Overview

Global intellectual celebrity Bernard-Henri Levy explores the wisdom and beauty of Judaism--and how Jewish ideas of man and God, of history and time, of power, voice, light, liberty, revolt, memory and nature have informed and enriched both Western and Eastern cultures for millennia. From world-renowned public intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy comes an incisive and provocative look at the heart of Judaism. ""A smart, revealing, and essential book for our times.""-The Washington Post For more than four decades, Bernard-Henri Levy has been a singular figure on the world stage-one of the great moral voices of our time. Now Europe's foremost philosopher and activist confronts his spiritual roots and the religion that has always inspired and shaped him-but that he has never fully reckoned with. The Genius of Judaism is a breathtaking new vision and understanding of what it means to be a Jew, a vision quite different from the one we're used to. It is rooted in the Talmudic traditions of argument and conflict, rather than biblical commandments, borne out in struggle and study, not in blind observance. At the very heart of the matter is an obligation to the other, to the dispossessed, and to the forgotten, an obligation that, as Levy vividly recounts, he has sought to embody over decades of championing ""lost causes,"" from Bosnia to Africa's forgotten wars, from Libya to the Kurdish Peshmerga's desperate fight against the Islamic State, a battle raging as we speak. Levy offers a fresh, surprising critique of a new and stealthy form of anti-Semitism on the rise as well as a provocative defense of Israel from the left. He reveals the overlooked Jewish roots of Western democratic ideals and confronts the current Islamist threat while intellectually dismantling it. Jews are not a ""chosen people,"" Levy explains, but a ""treasure"" whose spirit must continue to inform moral thinking and courage today. Levy's most passionate book, and in many ways his most personal, The Genius of Judaism is a great, profound, and hypnotic intellectual reckoning-indeed a call to arms-by one of the keenest and most insightful writers in the world. Praise for The Genius of Judaism ""In The Genius of Judaism, Levy elaborates on his credo by rebutting the pernicious and false logic behind current anti-Semitism and defends Israel as the world's most successful multi-ethnic democracy created from scratch. Levy also makes the case for France's Jews being integral to the establishment of the French nation, the French language, and French literature. And last, but certainly not least, he presents a striking interpretation of the Book of Jonah. . . . A tour de force.""-Forbes ""Ardent . . . Levy's message is essentially uplifting- that the brilliant scholars of Judaism, the authors of the Talmud, provide elucidation into 'the great questions that have stirred humanity since the dawn of time.' . . . A philosophical celebration of Judaism.""-Kirkus Reviews ""Levy (Left in Dark Times), a prominent French journalist and politically engaged philosopher, turns his observations inward here, pondering the teachings of Judaism and the role they have played in contemporary European history as well as in his own life and intellectual inquiry. . . . Levy's musings on the meaning of the story of Jonah and the relevance of symbolic Ninevahs in our time are both original and poetic. . . . A welcome addition to his oeuvre.""-Publishers Weekly

Full Product Details

9780812982510

Table of Contents

Reviews

In The Genius of Judaism, Levy elaborates on his credo by rebutting the pernicious and false logic behind current anti-Semitism and defends Israel as the world's most successful multi-ethnic democracy created from scratch. Levy also makes the case for France's Jews being integral to the establishment of the French nation, the French language, and French literature. And last, but certainly not least, he presents a striking interpretation of the Book of Jonah. . . . A tour de force. --Forbes Ardent . . . Levy's message is essentially uplifting: that the brilliant scholars of Judaism, the authors of the Talmud, provide elucidation into 'the great questions that have stirred humanity since the dawn of time.' . . . A philosophical celebration of Judaism. --Kirkus Reviews Levy (Left in Dark Times), a prominent French journalist and politically engaged philosopher, turns his observations inward here, pondering the teachings of Judaism and the role they have played in contemporary European history as well as in his own life and intellectual inquiry. . . . [Levy's] musings on the meaning of the story of Jonah and the relevance of symbolic Ninevahs in our time are both original and poetic. . . . A welcome addition to his oeuvre. --Publishers WeeklyPraise for Bernard-Henri Levy's Left In Dark Times Moving and inspiring . . . Bernard-Henri Levy, perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France today, [speaks] truth to power. --The Boston Globe Continually asking himself as well as others to confront the hard questions, [Levy] produces a text that [is] highly absorbing. --The New York Times Book Review [Levy's] discussion of contemporary anti-Semitism is sophisticated, detailed and convincing. --Los Angeles Times American Vertigo An entertaining trip, as much in the tradition of Jack Kerouac as Tocqueville. --The New York Times Perceptive, pugnacious, passionate [and] exquisitely written. --The New York Observer It's difficult to remember when a writer of any nationality so clearly and thoughtfully delineated both the good and bad in America. [Grade: A]. --Entertainment Weekly

In The Genius of Judaism, Levy elaborates on his credo by rebutting the pernicious and false logic behind current anti-Semitism and defends Israel as the world's most successful multi-ethnic democracy created from scratch. Levy also makes the case for France's Jews being integral to the establishment of the French nation, the French language, and French literature. And last, but certainly not least, he presents a striking interpretation of the Book of Jonah. . . . A tour de force. --Forbes <p/> Ardent . . . Levy's message is essentially uplifting: that the brilliant scholars of Judaism, the authors of the Talmud, provide elucidation into 'the great questions that have stirred humanity since the dawn of time.' . . . A philosophical celebration of Judaism. --Kirkus Reviews <p/> Levy (Left in Dark Times), a prominent French journalist and politically engaged philosopher, turns his observations inward here, pondering the teachings of Judaism and the role they have played in contemporary European history as well as in his own life and intellectual inquiry. . . . [Levy's] musings on the meaning of the story of Jonah and the relevance of symbolic Ninevahs in our time are both original and poetic. . . . A welcome addition to his oeuvre. --Publishers WeeklyPraise for Bernard-Henri Levy's Left In Dark Times Moving and inspiring . . . Bernard-Henri Levy, perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France today, [speaks] truth to power. --The Boston Globe Continually asking himself as well as others to confront the hard questions, [Levy] produces a text that [is] highly absorbing. --The New York Times Book Review [Levy's] discussion of contemporary anti-Semitism is sophisticated, detailed and convincing. --Los Angeles Times American Vertigo An entertaining trip, as much in the tradition of Jack Kerouac as Tocqueville. --The New York Times Perceptive, pugnacious, passionate [and] exquisitely written. --The New York Observer It's difficult to remember when a writer of any nationality so clearly and thoughtfully delineated both the good and bad in America. [Grade: A]. --Entertainment Weekly

Author Information

Bernard-Henri Levy is a philosopher, journalist, activist, and filmmaker. Among his dozens of books are American Vertigo, Barbarism with a Human Face, and Who Killed Daniel Pearl? His writing has appeared in a wide range of publications throughout Europe and the United States. His films include the documentaries Bosna! and A Day in the Death of Sarajevo. Levy is co-founder of the antiracist group SOS Racisme and has served on diplomatic missions for the French government.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available