Jewish & Noahide Reading List

Antisemitism, Nationalism, & White Supremacy

If you need free versions of any books listed in the Library, do not hesitate to contact me on Tumblr and request a digital copy. I have sharable copies of the vast majority of the books listed, and am happy to share them with anyone who requests them. If you're American, however, I do strongly and highly suggest seeing if your local Library can get a copy for you through the Inter Library Loan system first, in order to support our national Library network. Especially as it comes under threat from the incoming 2025 political administration. The majority of these links will take you to the WorldCat database (when possible) for that reason.

The Origins of Antisemitism: Attitudes toward Judaism in Pagan and Christian Antiquity (Book)
Varieties of Antisemitism: History, Ideology, Discourse (Book)
Antisemitism Education (Blog Post)
Antisemitism 101 (Article)
@analyzingantisemitism (TikTok Account)
How to Spot and Respond to White Supremacist Propaganda (Article)
Decrypting the Alt-Right: How to Recognize a F@scist (Video)
Endnote 2: White Fascism (Video)
Religious Nationalism: A Reference Handbook (Book)
Roots of Theological Anti-Semitism: German Biblical Interpretation and the Jews- from Herder and Semler, to Kittel and Bultmann (Book)
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism (Book)
The Origins of American Religious Nationalism (Book)
The Growing Threat Of Christian Nationalism (Video)
The Return of Religious Antisemitism (Book)
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present (Book)
Jews Don’t Count (Book)
Pack of Thieves: How Hitler and Europe Plundered the Jews and Committed the Greatest Theft in History (Book)
Stolen Words: The Nazi Plunder of Jewish Books (Book)
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (Book)

Jewish History

A History of Judaism (Book)
Wanderings: Chaim Potok's History Of The Jews (Book)
Social and Political History of the Jews in Poland from 1919 to 1939 (Book)
The Jews of Odessa: A Cultural History from 1794 to 1881 (Book)
Ukrainian-Jewish Relations in Historical Perspective (Book)
The Jewish Dark Continent: Life and Death in the Russian Pale of Settlement (Book)
Prophecy and Politics: Socialism, Nationalism, and the Russian Jews from 1862 to 1917 (Book)
Russia’s First Modern Jews: The Jews of Shklov (Book)
The Jews of the Soviet Union: The History of a National Minority (Book)
Jews and the German State: The Political History of a Minority from 1848 to 1933 (Book)
German Jews in the Era of the "Final Solution": Essays on Jewish and Universal History (Book)
Jewish Life and Culture in Germany After 1945: Sacred Spaces, Objects, and Musical Traditions (Book)
A History of the Jews in America (Book)
Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn (Book)
The Zionist Idea: A Historical Analysis and Reader (Book)

Noahidism

The Divine Code: The Guide to Observing the Noahide Code, Revealed from Mount Sinai in the Torah of Moses; 4th Edition (Book)
AskNoah.org (Website)
Noahide.org (Website)
WikiNoah.org (Website)
Noahide Mitzvot & Lifestyle Course (Youtube Channel)

Conversion

Since Sinai: A Convert's Path to Judaism (Book)
Choosing A Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends (Book)
Becoming Jewish: The Challenges, Rewards, and Paths to Conversion (Book)

Movements / "Denominations"

Judaisms: A 21st Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities (Book)
Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism (Book)
Birth of Conservative Judaism: Solomon Schechter's Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement (Book)
Modern Conservative Judaism: Evolving Thought and Practice (Book)
Conservative Judaism: A Contemporary History (Book)
Jewish Renewal: A Journey; The Movement's History, Ideology, and Future (Book)
Modern Folk Judaism: The Reality and the Challenge (Book)

EcoJudaism

Torah of the Earth, Volume I: Exploring 4,000 Years of Ecology In Judaism; Zionism & Eco-Judaism (Book)
Torah of the Earth, Volume II: Exploring 4,000 Years of Ecology In Judaism; Zionism & Eco-Judaism (Book)
God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi (Book)
A Wild Faith: Jewish Ways into Wilderness, Wilderness Ways into Judaism (Book)
Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shvat Anthology (Book)
Let the Earth Teach You Torah: A Guide To Teaching Jewish Ecological Wisdom (Book)
Spirit In Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail (Book)
The Spiritual Gardener: Insights from the Jewish Tradition to Help your Garden Grow (Book)

Text & Interpretation

Dictionary of Jewish Words (Book)
Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols (Book)
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary; 3 Volume Set (Book)
Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash (Book)
Essential Figures in the Talmud (Book)
Reading the Rabbis: The Talmud as Literature (Book)
Midrashic Process: Tradition and Interpretation in Rabbinic Judaism (Book)
Theology of the Oral Torah: Revealing the Justice of God (Book)

Base Beliefs & Customs

Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice (Book)
Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals; Revised and Updated (Book)
Living a Jewish Life: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families; Updated and Revised Edition (Book)
Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism; 2nd Edition (Book)
Finding Our Way: Jewish Texts and the Lives We Lead Today; 2nd Edition (Book)
To Be A Jew: A Guide To Jewish Observance In Contemporary Life; Revised Edition (Book)

Soul & Afterlife

Anatomy of the Soul (Book)
Jewish Tales of Reincarnation (Book)
Reincarnation and Judaism: The Journey of the Soul (Book)
Jewish Views of the Afterlife (Book)

Prayer & Holidays

To Pray As A Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and Synagogue Service (Book)
Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer (Book)
Mishkan Ga'avah: Where Pride Dwells; A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual (Book)
Seyder Tkhines: The Forgotten Book of Common Prayer for Jewish Women (Book)
Guide to Jewish Holy Days: History and Observance (Book)
The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man (Book)

Misc

This Is My God (Book)
Pious Irreverence: Confronting God in Rabbinic Judaism (Book)
Jewish with Feeling: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Practice (Book)
Kosher for Everybody: The Complete Guide to Understanding, Shopping, Cooking, and Eating the Kosher Way (Book)

Folklore

Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture (Book)
Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions (Book)
Folk Tales of the Jews, Volume I: Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion (Book)
Folk Tales of the Jews, Volume II: Tales from Eastern Europe (Book)
Legends of the Jews, Volume I (Book)
Legends of the Jews, Volume II (Book)
Legends of the Jews, Volume III (Book)
Legends of the Jews, Volume IV (Book)
Gates to the Old City: A Book Of Jewish Legends (Book)
A Treasury of American-Jewish Folklore (Book)
Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural Selected and Retold by Howard Schwartz (Book)
Sacred Monsters: Mysterious and Mythical Creatures of Scripture, Talmud, and Midrash (Book)

Magic & Mysticism

Ancient Jewish Magic: A History (Book)
Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study In Folk Religion (Book)
Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism (Book)
Jewish Mysticism and Magic: An Anthropological Perspective (Book)
Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah: New Insights and Scholarship (Book)
From the Depth of the Well: An Anthology of Jewish Mysticism (Book)
Jewish Magic Before the Rise of Kabbalah (Book)
Origins of the Kabbalah (Book)
Jewish Mysticism: From Ancient Times Through Today (Book)
The Hidden and Manifest God: Some Major Themes in Early Jewish Mysticism (Book)
On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah (Book)
The Way of the Flame: A Guide to the Forgotten Mystical Tradition of Jewish Meditation (Book)
Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide (Book)
Meditation and Judaism: Exploring the Jewish Meditative Paths (Book)
Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar (Book)
Studies in Exstatic Kabbalah (Book)
Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism (Book)
Enchanted Chains: Techniques and Rituals in Jewish Mysticism (Book)
The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse From the Jewish Tradition (Book)
Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love (Book)
Aramaic Bowl Spells, Volume I: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls (Book)
Aramaic Bowl Spells, Volume II: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls (Book)
Jewish Love Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages (Book)
Studies on Astral Magic In Medieval Jewish Thought (Book)
Sleep, Death, and Rebirth: Mystical Practices of Lurianic Kabbalah (Book)
Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism (Book)
Babylonian Oil Magic in the Talmud and in the later Jewish Literature (Book)
Ritual Practices To Gain Power: Angels, Incantations, and Revelation In Early Jewish Mysticism (Book)
A New Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters (Book)

Herbalism & Medicine

Dictionary of Bible Plants (Book)
Dukes Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible (Book)
Solomon Described Plants: A Botanical Guide To Plant Life In The Bible (Book)
Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran (Book)
Herbs of the Bible: 2000 Years of Plant Medicine (Book)
Biblical and Talmudic Medicine (Book)
Medicine in the Bible and the Talmud: Selections from Classical Jewish Sources (Book)
Medicine in the Talmud: Natural and Supernatural Therapies Between Magic and Science (Book)
Collecting Recipes: Byzantine and Jewish Pharmacology in Dialogue (Book)
Akkadian Healing Therapies in the Babylonian Talmud (Book)
Polish Herbs, Flowers, and Folk Medicine; Revised Edition (Book)
Jewish Medicine and Healthcare in Central Eastern Europe: Shared Identities, Entangled Histories (Book)
Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews (Book)
A Frog Under the Tongue: Jewish Folk Medicine in Eastern Europe (Book)
Ritual Medical Lore of Sephardic Women: Sweetening the Spirits, Healing the Sick (Book)
The Jewish Book of Flowers (Book)
The Land in Our Bones: Plantcestral Herbalism and Healing Cultures from Syria to the Sinai; Earth-based pathways to ancestral stewardship and belonging in diaspora (Book)