Avri Barr

The Jewish Singularity: Genes, Memes, and Mystery Avri Barr

Each nation is unique in its own way. What is it that makes Jewishpeople unique? The Jews: are They Human?; this was the title ofthe book by a British-Canadian author and painter, WyndhamLewis, published in the thirties. Winston Churchill wrote that "theyare beyond all questions the most formidable and the mostremarkable race which has ever appeared in the world". VladimirSolovyev, a Russian religious philosopher, was convinced that theworld rotated around the Jewish axis. On the other hand, NancyYos, a convert, recently wrote about Jews: "I have found after allthe books, cogitation, and self-absorption, a people without whomlife would be intolerable". Virtually everything concerning the Jews is complicated anddisputable. That is why considerations of the Jewish phenomenonshould be multifaceted. After the journey across its genetic,spiritual, historic and cultural aspects, Barr discovers a magic loopwhich underlies Jewish endurance and vitality. Popular science at its best, The Jewish Singularity covers thediversified but interwoven subjects of faith, history, and genetics ina fascinating and fully accessible way.