Witness from the Pulpit: Topical Sermons, 1933-1980

(Paperback)

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Harold I. Saperstein served as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of Lynbrook, New York, USA, from 1933 until his retirement in 1980. The specific contours of his career reflect a sustained effort to use the pulpit of this suburban temple to communicate a Jewish perspective based on personal encounters with great issues of the day - including the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust, the civil rights era, the McCarthy era, and other turning points in American history. The 52 sermons in this book have been selected, introduced, and annotated by Marc Saperstein, whose award-winning books on the history of Jewish preaching have established him as a leading expert on this subject. This book illustrates the value of the sermon as a resource for understanding the challenges faced by American Jews at some of the most dramatic moments in the turbulent history of the 20th century.

Reviews

This selection from a lifetime of sermons is a treasure. We see a half-century of American Jewish history though the eyes of a learned rabbi who fought for justice and decency all his life. Rabbi Saperstein evoked for me the actions and the passions of all those days, and my admiration for him rose sermon by sermon. -- Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Professor of Religion Emeritus, Dartmouth College, and Past President of the American Jewish Congress
Rabbi Harold I. Saperstein was a student of Stephen S. Wise. It is no wonder, then, that his preaching was a judgment on his time, reflecting the cadences and power of the biblical prophets. . . . This remarkable book is evidence of a burning fire in the marrow of the preacher's bones. It also points to the need for the prophetic voice, speaking with clarity and force about the ongoing issues of our own day. -- Rabbi Jerome Malino, Past President, Central Conference of American Rabbis
This is a gem of a book, important reading for anyone interested in the inner life of American Jewry in the middle of the twentieth century. . . . What is remarkable in these sermons is that they not only read well, they remain interesting for their texture and nuance even decades after they were presented. -- Jacob Neusner, University of South Florida and Bard College
Reading these sermons now helps us to relive what was perhaps the most challenging era of Jewish history in millennia. We are indebted to Harold Saperstein for having appreciated the historic character of our generation and for having carefully preserved his homiletical output as a legacy to our posterity for generations to come. -- Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, Bar-Ilan University

Author Bio

Harold I. Saperstein is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanu-El of Lynbrook, N.Y., where he served for 47 years. Marc Saperstein is the Charles E. Smith Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Program in Judaic Studies at George Washington University. He is the author of four books, including Jewish Preaching 1200-1800 (1989) and Your Voice Like a Ram's Horn (1996), both winners of the National Jewish Book Award.