Why read Rabbi Outcast?

Book cover of Rabbi Outcast: Elmer Berger and American Jewish Anti-Zionism

Book description

Dramatic changes have taken place in the last decade with respect to the views of the American Jewish community toward Israel and Zionism. Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000, the involvement of the Israel lobby in precipitating the Iraq War and promoting war on Iran, and Israel's…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Rabbi Outcast as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Yakov M. Rabkin

Author

My earlier work on Jewish opposition to Zionism focused mostly on ultra-orthodox Jews. This book introduced me to a different kind of religious Jews affiliated with the Reform movement.

These communities and their spiritual leaders, including Elmer Berger, opposed Zionism for different reasons. They embraced the United States as their homeland and no longer considered themselves in exile. They also found Zionist ideas akin to those of the antisemites, who consider the Jews a separate nation.

From Yakov's list on honest books about Israel and Zionism.