Toward a Jewish Theology of Liberation

Marc Ellis has written a book for people who want to think. Challenging our conventional ideas, he forces us to reconsider our assumptions regarding Jewish identity and politics. What emerges is a fascinating and original reconfiguration of some of the most hotly debated political and religious topics today.

~Susannah Heschel, Dartmouth College and author of Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus

This book has assuaged my pain to considerable extent, because it shows, as it has since the first edition, that the voice of prophecy has not been silenced in the Jewish community. We will all be the poorer if that voice is not heeded, but how wonderfully enriched if it is.

~Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and author of God Has a Dream

Ellis's narrative belongs alongside those theological narratives that ought to be discussed. This is a vigorous and important work, passionate for justice, rooted in a strong love for his people, and with a deep sensitivity to other human communities.

~Gustavo Gutierrez, author of A Theology of Liberation

Marc Ellis' Jewish Theology of Liberation has already become something of a classic. It is wonderful to have this book in a new and expanded version that covers Marc Ellis' life and prophetic thought up to the present.

~Rosemary Radford Ruether, Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology, Graduate Theological Union

Marc Ellis's Toward a Jewish Theology of Liberation is a seminal work. It is not only a brilliant piece of Jewish dissident writing but a moral, impassioned call for reflection and justice that should be read by Jews and non-Jews alike. There is no doubt this book will become the standard among scholars for decades to come.

~Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University

Ellis masterfully uses the central, Jewish story of Exodus and Sinai to call for a contemporary Jewish (and Christian) theology of liberation. He argues against current political policies based on Jewish vulnerability, with the Holocaust as the chief lens, and issues a prophetic call for contemporary Jews to return to the liberation theology embedded in the Exodus, seeking justice for all. In the Israeli-Palestinian context, that requires both sides to "embrace revolutionary forgiveness" as they find ways to come to less-than-ideal but tolerable resolutions of their conflicts, and it requires Americans living in a post-9/11 world to reevaluate their understanding of Muslims and Islam. Whether you agree with Ellis' conclusions or not, you cannot help but be stimulated by his serious and meaningful use of this central Jewish story to understand and respond creatively to some of the most pressing issues of our time.

~Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Judaism