This Companion provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the most important and interesting historical and contemporary facets of Judaism in America. Written by twenty-four leading scholars from the fields of religious studies, history, literature, philosophy, art history, sociology, and musicology, the survey adopts an inclusive perspective on Jewish religious experience. Three initial chapters cover the development of Judaism in America from 1654, when Sephardic Jews first landed in New Amsterdam, until today. "One of the best features of this book is its usefulness to both scholars and the casual reader." -- American Reference Books Annual "The book is an interesting hybrid between an edited volume and an ecyclopedia...it is an effective one-volume overview that could serve as a text for a course on the American Jewish Community" - Jewish Book World "No one who reads this collection will view Judaism in America as simply a pale reflection of its European antecedents. The clear writing coupled with the introductory chapters on American Jewish history make The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism accessible to a broad audience. To be sure, experts in American Judaism will find this work to be more of a codification of significant scholarship over the past twenty years than a new development in the field. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of groundbreaking studies congregated in a single volume underscores the dramatic changes to our knowledge of American Judaism." --American Jewish Archives Journal An historical and contemporary overview of the state of Jews and Judaism in the US. Dana Evan Kaplan is one of the most prolific scholars writing in the field of American Judaism and contemporary Jewish studies generally. He is the author of American Reform Judaism, Platforms and Prayerbooks and Contemporary Debates in American Reform Judaism. He speaks widely throughout the United States, and has been the Scholar in Residence at numerous synagogues. Used Book in Good Condition