This new edition of the prize-winning Encyclopaedia of Judaism is nearly double the size of the original three-volume edition. It features 52 new entries and includes the two separately published supplementary volumes and bibliographic updates. This second edition offers an authoritative, comprehensive, and systematic presentation of the current state of scholarship on fundamental issues of Judaism, both past and present. While heavy emphasis is placed on the classical literature of Judaism and its history, this edition also includes principal entries on circumcision, genetic engineering, homosexuality, intermarriage in American Judaism, and other acutely contemporary issues. Articles are written in essay form, and many are illustrated for further emphasis. The elaborate index facilitates ready access to significant people, places, and other factual information. This invaluable reference work is written for an audience from all backgrounds, scholars and general readers alike.