There are at least two separate questions being discussed in the
emails concerning "What is Jewish?" One has to do with a particular book
by James Howe and if it encourages intermarriage. It does not. Far more
insidiously, in my opinion, it encourages the belief that there is no basic
difference between Judaism and Christianity. This is a ploy that Christian
evangelicals use to convert Jews and it crosses over the line that divides
an acceptable American Jewish pluralism of belief from a form of religious
syncretism that, at heart, shows a contempt for Judaism. See a recent
Hasafran posting by Mark Stover called "A Kinder, Gentler Teaching of
Contempt? Jews and Judaism in Contemporary Protestant Evangelical
Children's Fiction." Mr. Howe's book is NOT one of those discussed, by the
way. It is from a mainstream publisher and may only inadvertantly mirror
the evangelical message.
The second question concerns guidelines for book reviews that appear
in AJL publications. The AJL Newsletter children's book review editors
have developed guidelines and they are sent to reviewers with every copy of
a review book that they receive. SSC has also prepared a brochure called
"Excellence in Jewish Children's Literature: A Guide for Book Selectors,
Reviewers, and Award Judges," which has been widely distributed and which
is also sent to all new reviewers. It addresses issues of Jewish content
in children's books: accuracy, authenticity, depth of Jewish content,
positive focus and values, and sensitivity.
AJL's book evaluators - editors, reviewers and book award committees -
use these guidelines in judging the literary merit of books of Jewish
content that fall within the wide spectrum of American Jewish
pluralism. It remains the responsibility of individual librarians to
decide if a particular book is appropriate for their institution. If a
book showing a female rabbi is acceptable, for instance. Or one about an
intermarried family. Or one showing mixed seating in a synagogue. Or
about dating. Or any covering the wide category of "teenage angst?" As
anyone who reads knows, the list could go on and on because literature is
about human experience, not standards for library purchase. A
"professional librarian who may look to AJL for advice and suggestions," as
Eli Wise put it, will find them in AJL reviews. But he or she makes the
final decision about whether a particular book is appropriate for a
specific library collection. This isn't a matter of "let the buyer beware"
but a basic principle of professional book selection.
I don't know if this has answered any searing "heart and soul"
questions but it may put the matter(s) in perspective.
Linda Silver
SSC President
Co-editor, with Ellen Cole, of AJL Newsletter Reviews for Children and Teens
Editor, Jewish Valuesfinder
Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author
and are not necessarily endorsed by the AJL
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