Symbols of Judiasm demonstrates that Jews around the world, despite the cultural diversity among their respective countries, follow the same rituals, celebrate the same festivals, read and study the same texts, and share the same collective memory. As part of Assouline’s Symbols of Religion Series, the richly illustrated volume highlights how significant these emblems have served to bridge the gap between the human and the divine.

Written by French rabbi and philosopher Marc-Alain Ouaknin, with atmospheric photography by Laziz Hamani, the title explores the rituals and cultural symbols of this ancient faith, offering insightful commentary on the meanings behind the holidays around the Jewish calendar; the significance of the Sabbath, the Torah, and the mezuzah; and more. Symbols of Judaism illustrates how every civilization and culture has its own rites and symbols that form the cornerstone of a collective existence, of material, intellectual, and spiritual life.

Born in Paris in 1957, Rabbi Marc-Alain Ouaknin holds a doctorate in philosophy, is the director of the Institut de Recherches et d’Études sur la Traduction des Textes Sacrés “Targoum-IRETS” in Paris, and is an associate professor at the University of Bar‑Han in Israel, where he teaches comparative literature. He is the author of numerous books in which issues of Jewish thought and contemporary social science converge. His works have been translated throughout the world. B’nai B’rith Europe awarded him the Emil Domberger prize in 1991, which he shared with Bernard-Henri Lévy. In the same year, he was awarded the Actualité Juive prize for literature. He is also currently co-producer, together with Françoise-Anne Ménager, of the program “Talmudiques” on France Culture/ Radio France, since 2013.