JEWDAR
POLITICAL HISTORY What’s Old Is New Again JEWISH
THIS FORTHCOMING anthology is sure to be an illuminating resource on a deeply contested sub- ject, tracing the passionate debates around Jewish nationalism and the Zionist project from the late 19th century to the present day. The volume in- cludes voices from a wide variety of Jews across time, space, and religiosity — many of them trans- lated for the first time. For supporters of Israeli
ANTI-ZIONISM: A HISTORICAL ANTHOLOGY Shaul Magid and Zev Mishell Princeton University Press November 3
government policy, these texts can provide some insight into a line of thinking that may have been previously illegible. For critics, these texts may introduce previous generations of thinkers whose ideas they haven’t had a chance to encounter. Zachary Kauffman
HISTORY Kickin’ It Old Shul
“WHO CONGREGATES AT SARDIS? What is there to congregate about?” asked the great Stephen Sondheim. While I’d hoped Synagogue at Sardis might hold the answer (I’d imagined a minyan of Jewish thespians and critics davening over bolog- nese between curtain calls), its true subject turns out to be just as interesting. The synagogue at Sardis, discovered by an Amer- ican archeological expedition in 1962, is the larg- est known synagogue from the ancient world. Its assembly hall could accommodate nearly 1,000 people — ample enough for even the largest bar- mitzvah kiddushes of late antiquity. Along with its elaborate floor mosaics, it was the discovery of or-
nate marble slabs showing a me- norah, a shofar, and (of course) plaques with names of wealthy donors that convinced archae- ologists the site could only be a synagogue.
SYNAGOGUE AT SARDIS Andrew R. Seager Harvard University Press October 6
NON-FICTION Shaken, and Stirred THE
WRITER and professor Gary Shteyngart is renown- ed for his acclaimed novels, including Super Sad True Love Story , Little Failure , and Our Country Friends , as well as his incisive nonfiction for The New Yorker and The Atlantic . Now, Shteyngart gathers his adventurous and wide-ranging essays into a single collection. Traversing topics from the
While ancient diaspora Judaism, especially in the Roman Empire, is often associated with oppression and marginalization, the syna- gogue at Sardis demonstrates a community of tremendous vitality, wealth, and deep integration into Roman civic and imperial life. The upcom- ing book is the culmination of a life’s work from Seager, professor emeritus of architecture at Ball State University, who joined the archaeological exploration of Sardis in 1964 and began his study of the synagogue soon afterward. Zachary Kauffman
SENSUALIST: ADVENTURES IN PURE PLEASURE Gary Shteyngart Random House November 17
perfect martini to the pursuit of joy (readers may want to keep an eye out for whether Shteyngart thinks these are related), The Sensualist promises to explore what it means to seek beauty, delight, and mean- ing amid the absurdities of contemporary life. Sophia Hershfield
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