbols such as creches during the Christmas season; or whether all types of religious symbols should be banned from public arenas.

The chapters proceed chronologically, beginning with the colonial period and progressing through the 1990s, and give readers a clear sense of the changes which have occurred over the years.

In Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience, Professors Sarna and Dalin recover divergent voices and opinions from the American Jewish community, and their research reveals that the community has never been limited to a single voice on issues of religion and state but has instead accommodated a rich variety of outlooks and positions. By gathering these individual voices into one comprehensive sourcebook, Sarna and Dalin offer a unique and well-documented look at a major aspect of the experience ofbeing Jewish in America.

The role that race and religion play in American presidential elections is attracting national attention like never before. The 2008 presidential candidates reached out to an unprecedented number of racial and religious voting constituencies including African Americans, Latinos, Muslims, Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Evangelicals, Jews, women, the non-religious, and more. Religion, Race, and the American Presidency focuses on the roles of these racial and religious groups in presidential elections over the last forty years, and in elections since 2000 in particular. Drawing upon survey data, interviews, and case studies of recent presidents, the contributors examine the complicated relationships between American presidents and key racial and religious groups. The paperback edition features a new capstone chapter on the 2008 elections. Contributions by Brian Robert Calfano, David G. Dalin, Paul A. Djupe, Gaston Espinosa, John C. Green, Melissa V. Harris-Lacewell, Lyman A. Kellstedt, So Young Kim, David C. Leege, Laura R. Olson, Corwin Smidt, Katherine E. Stenger, and Adam L. Warber.

In the brutal fight that has raged in recent years over the reputation of Pope Pius XII_leader of the Catholic Church during World War II, the Holocaust, and the early years of the Cold War_the task of defending the Pope has fallen primarily to reviewers. These reviewers formulated a brilliant response to the attack on Pius, but their work was scattered in various newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals_making it nearly impossible for the average reader to gauge the results. In The Pius War, Weekly Standard's Joseph Bottum has joined with Rabbi David G. Dalin to gather a representative and powerful sample of these reviews, deliberately chosen from a wide range of publications. Together with a team of professors, historians, and other experts, the reviewers conclusively investigate the claims attacking Pius XII. The Pius War, and a detailed annotated bibliography that follows, will prove to be a definitive tool for scholars and students_destined to become a major resource for anyone interested in questions of Catholicism, the Holocaust, and World War II.

The twentieth century will forever be marked by the horrific event of the Shoah. As a young man, the future John Paul II witnessed this horror during the Nazi occupation of Poland. His pontificate achieved a number of groundbreaking steps in the Catholic Church's relationship with the Jewish people. This book both reflects upon John Paul II's achievements, and seeks to continue the theological and philosophical dialogue that he cherished. By examining together the words and deeds of John Paul II, eminent Jewish and Catholic scholars exemplify in this volume the dialogue that John Paul fostered. Together, Jews and Catholics can encourage each other in the tasks of knowing the Creator, living a life worthy of the created dignity that human beings possess, and defending the vulnerable among us. As Dostoevsky warned before the horrors of the twentieth century, without God, anything is permitted. Following in the footsteps of John Paul II, we discover that our search for meaning and truth is one that needs to be undertaken arm-in-arm. Contributors include Hadley Arkes, David G. Dalin, Robert P. George, Matthew Levering, Bruce Marshall, David Novak, Michael Novak, Gregory Vall, and George Weigel.

Following a comprehensive historical introduction, Professors Sarna and Dalin present a wide range of primary source materials articulating the different positions held within the American Jewish community on numerous past and present church-state issues: including former state Sunday Laws, or "blue laws"; dress code variations for Orthodox Jews in the military; kosher food for Jewish prisoners; school prayer; public displays of religious symbols; and whether all religious symbols should be removed from public arenas. The chapters proceed chronologically, from the colonial period to the present day, giving readers an understanding of the changes that occurred over several centuries. This book recovers the divergent voices and opinions of the American Jewish community, revealing that one single voice on these issues has never been capable of accommodating the rich variety of positions within the community. By gathering these divergent outlooks in one sourcebook, Sarna and Dalin offer a unique and well-documented look at a major aspect of being Jewish in America.