The Jewish Pilgrimage - Book Review

The Jewish Pilgrimage - An Exploration of Reality,Dogma cannot grieve. It is the pain of individuals that
Mainly in Versesears."
The Jewish Pilgrimage by Geoffrey Hoffman is clearlyI also really appreciated Half Sight, which discussed
written to inspire philosophical discussion. This bookthe inability to witness the good and love in life when
depicts the author's personal journey to find somethere is so much horror to distract us from it. Today
form of understanding about man, our variousNear Watford Market was a very moving piece for
versions of God and how this effects society andme in that it was so visual. It describes an event
the use of its knowledge. He debates moral issueswhere the author witnesses a man speaking to the
and provokes deep thinking in several areas that willpublic about his lack of belief in religion. And "circling
never leave my mind as I travel along my own road.like wolves, the true-believers snarled, snapping at
Geoffrey questions the justness of creation itselfboth his arguments and him." Yet nearby an elderly
and the gift of consciousness. Also he cleverly useswomen fell, sprawling her shopping items on the
metaphors when he depicts various pieces of himselfground around her. The non-believer ran over to her
by using the universe, planets and astrological colors.side and helped her on her way, "jostling to her
Without a doubt this student of life, takes joy inassistance through unmoving ranks of true-believing
nature. Throughout the book the author makes hisice". It is a beautiful story about seeing God where
awe in the vastness of the universe quite apparent.you least expect it.
My personal favorite piece was Beautiful Among TheIn the later part of the book, the author moves
Buildings, which used powerful visual statements like:away from poetry and gets in to verse debating
"Night sprawls among the broken lives that line thewho the Jewish people are, what they are perceived
broken street; The lonely and unpitied men whoseas being and the persecution of this group of people
waste is our defeat. Men stagger from dank cellars;through the ages. His interesting look at the holocaust
men, imprisoned in their cars, Go roaring intodoes not dwell on the sorrow or loss of the people -
sightlessness - unmindful of the stars."rather it centers on the people themselves.
And the equally powerful anti-war piece, No Frontiers:By far, Jewish people are not the only race of people
"The father carrying the limp body of his child, Thewho have suffered at the hands of man and I think
soldier staring at his amputated hand, The little girlthe author means to use the example as a tool to
among the bloodied pieces of her parents -Whataccelerate the intellectual growth of mankind.
does it matter if they are of one side or another?