Three Jewish Journeys Through an Anthropologist’s Lens: From Morocco to the Negev, Zion to the Big Apple, the Closet to the Bimah

Three Jewish Journeys Through an Anthropologist’s Lens provides an overview of the ethnographic works carried out by a leading Israeli anthropologist over the course of his career. It presents Moshe Shokeid’s explorations, discoveries, and feelings about the vicissitudes of social life, which he closely observed in three major arenas of contemporary Jewish life: Moroccan Jews who immigrated from the Atlas Mountains to become farmers in the semi-arid Negev fields; Israeli-born citizens who left their homes to start a new life in America; and, finally, American gay Jews who chose to preserve their cultural heritage and remain involved in synagogue life as part of the mosaic of New York Jews. The panoramic view of Shokeid’s ethnographic journeys ends with a discussion of his methods of research and his personal experiences as a participant observer among his fellow Jews in their unique paths to promote their social and spiritual aspirations.