Key Texts in American Jewish Culture

Which texts are so pivotal that they provide keys to understanding American Jewish culture? The contributors to this volume come from a variety of disciplines, including American studies, anthropology, comparative literature, history, music, religious studies and women’s studies. Each writer provides an analysis of a specific text in art, music, television, literature, homily, liturgy and history. Some of the works discussed, such as Philip Roth’s novel
Counterlife , the musical
Fiddler on the Roof
and Irving Howe’s
World of Our Fathers , are already widely acknowledged components of the American Jewish studies canon. Others - such as
Bridget Loves Bernie , infamous for the hostile reception it received among American Jews - may be considered
key texts
because of the controversy they provoked. Others still, such as Joshua Liebman’s
Piece of Mind
and the radio and TV sitcom
The Goldbergs , demonstrate the extent to which American Jewish culture and mainstream American culture intermingle and borrow from each other. This work expands the frame of reference used by students of culture and history both by widening the
canon
of Jewish texts and by providing a way to extrapolate new meanings from well-known sources.