Jews and American Public Life

David G. Dalin, a historian and rabbi, is Senior Research Fellow at Brandeis University. He is the author, co-author, or editor of twelve books, most recently "Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court", which was selected as a finalist for the 2017 National Jewish Book Award.

“David G. Dalin is one of the leading experts on the history of Jewish involvement in American politics. This wonderful collection constitutes a bouquet of Dalin’s most fascinating and readable essays on the role that Jews have played in American political and public life. The book touches upon a broad range of captivating subjects—including intriguing studies such as ‘Jews and the Founding Fathers,’ ‘American Jews and the Church-State Debate,’ and ‘the historical significance of Sandy Koufax’s brief but dazzling career.’ This learned and lucid volume will unquestionably capture the interest of academics and general readers alike.”

– Gary P. Zola, Executive Director of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

“Gathering previously published essays sometimes leads to surprising insights. For four decades the distinguished historian David G. Dalin has explored Jews and American politics—the ones the nation’s leaders knew, the Jewish diplomats and judges they appointed, and the policies Jewish communal leaders and thinkers championed. In his articles we see America’s Jews wandering different political byways until, as this book masterfully reveals, those paths converged, and Jews found themselves ‘politically at home’ in America.”