Author is the recipient of a Simon Rockfeller Award for excellence in Jewish Journalism. The book has won numerous critical acclaims. ( )

A decent overview of Judaism. I enjoyed the parts of the book that related to current rites and rituals and the why behind them. The book was less interesting (and this is to me only) when it came to covering the history of the various divisions withing Judaism. I also was not looking for information on Jewish philosophers. A very good overview book though that one can simply skip that which is not one's cup of tea. ( )

More of a reference book than a "sit-down-and-read" book in my library. But I've enjoyed the parts I've skimmed so far. ( )

This book covers all the major topics....prayer, worship, festivals, customs, history, language, philosophy, ideology, Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, and the evolution of Hasidism. There is a lot of information in here.

an easy-to-read and comprehensive reference