‘Jewish Culture and Customs’ and ‘More Jewish Culture and Customs’ by Steve Herzig (Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry)

These two books provide an enjoyable tour through the rich and varied traditions of Judaism from the perspective of a Messianic Jew. Early in the first book, Herzig provides a personal testimony of his own journey to faith in Yeshua and demonstrates how his Jewish background has shaped and informed his life as a Messianic believer.

Herzig’s style is friendly and welcoming. You are encouraged, as a fellow believer in Christ, to sample the delights of Jewish history, music, humour and food! Each book contains a variety of fascinating subjects to transport us into the vibrant and often bittersweet world of the Jewish community. The books are compiled rather more like mini encyclopaedias than textbooks and can be dipped into when the mood grabs you.

A Wealth of Information

After his initial testimony, Herzig spends his remaining chapters talking about the Jewish people, their life cycle, worship, literature, food and holidays, with a final chapter on Jewish (i.e. Yiddish) vocabulary.

The follow-up book is slightly weightier and sometimes more serious in tone. There are four times as many chapters – some quite short – as though the author is wanting to capture as many topics as possible. But Herzig still packs a lot into each few pages so that overall there is a wealth of thought-provoking information. If anything, this second book is perhaps more to be recommended for those who already know something about Jewish culture and customs, although as a pair the books work well together.

Good Samplers

Both are described as ‘A sampler of Jewish life’ and this is what you will get, so don’t expect anything more comprehensive. But overall they do shed considerable light on Christianity and the Bible, and could even be shared with non-Messianic Jewish friends, who would find Herzig’s style friendly and non-threatening. Do read them yourself first but then consider passing them on.

‘Jewish Culture and Customs’ (140pp, paperback, Kindle) and ‘More Jewish Culture and Customs’ (213pp, paperback) are available via Amazon here and here, respectively.