"At Home in Exile" Book Release Event
.jpg)
Alan Wolfe
Boston College
Date:听October 28, 2014
Location:听Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Mass.
Abstract
Many Jewish thinkers have considered it close to heresy to validate life in the Diaspora. But what if the Diaspora is a blessing in disguise? In听, Alan Wolfe, writing for the first time about his Jewish heritage, makes an impassioned, eloquent and controversial argument that Jews should take pride in their Diasporic tradition. It is true that Jews have experienced more than their fair share of discrimination and destruction in exile, and there can be no doubt that anti-Semitism persists throughout the world. Yet for the first time in history, Wolfe shows, it is possible for Jews to lead vibrant, successful and, above all else, secure lives in states in which they are a minority. Wolfe argues the Diaspora can be good for the Jews no matter where they live, Israel very much included攁s well as for the non-Jews with whom they live, Israel once again included. Not only can the Diaspora offer Jews the opportunity to reach a deep appreciation of pluralism and a commitment to fighting prejudice, but in an era of rising inequalities and global instability, the whole world can benefit from Jews� passion for justice and human dignity.听At Home in Exile听is an inspiring call for a Judaism that isn檛 defensive and insecure but is instead open and inquiring.
Speaker Bio
Alan Wolfe听is听the founding director of the Boisi Center and professor of political science at Boston College. He is the author and editor of more than twenty books, including, most recently,听At Home in Exile: Why Diaspora Is Good for the Jews听(2014),听Political Evil: What It Is and How to Combat It听(2011),听The Future of Liberalism听(2009),听Does American Democracy Still Work?听(2006),听Return to Greatness听(2005),听The Transformation of American Religion: How We actually Practice our Faith听(2003),听Moral Freedom听(2001) and听One Nation After All听(1999). Widely considered one of the nation's most prominent public intellectuals, he is a frequent听contributor to the听New听York Times,听Washington Post, and听Atlantic, and has delivered lectures across the United States and听Europe.
Read More
Further Reading
Works by Author
Alan Wolfe, "Giving Diaspora Its Due," excerpt of听At Home in Exile: Why Diaspora Is Good for the Jews,听Chronicle of Higher Education, September 8, 2014.
Alan Wolfe,听听(New York: Free Press, 2003).
Alan Wolfe, �,澨�Chronicle of Higher Education, March 25, 2012.
Alan Wolfe, �,澨�The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 17, 2006.
Reviews of听At Home in Exile
Peter Beinart, ","听New York Times, November 6, 2014.
Rabbi Dan Dorsch, ","听Haaretz, December 7, 2014.
Jane Eisner, ""听Forward, November 17, 2014.
Michael S. Roth, ","听New York Times, October 26, 2014.
Other Related Works
","听Pew Research Center听(October 1, 2013).
Caryn Aviv and David Shneer,听听(New York: New York University Press, 2005).
Robin Cohen,听听(Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1997).
Peter Beinart, �,澨�The New York Review of Books听(May 2010).
David Biale, Michael Galchinsky, and Susannah Heschel, eds.,听听(Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998).
Daniel Boyarin and Jonathan Boyarin, �,澨�Critical Inquiry听19 (Summer 1993).
St茅phane Dufoix,听听(Paris: Editions Amsterdam, 2011).
Laurie Goodstein, ","听New York Times, October 1, 2013.
Jordan Chandler Hirsch, �,� review of Peter Beinart听The Crisis of Zionism,听Jewish Review of Books听(Spring 2012).
Alan Dershowitz,听听(Boston: Little Brown, 1997).
Isaac Deutscher,听听(New York: Oxford University Press, 1968).
Marc Gellman, �,澨�First Things听(December 2000).
Zvi Gitelman, 淭he Decline of the Diaspora Jewish Nation: Boundaries, Content, and Jewish Identity,澨�Jewish Social Studies, New Series, 4.2 (Winter 1998).
Dana Evan Kaplan,听听(New York: Columbia University Press, 2009).
Kevin Kenny,听听(New York: Oxford University Press, 2013).
Irving Kristol, �,澨�Commentary听(August 1994).
Dan Lainer-Vos, �,澨�Theor Soc听(published online: 16 October 2011).
Shaul Magid,听, 2nd听ed. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2013).
Allan Arkush, �,� review of Shaul Magid听American Post-Judaism,听Jewish Review of Books听(Fall 2013).
Yehuda Mirsky, 湞 review of Shmuel Rosner听Shtetl, Bagel, Baseball, JewishIdeasDaily.com.
Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz,听, 3rd听ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010).
Jacob Neusner,听听(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981).
Jonathan D. Sarna,听听(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005).
Gabriel Sheffer,听听(New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
Leo Strauss,听, edited by Kenneth Hart Green (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1997).
David Vital,听听(New York: Oxford University Press, 1999).
Jack Wertheimer, �,澨�Commentary听(June 2006).
Ruth Wisse,听听(New York: Schocken, 2007).