The Jewish Catalog is a series of books published by the Jewish Publication Society in three volumes (1973, 1976, and 1980), which had a significant cultural impact upon the Chavurah movement of Judaism,[1][2] and in the broader Jewish world, and were said to be "the most widely read books in the Jewish counter-culture,"[3] with total book sales of the series being more than half a million copies.[4]
The series has been described as "a happy mixture of Jewish law and lore, apt quotations, well-chosen photographs, whimsical cartoons, and general irreverence that billed itself as a Jewish 'do-it-yourself kit,' a guide to how to become 'personally involved in aspects of Jewish ritual life, customs, cooking, crafts, and creation,'"[5] that reflected a "personal, voluntaristic spirituality," [6] with an emphasis on there being different expressions of Jewish spirituality.[7]
A key theme throughout the series has been an earnest desire for "cultural authenticity" that rejects both consumeristic values of the dominant gentile culture but also rejects the values of the mainstream mid-century Jewish establishment,[8] with a special focus on the concept of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).[9]
Despite the counter-cultural message and aesthetic of the book, it was published by the mainstream Jewish Publication Society in large part due to the vision of JPS Editor-in-Chief Chaim Potok, who saw The Jewish Catalog as a way for Judaism (and Jewish publishing) to remain relevant for the growing youth counter-culture.[10]