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Distributed for Seagull Books

Offence: The Jewish Case

Part of an ongoing series published in cooperation with the Index on Censorship that deals with religion and free expression, The Jewish Case is distinctive in several ways. To begin with, even calling Judaism a religion is problematic. The breadth of Judaism, combined with its antiquity, gives Jewish sensibility a complexity that defies the simple distinction between “religious” and “secular.” That complexity affects the entire discussion of the Jewish case on tolerance and censorship—especially today, when Israel and its relationship to Zionism are central political and social concerns.

In the light of this difficulty, Brian Klug in The Jewish Case develops a critique of Jewish sensibilities from within—confronting Judaism with itself—rather than attacking it from the outside. Focusing on the current controversy over Israel, and drawing on three basic features of Judaism—iconoclasm, commitment to argument, and respect for human dignity—Klug makes a Jewish case for outspokenness.


102 pages | 6 halftones | 4 1/2 x 7 1/4 | © 2009

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Table of Contents

In the Beginning
 
What is Judaism?
   Calling Judaism a Religion
   Calling Judaism Judaism
   The Cultures of the Jews
 
Enlightenment Piety
   Rubbing Shoulders with Voltaire
   The Enlightenment as a Contemporary Myth
   Judaism as an Enlightenment Myth
 
The Jewish Case Today
   Disambiguating Zion
   Arguing Over Israel
   Laying Claim to Judaism

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