What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew about Judaism. Robert Schoen

often is: What are your views about the nation of Israel?

      In the same way, many Christians have only the sketchiest notion of what’s in our Old Testament: something about Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, Ten Commandments, and a Promised Land. They may know next to nothing about what goes on in a synagogue or what a believing Jew actually believes. The main question Christians have in a Jewish-Christian dialogue inevitably is: Why don’t Jews believe in Jesus?

      Both questions harbor a bit of defensiveness, and can seem accusatory. We still have a long way to go just to hear each other; then farther toward acceptance; until we finally creep into the territory of a long-overdue embrace. The twenty-first century needs more folks dedicated to reaching across differences, however prolonged and deeply maintained, to genuine understanding. This book can be the first step for its readers into that kinder, better world.

       Preface to the Second Edition

      I remember the day I decided to write this book.

      I was in a branch of the Oakland Public library browsing the new non-fiction books, and there I saw a volume that I’d been hoping to see for years—a book that would explain Judaism to non-Jewish readers.

      Although I’d grown up Jewish in post-World War 2 America, had attended Hebrew school, had a bar mitzvah, I’d never felt comfortable answering many of the questions about Judaism that would come up in conversation with my Christian friends.

      The books about Judaism that I’d come across that purported to accomplish this task—including this one—were never right for some reason. Either they were written by an Orthodox rabbi and did not reflect the more liberal Judaism I knew and lived, or they were too technical and not particularly readable. Why would I recommend such a book to a non-Jewish friend?

      So I began to think. What would an average Christian or Catholic person want to know about Judaism? What would they already know or not know, and how much detail or depth would they want? And who might they be?

      “I’m thinking about writing a book,” I told my wife that night. And so began a seven-year journey from conception to publication.

      The good news was that I had a degree in Communication and had some writing and editing skills. But I’d changed career directions and never put these skills to professional use.

      Fortunately, as I wrote I began to find “my voice” and identified my imaginary reader—an intelligent person, curious about how and why Jews did what they did; someone who was interested in the history of the Jewish People and wanted an overview of Jewish Holidays as well as descriptions of the primary life-cycle events.

      My greatest challenge was (and continues to be) that there exists an extremely wide range of Jewish practice and belief, from ultra-Orthodoxy to ultra-liberalism. The saying goes that if two Jews are discussing a problem, they’ll come up with three opinions.

      But I did my best, and when I finished my first draft I made photocopies of the manuscript and asked friends, family, and strangers for feedback. And boy, did I get it! “What about kosher food?” “You need to talk about the Holocaust! Intermarriage. Conversion. Circumcision. Music. Art. Israel.” I wrote a second draft and repeated the process. By the third round of feedback, including comments from members of the clergy, I thought I was pretty much finished. When Loyola Press agreed to publish the manuscript, they asked for additional changes.

      Almost two more years went by before the book’s release. The big surprise was a “starred review” in Publishers Weekly, which resulted in my little book being acquired by public libraries all over North America.

      This second edition, issued by Stone Bridge Press, allows me to make a few tweaks to the original. But what pleases me most is that I did accomplish what I set out to do—write a book that answers the basic questions: What is Judaism all about? Why do Jews do what they do? What do they believe? And, is Hanukkah the Jewish Christmas?

      The feedback we received from Christian readers was both satisfying and humbling. But I was also happy to find that the book benefited Jewish readers as well, and was used for Introduction to Judaism classes as well as being recommended by rabbis to adults considering conversion.

      Whatever your question, I hope you find some answers here.

       Preface to the First Edition

      Kermit the Frog has said that it’s not easy being green. Well, it’s not easy being anything. Being Jewish presents its own problems, and through the years I have often wished I could explain to my non-Jewish friends, in a simple, non-threatening manner, what my religion is all about.

      From the Sabbath to circumcision, from Hanukkah to the Holocaust, from bar mitzvah to bagel, how do Jewish religion, history, holidays, lifestyles, and culture make Jews different, and why is that difference so distinctive that we carry it from birth to the grave?

      So, I present here a compendium of facts, lore, and opinion. I’ve checked the facts and the lore in a number of sources. The opinions (and humor) are mine. If you disagree with anything written on these pages, it’s okay. As a matter of fact, it’s part of the Jewish tradition to disagree.

       Robert Schoen

       Oakland, California

       Introduction

       The Purpose of This Book

      I have never met a Christian who was not in some way curious about Judaism, the Jewish people, or some aspect of the Jewish way of life. Even though Christianity evolved from Judaism and Jesus himself was a Jew, during their religious education and upbringing most Christians learn little about Judaism and the Jews. Often what they do learn is based on myth or hearsay and serves only to increase their curiosity (or multiply their misconceptions) about why Jews do what they do and believe what they believe.

      I have also discovered that the more a Christian knows about his or her religion, the more curious that person tends to be about Judaism.

      Christians have good reason to be curious. After all, Judaism and Christianity come from the same roots. Our religions share many of the same biblical stories, taken from the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly referred to as the Old Testament). Thus, both Christians and Jews feel comfortable telling the age-old stories of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Sodom and Gomorrah, Daniel, Noah, Moses, and Joseph. Both Christians and Jews are steeped in this shared heritage. We can rejoice together in the marvelous stories, lessons to be learned, and wit and wisdom.

      We also can learn important lessons from those early accounts of tragedies, wars, and other situations that revealed the ultimate power of God.

      Many Christians wonder why Jews do not believe in Jesus, and why Jewish children and adults do not study the teachings and stories of the New Testament. When a person is growing up Jewish in America, these questions can be very puzzling and difficult to answer.

      Through the years, I have wondered about how best to answer questions that my Christian friends asked. Sometimes, I have given simple explanations about how Christian teachings are not part of the Jewish belief system. I’ve said that Jews have nothing against Jesus, the New Testament, Catholics, Protestants, or any other Christian denomination or sect—or any non-Jewish religion, for that matter. Questions beget more questions, though, and answers are rarely simple.

      Many Christians don’t realize that Jews, as a group, are unfamiliar with the New Testament and the teachings of Christianity. Why is this? The New Testament is not part of our heritage, not included in our worship services, and not included in our many religious books. Certainly there are Jewish scholars who study Christian texts and writings. In addition, rabbis and Jewish educators learn about Christianity and other religions as part of their formal training.

      However, the average Jewish person has not read the New Testament. I am pleased to say that I have. Not long ago, as part of a university course called “The Bible for Students of Literature,”