How can we define " Judaism" & what are the common threads uniting ancient rabbis Maimonides the authors of the Zohar & modern secular Jews in Israel? Michael L Satlow offers a fresh perspective on Judaism that recognizes both its similarities & its immense diversity Presenting snapshots of Judaism from around the globe & throughout history Satlow explores the links between vastly different communities & their Jewish traditions He studies the geonim rabbinical scholars who lived in Iraq from the ninth to twelfth centuries; the intellectual flourishing of Jews in medieval Spain; how the Hasidim of nineteenth-century Eastern Europe confronted modernity; & the post-World War II development of distinct American & Israeli Jewish identities Satlow pays close attention to how communities define themselves their relationship to biblical & rabbinic texts & their ritual practices His fascinating portraits reveal the amazingly creative ways Jews have adapted over time to social & political challenges & continue to remain a " Jewish family"