Journalist and Critic Judith Shulevitz to speak at the United Synagogue of Hoboken

Feb. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- On Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 10:30am, journalist and critic Judith  Shulevitz will speak at the United Synagogue of Hoboken (USH) 115 Park Ave, Hoboken, NJ.  Shulevitz is the author of "The Sabbath World: Glimpses of Another Order of Time", an erudite and elegantly written book that weaves together histories of the Jewish and Christian sabbaths, speculations on the nature of time, and a rueful account of her personal struggle with the day. Admission is $18 for USH Members and $20 for Non-members.

Shulevitz has found insights into the Sabbath in both cultural and contemporary sources—the Torah, the Gospels, the Talmud, and the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, as well as in the poetry of William Wordsworth, the life of Sigmund Freud, and the science of neuropsychology. She tells stories of martyrdom by Jews who died en masse rather than fight on the Sabbath and describes the feverish Sabbatarianism of the American Puritans. And she counterposes the tyranny of religious law with the equally oppressive tyranny of the clock. Can we really flourish under the yoke of communal discipline, as preachers and rabbis like to tell us? What about being free to live as we please? Can we preserve what the Sabbath gives us—a time outside time—without following its rules?

Reviews:
"What a brilliant idea. In The Sabbath World, culture critic Judith Shulevitz (Slate, the New York Times) addresses the philosophical idea of the Sabbath from both a personal and a collective point of view. Part history, part meditation, the book delves into the Sabbath in Judaism and Christianity while invoking a wealth of nonreligious sources, from William Wordsworth to Sigmund Freud. Ultimately, The Sabbath World suggests, the Sabbath offers a way to live outside of time, even for a day a week—an act not just of renewal but of resistance in an obsessively over-scheduled and over-networked world."—Los Angeles Times

“Shulevitz has achieved something nearly impossible. She has written a book about the Sabbath that is truly singular.”—Moment magazine
 
"This book will make you think differently about time, religion and your job. Read it on a Saturday or a Sunday or a weekday, but do read it."—AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmggECTTuAQ&feature=player...



About The United Synagogue of Hoboken: The United Synagogue of Hoboken (USH), founded in 1905, is Hobokenʼs center for Jewish life, offering educational opportunities for all ages, religious services, and a wide range of Jewish cultural events. For more information, visit the USH website at http://www.hobokensynagogue.org, call 201-659-4000 or email office@hobokensynagogue.org The USH is located at 115 Park Ave in Hoboken, NJ.

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The United Synagogue of Hoboken (USH), founded in 1905, is Hobokenʼs center for Jewish life, offering educational opportunities for all ages, religious services, and a wide range of Jewish cultural events. See http://www.hobokensynagogue.org