Bad Jews

A journalist and author of The Influence of Soros examines the history of Jewish people in America and explores their ever-evolving relationship to the nations culture and identityand each other.What does it mean to be a Bad Jew?Many Jews use the term Bad Jew as a weapon against other members of the community or even against themselves. You can be called a Bad Jew if you dont keep kosher; if you only go to temple on Yom Kippur; if you dont attend or send your children to Hebrew school; if you enjoy Christmas music; if your partner isnt Jewish; if you dont call your mother often enough. The list is endless.In Bad Jews, Emily Tamkin argues that perhaps there is no answer to this timeless question at all. Throughout American history, Jewish identities have evolved and transformed in a variety of ways. The issue of what it means, or doesnt, to be a Good Jew or a Bad Jew is particularly fraught at this moment, American Jews feel and fear antisemitism is on the rise.. There are several million people who identify as American Jewsbut that doesnt mean they all identify with one another. American Jewish history is full of discussions and debates and hand wringing over who is Jewish, how to be Jewish, and what it means to be Jewish.In Bad Jews, Emily Tamkin examines the last100 years of American Jewishpolitics, culture, identities, and arguments. Drawing on over 150 interviews, she tracks the evolution of Jewishness throughout American history, and explores many of the evolving and conflicting Jewish positions on assimilation; race; Zionism and Israel; affluence and poverty, philanthropy, finance, politics; and social justice. From this complex and nuanced history, Tamkin pinpoints perhaps the one truth about American Jewish identity: It is always changing.