Jewhooing the Sixties: American Celebrity and Jewish Identity--Sandy Koufax, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, and Barbra Streisand

“Kaufman casts a new light on the landscape of American popular culture and allows us to see how Jewish celebrities have changed the rules of the game.”– “Jewish Journal”

“Kaufman digs deep into media coverage of the time to explore just how the Jewish background of this mosaic quartet was treated, and he is on solid ground.”– “The Jewish Daily Forward”

“Kaufman’s book is a packed study of Jewish identity, Jewish celebrity, celebrity in general, celebrity and homosexuality, Jews and homosexuality, and ‘the challenge of balancing universalist tendencies and particular concerns.’ It’s all told through and around profiles of four exemplary Jewish celebrities of the 1960s: Sandy Koufax, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, and Barbra Streisand–and the fans who loved them. . . . Jewhooing succeeds as a study of Jewish identity and sheds new light on the lives of his four subjects by contextualizing them within the broader contours of American Jewish social history.”– “Jewish Review of Books”

“[F]un to read. . . . Kaufman takes the reader on an exciting journey. . . . [To] the 1960s, a decade that was a significant turning point in how American Jews see themselves as a part of American society, not just apart from it.”–Western States Jewish History

“Kaufman’s examination of the cultural construction of Jewishness in the latter half of the twentieth century and intersection between popular celebrity and Jewish identity is well done. He deftly shows how Koufax, Bruce, Dylan, and Streisand both reflect and embody the tension between success in American assimilation and the maintenance of ethnic distinctiveness. . . . Jewhooing the Sixties is a welcome addition to the field and a useful resource in celebrity and Jewish studies.”–H-Net

“Kaufman’s study is a valuable contribution to understanding the era of the Sixties and the development of ethnic identity in America.”–Jewish Book World

“When exploring the Jewhooing phenomenon, Kaufman notes there is more to the experience than ethnic pride. He discusses how Jewish identity changed throughout the 20th century, which left many Jews unsure exactly how to define their connection to Judaism — particularly when this connection was more ethnic than religious. The question of what it means to be Jewish became a more existential one, with American Jews looking to celebrities to help them find an answer.”–The Reporter (Vestal, NY)

“Kaufman s examination of the cultural construction of Jewishness in the latter half of the twentieth century and intersection between popular celebrity and Jewish identity is well done. He deftly shows how Koufax, Bruce, Dylan, and Streisand both reflect and embody the tension between success in American assimilation and the maintenance of ethnic distinctiveness. . . .Jewhooing the Sixties is a welcome addition to the field and a useful resource in celebrity and Jewish studies. H-Net“

[F]un to read. . . . Kaufman takes the reader on an exciting journey. . . . [To] the 1960s, a decade that was a significant turning point in how American Jews see themselves as a part of American society, not just apart from it. Western States Jewish History“

Kaufman s study is a valuable contribution to understanding the era of the Sixties and the development of ethnic identity in America. Jewish Book World“

When exploring the Jewhooing phenomenon, Kaufman notes there is more to the experience than ethnic pride. He discusses how Jewish identity changed throughout the 20th century, which left many Jews unsure exactly how to define their connection to Judaism — particularly when this connection was more ethnic than religious. The question of what it means to be Jewish became a more existential one, with American Jews looking to celebrities to help them find an answer. The Reporter (Vestal, NY)“

Fascinating delivery by Kaufman. . . . Koufax, whose meteoric luster proved both brief and enduring, comes across as aloof but mensch-like. Bruce appears as the manic comic genius, insistent on collapsing entertainment barriers but having to pay the price. Dylan, whose treatment is perhaps the least satisfying, exudes a quicksilver-like quality, somewhat untethered, and certainly little inclined to his Jewish ancestry. Streisand proves to be a star among stars, exuding artistic brilliance and a determined identification with her religious kin. . . . .Recommended. Choice“

Kaufman casts a new light on the landscape of American popular culture and allows us to see how Jewish celebrities have changed the rules of the game. Jewish Journal“

Kaufman digs deep into media coverage of the time to explore just how the Jewish background of this mosaic quartet was treated, and he is on solid ground. The Jewish Daily Forward“

Kaufman s book is a packed study of Jewish identity, Jewish celebrity, celebrity in general, celebrity and homosexuality, Jews and homosexuality, and the challenge of balancing universalist tendencies and particular concerns. It s all told through and around profiles of four exemplary Jewish celebrities of the 1960s: Sandy Koufax, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, and Barbra Streisand and the fans who loved them. . . . Jewhooing succeeds as a study of Jewish identity and sheds new light on the lives of his four subjects by contextualizing them within the broader contours of American Jewish social history. Jewish Review of Books“

Choice”

Jewish Journal”

Jewish Review of Books”

The Jewish Daily Forward”