January 2025
Impeccably researched, featuring extensive archival testimony and personal interviews, Michael A. Meyer’s new book is the authoritative biography of one of the giants of the American Jewish community.
New York, NY – CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, proudly announces the publication of Above All, We Are Jews: A Biography of Rabbi Alexander Schindler by Michael A. Meyer. Dr. Meyer is the Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Jewish History Emeritus at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, and is also the recipient of three National Jewish Book Awards. This volume includes a foreword by Jonathan D. Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, and an afterword by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).
Rabbi Alexander Schindler, best known as serving as the President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (today’s URJ) from 1973–1996, remains a gadol hador, a giant of his generation. During his tenure as a leader of the American Reform Jewish Movement, he raised Reform Judaism to unprecedented influence. He was a powerful voice for civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality. His pioneering work on outreach remains one of the beacons of Reform Judaism. Yet his charisma and vision spread well beyond the Reform Movement. He served an extended term as the President of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and was connected to American presidents and Israeli prime ministers. He was able to champion Israel while maintaining diaspora Jews’ right to speak out independently on the Jewish State.
Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor at Dartmouth College, said, “In addition to a fascinating biography of Alexander Schindler, one of American Judaism’s most important political and religious leaders, Michael Meyer has given us a brilliant study of post–World War II Jewish religious thought and politics.”
“How and why Alexander Schindler emerged among the twentieth century’s most influential rabbis is captured vividly in this insightful biography by Michael Meyer, one of American Jewry’s most respected historians,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, Director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “Professor Meyer analyzes Schindler’s visionary leadership and compelling eloquence, assessing candidly the transformative impact that his focus on radical inclusiveness, social justice, and loving criticism of Israel continues to have on every non-Orthodox stream.”
Rabbi Janet Marder, Past President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, said, “This moving, engaging biography invites us into the world of Rabbi Alexander Schindler: a beloved leader of Reform Judaism, a fervent lover of yiddishkeit and the Jewish people, and one of the most compelling voices of his generation. It offers rich insights into his personal and spiritual development, his eloquently expressed vision for Jewish life in America, and his bold, often controversial initiatives to revitalize Judaism in the face of challenges both internal and external.”
“Alex Schindler was daring and visionary, radical and optimistic,” said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President Emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism. “In this honest and compelling book, Michael Meyer reminds us why Schindler was a truly great Jewish leader, the last one to galvanize the entire Jewish community and win support from across the religious and political spectrum.”
Impeccably researched, based on extensive archival testimony and personal interviews, this book paints a definitive and compelling portrait of a leader whose actions continue to reverberate today.
Above All, We Are Jews: A Biography of Rabbi Alexander Schindler is available at aboveallwearejews.ccarpress.org
To request review copies, interview opportunities, or to book author events, please contact: Raquel Fairweather-Gallie, Marketing and Sales Manager, CCAR Press: rfairweather@ccarnet.org.
