Oy Vey!

These two well-intentioned and helpful volumes can scarcely be expected to solve all these problems. In an afterward to "Jewish Polity and American Civil Society," Alan Mittleman sagely remarks that each Jewish group must learn to cope with changing historical circumstances. Obviously every Jewish group must cope with an event that happened after these essays were written, September 11, 2001. New threats and problems face not only the Jewish people, but the country that has permitted them to thrive. It is only natural that Jews both ask God to bless America--and that they keep their psychic thermometers handy.

Werner J. Dannhauser is a visiting professor in political theory at Michigan State University.