My Jewish Year

18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew

De: Abigail Pogrebin, A.J. Jacobs - foreword

Narrado por: Rebecca Gibel

In the tradition of The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs and Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler comes Abigail Pogrebin's My Jewish Year, a lively chronicle of the author's journey into the spiritual heart of Judaism.

Although she grew up following some holiday rituals, Pogrebin realized how little she knew about their foundational purpose and contemporary relevance; she wanted to understand what had kept these holidays alive and vibrant, some for thousands of years. Her curiosity led her to embark on an entire year of intensive research, observation, and writing about the milestones on the religious calendar.

Whether in search of a roadmap for Jewish life or a challenging probe into the architecture of Jewish tradition, listeners will be captivated, educated, and inspired by Abigail Pogrebin's My Jewish Year.

©2017 Abigail Pogrebin (P)2022 Tantor

Fascinating listen

Although Pogrebin's "Jewish Year" was a decade ago, this book is especially relevant and resonant with the events since October 7. In her epilogue, I loved the comment about mindfulness and choice, now that Pogrebin and to varying degrees, her family have spent a year observing ALL of the holidays she can make the choice which matter to her on an ongoing basis and which are ones she wants to prioritize, and to some extent which elements of the Sabbath without being Shomer Shabbos. The learning does indeed spark the feeling.

Thought-provoking

Beautifully written and inspiring, even for a non-religious person. Ritual invites us to be mindful and grateful, which I was glad to be reminded of. This exploration of an ancient tradition and identity will stick with me for a long time.

Excellent read!

It was easy to follow, very engaging. Like having a conversation with a friend. As a novice I appreciated her explanations and background information on Jewish holidays and customs. Chock full of useful references.

Awful narration; surface-level story

This is an incredibly surface-level book on the Jewish holidays. I learned very little, and honestly, I think so did the author. It sounds like she’s forcing herself to find meaning in the holidays and the meaning she comes up with is very shallow and trite. Judaism is much deeper and more powerful than this. The writing was terrible. It was like a caricature of the Reform movement (of which I am a part). I’m sure it did nothing to assuage the stereotypes about Reform Jews half-assing their connection to Judaism. Even a Jew writing a book about the holidays couldn’t do ONE Shabbat in a whole year without her phone? And the narrator (who is not the author, to be fair) is so unpleasant to listen to. It contributed to how inauthentic it felt. Skip this one; if you’d like an accessible book about Judaism by a non-rabbi and a less observant Jew, read Here All Along by Sarah Hurwitz, where she actually finds depth.

Solid information with good research into facts and history Learned a lot

Liked the book and information
VERY DISAPPOINTED IN narrator
She made many mistakes in pronunciation that were distracting.
Also her tone was a bit sappy.
Probably a better read than a book to listen to