Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Academic Studies Press is pleased to announce the recent publication of four new titles in Jewish Studies: Canada's Jews: In Time, Space and Spirit, edited by Ira Robinson In the Context of His Times: Alfred Dreyfus as Lover, Intellectual, Poet, and Jew, by Norman Simms Jewish Customs of Kabbalistic Origin: Their History and Practice, by Morris M. Faierstein Identity and Pedagogy: Shoah Education in Israeli State Schools by Erik H. Cohen In addition, two of our bestselling titles are now available in paperback: Return of the Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland, by Katka Reszke Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism, by Aryeh Cohen Canada's Jews: In Time, Space and Spirit Edited by Ira Robinson Series: Jews in Space and Time ISBN 978-1-93484-386-4 500 pp., cloth $95.00 Canada is home to one of the world's largest and most culturally creative Jewish communities, one of few in the Diaspora that continues to grow demographically. With its tendency to mirror trends found in Jewish communities elsewhere (particularly in the United States) while simultaneously functioning as a distinct society, Canada's Jewish community holds great interest for scholars, exercising a measurable influence on the culture and politics of world Jewry. Consisting of a series of essays written by experts in their respective fields, Canada's Jews is a topical encyclopedia covering a wide variety of subjects from history and religion to the intellectual and cultural contributions of Canada's Jews. In the Context of His Times: Alfred Dreyfus as Lover, Intellectual, Poet, and Jew By Norman Simms Series: Reference Library of Jewish Intellectual History ISBN 978-1-61811-236-1 350 pp., cloth $79.00 >From the moment Alfred Dreyfus was placed under arrest for treason and espionage, his entire world was turned upside down. For the next five years he lived in what he called a "phantasmagoria." To keep sane, Dreyfus wrote letters to and received letters from his wife Lucie and exercised his intellect through reading the few books and magazines his censors allowed him, writing essays on these and other texts he had read in the past, and working out problems in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. He practiced his English and created strange drawings his prison wardens called architectural or kabbalistic signs. In this volume, Norman Simms explores how Dreyfus kept himself from exploding into madness by closely reading his essays, carefully placing them in the context of his century, and extrapolating from them the hidden recesses of his Jewish Alsatian background. Jewish Customs of Kabbalistic Origin: Their History and Practice By Morris M. Faierstein Series: Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah ISBN 978-1-61811-252-1 190 pp., cloth $59.00 Jewish religious practice was transformed by the Kabbalists of Safed in the sixteenth century. They brought new meaning and importance to many Biblical and rabbinic commandments and created new rituals that have become central practices for Jews of all denominations. This volume describes the origins of these traditions and explains the mystical meaning of specific practices and rituals. Some of these innovations include: Kabbalat Shabbat, inviting the Ushpizin to the Sukkah, Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, and visitation to the grave of Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai on Lag Be-Omer. This volume is written in a style accessible to the non-specialist in Kabbalah and general readers with a knowledge of and interest in Judaism. Identity and Pedagogy: Shoah Education in Israeli State Schools By Erik H. Cohen Series: Jewish Identity in Post-Modern Society ISBN 978-1-93623-581-0 360 pp., cloth $85.00 This pedagogical and sociological analysis of Shoah education in Israeli state schools is based on an empirical survey conducted from 2007-2009 among junior high school and high school students, teachers and principals in general and religious schools, and experts in the field. It explores issues such as materials and methods, beliefs and attitudes, messages imparted, pedagogical challenges, and implications for national and religious identity and universal values. Comparative and multi-dimensional analyses of sub-populations, such as by age and type of school, were conducted. The practical and theoretical implications of the findings are considered in the context of Shoah education in Israel and other educational settings over the past half century. Return of the Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland By Katka Reszke Series: Jews of Poland ISBN 978-1-61811-308-5 260 pp., paperback $35.00 Return of the Jew traces the appearance of a new generation of Jews in Poland that followed the fall of the communist regime. Today, more and more Poles are discovering their Jewish heritage and beginning to seek a means of associating with Judaism and Jewish culture. Reszke analyzes this new generation, addressing the question of whether there can be authentic Jewish life in Poland after fifty years of oppression. Based on a series of interviews with Jewish Poles between the ages of 18 and 35, her study provides an illuminating window into the experience of being, and, for many, becoming Jewish in these unique circumstances. Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism By Aryeh Cohen Series: New Perspectives in Post-Rabbinic Judaism ISBN 978-1-61811-296-5 160 pp., paperback $29.00 Based on the rabbinic textual tradition, especially of the Babylonian Talmud, and pulling from French Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas' framework of interpersonal ethics, Justice in the City argues that a just city should be a community of obligation. That is, in a community thus conceived, the privilege of citizenship is the assumption of the obligations of the city towards Others who are not always in view-workers, the poor, the homeless. These Others form a constitutive part of the city. The second part of the book is a close analysis of homelessness, labor, and restorative justice from within the theory that was developed. This title is useful for scholars and students in Jewish studies, especially rabbinic literature and Jewish thought, but also for those interested in contemporary urban issues. **To order, please visit our Web site at www.academicstudiespress.com. Alternatively, you can always order online at Amazon or through most major retailers including Ingram and Baker & Taylor** Please note that if you order directly from us, you will receive a 25% discount! Please use promo code July25. Best, Simon Winchell-Manning Sales and Marketing Coordinator Academic Studies Press
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