The Jews have one of the longest continuously recorded histories of any people in the world, but what do we actually know about their origins? While many think the answer to this question can be found in the Bible, others look to archaeology or genetics. Some skeptics have even sought to debunk the very idea that the Jews have a common origin. In this book, Steven Weitzman takes a learned and lively look at what we know—or think we know—about where the Jews came from, when they arose, and how they came to be.
Scholars have written hundreds of books on the topic and have come up with scores of explanations, theories, and historical reconstructions, but this is the first book to trace the history of the different approaches that have been applied to the question, including genealogy, linguistics, archaeology, psychology, sociology, and genetics. Weitzman shows how this quest has been fraught since its inception with religious and political agendas, how anti-Semitism cast its long shadow over generations of learning, and how recent claims about Jewish origins have been difficult to disentangle from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He does not offer neatly packaged conclusions but invites readers on an intellectual adventure, shedding new light on the assumptions and biases of those seeking answers—and the challenges that have made finding answers so elusive.
Spanning more than two centuries and drawing on the latest findings, The Origin of the Jews brings needed clarity and historical context to this enduring and often divisive topic.
Awards and Recognition
- Winner of the 2017 National Jewish Book Award in Education and Jewish Identity (In Memory of Dorothy Kripke)
"Admirably balanced and dispassionate."—Benjamin Balint, Wall Street Journal
"[A] multicourse intellectual feast. . . . Weitzman's facility with making complex points accessible to the lay reader, and his ease with synthesizing a wide range of research and prior analyses, make this an invaluable resource for both novice and scholar. His rigorous critiques will resonate even for those readers with little or no prior interest in the book’s central questions.""—Publishers Weekly
"An accomplishment for the academy."—Kirkus
"Weitzman has done his homework; he has read widely and writes well. He has done an excellent job at presenting technical material in an accessible manner. . . . As the subtitle of the book says, we live in a rootless age. People everywhere, not just Jews, seek their roots, their ancestry, their genetic makeup. We yearn to discover who we are; alas, our tools are not always up to the task. But there is pleasure in the pursuit, and we should be grateful to Weitzman for being a reliable guide."—Shaye J.D. Cohen, Moment Magazine
"Weitzman's courageous and illuminating book is essential reading for anyone who wonders or cares about what it really means to be a Jew."—Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal
"Jews have been around since antiquity, and so their origins are not so easy to lay hold of. As of now, no one can say how and why being a Jew got started. But in his new volume The Origin of the Jews, Steven Weitzman makes a valiant effort to survey some partial answers."—David Mikics, Los Angeles Review of Books
"It is a brilliant book, not only in execution but also in conception. How is it brilliant in conception? As far as I know, it is unique. . . . Among its other virtues, Weitzman's writing has a humility and softness about it that is rare in academic work, making the book a pleasure to read."—David Hillel Ruben, Jewish Chronicle
"Thoughtful, intricate and wide-ranging."—Devorah Baum, Times Higher Education
"A remarkable model of intellectual curiosity, breadth and depth of knowledge, rigor and candor, [Weitzman's] book is a tour de force."—The Jerusalem Post
"An extraordinarily complex oeuvre written in clear, readable script is certainly something unusual to encounter. Steven Weitzman has achieved this feat, in the monumental task he has set himself."—Emma Klein, Tablet
"I found the information presented in an easy-to-read narrative, and I could hardly wait for the conclusion. Recommended for academic, synagogue, and personal collections."—Daniel D. Stuhlman, Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews
"Readers looking for a simple answer will not find one. Instead, they will find a layered, complex panoply of significant approaches to the origins of Judaism, what Judaism is all about, and how to look at questions of human origins in general."—Choice
"The great value of the book—and it is substantial—comes not in the destination, but in the journey."—Gary Gilbert, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
"Positioning himself between those who seek origins and those who regard such quests with postmodern skepticism, Weitzman sheds light on variegated accounts of Jewish origins in different realms—from genealogical research and biblical scholarship to archaeology, psychoanalysis, and genetic research. A brilliant book—profoundly original and engaging, exhibiting a rare spirit of exploration. We will all be learning from it for a long time."—Ilana Pardes, author of Agnon's Moonstruck Lovers
"Weitzman is a spirited and empathetic guide on an expedition through the quest to understand Jewish origins, from biblical studies to the latest investigations in population genetics. He unfailingly confronts the challenges of his inquiry with candor and erudition. The book gathers a remarkable exchange among diverse lines of scholarship in a single captivating conversation."—Noah Rosenberg, professor of biology, Stanford University
"The long duration of the history of the Jews is paralleled by an almost equally long tradition of searching after their roots. This quest is masterfully narrated and keenly analyzed by Weitzman, who enlists a rich array of disciplines ranging from biblical philology and archeology to psychoanalysis and genetic science. His elegantly accessible prose and imaginative scholarly thinking combine to make this immensely informative book a pleasure to read."—Galit Hasan-Rokem, professor emerita, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Compellingly argued and very original. Only a scholar whose mind is as fertile as Weitzman's and whose curiosity is as intense as his could have pulled off a book like this with such success."—Saul M. Olyan, author of Disability in the Hebrew Bible: Interpreting Mental and Physical Differences
"Weitzman's scholarship is sound and informative."—Ronald Hendel, author of The Book of "Genesis": A Biography
