Research commissioned for the "Jews and the American Public Square" project has appeared in two volumes published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2002. A third volume will appear in 2003. The first
two books can be ordered online at
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/Catalog/
(insert the titles to locate the books).
Jewish Polity and American Civil Society
Communal Agencies and Religious Movements
in the American Public Square
Edited by Alan Mittleman, Jonathan D. Sarna,
and Robert Licht
Jewish Polity and American Civil Society is a study of the civic and political engagements of American Jews as mediated by their communal and denominational institutions. The book explores how the various branches of the organized Jewish community seek to influence public affairs. Over the course of the last century, Jewish agencies and religious movements have tried to shape public debate and public policy on such issues as civil rights, church-state relations, and American foreign policy. The book sets the history of Jewish engagement in these areas into historical context; analyzes the motives, strategies, and tactics of various Jewish groups, and evaluates their successes and failures. The book also explores the underlying idea--the public philosophy--that informs American Jews' understanding of civic and political engagement.
July 2002 * 432 pages
ISBN 0-7425-2121-4 * Cloth $75.00
ISBN 0-7425-2122-2 * Paper $29.95
Contents
Introduction -- The Jewish Political Tradition and
the English-Speaking World -
Daniel J. Elazar
I. Communal Agencies
1 “Defenders”: National Jewish Community
Relations Agencies -
Steven Windmueller
2 Local Community Relations Councils and
Their National Body -
Michael C. Kotzin
3 History of Israel Advocacy -
Martin J. Raffel
4 The Jewish Social Welfare Lobby in the
United States -
Joel M. Carp
II. Religious Movements
5 The Conservative Movement and the
Public Square -
Gordon M. Freeman
6 Reform Judaism, Minority Rights, and
the Separation of Church and State -
Lance J. Sussman
7 Mainstream Orthodoxy and the American
Public Square -
Lawrence Grossman
8 Haredim and the Public Square:
The Nature of the Social Contract -
Samuel C. Heilman
9 Reconstructionism and the Public Square:
A Multicultural Approach to Judaism in America -
David A. Teutsch
10 Jewish Renewal - Allan Arkush
Afterword -- Alan Mittleman
"This anthology is the most comprehensive treatment to date of the participation of the organized American Jewish community in the American public square. Covering both the major communal and religious groups, this collection of insightful articles by the leading experts in their fields is both well integrated and masterfully written. It is a must read for anyone concerned with organized American Jewry today--indeed, for anyone interested in the interaction of American religious and ethnic groups with the larger society."
--Steven M. Cohen, Hebrew University
"There is no better description of the organization and behavior of the American Jewish community in the public square. This is must reading for those interested in American Jews as well as those concerned with religion in public life. The book is outstanding."
--Charles Liebman, Bar Ilan University
"Jewish Polity and American Civil Society is an extremely timely review of historic Jewish community agencies as well as of the social policies practiced by the major 'denominations' of Jewish observance. The essays make evident how fully the Jewish people have adopted American ways while still insisting on distinctive goals and particular objectives. This volume is a signal contribution to the growing literature on religion and civil society, and a valuable resource concerning the several strands of Jewish tradition in U.S. history."
--John F. Wilson, Princeton University
Jews and the American Public Square
Debating Religion and Republic
Edited by Alan Mittleman, Jonathan D. Sarna,
and Robert Licht
Jews and the American Public Square is a study of how Jews have grappled with the presence of religion, both their own and others, in American public life. It surveys historical Jewish approaches to church-state relations and analyzes Jewish responses to the religion clauses of the First Amendment. The book also explores how the contemporary sociological and political characteristics of American Jews bear on their understanding of the public dimensions of American religion. In addition to a descriptive and analytic approach, the volume is also critical and polemical. Its contributors attack and defend prevailing views, raise critical questions about the political and intellectual positions favored by American Jews, and propose new syntheses. This book captures the current mood of the Jewish community: both committed to the separation of church and state and perplexed about its scope and application. It provides the necessary background for a principled reconsideration of the problem of religion in the public square.
August 2002 * 384 pages
ISBN 0-7425-2124-9 * Paper $29.95
ISBN 0-7425-2123-0 * Cloth $75.00
Contents
Introduction – Alan Mittleman
I. Historical Dimensions
1 An Overview of American Jewish Defense -
Naomi W. Cohen
2 Church-State Dilemmas of American Jews -
Jonathan D. Sarna
II. Constitutional Dimensions
3 Believers and the Founders' Constitution -
Ralph Lerner
4 The Rule of Law and the Establishment Clause -
Martin J. Plax
5 Religion and Liberal Democracy -
Marc D. Stern
III. Political Dimensions
6 Jewish Activism in the Washington "Square":
An Analysis and Prognosis -
Marshall J. Breger
7 Uncertain Steps: American Jews in
the New Public Square - Harvey Sicherman
8 The Jewish Debate over State Aid to Religious
Schools - Jack Wertheimer
IV. Sociological Dimensions
9 Jewish Involvement in the American Public
Square: The Organizational Disconnect -
Sherry Israel
10 Public Jews and Private Acts: Family and
Personal Choices in the Public Square
and in the Private Realm -
Sylvia Barack Fishman
V. Philosophical Dimensions
11 Jewish Critics of Strict Separationism -
David G. Dalin
12 Under His Own Vine and Fig Tree:
The Contemporary Jewish Approach to Religion
in American Public Life and Its Problems -
Hillel Fradkin
13 Toward a Jewish Public Philosophy in America - David Novak
"A long-overdue look at the role played by American Jewry in our civic life. The essays in this expertly edited volume are informative, provocative, and skillfully written. Highly recommended."
—Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago
"This thoughtful and timely set of essays is sure to provoke--and enrich--debate on the roles of Jews and Judaism in American public life. The discussion is on a high level throughout, the authors well attuned to recent controversies. An unusually worthwhile collection."
—Arnold M. Eisen, Stanford University
