On the Origins of Judaism: An Exchange
In our Winter 2024 issue, Malka Simkovich took a deep dive into Yonatan Adler’s thought-provoking new book, The Origins of Judaism: An Archeological-Historical Reappraisal. Her review explored Adler’s argument that Judaism as we know it did not emerge until the Hasmonean era, and before then our ancestors were not, to use a modern phrase, Torah Observant. Simkovich highlight’s what she found to be the book’s successes, and criticizes what she sees to be Adler’s more radical readings about Judaism’s beginnings.
Our goal as a magazine is to create and invite dialogue from those who agree and disagree with one another, to build a respectful and productive space for conflicting ideas. That is why we’re very glad to publish an exchange between Yonatan Adler and Malka Simkovich about the book and the review. Both writers are passionate about their fields, confident in their ideas, and respectful of each other’s scholarship. We enjoyed reading their back-and-forth, and you will too.
- Read Yonatan Adler’s defense of his book here.
- And read Malka Simkovich’s response here.
Suggested Reading
A Book and a Sword in the Vilna Ghetto
If the destruction of Jewish culture and Jewish life were intertwined, then the reverse was also true: The rescue of books, manuscripts, Torahs, and so on was almost as much a form of resistance as the preservation of life itself.
Videos from Our 2nd Annual Conference
Subscribers and registered users can now watch four sessions from our 2nd Annual Conference, held November 2016 in New York City.
A Torah Exchange: Yonatan Adler Responds to Malka Simkovich
Yonatan Adler Responds to Malka Simkovich's review of his new book, "The Origins of Judaism: An Archeological-Historical Reappraisal
To Spy Out the Land
A palm tree over one grave and a fence around another—two new books explore the history and legacy of the Nili spy ring.
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