Encyclopaedia Judaica (Aa-Alp)

Fred Skolnik9780028659282, 0-02-865928-7, 0-02-865929-5

Grade 10 Up—This long-awaited revision of the premier reference source on Jewish life, culture, and history updates the 1972 edition by either adding to the original information or creating a completely new entry. New to this publication are a charted summary of transliteration rules; a list of abbreviations; and entries discussing aspects of Holocaust study, the development and impact of the State of Israel on Jewish life, and the evolution of Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Hasidic, and Reconstructionist branches of the faith. Entries on Judaism in all 50 U.S. states and major U.S. cities have been updated. Others are unchanged although updating may have been warranted: for example, information on the biblical character Noah is unaltered, despite a great deal of related research, both textual and archaeological, since 1972. However, many entries related to religious law (halakhah) have been totally rewritten to reflect its impact on the Israeli legal system. This edition consists of 22 volumes compared to the original 16. It boasts all new illustrations: more than 600 maps, charts, archaeological plans, and chronologies (for example, family trees and an 8-page chart of Hasidic dynasties) and a few color photographs of paintings, drawings, and artifacts in each volume. The glossary is unchanged. The last volume contains a detailed 270-page thematic outline and a superb 632-page index that make the information in each volume accessible. Libraries that own the first edition will want to replace it with this one.—Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego