Booklist for Jewish Preparation Course

Recommended Reading

1. Periodicals

It is important, as well as reading books on history, philosophy and practise, to read about the current Jewish world. You should regularly read the following:

  • The Jewish Chronicle – the only ‘national’ British Jewish newspaper, published every Friday. 
  • Jerusalem Report – fortnightly magazine covering Israel, Middle East and The Jewish World. You can find it by clicking here . 
  • The Jerusalem Post – weekly Airmail edition from Israel.  Again you can subscribe by clicking here.
  • Manna – Reform Jewish Quarterly – available on subscription from Sternberg Centre in London.  Click here to subscribe.

2. Books forming part of a Jewish Home

Sooner or later you will need your own copies of these:

  • Siddur – Forms of Prayer for Jewish Worship – Daily and Sabbath
  • Machzor Yamim Noraim – Prayer book for High Holy Day period
  • Machzor Shalosh Regalim –Prayer book for Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot
  • A Chumash – either Hertz (Soncino) or Plaut (UAHC)
  • Bible – translated from Hebrew, preferably JPSA
  • Haggadah – (Especially useful is “A Feast of History”; by Chaim Raphael which includes a book about Pesach)

3. Reference Books

You won’t necessarily use these on a daily or weekly basis, but they should form part of your Jewish resources.

  • Martin Gilbert – Jewish History Atlas

An overall book on Jewish Life :

  • “The Jewish Catalogue” – in three volumes. Siegel and Strassfeld ed.
  • “A Guide to Jewish Religious Practise” (Isaac Klein)
  • “A Guide to Jewish Knowledge” (Pearl and Brooks) Jewish Chron. Pub“The Jewish Religion – A companion” (Jacobs) OUP
  • “GCSE Judaism” – Christine Pilkington “Faith and Practise” – ed Jonathan Romain

4. History

  • “The Jewish People” – David Goldberg and John Rayner (Penguin)
  • “Jewish People, Jewish Thought” Robert Selzer (Macmillan)
  • “A History of Jewish Experience” Leo Trepp (Behrman House)
  • “A Short History of the Jewish People” Cecil Roth
  • "Tradition and Change – History of Reform Judaism in Britain” Kershen and Romain. (Valentine Mitchell)

5. Holocaust

  • “Out of the Whirlwind” Ed Friedlander
  • “The Holocaust” – Martin Gilbert
  • “Diary of Anne Frank” – Anne Frank

6. Festivals

  • “The Jewish Holidays” M. Strassfeld (Harper and Row)
  • “The Jewish Way – Living the Holidays” – Irving Greenberg (Summit Books)
  • “The Jewish Festivals” – Chaim Schauss (Schocken)
  • Boxed Set on the Festivals pub. Jewish Chronicle

6. Novels

You can learn a lot quite easily from Jewish historical novels, but do remember that they are usually fiction! For example books by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Chaim Potok, Elie Wiesel (holocaust novels), Bernard Malamud, Leon Uris, Chaim Bermant, Amos Oz.

Other Useful Books

  • “The Jewish Family Book” eds Strassfeld and Green. Bantam Books
  • “Reform Jewish Practise” – Freehof (KTAV)
  • “How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household” (Blu Greenberg)
  • “The Book of Jewish Food” – Claudia Roden
  • Any cookbook by Evelyn Rose, Florence Greenberg etc.

Jewish Websites

These abound! But also visit our links page as well. However first of all just click the link and try going to:



 

 

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