Jews and the American religious landscape / Uzi Rebhun.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Jews and the American Religious Landscape explores major complementary facets of American Judaism and Jewish life through a comprehensive analysis of contemporary demographic and sociological data. The volume adds empirical value to questions concerning the strengths of Jews as a religious and cultural group in America.

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CHOICE Review

This comprehensive examination of the American Jewish population is informed by a wide body of social science theorizing and research, as well as by quantitative analysis of the 2007 Pew Religious Landscape Survey. Broadly comparative, the study documents demographic, residential, regional, political, and religious diversity within the Jewish community. It also contrasts Jews' behaviors with those of other major US religious groups, including Evangelical, mainline, and black Protestants; Catholics, Mormons, other Christians; Muslims, other faiths, and the unaffiliated. Finally, demographer Rebhun's sophisticated understanding of religious identity in the context of societal and demographic factors explores transformations in the American Jewish community in light of broader changes in US and global society. In so doing, the book both describes and explains a number of paradoxes associated with the American Jewish experience. Among the most fascinating is that Jews simultaneously epitomize and reject conformity with different sets of American values. While Jews reveal an unmatched record of economic and occupational achievement, they also retain an enduring commitment to the Democratic Party--long associated with less educated and impoverished groups--and to their inured religious identity. Valuable for readers interested in Judaism, the sociology of religion, and the interrelationships among social structure, collective behavior, and identity. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --Steven James Gold, Michigan State University