Wayne State University Press Communings of the Spirit, Volume III: The Journals of Mordecai M. Kaplan, 1942-1951 (American Jewish Civilization)

Review Kaplan was a man of contradictions, but because of that, all the more interesting and significant. Scholars of Judaica and rabbinical studies will value this honest look at the preeminent American Jewish thinker and rabbi of our times.--Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins "Jewish Media Review" (9/26/2021 12:00:00 AM)Among Kaplan's many innovative contributions to American Judaism that we learn about from this eagerly awaited third volume of his diaries, masterfully edited by Scult, are the prayer-poems Kaplan composed using the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and other modern authors. These liturgical experiments foreshadowed the flourishing of new literary creations that enrich Jewish worship today. I am grateful to Scult for bringing to light these little-known and inspiring compositions, along with the many other fascinating passages contained in this volume.--Marcia Falk "author of The Book of Blessings: New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival and The Days Between: Blessings, Poems, and Directions of the Heart for the Jewish High Holiday Season" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)Another great gift from the world's foremost expert on Kaplan and his work. This volume of the Kaplan diaries covers critical decades in his life and reveals his response to the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel, and to his own excommunication. An invaluable source on one of America's greatest Jewish thinkers and on American Judaism during a pivotal period of the twentieth century.--Jonathan D. Sarna "University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University, and author of American Judaism: A History" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)Aside from being one of the most influential Jews in twentieth-century America, Kaplan kept an exhaustive diary from about 1904 until the late 1970s. Scult has been expertly excavating Kaplan's voluminous writings for almost half a century. This third volume comprises diary entries during the war years and the founding of the State of Israel. Scult's deep knowledge of Kaplan, his felicitous introduction, and his helpful annotations and notes make this a superb study of a tumultuous time in mid-century American Judaism.--Shaul Magid "professor of Jewish studies, Dartmouth College" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)Covering ten tumultuous years, these excerpts reveal Kaplan championing democracy and battling authoritarianism in geo-politics and religious affairs. We see Kaplan forthrightly accept the opportunities and obligations of America's sudden emergence as the world's largest Jewish community and gain further insight into the ways his work was both embraced and attacked. Scult has helped illuminate not only Kaplan but also essential events and personalities from a critical period in Jewish life.--Deborah Waxman "Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Presidential Professor at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and president of Reconstructing Judaism" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)It is axiomatic that the publication of the third volume of Mordecai M. Kaplan's journals is among the most significant contributions a press can make to the advancement of American Jewish scholarship. Kudos to the press and to Scult for their efforts.--Jeffrey Gurock "Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)Mel Scult continues to reveal himself as a master editor and commentator who has done scholar and layperson alike a great service by allowing Kaplan and the events and issues of a decade to come alive through the writings in this book. This latest volume of Kaplan's diaries is simply a treasure that will captivate and command the attention of a wide swath of readers who are interested in American Jewish history, thought, and religion.--David Ellenson "Chancellor Emeritus, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)This book is highly recommended for personal, synagogue, and academic libraries.--Dani