And I Will Dwell in Their Midst - by Etan Diamond (Paperback)

About the Book

And I Will Dwell in Their Midst: Orthodox Jews in Suburbia

Book Synopsis

Suburbia may not seem like much of a place to pioneer, but for young, religiously committed Jewish families, it's open territory." This sentiment--expressed in the early 1970s by an Orthodox Jew in suburban Toronto--captures the essence of the suburban Orthodox Jewish experience of the late twentieth century. Although rarely associated with postwar suburbia, Orthodox Jews in metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada have successfully combined suburban lifestyles and the culture of consumerism with a strong sense of religious traditionalism and community cohesion. By their very existence in suburbia, argues Etan Diamond, Orthodox Jewish communities challenge dominant assumptions about society and religious culture in the twentieth century.

Using the history of Orthodox Jewish suburbanization in Toronto, Diamond explores the different components of the North American suburban Orthodox Jewish community: sacred spaces, synagogues, schools, kosher homes, and social networks. In a larger sense, though, his book tells a story of how traditionalist religious communities have thrived in the most secular of environments. In so doing, it pushes our current understanding of cities and suburbs and their religious communities in new directions.

Review Quotes

ÝThe development of vibrant Orthodox Jewish centers¨ is trenchantly analyzed and portrayed in Diamond's model social history.

"Sh'ma Book Review"

Should appeal to a wide audience, and to the interested lay reader as well as to the academic specialist.

"American Historical Review"

"Should appeal to a wide audience, and to the interested lay reader as well as to the academic specialist.

"American Historical Review""

[The development of vibrant Orthodox Jewish centers] is trenchantly analyzed and portrayed in Diamond's model social history.

"Sh'ma Book Review"

Diamond's analysis is appealing for the way he confronts a number of popular myths.

"Journal of Jewish Education"

The most thorough and analytically adept attempt to comprehend the interactions between Orthodox Jewry and suburban living.

"Journal of American History"

This study is as readable as it is insightful. It is of interest to anyone concerned with the state of religion in North America today--especially those who imagine Orthodoxy to be a vestige of our crumbling inner cities. ("Choice)