Classics in Judaica – serie

This groundbreaking book was among the most important of those that presented the teachings of Maimonides, as represented by his many published works, as a unified whole, thus bringing about a renaissance in the study of this seminal scholar. The author, the Reverend Abraham Cohen, states in his original introduction that “the spirit which animated [Maimonides’] mind and pervades his writings is as much needed now as ever before.” Academic Studies Press is proud to make this important work once again available in printed form.

Asher Ginsberg (1856-1927), also known as Ahad Ha-Am, was a prominent pre-state Zionist thinker and considered the founder of Cultural Zionism, fighting for what he described as “a Jewish state and not merely a state of Jews.” This 1912 collection of essays, translated by Leon Simon, expresses his philosophy and beliefs on Zionism and other Jewish topics, helping the reader build an understanding of Ahad Ha-Am and his era.

Throughout history, Judaism has been under attack by other religions, attacks which strengthened the identification of the group as a whole. Modern challenges, however, are coming from different directions, and are producing different results. Jewish identification is declining at the same time as more and more Jewish groups to identify with are rising. Rather than being a disaster, Kaplan argues that the multiplicity of threads in Jewish life today represents the process of a radical transformation “nothing less than metamorphosis.” It is in this way that Judaism is creating its own future, the greater Judaism in the making.

The first of a three-volume series, this book contains Eva Jospe’s previously unpublished study, “The Concept of Encounter in the Philosophy of Martin Buber,” together with several of her published articles on Buber and on modern Jewish thought, as well as a moving sermon she delivered in 1988, on the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht. As Ephraim Meir notes in his introduction to the volume, her clear presentation and analysis of Buber’s dialogical philosophy reflects a positive appreciation, but also pointed criticism of her one-time teacher’s thought. Volume Two of this series contains her translations of Moses Mendelssohn, and Volume Three her Reason and Hope: Selections from the Jewish Writings of Hermann Cohen.

The second of a three-volume series, this book contains Eva Jospe’s Moses Mendelssohn: Selections from His Writings, together with an article dealing with Mendelssohn’s enduring significance. As Raphael Jospe observes in his introduction to the volume, despite the welcome growth in recent years in the availability of English translations of Mendelssohn’s works, Eva Jospe’s Selections (including some of Mendelssohn’s private letters) remain valuable for their clarity, for the logic of their organization, and for the important insight they provide into Mendelssohn’s personality and convictions. Volume One of this series contains Eva Jospe’s study of the “Concept of Encounter in the Philosophy of Martin Buber,” and Volume Three her Reason and Hope: Selections from the Jewish Writings of Hermann Cohen. Together, these volumes offer a multidimensional view of Jospe’s work and thoughts.