of social injustices and frustratingrncircumstances, and the inevitabilityrnof old age, sickness, and death.rnThe most compelling chapter in Howe’srnlife, and Alexander’s most successful expositions,rnconcern Howe as literary critic.rn(Calling distinctively and emblematicallyrnJewish the perfectly universalrnhuman concerns Ozick lists, however,rnmay have puzzled Dickens, Tolstoy, andrnEliot.)rnBut Howe defined for himself a Jewishrnidentity as well. It had two components:rndevofion to the Yiddish culture of the immigrantrngeneration, and left-wing readingsrnof Israeli policy. Howe’s World ofrnOur Fathers portrayed the power and humanityrnof Yiddish culture, its literaturernand its mores, and won a vast audiencernfor the immigrant Jewishness that hisrngeneration was to bury. That single workrncertainly wins a place for Howe in thernrecord of the American Jewish culture ofrnthe day: It was by far the most eloquentrnand influential memorial to the thousand-rnyear culture that was to wash uprnand be smashed on American shores.rnHis other Jewish engagement turnedrnHowe into a spokesman for the far-leftrncritique of the state of Israel, especially inrnits struggle to survive in an ocean of Arabrnhostility. Howe climbed the high moralrnground in his rejection of Zionism andrnthe legitimacy of the state of Israel.rnAlexander notes, “His creed of secularrnJewishness was deeply influenced byrnboth his literary sensibility and his socialism.”rnThe apologist for Trotsky in thern1930’s and 1940’s ended up an apologistrnfor Arafat in the I980’s. The Yiddishist/rnnon-Zionist spoke for a decliningrngeneration. The future would honor thernYiddishism, but the left, at least, wouldrntake as its inheritance the denial of Zionismrnand of its affirmation, through thernstate of Israel, of the Jews’ enduring life asrna people. Alexander’s life of Howe writesrnthe epitaph of the final generation of thernJewish left, the socialists and communistsrnwho accomplished their goals onlyrnto find themselves repudiated by Jewsrn(Alexander among them) who stood forrnother choices.rnHowe stands for the ultimate vacuityrnof secular Jewishness, which overtakesrnJews who abandon Judaism but wish torncontinue within the Jewish fold. Timernhas made its judgment on the two centuriesrnof experimentation with that possibility:rnThe secular option endures for arngeneration. The grandchildren of secularrnJews rarely continue within the Jewishrncommunity, though for entirely subjectivernand personal reasons, they mayrncontinue to regard themselves as “Jewish”rn—a term lacking all meaning whenrndeprived of its soul in God.rn]acob Neusner is Distinguished ResearchrnProfessor ofReUgious Studies at the Universityrnof South Florida and a professor ofrnreligion at Bard College.rnErnHELP CHRONICLES… HURT THE IRS… HELP CHRONICLESrnThere are many ways to make tax-deductible gifts to Chronicles:rnA Magazine ofAnKrican Culture. The simplest of these is arncash gift, but often there is a tax advantage in making a gift ofrnappreciated stocks or bonds. When you do, there are two winners:rnyou and Chronicles. The only loser is the wicked and greedy tax collector.rnHere’s how it works:rnWhen you sell appreciated securities, you are taxed on the capitalrngains. However, if you contribute appreciated stocks or bonds tornChronicles, you will not have to pay any tax on the gains. In fact, yournwill receive a charitable deduction for the full, fair-market value of thernsecurities as of the date of the gift. To qualify, you only have to havernheld the stocks or bonds for more than one year.rnGiven the dramatic gains in the stock market in recent years, it makesrngood sense to review your investments with an eye toward making arngift of long-term securities to Chronicles. Your securities broker canrneven wire the shares directly to Cfironicles’ investment account.rnFor more information, please write or call:rnChristopher CheckrnExecutive Vice PresidentrnThe Rockf ord Institutern928 North Main StreetrnRockf ord, Illinois 61103 (815) 96f 5811rnHELP CHRONICLES… HURT THE IRS… HELP CHRONICLESrn• ^ ^ r-^ •JIlliMI’v:M%!8»iirn40/CHRONICLESrnrnrn