About the Author

ABIGAIL POGREBIN has been a producer for Charlie Rose, Bill Moyers, and "60 Minutes"--for Mike Wallace and Ed Bradley. She was a senior correspondent for "Brill's Content," a contributing writer for "Talk" magazine, and is now a free-lance journalist whose work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Reviews

From "Publishers Weekly"
Consistently engaging, these 60 interviews conducted by journalist Pogrebin explore the thoughts of well-known artists, politicians and others in the public eye on the complexities of Jewish identity;and the emotions they engender. The issues touched on range from the legacy of the Holocaust to the Middle East, Jewish traditions, intermarriage and much more. The conflicts are typified by Sarah Jessica Parker, who says her supportive feelings about Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians make her feel more Jewish, but she is uncertain about the religious education she will give her child. Others, like Dustin Hoffman and William Kristol, have been firmly committed to passing on Jewish rituals and history to their children. Gloria Steinem, who joyfully attends feminist seders, still remains alienated by the sexist bias of most religions. In two arresting pieces, politician Barney Frank and playwright Tony Kushner address what it's like to be both gay and Jewish. Pogrebin says this book grew out of her efforts to clarify her own Jewish identity. But you don't need to be on such a quest to enjoy the wide range of experiences and feelings recorded here. Photos.
Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"This work...simply can't be put down after you start browsing..."Stars of David" is the talk of the town." --LIZ SMITH
"engaging, intimate...frequently surprising and insightful...this is a provocative and enjoyable book for Jews and gentiles alike." --"Library Journal"
"encompasses the joys and anxieties, the comfort and self-consciousness, the tension between assimilation and self-identification that Jews feel in American society." --"St. Louis Post Dispatch"
..".A wide and interesting variety of stories about faith and the lack thereof, family, memory, ritual, continuity and choices they have made." --"The Jewish Week"
"A fascinating new book

From "Publishers Weekly
Consistently engaging, these 60 interviews conducted by journalist Pogrebin explore the thoughts of well-known artists, politicians and others in the public eye on the complexities of Jewish identity; and the emotions they engender. The issues touched on range from the legacy of the Holocaust to the Middle East, Jewish traditions, intermarriage and much more. The conflicts are typified by Sarah Jessica Parker, who says her supportive feelings about Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians make her feel more Jewish, but she is uncertain about the religious education she will give her child. Others, like Dustin Hoffman and William Kristol, have been firmly committed to passing on Jewish rituals and history to their children. Gloria Steinem, who joyfully attends feminist seders, still remains alienated by the sexist bias of most religions. In two arresting pieces, politician Barney Frank and playwright Tony Kushner address what it's like to be both gay and Jewish. Pogrebin says this book grew out of her efforts to clarify her own Jewish identity. But you don't need to be on such a quest to enjoy the wide range of experiences and feelings recorded here. Photos.
Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"This work...simply can't be put down after you start browsing..."Stars of David" is the talk of the town." --LIZ SMITH
"engaging, intimate...frequently surprising and insightful...this is a provocative and enjoyable book for Jews and gentiles alike." --"Library Journal
"encompasses the joys and anxieties, the comfort and self-consciousness, the tension between assimilation andself-identification that Jews feel in American society." --"St. Louis Post Dispatch
..."A wide and interesting variety of stories about faith and the lack thereof, family, memory, ritual, continuity and choices they have made." --"The Jewish Week
"A fascinating new book." "-The Charlotte Observer
"I open the book, and find an actually interesting interview with Dustin Hoffman, who casually advises the author over breakfast that she is not so smart ordering an omelet, when she could be having a couple egg whites, scrambled loosely, with a yolk thrown in, some salsa, onion, garlic and a little olive oil." -"The Philadelphia Inquirer, Blinq blogs site