Discourses of Keidansky

A lecture at the Revolutionary Club on Canal Street ends with arguments among the audience and a sharp introduction to Keidansky. Asked whether he is a dreamer, he calls himself a disillusioned reformer, then turns his own disappointments into a critique of political systems. Bernard G. Richards presents these conversations and reflections against the intellectual life of a Jewish neighborhood. The opening note explains that many of the papers first appeared in the Boston Evening Transcript and were revised for this collection.

Religious observance, art, humor and the meaning of home supply further subjects for debate. When discussing home, Keidansky describes the strain between Russian parents and their Americanized children, whose interests in books, pictures and music can deepen their sense of loneliness within the family. His wit gives everyday encounters the shape of philosophical arguments about freedom, understanding and ideals. The collection offers readers interested in Jewish literature a view of social hopes tested by work, belief and family relationships.