The God I Believe In: Conversations about Judaism by Joshua O. Haberman.
Interviews of 14 distinguished Jews on their religious beliefs. Included are: author-critic Cynthia Ozick, Commentary magazine editor Norman Podhoretz, Talmudist Adin Steinsaltz, astrophysicist Arno Penzias, convert Rachel Cowan, and Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz. A sampling of some of Haberman's queries: Do you believe in a personal God? Do you believe in divine revelation? Are you observant, e.g., do you keep kosher at home? What are your views on life after death? Do you believe in the coming of the Messiah? The answers given in these interviews provide a microcosmic picture of the state of religious belief among contemporary Jewish intellectuals. After reading this engrossing study, the reader is left with the feeling that Jewish spirituality is alive and well among the intellectuals.
There are many moving or startling moments in the interviews: Katz's reaffirmation of the complexity and richness of the Torah; Emil Fackenheim reflecting on how living through the death camps changed his theological views; a vividly contentious Yeshayahu Leibowitz repeatedly rejecting the basic premises that Haberman puts to him; Norman Podhoretz describing a moment of personal revelation.
Hardcover. 1994.
Used book. Light highlighting on few pages. Covers show very light wear with rubbing. Tiny black dots on top edge and texblock.