Who Is a Jew?

Sure to generate great controversy as it provides new insights, "Who Is a Jew?" courageously takes on this timely and controversial question. It provides the full range of perspectives necessary to let us draw our own conclusions. A seasoned journalist, Meryl Hyman weaves her own life experiences into this complex and controversial subject, exploring profound and highly personal questions of identity in conversations with Jew and non-Jew. The daughter of a Jewish father and a Christian mother, she set out to find out why so many Jews say she is not a Jew, even though she has practiced Judaism and identified herself as a Jew since birth. She found a people struggling with its own history, customs, and laws; a people who fear that their unity may be sacrificed. Featured in "Who Is a Jew?" are leaders from all parts of the Jewish world, eminent scholars, and others from all spectrums of belief--from Israel, England, and the United States--who speak out on the subject and delve into such questions as: What are the many-faceted "answers" to this seemingly simple question? Why are these answers crucial for all Jews? Why does Jewish identity have a bearing on all cultural, religious, and ethnic groups? Why and how does Israel's answer to the question matter to Jews everywhere in the world?