Lit+Chat

What makes a book a "Jewish" book?

Here are some definitions:

"It has Jewish content exemplified by character, time, place, or theme, or it was originally written in Hebrew. The Jewish content is presented accurately, authentically, and with sensitivity to Jewish concerns." (Association of Jewish Libraries //New Jewish Values Finder//, URL <[|http://www.ajljewishvalues.org]>)

"..So, we turn to the Jewish stories and when we do so it might be useful to have a definition of what a Jewish story is. They are Jewish stories because they fit into one or more of the categories suggested by Dov Noy, the founder of the Israel Folktale Archive in Haifa. According to Noy, there are four major qualities of Jewish stories. The first is Jewish time, the second is Jewish place, the third is Jewish characters, and, the last is a Jewish message or moral. (Lawrence W. Raphael, "Introduction," //Jewish Mysteries.com,// URL<[]>)

Jewish Fiction.net, the first online journal of Jewish fiction, defines it as "writing on Jewish themes." (Nora Gold, "Home," //Jewish Fiction.net,// URL <[]>

Books in which Judaism either is a central theme or is the foundational spirit the author draws upon for the book’s style and tone. (A Commonplace Blog, D.G. myers.)

What do you think makes a book Jewish? Give us your thoughts.