Charismatic Leaders and Spiritual Seekers: A Review of Jews in the Age of Authenticity

JL;DR SUMMARY "Jews in the Age of Authenticity: Jewish Spiritual Renewal in Israel" by Rachel Werczberger explores the rise and fall of two unconventional spiritual communities in mid-2000s Israel, Hamakom and Bayit Chadash, under the umbrella of New Age Judaism or Jewish Renewal. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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