Books for an introduction to Jewish ideas, beliefs & practices:

To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking, by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner.

What is a Jew? by Rabbi Morris N. Kertzer.

Jewish Literacy, by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.

The Way Into the Varieties of Jewishness, by Sylvia Barack Fishman, Ph.D.

Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Tradition, Wisdom, & Practice, by Rabbi Wayne D. Dosick.

Living a Jewish Life, by Anita Diamant.

Beyond the basics:

The Sabbath, by Abraham Joshua Heschel.

The Colors of Jews: Racial Politics and Radical Diasporism, by Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz.

A Code of Jewish Ethics: Vol. 1 – You Shall Be Holy, by Joseph Telushkin.

Great Jewish Thinkers: Their Lives and Work, by Naomi E. Pasachoff

Seek My Face, Speak My Name: A Contemporary Jewish Theology, by Rabbi Arthur Green.

Whose Torah? A Concise Guide to Progressive Judaism, by Rabbi Rebecca T. Alpert.

The Book of Letters: A Mystical Alef Bet, by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

The Rituals & Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal, by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky & Rabbi Daniel Judson.

Night, by Elie Wiesel

The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-Hatred, & the Jews, by David Mamet

Learning biblical Hebrew:

Teach Yourself to Read Hebrew, from EKS Publishing.

Books for JuBus:

The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet’s Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India, by Rodger Kamenetz.

Jewish Dharma: A Guide to the Practice of Judaism and Zen, by Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D.

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