Chutzpah - Abridged

Summary

According to Alan M. Dershowitz, “ chutzpah” is "boldness, assertiveness, a willingness to demand what is due, to defy tradition, to challenge authority, to raise eyebrows." Assessing his experiences, he brings to bear all the chutzpah for which he is famous in examining such issues as antisemitism, assimilation, the Holocaust, and Zionism. Chutzpah is also a personal story about growing up as an Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn, about being "the first Jewish Jew at Harvard," and about representing such clients as Claus von Bü low, Leona Helmsley, Jim Bakker, and Natan Sharansky. Ultimately, Dershowitz brings together a lifetime of thought and action to provide a fascinating and provocative reflection on his generation of Jews in America.