HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF BEING JEWISH EVEN IF:
by Gil Mann.
Minneapolis, Leo and Sons Pub. 158pp. 

By Joshua J. Adler
Jerusalem Post

Despite its seemingly flippant title, this is a serious book. It is also an easy read, though it deals with a weighty problem: How to stimulate Jews who are mostly outside of organized Jewish life to return to some aspect of their heritage. What can one say to Jews that will attract them to Judaism if they are not sure about whether God exists, think that going to synagogue to pray is a waste of time, and regard Jewish rituals such as keeping kosher as stupid?

Unlike nearly all other books dealing with Judaism, Gil Mann's is written in simple conversational style because he seeks to preserve the informality of the discussions he conducted with people who still feel Jewish in some way, if only because they feel more comfortable in the presence of Jews or enjoy "Jewish" foods. From these talks we learn that, despite their alienation from the Jewish community and their non-observance of  ritual and holy days,  most of them still want their children to remain Jewish even if, paradoxically, some would not object to them marrying a gentile.

Mann's goal, therefore, is to stimulate nominal or gut Jews into realizing that Judaism is  multi-faceted and not merely a faith. To inculcate this message he uses  a three- circle intersecting diagram, with each circle representing one aspect of Judaism:  Ethics, Spirituality and Peoplehood (E.S.P.). The purpose is to indicate that if a person is committed to any one of these circles, either wholly or partially, he already is a practicing Jew to some extent.

To Mann, a  Jew who is involved in activities to improve society (tikun haolam), or in charitable work, should not be considered or consider himself to be a bad Jew, even if he  never attends  synagogue or observes the rituals. He believes that our tendency to become inordinately involved in charitable activities is due to our 3,000-year-old religious traditions. He believes there is a special Jewish gene -- which he calls a cultural DNA - behind the concern for the unfortunate and the downtrodden.

The focus of one of his first discussions is spirituality.  Mann finds that, although the issue of God is not normally brought up by  contemporary Jews, people are not at all reluctant to discuss their beliefs and doubts when asked to do so by a sympathetic interviewer. He also discovered that what most people don't believe about God parallels the views and beliefs of many pious Jews and rabbis, past and present, including Maimonides.  That God is ineffable and mysterious is not exclusively a Jewish idea;  according to Mann, it has a parallel in other religions. The Sioux Indians, for instance, refer to God as Wakan Tanka,  which can be translated as "The Great Mystery."

He sympathizes with those who don't find synagogue attendance and prayer meaningful, yet defends the importance of communal worship as a way of identifying with the community (which often comes to one's aid in times of need) and also as a way of becoming conscious of our blessings. Moreover, it provides time for self-reflection and encourages one to become a better person. He also finds that those who are alienated from  formal worship may consider an informal service in an Orthodox shteibel or liberal havura more meaningful.

He believes that in order for worship to become meaningful it is necessary to prepare for the experience by taking a course or reading a book about the Siddur.

To those who have no interest in observing kashrut, Mann points out that anyone who takes the trouble to study what is behind these laws will discover that the ultimate goal is  to make a person more compassionate. Kosher food is not so much health food as Soul Food. He urges people to be open-minded and to search for the spirit behind many of the other ritual laws which at first seem ridiculous or meaningless.

Mann also responds to those who believe that Jewish observance  must be total or dismissed as hypocritical. He compares this attitude to drivers' reactions to traffic rules, which they sometimes knowingly violate. And he asks, rhetorically: Does this mean that all drivers are hypocrites? And do we always tell the truth and act ethically?  Because we sometimes fail to uphold certain principles, does that mean that we should throw out all the rules?

Mann argues that one who feels alienated from Jewish tradition should at least take it upon himself to study it in a serious manner before deciding how much or how little he wants to be involved in the life of the community.

The book closes with a short list of suggested books, magazines, videos and even websites for readers who want to explore their heritage further. Since this book deals with themes which should be of concern and interest to all Jews and not only Americans, it deserves to be published in Hebrew, with obvious changes for the Israeli reader who has additional reasons to be alienated from his religious heritage. 

(c)  Jerusalem Post 1999