Your Guide to the Jewish Holidays: From Shofar to Seder

If you want to know the story behind the Jewish a cappella group the Maccabeats' latest video, look to this book. If you are one of a burgeoning number of interfaith families, this guide will help you. Axelrod (cantor, Congregation Beth Israel, Scotch Plains, NJ; Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah) has a facility for making the shofar and the seder accessible to all. Without compromising their theological importance, he sets the 11 most important Jewish holidays in their historical and ritual contexts, adding wit and a bit of whimsy. In explicating a holiday, he titles sections with such headers as "The Back Story," "Let's Eat," and "The Bottom Line." Certain celebrations require additional headings such as "Come on Baby, Light My Fire." There are "Tips for Parents" and "In Depth" segments throughout. He describes the holidays also through real-life applications and scenarios such as alternatives to camping in a tent for seven days during Sukkot. The three appendixes—a "Quick Guide to the Holidays," a Jewish calendar, and a glossary—offer great value on their own.