THE BOOKSHELF.

In "If You Will It: Rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood for the 21st Century," Elliott Abrams explores the changing situation of American Jews in light of rising antisemitism, weakening Jewish identity, and the unraveling of bipartisan political support for Israel. Abrams emphasizes the importance of individual Jews feeling connected to the Jewish people and lays out practical ways to achieve this, such as knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish history, a relationship with Israel, and participation in a Jewish community. In "Plunder? How Museums Got Their Treasures," Justin M. Jacobs challenges the prevailing discourse that Western museums are illegitimate repositories of empire spoils. He argues that this notion is historically inaccurate and imposes a modern ideology on people in the past who would not have seen ancient artifacts as priceless national treasures. Jacobs acknowledges that some objects in Western museums were plundered, but the majority were acquired through diplomatic gifts, dealers, or archaeological digs. Finally, in "Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age," Rod Dreher argues that the world is not solely materialistic and rationalistic. He explores the existence of order, purpose, mystery, and means of connecting to the transcendent. Dreher calls for a "re-enchantment" through experiences of beauty, prayer, worship, and spiritual disciplines, as he believes we are entering a post-Christian age shaped by technology and a vacuum that will be filled by new forms of religion. [Extracted from the article]