Daily Independent Journal from San Rafael, California • Page 44

Ml4 Pec. 31, 1966 An Identity Threatened By Contemporary Times JUDAISM IN A CHRISTIAN WORLD by Robert Gordis, McGraw-Hill, 253 pages, $6.50. Reviewed by Larry Kramer Jr. The existence of an identifiable Jewish community is more threatened today by the freedom and acceptance that the contemporary Jew enjoys than it ever was by persecution medieval or modern. This is the essence of Dr.

hypothesis and makes a solid case for it. The enlightenment of the 18th Century, culminating in the French Revolution, breached the ghetto walls and brought the Jews both a measure of freedom and of temptation. Freedom to participate in the general life of the community and the temptation to, first, remove the Jewish observance barriers to such participation and, then, to drift from Judaism altogether. Dr. Gordis feels this trend is accelerating and that if it is not halted the unique qualities of Judaism, both intellectual and spiritual, will be lost both to Jews and to society at large.

There have been those in every era who would not consider this a great loss, but Dr. Gordis effectively points to the record. spiritual contribution includes the seeds of both the other major Western Christianity and Islam. In the world of ideas the Jews have a long tradition of reverence for learning and for individual freedom of conscience. In words right to be wrong is the essence of and collectively the Jewish community has historically tended to be more tolerant of that than has society as a whole.

To combat this threat to the existence of Jewish identity Dr. Gordis is saying what so many contemporary religious leaders of other faiths are saying, i.e., we must bring the religion to where the needs for it are, and not sit in our synagogues and churches waiting for the worshippers to come to us. There are many temptations pulling Jews toward assimilation. These temptations will be resisted only if Judaism is made more meaningful and valuable to its followers than life outside the fold. goal is without assimilation and acculturation without The most specific threat to his objective he sees as inter-marriage between Jews and Gentiles, an increasing phenomenon in our open society with it- 'rm communication which tend to homogenize the differences between people of different backgrounds.

He documents the dangers to continued Jewish identity posed by inter-marriage convincingly, but then gets the better of him and his argument weakens tin saves himself by suggesting that Jews establish an Institute on Inter-Marriage and Family Problems to further study this critical factor in the future of Judaism. The value of Dr. work lies less in its concerns for the future of organized Judaism and the Jewish tradition than in the clear presentation it gives of how this miniscule minority has mustered the spiritual and intellectual strength to preserve its identity against great odds for many millennia. Thoughtful Jews and non-Jews will find Dr. discussion of Nature of Jewish and Tradition in the Modem worth careful study.

He elucidates clearly ideas that the non-Jews have ignored, and that Jews often cannot see because they are in the midst of them. Gold Fever On Two Continents AUSTRALIANS AND THE GOLD RUSH by Jay Monaghan, University of California Press, 272 pages, $6.50. Reviewed by Bryce W. Anderson. Anyone whose ideas of participation in the California gold rush is limited to the lynching of by the San Francisco Vigilance Committee will get considerable with first- class he reads Jay and the Gold When James chance discovery in the tail race of mill suddenly changed the history of California, the cities of Australia were closer to the scene, in elapsed time for a journey, than any others in the world.

A sailing vessel could make the trip from Sydney or Melbourne in three months (some did it in as little as 71 days). It was a six-month trip around the Horn Irom the eastern sea- board of the United States, and lour and one-half months of the most grueling travel overland from Missouri River towns. The Australians conservative Britons except for a few wild Irishmen who played their own romant'c roles were a bit slow to take advantage of the opportunity. But by the second half of about everything in Australian harbors that would float was in service hauling goods and people to California. The rush came near depopu- lating Australia of its working class.

And among the thousands were, of course, a number from the penal colony on Van Band (Tasmania) as well Faith Baldwin Again Offers Quiet Inspiration EVENING STAR by Faith Baldwin, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 189 pages, $4.95. Reviewed by Maxine Keown, Faith Baldwin, author of more than 80 books through this publisher alone, offers once again in her quiet and humble way her inspirational thoughts. Those who enjoyed her Toward the will find this book equally enchanting. It is Baldwin thinking out as the jacket states. Reflective, observant, keenly appreciative of nature, possessor of a gentle humor and an abiding faith, she begins her yearlong journey of the mind and spirit in September and ends it in the same month of the following year.

Along the way her journal reports and comments warmly and keenly on a wrrte variety of subjects, some personal, some impersonal. the flavor of New England about the book, even when she is in Florida enjoying her grandchildren. as some who had served out their time at former penal colonies on mainland. were those who had escaped via the Derwent River from Tasmania Since Sydney was the Australian port best known to Californians, all miscreants from became to the California Yankees. The second development of the rush is indicated in subtitle: and Down Under For even while the Committee of Vigilance was hanging and banishing in San Francisco, gold was discovered at Ballarat in Australia to set ott a reverse rush which saw those who had run out of luck (or had none) in the California fields heading for Oceania.

The gold fields of Victoria, with Ballarat the principal one, in the ensuing years produced three times as much gold as was taken out of the California Mother Lode. It is an exciting story, and one Monaghan tells with dash and spirit. It is at once history and high adventure, praised by such an outstanding historian of the West as Ray A. Billington, ho called it superior volume and one that not only sheds light on an unknown phase of our history, hut that is as entertaining as any fiction or that I have read in many a I agree wholeheartedly with Billington. A NOVEL, a play and seven short stories, all by Jane Bowles, above, have been published in the anthology, "The Collected Works of Jane Lady Writer With The Thorny insights THE COLLECTED WORKS OF JANE BOWLES by Jane Bowles, Farrar, Straus Giroux 431 pages, $6.95.

Reviewed by Lee Cadwallader. This volume contains a novel, Serious a play the Summer and seven short stories. There is an introduction by Truman Capote in which he regrets that Mrs. Bowles has not published more, and in which he compliments her for her strange wit and thorny insights. Nowr then, if you are expect- FOR THE WOMEN ing me to tell you where this lady ranks in the field of contemporary literature or even if these selections are any good, read no farther these judgments I make.

r1? that she has a very popular underground reputation (and if you have to ask what that means, chances are you turn flip-flops over her.) There are times when she hits it off with me, but there are also times when I can understand her about as well as I do Wake" (which is not very 1 a-i' A Collection Of Seafood Dishes With Gourmet Flair SHRIMP AND OTHER SHELLFISH RECIPES by Helen Evans Brown and Philip S. Brown, Ward Ritchie Press, 149 pages, $3.95. Reviewed by Maxine Keown. Working often in collaboration with her husband, the late Helen Evans Brown authored a number of successful cook books. This, her last, should have strong appeal for residents of the Bay Area where seafoods enjoy a special regional popularity.

The book bears the Helen Evans Brown stamp in that the recipes have a gourmet flair, yet she succeeds in making their preparation sound relatively simple. Along with Shrimp Remou- lade. Shrimp Won Ton, Iced Curried Shrimp, Shrimp Gumbo and all the other shrimp dishes. there are also delicacies pared from oysters, lobste clams, abalone, mussels, sr lops, and, happily, that lo iavorite, the crab. ou can range from Cl; Jam to Scallop Soup, from Hai town Fry to Abalone Fritte 1 nr fn ster Tarragon with Eggs, a from Oyster Loaf to Muss Poulette.

Along with the recipes, I Lrowns oiler some general gu ance on shellfish cookery. I instance, stay away from mixed ingredients. And overcook shellfish. Crab, wh liozen. they tell us, loses rnu ol its flavor.

And be discreet seasoning shellfish out of to their delicacy. It is a handsome httle and seemingly a sound one ir lield that has not been overdor.