WINNER OF THE 2004 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR ANTHOLOGIES! Being Jewish. What does it mean—today—and for the future? Listen in as Jews of all backgrounds reflect, argue, and imagine. When Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered in Pakistan, many Jews were particularly touched by his last words affirming his Jewish identity. Many were moved to reflect on or analyze their feelings toward their lives as Jews. The saying "two Jews, three opinions" well reflects the Jewish community’s broad range of views on any topic. I Am Jewish captures this richness of interpretation and inspires Jewish people of all backgrounds to reflect upon and take pride in their identity. Contributions, ranging from major essays to a paragraph or a sentence, come from adults as well as young people in the form of personal feelings, statements of theology, life stories, and historical reflections. Despite the diversity, common denominators shine through clearly and distinctly. This inspiring collection presents answers from Jewish people around the world—artists, entertainers, government leaders, authors, media personalities, scientists, community organizers, scholars, rabbis, and others—covering the religious, professional, and political spectrum. They explore: • Identity—Our relationship to ourselves, how we define who we are in the most fundamental way. • Heritage—Our relationship to family, community, culture, tradition, and our collective history. • Covenant, Chosenness, and Faith—Our relationship to God, our understanding of the relationship between God and the Jewish people, and our understanding of Judaism as a religion. • Humanity and Ethnicity—Our relationship to others who are not part of the Jewish people. How does a sense of particularism relate to the universal themes and teachings of Judaism? • Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and Justice—Our relationship to the larger world, and what "I am Jewish" means for what we do with our lives as we address our responsibilities in the world. In this critical time in our history, I Am Jewish will motivate people throughout the Jewish community to think about their lives as Jews, and have a profound effect on the way younger Jews shape their identity in years to come. It will help people of all faiths and backgrounds to better understand Jewish people and Judaism. Contributors include: Ehud Barak Sylvia Boorstein Edgar M. Bronfman Alan Colmes Alan Dershowitz Kirk Douglas Richard Dreyfuss Kitty Dukakis Dianne Feinstein Tovah Feldshuh Debbie Friedman Milton Friedman Thomas L. Friedman Ruth Bader Ginsburg Nadine Gordimer David Hartman Moshe Katsav Larry King Francine Klagsbrun Harold Kushner Lawrence Kushner Shia LaBeouf Norman Lamm Norman Lear Julius Lester Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard Lewis Daniel Libeskind Joe Lieberman Deborah E. Lipstadt Joshua Malina Michael Medved Ruth W. Messinger Amos Oz Cynthia Ozick Shimon Peres Martin Peretz Dennis Prager Anne Roiphe Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Vidal Sassoon Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi Daniel Schorr Harold M. Schulweis Lynn Schusterman Natan Sharansky Gary Shteyngart Sarah Silverman Michael H. Steinhardt Kerri Strug Lawrence H. Summers Mike Wallace Elie Wiesel Leon Wieseltier Sherwin T. Wine Ruth R. Wisse Peter Yarrow A. B. Yehoshua Eric H. Yoffie