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The book you must read before Rosh Hashanah

September 4, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — Leave it to author Dara Horn to come up with book titles that are a little scandalous.

Her last nonfiction book, “ People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present, ” explored why non-Jews and Jews alike prefer stories of Jewish victimization to those of Jewish heroism. And her new book, “ The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living,” runs the real risk of people mistaking it for Nazi agitprop.

But that is how Dara rolls, always pushing the envelope and making it into an art form. Through her many novels and other writings, as well as public appearances, she has become one of the most thoughtful and incisive observers of the Jewish condition in the world today, and she does it with humor and irony. It all works.

You need to read this book now, because it is its own shofar blast. Get a few friends to do the same, eat Rosh Hashanah lunch together and discuss.

Here are a few stinging points, to go with the apples and honey (which comes, after all, from bees).

The first sting: Dara claims that Jews are uncool and that this is a feature rather than a bug. For several generations, Jewish institutional life has run on the theory that the…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (8) 🌐 Show original

Pierre Girard

The title of Dara Horn's new book made me smile, we can see that she is not afraid to shock. I haven’t read “People Love Dead Jews” yet, but the idea that Jews are “uncool” and that it’s more of a force intrigues me. Does she also talk about community life in France or only in the United States?

Élodie Bernard

The title made me smile too, Pierre. Dara Horn mainly talks about Jewish life in the United States, with its institutions and its campaigns to make young people “cool”. I wonder if in France, with our smaller and more discreet communities, we feel the same pressure. Have you read any other books by her?

Десислава Илиева

I read about "uncool" and it became interesting to me - here in Bulgaria, the Jewish community is even smaller and quiet, just like the French one that Élodie wrote about. I have never seen campaigns to make young people "cool", but rather to remember who their grandfather is. Maybe that's better?

Laurent Moreau

Yes, in France it’s more discreet, we don’t have this obsession with “cool” in MJCs or summer camps. I prefer when young people remain a little “uncool”, it keeps the authenticity. Have you read “People Love Dead Jews” by her?

Nicolas Martin

Yes, I agree, in France we feel less of this pressure to be “cool” in parish activities or summer camps, and that allows young people to remain themselves. I read “People Love Dead Jews” last summer while hiking in Ariège, and its remarks on memory made me think for a long time. Have you ever discussed this book with friends before Rosh Hashanah?

Juliette Girard

Yes, the title is very provocative, it fits his style. She focuses mainly on the United States and its big institutions which try to make young people “cool” at all costs, but her idea that “uncool” is a strength could also speak to our small French communities, more discreet and less obsessed with image. Are you planning to read it before Rosh Hashanah?

Rémi Martin

Yes, his idea that “uncool” is a strength speaks to me a lot, especially in our small French communities where we don’t try to shine in society. This avoids diluting what makes us unique, even if it is sometimes uncomfortable. Do you think our local synagogues could take inspiration from this for the start of the school year?

Alexandre Laurent

Yes, the idea that “uncool” is a strength also speaks to me, especially when we see how our small communities in Toulouse hold together without trying to please everyone. For synagogues, I wonder if we could start with something simple like a Rosh Hashanah meal where we discuss the book over apples and honey, without too many flashy entertainments. Have you talked to your rabbi about it?