April 2017 /Nissan 5777
Dear Friends,
At JPS we strive to publish books that will stand the test of time. We aim for works that will enhance Jewish literacy for years, if not generations. With a shelf full of JPS classics that have remained in print for decades, I don’t think
this is an idle boast. Indeed, how many publishers can say they have volumes (The Legends of the Jews) in print for more than a century! At the same time, we strive to publish timely books, those that respond to the great issues of the day. So, for example, recent JPS works explore the frontier of biomedical ethics, developments in denominational Judaism and contemporary Jewish thought, and modern Jewish history
Then there are those special works that are both timely and timeless. Books destined to be standard references… that also comment on current events. In some cases, a natural connection between ancient wisdom and present-day dilemmas is apparent. In other cases, an unforeseen controversy leads to an inadvertent link. Either way, we emerge enriched by the interplay of the ageless with our age.
We at JPS could not have predicted that the timely and the timeless would converge in all three new books this spring.
Justice for All: How the Jewish Bible Revolutionized Ethics is a deeply discerning look at how biblical ethics transformed Western civilization…and powerfully relates to the current debate on immigration.
Saving One’s Own: Jewish Rescuers during the Holocaust fills a crucial gap in the history of the Shoah, chronicling, for the first time, the many Jewish heroes who rescued their brethren at great risk to themselves and their families … and informs the controversial legislation before Israel’s Knesset on whether to honor righteous Jews.
The JPS B’nai Mitzvah Commentary, the first-ever Torah commentary designed to connect with young people, will become the go-to resource for the next generations of our youth…and raises questions about the lives of our teens here and now.
This will be a spring to remember…and JPS is doing our part!
With warm wishes for a joyous Pesach,
Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz
Director
Read the entire spring newsletter here:
