The New Rabbi
by Stephen Fried 
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From award-winning journalist Stephen Fried comes a vividly intimate portrait of American Judaism today in which faith, family, and community are explored through the dramatic life of a landmark congregation as it seeks to replace its legendary retiring rabbi--and reinvent itself for the next generation. The New Rabbi The center of this compelling chronicle is Har Zion Temple on Philadelphia's Main Line, which for the last seventy-five years has been one of the largest and most influential show more congregations in America. For thirty years Rabbi Gerald Wolpe has been its spiritual leader, a brilliant sermonizer of wide renown--but now he has announced his retirement. It is the start of a remarkable nationwide search process largely unknown to the lay world--and of much more. For at this dramatic moment Wolpe agrees to give extraordinary access to Fried, inviting him--and the reader--into the intense personal and professional life of the clergy and the complex behind-the-scenes life of a major Conservative congregation. These riveting pages bring us a unique view of Judaism in practice: from Har Zion's strong-willed leaders and influential families to the young bar and bat mitzvahs just beginning their Jewish lives; from the three-days-a-year synagogue goers to the hard core of devout attendees. We are touched by their times of joy and times of grief, intrigued by congregational politics, moved by the search for faith. We witness the conflicts between generations about issues of belief, observance, and the pressures of secular life. We meet Wolpe's vigorous-minded ailing wife and his sons, one of whom has become a celebrity rabbi in Los Angeles. And we follow the author's own moving search for meaning as he reconnects with the religion of his youth. We also have a front-row seat at the usually clandestine process of choosing a new rabbi, as what was expected to be a simple one-year search for Rabbi Wolpe's successor extends to two years and then three. Dozens of résumés are rejected, a parade of prospects come to interview, the chosen successor changes his mind at the last minute, and a confrontation erupts between the synagogue and the New York-based Conservative rabbis' "union" that governs the process. As the time comes for Wolpe to depart, a venerated house of worship is being torn apart. And thrust onto the pulpit is Wolpe's young assistant, Rabbi Jacob Herber, in his first job out of rabbinical school, facing the nearly impossible situation of taking over despite being technically ineligible for the position--and finding himself on trial with the congregation and at odds with his mentor. Rich in anecdote and scenes of wonderful immediacy, this is a riveting book about the search for personal faith, about the tension between secular concerns and ancient tradition in affluent America, and about what Wolpe himself has called "the retail business of religion." Stephen Fried brings all these elements to vivid life with the passion and energy of a superbly gifted storyteller. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
All my favorites — organizational politics, religion, personal memoir, thoughtful and insightful writing. Excellent long-form journalism.
This book holds up great 25 years later, and perhaps it’s even more interesting in the light of retrospect with the way it reflects on timely issues taking up mindshare in the ‘90s like divorce, while also reflecting on eternal tensions like those between the interests, aesthetics, needs, participation and inclusion of younger and the older generations.
This book holds up great 25 years later, and perhaps it’s even more interesting in the light of retrospect with the way it reflects on timely issues taking up mindshare in the ‘90s like divorce, while also reflecting on eternal tensions like those between the interests, aesthetics, needs, participation and inclusion of younger and the older generations.
The author follows the selection process in the search for a new rabbi at a very prestigious synagogue in Philadelphia. This is over three years. He interjects and explains much about Judaism as well as the behind the scene politics of any house of worship. It reads almost like a novel . I loved it and learned a lot as well as recognized many similarities when dealing with people.
July, 2012 - Cyrille Cobe: Recommended reading especially with our congregation's search for a rabbi underway. The writing is engaging. The story is intimate and exposes the many complex layers of a temple or any religious community and the community's tensions between faith, observance, adaptation, family life, money, politics and more. And the author’s own personal search with a father and son dynamic provides a stimulating backdrop.
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17+ Works 1,186 Members
Stephen Fried is a journalist and author. His books include Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West-One Meal at a Time, Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs, The New Rabbi, and Husbandry. He and Patrick J. Kennedy wrote A Common Struggle: A show more Personal Journey through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction. He won the National Magazine Award twice and is an adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Stephen Fried is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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