Below are some of the Jewish Funds for Justice staff’s favorite books and resources on politics, organizing, and basic Judaism.
Urban Policy/Urban Issues
Adler,
William, Mollie’s Job
A narrative that tracks one factory job as it moves from
Paterson, NJ to the (non-union) south to Mexico
Bauman, John, et al, From Tenements to the Taylor Homes: In Search of an Urban Housing Policy in Twentieth-Century America
Essays on the history of American Housing policy
Cohen, Adam and Elizabeth Taylor, American Pharaoh
The best biography of former Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley; important insight into the (still operating) Chicago political machine.
Dreier, Peter et al, Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twentieth-Century
Persuasive argument for regional planning, written by an active member of the Progressive Jewish Alliance
Ehrenreich, Barbara, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America
Narrative of the author’s attempt to live on minimum wage
Hays, R. Allen, The Federal Government and Urban Housing
The classic work on the history of federal housing policy. Dry but comprehensive.
Hirsch, Arnold, Making the Second Ghetto
A history of the creation of Chicago’s segregated housing market
Jacobs,
Jane, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
One of the most important urban studies books ever written.
Jacobs’s blueprint for the city has influenced virtually all urban planning
and public policy since.
Jackson, Kenneth, Crabgrass Frontier
The classic work on the shift from cities to suburbs and on the federal policies that encouraged this shift.
Patterson, James, America’s Struggle against Poverty in the Twentieth Century
Survey of poverty and welfare legislation
Piven, Frances and Richard Cloward, Poor People’s Movements
Dry but classic history of grassroots movements
Shipler, David, The Working Poor: Invisible in America
A journalistic account and analysis of the problem of poverty among working people.
Venkatesh, Sudhir American Project
A narrative of the rise and fall of the Robert Taylor homes and of the history of public housing
Wilson,
William Julius, When Work Disappears
An exploration of joblessness in the inner cities
Wright, Gwendolyn, Building the Dream
A sociological history of housing policy
General
Bobo, Kim et al, Organizing for Social Change
Midwest Academy organizing manual
Dingerson, Leigh, The Co/Motion Guide to Youth-led social change
Guide to youth organizing
Hart, Stephen, Cultural Dilemmas of Progressive Politics: Styles of Engagement among Grassroots Activists
An examination/analysis of various styles of community organizing
Kretzmann, John, Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets
A plan for analyzing and building on community resources/strengths
Faith-based
Freedman,
Sam, Upon this Rock
The story of a Brooklyn pastor who has helped to revitalize
his neighborhood
Gornik, Mark, To Live in Peace
Personal account of pastor’s work to revive Baltimore neighborhood; theological reflections on urban ministry
Warren, Mark, Dry Bones Rattling
An analysis of the Industrial Areas Foundation in San Antonio, Baltimore and elsewhere
Wood, Richard, Faith in Action
An analysis of PICO, the Center for Third World Organizing and other organizing models
Basic Judaism
www.myjewishlearning.com
Comprehensive website on Judaism; offers multiple perspectives & multi-level discussion on most issues
Beliefs/ethics
Biale, David, What do Jews Believe?
Introduction to Jewish thought/belief
Dorff, Elliot, To Do the Right and the Good
Spotlight on a few issues in Jewish social ethics
Knowing God
Exploration of Jewish theology
Gillman, Neil, Sacred Fragments
Introduction to major contemporary Jewish theologians
Hartman,
David, A Heart of Many Rooms
Essays on pluralism in Jewish thought by one of most
important living theologians
Schulweis, Harold, For Those who Can’t Believe
Theology for people not interested in theology
Texts
Halbertal, Moshe, The People and the Book
An examination of the role of text in Jewish life/peoplehood
Holtz, Barry, Back to the Sources
A survey of classical Jewish text
Matt,
Daniel, The Essential Kabbalah
Introduction to Jewish mysticism
Scholem, Gershom, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism
The classic work on Jewish mysticism
Walzer, Michael, Exodus and Revolution
A reading of the book of Exodus as a revolutionary text
Practice
Dosick, Wayne Living Judaism
Geffen, Rela, Celebration and renewal
Greenberg, Irving, The Jewish Way
Kushner, Harold, To Life
Guides to Jewish practice/holidays/rituals/life cycle events
Matlins
& Magida How to be a Perfect Stranger vol. 1 (chapter on Judaism)
What to expect when you walk into synagogue/other Jewish
space
Orenstein, Debra, Lifecycles, vol. 1 and 2
Jewish women’s rituals
www.ritualwell.org
Contemporary rituals
History
Goldman, Emma, Living my Life, vol. 1-2
Autobiography of Emma Goldman
Moore, Deborah Dash, At Home in America
Social history of second generation immigrant Jews
Roth, Walter, Looking Backward
Stories of Chicago Jewish history
Scheindlin, Raymond, A Short history of the Jewish People
Visotzky, Burt, From Mesopotamia to Modernity
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jewish history
Short introductions to Jewish history
Von
Drehle, David Triangle: The Fire that Changed America
Story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Yezierska, Anzia, Hungry Hearts (or any of her other novels/collections)
Short stories that offer glimpse into life of Jewish immigrants at turn of 20th century
Identity/memoir
Ehrlich, Elizabeth, Miriam’s Kitchen
Memoir of encountering Judaism through a grandmother & mother-in-law’s kitchen
Greenberg, Steve, Wrestling with God and Men
Memoir/discussion of homosexuality by gay Orthodox rabbi
Heschel, Susannah, On Being a Jewish Feminist
One of the first & most influential books on Jewish feminism
Ruttenberg, Danya, Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism
Essays on Jewish feminism today
Shneer,
David et al, Queer Jews
Collection of essays on Jewish glbtq identity
