On Jewish Learning

By Franz Rosenzweig

Book Overview

Winner of France's 2004 Prix de Flore for his memoir The Romanian: Story of an Obsession, Bruce Benderson has gained international respect for his controversial opinions and original take on contemporary society. In this collection of essays, Benderson directs his exceptional powers of observation toward some of the most debated, as well as some of the most neglected, issues of our day. In Sex and Isolation, readers will encounter eccentric street people, Latin American literary geniuses, a French cabaret owner, a transvestite performer, and many other unusual characters; they'll visit subcultures rarely described in writing and be treated to Benderson's iconoclastic opinions about culture in former and contemporary urban society. Whether proposing new theories about the relationship between art, entertainment, and sex, analyzing the rise of the Internet and the disappearance of public space, or considering how religion and sexual identity interact, each essay demonstrates sharp wit, surprising insight and some startling intellectual positions. This is the first American volume of Benderson's collected essays, featuring both new work and some of his best-known writings, including his famous essay Toward the New Degeneracy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0299182347
• ISBN13: 9780299182342
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Heroic Rosenzweig

It is true as reviewer M. Llewyn has written that this book is abstract and difficult. But it is also true that it is written by one of the great intellectual heroes of modern Judaism. The story of Rosenzweig's rediscovery of his Jewishness, his writing of his monumental work ' Star of Redemption' while suffering almost complete paralysis is a story of human courage and Jewish faith. In this small book he centers on Jewish learning and education. A man of immense intellect and learning himself he understand that Judaism is a religion which requires of its adherents an effort of both heart and mind in the deepest way. His insights on the way to learn and the way to teach are the heart of this small and valuable work.