ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book talks about American Jewish thinkers; namely, Horace M. Kallen, Morris Raphael Cohen, Louis D. Brandeis, Leo Jung, Robert Gordis, and Jacob B. Agus. They are included because their work reflected essential Jewish values. Each in his own way dedicated his life to tikun olam, to the betterment of life and the advancement of human ideals. The nine persons belong together as American thinkers. Their Americanism permeated all their thoughts. A Jewish community that values its traditions has societies that are directed to meet every ethical obligation: it has a Hebrew free loan society, organizations set up to take care of needs from birth to burial. Philosophy and Judaism, however, unlike the law, could not be compartmentalized. They possessed not only mind but also heart.
