Mystical Fraternity

By Fons Vitae/Publishers Weekly - USA
Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity, by Thomas Block, introduces the virtually unknown story of Sufi (Islamic mystical) influence on the development of Jewish mysticism.

From the inception of Islam (c. 630) to the Golden Age (8th-12th centuries) Jewish-Sufis of Arabia, North Africa and Spain, through the Kabbalists in Spain and the Holy Land, and then into 18th-century European Hasidism, Sufi ideas were at first knowingly and later unwittingly woven into the Jewish mystical quilt.

Even today, vestiges of this influence continue to reverberate in the living practice of Judaism.

More than just a historical work, this book provides a fresh perspective on the social, religious and political issues that have complicated Jewish-Muslim relations since the founding of Israel. By popularizing this little-known tale of mutual respect and spiritual love, a narrative of peace – so unusual in these difficult times in the Middle East – can begin to resonate between these children of Abraham.

“Block’s evident enthusiasm for the revelation of these common roots as a way forward for Muslim-Jewish relations propels this great read.”

Block, a Jew, independent scholar, and “citizen-diplomat,” spent more than 10 years researching and uncovering the hidden links between the mystical systems within Islam and Judaism, expressed in Sufism and Kabbalah, respectively. In what he believes is the only book on the topic, Block demonstrates the influence of Sufism on historic and modern Kabbalah and even Judaism, assembling and juxtaposing a variety of sources.

Seminal medieval figures in Kabbalah (whom Block affectionately refers to as “Jewish-Sufi” and whom he profiles throughout) looked to Sufi themes and attitudes for “innovation” in their own practice—so successfully that some hymns sung in synagogues today, among other practices, are clearly Islamic in origin.

An entire chapter devoted to Spanish Jewish Kabbalists’ usage of Sufism describes the glory of the multifaith, historic Cordoba and Arab Spain of the eighth through 15th centuries, where Jews participated as equals in the Muslim-run state. Block’s evident enthusiasm for the revelation of these common roots as a way forward for Muslim-Jewish relations propels this great read.

-Publisher’s Weekly, 10/27/10

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Arab-Jewish Cultural Nexus
Chapter 2: Sufism
Chapter 3: The Jewish-Sufis of Medieval Egypt
Chapter 4: The Sufi Influence on Spanish Jews
Chapter 5: Sufi Influence on the Kabbalah
Chapter 6: Hasidism and the Continuing Influence of Sufism
Epilogue
Glossary
Bibliography

Thomas Block

Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity

Fons Vitae
Retail Price: $24.95