Judaism as a Civilization remains one of the most original and thought-provoking contributions toward creating a comprehensive program for creative Jewish life. In this seminal work, Kaplan offers his now famous concept of Judaism as an evolving religious civilization. For Judaism to survive and grow, Jews must continue to reconstruct their heritage in response to changes in social, political, and cultural conditions, producing new literature and liturgy, adding and eliminating customs and traditions. All Jews - traditional and liberal, religious and secular - can play a part in that reconstruction.
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Volleyball Is A Civilization:
"Rabbi"Mordecai Kaplan's book,'Judaism is a Civilization' should've gone out of print before they changed the cover;nobody would pay any attention to a common atheist lacking "the rabbi title" who defines God as a "cosmic process" and/or who believes Judaism's concept of chosenness is racism-which Kaplan believed before The Holocaust-and after.In 1945,Kaplan also came out with a prayerbook,which was justifiably criticized as "prayers to whom it may concern."If you want to read the shorter version of
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The "Bible" of modern American Judaism:
This is the book that began the evolution of modern American Jewish life as it has developed. Kaplan analyzes the movements that have shaped modern Judaism, and explains why none of them alone can address the needs of contemporary American Jews. His ideas, written over 50 years ago, have influenced all other movements, as well as giving birth to the Reconstructionist movement. This is a book that every thinking American Jew must read, whether you end up agreeing or disagreeing with his views. The fact that... more info
