Arthur Kurzweil

File:Arthur pic (face).jpg

Arthur Kurzweil

Through his work as an author, educator, editor, writer, publisher, and magician, Arthur Kurzweil’s lifelong mission has been to make the deep wellsprings of traditional Jewish wisdom more accessible–and engaging–to Jews worldwide.

As a popular scholar-in-residence and guest speaker in synagogues and other Jewish organizations throughout the United States, as well as through the books he has written on Judaism, the Torah, Kabbalah, and Jewish genealogical research, Kurzweil’s focus is always on helping others to discover and be nourished by the wisdom of Jewish tradition. During his 17-year tenure at Jason Aronson Publishers, he commissioned and published over 650 volumes of Jewish interest, thus transforming the contemporary English-language Jewish library. Kurzweil has also been editor-in-chief of the Jewish Book Club, president of the Jewish Book Council, and editorial consultant for Jossey-Bass (a Wiley imprint).

Kurzweil’s popular book From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History is widely considered to be the definitive introductory guide on the topic. Kurzweil is also the author of two books in the well-known Dummies series, Kabbalah for Dummies and The Torah for Dummies, as well as On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy and My Generations: A Course in Jewish Family History, which is used as a textbook in hundreds of synagogue schools throughout the United States. Kurzweil has often said that all of his books, presentations, and editorial efforts are his attempt to–in the words of his beloved mentor, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz–“let my people know.”

Kurzweil was born in New York City, and grew up in East Meadow, N.Y. He earned a B.A. from New College at Hofstra University (1971) and an M.L.S. (Master of Library Science) from Florida State University (1972).

AUTHOR

Kurzweil desired to be a writer since his childhood. His first article, “Today’s Troubled Youth: A Teenager’s View”, was published when he was just 15. It appeared in Newsday, was nationally syndicated, and was included in the weekly current events reading supplement then used in many public schools.

Kurzweil worked for 10 years as a freelance writer, writing articles for many publications including Hadassah, National Jewish Monthly, Moment and LI, Newsday’s Sunday magazine. Many of his articles were also distributed by the Jewish Student Press Service. He also contributed articles to The Jewish Almanac (1980), The Jewish Family Book: A Creative Approach to Raising Kids (1981), and all three volumes of The Jewish Catalog (Jewish Publication Society, 1973, 1976, 1980), the sixties-flavored, do-it-yourself guides regarded by many as the “Jewish Whole Earth Catalog.” The articles were about building a personal Jewish library, Judaica Philately, and Jewish genealogy.

His interest in genealogy coincided with the release of Alex Haley’s best-seller Roots (1976) Catching the wave, in 1976. Kurzweil wrote a feature article for L.I. (Newsday’s Sunday magazine) entitled “Past Shock: How One Man Took a Journey Back into His Family’s History.” It was an article that was to change Kurzweil’s life, initiating his 30+ year career both as a professional writer and public speaker. His popular weekly column, “Finding Jewish Roots” appeared in The Jewish Week, a Jewish newspaper in New York, in 1977 and 1978.

In 1979, Kurzweil wrote a cover story for New York magazine, “Hizzoner’s Roots,” a genealogical journey through NYC Mayor Ed Koch’s past. Upon learning that one ancestor on the Koch family tree included a somewhat notorious thief in Skala, Poland who stole only from wealthy people and would not work on the Sabbath, the mayor was unabashedly proud. “I’m related to the Jewish Robin Hood!” he gleefully exclaimed. As a result of Kurzweil’s research Mayor Koch discovered he was a cousin of performer Dinah Shore.

“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime: The Treatment of Beggars According to Jewish Tradition” is one of Kurzweil’s best known articles. Motivated by his own confused and inconsistent treatment of New York City’s numerous beggars, Kurzweil poses 16 questions reflecting his own ambivalence on accommodating their seemingly relentless requests for a handout. He then demonstrates how a relative novice can do research to find meaningful answers within the framework of the Jewish tradition.

From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History was first published in 1980 and is now in its third revised edition. The book is both inspirational, describing Kurzweil’s own family history quest, and informative, providing step-by-step advice on gathering information from family members and family papers, Holocaust research, immigration and naturalization records, online databases, etc. A completely revised and updated version of From Generation to Generation was most recently republished by Jossey-Bass in 2004.

After many years of focusing his efforts on publishing hundreds of books by other authors, Kurzweil returned to his own writing. His most recent books are On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz: 25 Years of Pre-Dawn Car Trips, Mind-Blowing Encounters, and Inspiring Conversations with a Man of Wisdom (2006), Kabbalah for Dummies (2007) and The Torah for Dummies (2008).

EDUCATOR

One of Arthur Kurzweil’s favorite books is neither one he wrote nor published. It is the cornerstone of Jewish culture–the Talmud. As a speaker, teacher, and scholar-in-residence, Kurzweil has introduced thousands of people across the United States to the joys and intricacies of Talmud study. Kurzweil also frequently teaches courses based upon the contemporary classic book of Kabbalah by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, The Thirteen Petalled Rose. Kurzweil calls this book his “Fahrenheit 451 book,” saying “I’ve read it hundreds of times, I have just about memorized it, and it has had more of an impact on me than any book I have ever encountered.”

Kurzweil has taught often at Jewish educator conferences, including CAJE, the Conference for Alternatives in Jewish Education, at retreat centers including Elat Chayyim for The Aleph Society (he is coordinator for that organization’s Talmud Circle Project), and at synagogues, schools, and Jewish community centers nationwide, where he offers lectures and classes in Talmud, Kabbalah, genealogy, and many other topics of Jewish interest. Well-known throughout the American Jewish community, Kurzweil has been described as “One individual who has made a major contribution to the resurgence in adult Jewish education.” (Agenda: Jewish Education, Issue # 12, Summer 1999, JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America).

Since 1976, when Kurzweil’s feature article on his genealogical experiences appeared in L.I. magazine, Kurzweil has been a popular speaker on the Jewish lecture circuit, appearing at synagogues, schools, teacher conferences, university groups, and Jewish community centers nationwide and beyond. According to Sesil Lissberger, former Director of the now defunct The Jewish Lecture Bureau, Kurzweil was one of the bureau’s most popular speakers for several years, often averaging over 40 appearances in different cities each year.

Whether his topic is how to study Talmud when one is not a Talmudic scholar, or basic ideas of Kabbalah, or Jewish genealogy, or the spiritual lessons can one can derive from magic tricks, Kurzweil says his aim is always the same: “I am a Jewish educator; I just do it a little differently, that’s all. My hope is to light a spark, to kindle a flame–for a love of Jewish learning–just as I have had for so much of my life. If people can laugh a little and enjoy themselves while they are learning, then I have done my job well. You may know about the Jewish custom of giving students a taste of honey along with their first formal lesson. According to our tradition, learning is supposed to be sweet.”

EDITOR

Along with Sharon Strassfeld, Kurzweil edited Behold the Great Image: The Contemporary Jewish Experience in Photographs (1978). Developed as a fundraising program by a Tzedekah Collective, a grassroots charitable fundraising initiative, the book was a culmination of a national photography project that aimed at capturing the modern Jewish experience. The top three winners received cash prizes, and the proceeds from the book were donated to charity.

Kurzweil is also the editor of The Strife of the Spirit (1988) and On Being Free (1995), two collections of essays by the renowned Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. He is also the editor of Best Jewish Writing 2003 (Jossey-Bass, 2003) and The Hadassah Jewish Family Book of Health and Wellness (Jossey-Bass, 2006).

PUBLISHER

From 1984 to 2001, Arthur Kurzweil was Editor-in-chief, Publisher and Vice President at Jason Aronson Publishers. Publishing more than 650 books, Kurzweil’s editorial sensibilities spanned the full spectrum of Jewish practice and belief. He published and edited such notable and beloved Jewish teachers as Adin Steinsaltz, Elie Wiesel, Shlomo Carlebach, Aryeh Kaplan, Joseph B. Soloveitchik, and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Kurzweil currently serves (2001 to the present) as Judaica Consultant for Jossey-Bass/Wiley. Each Jewish book project he brings to and develops for Jossey-Bass is deemed “An Arthur Kurzweil Book” on its title page.

GENEALOGIST

Arthur Kurzweil is often described as the individual who is most responsible for popularizing Jewish genealogical research as a means of exploring–and perhaps reclaiming–one’s Jewish roots. Kurzweil co-founded the very first Jewish Genealogical Society in 1977 and was co-publisher with Steven W. Siegel of Toledot: The Journal of Jewish Genealogy (1977-1982). Today there are more than 80 Jewish Genealogical Societies throughout the world. In 1999, Kurzweil was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) for his “trailblazing work.” At the awards ceremony, the IAJGS declared, “We will always be grateful that you showed us the way, and for your past and continued inspiration to all Jewish genealogists and the new Jewish genealogical societies that continue to be created because of your vision.”

MAGICIAN

When Arthur Kurweil’s father took him to a magic shop to help with a third-grade school project, it was love at first sight. His father bought him his first magic trick–one that transformed a penny into a dime–and Kurzweil became a voracious lifelong student and practitioner of magic. Kurzweil belongs to the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) as well as the International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) Inspired by Project Magic, an effort to encourage physical therapists to use magic tricks as part of therapy founded by magician David Copperfield, Kurzweil has often taught physical therapists how to use magic tricks as a rehabilitative tool.

Although the Torah (and Jewish authorities) specifically prohibit “supernatural magic”, tricks which rely upon sleight-of-hand and misdirection to fool the eye are another story. Kurzweil has performed a unique “Jewish edu-tainment presentation” before many audiences since 2004. “Searching for God in a Magic Shop” combines amusing tricks and fascinating illusions with a spiritual message. Kurzweil readily admits that the greatest illusion of his presentation is that it’s not a magic performance. "It's not a magic show at all,” he says, “but a discussion of one of the most profound and important ideas in all of Jewish thought. All that God does is for the good even though we, his human audience, may not see it--because we don’t see everything. The audience doesn’t see everything–that’s the human predicament. Accepting the notion of ‘gam zu l’tovah’ (an idiomatic Aramaic expression taught in the Talmud meaning “Everything is for the best”) has transformed my life.”

AWARDS

• The Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the Melton Center for Jewish Studies of Ohio State University
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
• Beta Phi Mu, the international honor society for library & information science and information technology.

BOOKS

• The Kurzweil Family History and Genealogy (privately published, 1976)
• File:From Gen to Gen Cover.jpg From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History (foreword by Elie Wiesel, Jossey-Bass, 2004)
• File:Kabbalah for dummies PIC.jpg Kabbalah For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)) (Jossey-Bass, 2007)
• File:Torahfordummies.jpg The Torah For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)) (Jossey-Bass, 2008)
• File:On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz.jpg On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz: 25 Years of Pre-Dawn Car Trips, Mind-Blowing Encounters, and Inspiring Conversations with a Man of Wisdom (Jossey-Bass, 2006)
• File:Mygenerations.jpg My Generations: A Course in Jewish Family History, (Behrman House, 1984)
• The Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy; Volume I: Sources in the United States (co-edited with Miriam Weiner, Jason Aronson, 1991)
• Behold the Great Image: The Contemporary Jewish Experience in Photographs (co-edited with Sharon Strassfeld, The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1978)

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ARTICLES

• "A Conversation with Leonard Cohen"

(The Jewish Book News,1994)

• "A Conversation about Jewish Spirituality with Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz"

(Jewish Spirituality: The Magazine, January 2004)

• “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? The Treatment of Beggars According to Jewish Tradition”

(Gym Shoes and Irises by Danny Siegel (Town Press, 1987)

• "Genealogy as a Spiritual Pilgrimage"

(from the Malcolm R. Stern Memorial Lecture given at the 14th Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, Washington, DC, June 28, 1995)

• "Project Magic”

(Genii: The Conjurors' Magazine, Vol. 66, No. 1, January 2003)

External links

• Official site: http://www.arthurkurzweil.com

Authors| Writers | Speakers | Magic | Magicians |

Living People | Genealogy | Jewish Genealogy | American Jewish Writers|

Jewish Educators | Judaica | Editor | Publisher | Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz | [[ Torah]] | Kabbalah | Jewish Genealogist | Jewish Educator | Talmud | Prominent American Jews | Notable American Jews