This book completely took me by surprise. I had thought it would be about a man giving up on his Judaism completely and embracing Christianity as a replacement, but it turned out to be that he enriched his Judaic experience by appreciating it more through the lens of another religion. I am experiencing the same thing, as I'm reading a book about happiness by a Buddhist monk and am rediscovering the passion I have for my religion through the lens of another. Incidentally, this is the first book I ever finished on a Kindle. A "rite" of passage. Cool.

I really enjoyed this book -- the author is very funny but also has good insights into both traditional Judaism and modern Christianity. I learned as much or even more about Judaism than I expected -- the author spends a lot of time describing the Jewish traditions and ritual he was raised with while he explores and studies the Christian continuum by going to multiple church services, a Christian rock concert and even Ulimate Christian wrestling.

The only thing that occasionally annoyed me is when the author complained about Judaism being so archaic and rigid, and I wanted to say to him, "Well, that's because you have only experienced Orthodox Judaism -- have you considered trying a Reform, Conservative, or Reconstructionist congregation?" But I understand that being raised Orthodox, he couldn't conceive of switching sects. ( )

Imagine this movie pitch: An Orthodox Jew, feeling disconnected from his faith and living in the American South, decides to go to church for a year. Mensch worships with goyim; hilarity ensues. In the end, said Jew learns that his faith is what he makes of it. I imagine him doing a fist pump; freeze frame; “Oy, oy, oy, oy!” And everything’s wrapped up in a neat little package: Benyamin Cohen’s My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith.

I’m of two minds about this book. Cohen’s critics have accused him of being shallow, of failing to more deeply explore the issues he sets out to. Although I was initially surprised at such criticisms, I was, upon finishing the book, forced to agree with them. Cohen’s purpose is not so much to worship with Christians as it is to observe their ways of worship. Recalling the Methodist church across the street from the house in which he grew up, Cohen longs to taste the forbidden fruit of Christianity, but only as an observer. In short, Cohen’s mission is to rejuvenate his own faith (strictly within the confines of Orthodoxy) and, in a larger sense, investigate why his coreligionists continue to abandon their religion while, at the same time, Christians are so successful. Why is Christianity so fun?

This is potentially deep stuff, worthy of careful reflection. Readers won’t find that here: Given Cohen’s determination to remain strictly within his faith, and perhaps compounded by his journalistic sensibilities, Cohen delivers well-rendered chapters--the personalities and events he describes are truly brought to life--each of which end with a handy little life lesson. All wrapped up like the Christmas presents he so desperately wants to enjoy.

Trouble is, Cohen ignores resources that might have been handy during his quest. (That said, they may have been outside the scope of a book focused on his journeys among Christians.) Reform Jews are discounted early as “culturally Jewish,” a critique I think that many at the temple I attend might find galling, to say the least. And Cohen is married to a Christian convert to Orthododoxy--the daughter of a pastor! She, too, is dismissed as a source of inspiration early in the book.

There is something going on in My Jesus Year, though. It is a well-written book, deeply funny, and it explores unexpected people and movements--such as the Black Hebrews, of whom I had never previously heard. And it is thought-provoking. I was forced to wonder: Judaism is a religion of right practice, not of right thought. If I am “spiritually” connected to my faith (a notion that many traditional rabbis would say is unnecessary), does that make any difference if I’m not following the Law? Can I rightly call myself a Jew? Or, as Judaism encounters modernity, is it right of me to say that the scholars of old were just men, that Judaism has always been an evolving religion, and that maybe, just maybe, flipping a light switch on Shabbat isn’t really “work”? This is, for me at least, food for thought.

Don’t expect revelations or deep insights from My Jesus Year. But if you want to be amused, or if you’re willing to apply Cohen’s lessons to your own faith, then you might want to give it a look. ( )

A quick read, and an engaging one. It feels similar to 'stunt' books like A. J. Jacob's ''The Year of Living Biblically, Derfner's 'Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever,' and 'Self-Made Man' by Norah Vincent (about going 'undercover' as a man in a bowling league, a monastery, etc.).

As you might be able to tell, I have a weakness for these books. At best, they can be thought-provoking and informative; at worst, they're about young writers doing entertaining things to give themselves something to write about.

Cohen's is near the middle of the pack. It feels a little contrived, but I believe him when he says that he's searching for a closer connection to Judaism through his year-long sojourn in Christian churches. Yes, he seeks out groups for their story value (wrestlers for Jesus, peculiar sects, evangelical mega-churches), but his parsings of the differences between Judaism and Christianity are interesting, if sometimes a bit pat.

He also tries to go in with an open, respectful mind, but like me he's a smartass, and sometimes his discomfort with the situation leads to cheap wisecracks. He does turn his jokes on himself more often than his subjects. It wasn't as laugh-out-loud funny as Jacobs' book, but I enjoyed learning more about Orthodox daily life and religious practice. A quick, light read. ( )

A really fascinating look at religion and judaism through the prism of the american south . The book was extremely readable, made even moreso by some of the author's excellent one liners.

on flying to NYC looking for a future wife: "They were looking for Woody Allen in his 20s. I was looking for Scarlett O'Hara in a shtetl."

On meeting his current wife, a convert to judaism: "She was still jonesing for Jesus then. Now she's making moves on Moses."

I'm impressed at the efforts to which Cohen went to secure permission from a rabbi for this and I was left thinking of my comparative religion class in college where we were asked to experience religious services that were different to our own. I wonder what Dad, a former Catholic priest, would think of Cohen's journey. I wish that he'd been able to expand more on the different services he attended, especially those with which I'm entirely unfamiliar such as the Black Hebrews.

I'm not 100% sure if it's true but Cohen cites a stat that, if true, is just mind blowing: "In the United States more people pray to Jesus on Sunday then atend all the weekend sporting events combined". Really? I'm not sure I know more than 10 of these people, and certainly not my age. I also found it very amusing how he almost feared Christians out of knowing so few.

Part of what I enjoyed in this book is the books he recommended throughout his quest, which have since inflated my wishlist ;-) A great read for anyone trying to understand Judaism, Christianity or the Bible Belt. Wonder how his quest miht have differed in a different area that didn't feature, for example, Christian Wrestling ( )