Jewish Body, the Hb

by Melvin Konner

Book Overview

A history of the Jewish people from bris to burial, from "muscle Jews" to nose jobs.

Melvin Konner, a renowned doctor and anthropologist, takes the measure of the "Jewish body," considering sex, circumcision, menstruation, and even those most elusive and controversial of microscopic markers-Jewish genes. But this is not only a book that examines the human body through the prism of Jewish culture. Konner looks as well at the views of...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805242368
• ISBN13: 9780805242362
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Schocken Books Inc
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

The Jewish Body

Interesting. Nothing revolutionary or new to a medical scientist like myself, but a good seminar jumping off point for discussion with an educated lay group. Well written and easily understandable to the non-medical community.

The Jewish Body

Konner, Melvin. "The Jewish Body" Schocken, 2009. The Jewish Body Amos Lassen Melvin Konner gives us an examination of the Jewish body with thoughts of the implications of Jewish genes as well as references to Jewish mysticism and ideas as to how this body has spanned the ages and still remains something of a mystery. He traces the body and its impact through the course of Jewish history. This is also an exercise in understanding the Jewish mind and the Jewish contributions to society. In actuality this is a study of Jewish history and identity. Quite naturally this is an epic study as Konnor looks at sex, circumcision, menstruation, and the concept of the Jewish gene. Here is a discussion of the relationship between the Jewish concept of a God that has no body and the relationship between a body of land and a people. One reviewer calls this an anatomical history of the Jewish people. There are a variety of issues looked at here. One such example is the way Konner deals with the way Jews try to change their physical appearance and Konner suggests that this came about because of the Jewish desire to fit in after the Holocaust. However he also looks at what men consider to be beautiful and he maintains that is also the concept of fertility which goes with younger women and this causes men to be attracted to them. Therefore men favor women with youthful features--blondes with small noses and light skin. He also maintains that Jews are better fighters (boxers) but there is really no explanation of this except that Jews became fighters in order to protect themselves from facial bruising. On the issue of whether or not that Jews are a race as well as a religion, Konner tells us that Jews from the Middle East are similar genetically to non Jews from the same place and that European Jews are more like other Europeans than Arabs. In other words the Jews have managed to develop their own gene pool. This is a fascinating read and even though it is written by an anthropologist, it is highly readable and informative.

mildly interesting

This little book describes a wide variety of issues related to the Jewish body: circumcision, Jewish law related to sex and menstruation, the periodic oscillation of Jewish opinion between reverence for and apathy towards physical strength, and common public stereotypes of the Jewish physique (and Jews' attempts to avoid looking like those stereotypes). A few of the more interesting points: *Konner suggests that biblical rules about menstruation (which hold that women who menstruate are ritually impure for some days afterwards) might mean that menstruation was viewed as threatening in traditional culture. He reasons that since pregnant women don't menstruate, persistent menstrual cycles might have suggested infertility- not a good thing in an agricultural society where each child was another person who could help work the land. Interesting speculation, though I can't say whether it makes sense. (And of course, Konner's theory doesn't explain why later rabbis broadened those rules). *Why were Jews often excellent boxers in the 19th and early 20th centuries? Konner suggests that Jews "became superb defensive fighters in order to avoid getting their faces bruised, which would alert their Orthodox parents [who Konner assumes were more hostile to fighting than non-Jewish parents] to what they are doing." But were Jews really better fighters than other immigrant groups trying to make their way up the social ladder? *Konner's most interesting chapter focuses on Jews' attempts to change their physical appearance; for example, rhinoplasty (which makes noses smaller) was very popular among Jewish women in the mid-20th century. Konner suggests that this fad might have something to do with a Jewish desire to blend in after the Holocaust. But he ties this issue into broader discussions of what men tend to find beautiful; for example, since younger woman tend to be fertile, men who were strongly attracted to young women have had greater reproductive success. As a result, men have evolved to favor women with childlike features, such as lighter hair, lighter skin, and smaller noses. *To what extent are Jews a race? Konner answers 'somewhat.' He points out that all Jews are genetically similar to non-Jews from the Middle East- but at the same time, Jews in Europe resemble their non-Jewish counterparts more than they resemble Arabs, suggesting a substantial local genetic influence. And Ashkenazic Jews have developed their own gene pool in some ways; for example, some diseases common among Ashkenazim are less common among other Jews.