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Description:
How do I live a more meaningful life? How might I feel more connected to others, to the world around me, to the past and the future? In an era when we can choose our own identities, why might we
choose to identify as Jews?

These are just some of the questions Zack Bodner addresses as he thoughtfully shifts from asking “Why be Jewish?” to “Why do Jewish?” After laying out a compelling answer to that question, he goes on to explain what Jewish Peoplehood is and why he believes we are in the throes of an evolution to the next era: Jewish Peoplehood 4.0. He also provides a road map for how to do Jewish in the
twenty-first century—including proposing “the
next big Jewish idea.”

Insisting that taking action is what matters most, Bodner proposes a creative new framework for doing Jewish based on an acronym from the Yiddish word TACHLIS, which means “getting down to brass tacks.”
Through a combination of personal stories, insights from some of the world’s greatest teachers, and contemporary analysis, Why Do Jewish? takes one of our oldest wisdom traditions and provides an accessible guide for anyone looking for answers to life’s most important questions.


“Why Do Jewish is the book so many of us were waiting for. I am confident that it will become
the main guidebook on how to practically connect Judaism to dynamic life in the 21st century.”
Micah Goodman
Israeli author

“Writing from the front lines of the Jewish encounter with the 21st century, Zack Bodner offers a wise and courageous road map to navigating the challenges and opportunities of this time. Bodner presents a vision of a Jewish community that embraces diversity and experimentation, even as it rediscovers the essentials of a timeless Jewish life. There is no better guide to the Jewish future than Zack Bodner; and as he makes clear in this compelling book, the future is now.”
Yossi Klein Halevi
Senior Fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute, author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

“Zack Bodner has done that rare thing — written a book that makes those who of us who love
being Jewish want to revisit the tradition anew, and those who have written off Judaism want
to take a second look. Why Do Jewish explains our magical inheritance in concrete, accessible,
relevant terms, and gives us a roadmap to explore it, understand it, practice it, and pass it on.”
-Abigail Pogrebin
author of My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew”

“Zack Bodner brings to all his work – on behalf of Israel, American Jewish communities, now,
his writing – both an infectious love for Judaism and the Jewish people as well as a deep
intelligence. His passion, his wit and his devotion to life rich with meaning make this book a
wonderful read.”
Daniel Gordis
author of Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, Shalem College in Jerusalem Israeli author

“Why Do Jewish? A Manifesto for 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood is brilliant and required reading for anyone who wants to explore why Jewish wisdom is so relevant and important for living a good life and building a good society.”
Tiffany Shlain
Emmy-nominated filmmaker, author of 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week

“Zack Bodner is one of the most innovative leaders in today’s American Jewish community,
and this book is packed with ideas - about where we’ve come from, where we are headed, and what from our tradition can help us - in service of a vibrant Jewish future.”
Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer
President of The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

“Judaism isn’t a spectator’s sport. In a friendly, down-to-earth, passionate tone, with humor and depth, Bodner is giving fresh answers to the ancient questions Jews have been always asking:
why, how, and what makes them Jews.”
Ruth Calderon
Founder and Director of ALMA Home for Hebrew Culture, author of A Bride for One Night: Talmud Tales

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