Joseph Telushkin, named by Talk Magazine as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States, is the author of Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History. The most widely-selling book on Judaism of the past two decades, Jewish Literacy has been hailed by leading figures in all the major movements of Judaism, is the standard introductory work for non-Jews wishing to learn about Judaism, and recently came out in a third edition. In 2006, Bell Tower/Crown published the first volume of his monumental work, A Code of Jewish Ethics: You Shall be Holy, a comprehensive presentation of Jewish teachings on the vital topic of personal character and integrity. Richard Joel, president of Yeshiva University, called the book, “a gift to humankind,” and Paul Johnson wrote, “Judaism has the most sophisticated system of moral theology, or ethics, of any world religion, one which has been evolving for four millennia. This is the most comprehensive introduction to Jewish ethics to appear for many decades.” Telushkin regards the creation of this three-volume code of Jewish ethics as his life work. In early 2007, A Code of Jewish Ethics won the National Jewish Book Award as the Book of the Year. Volume 2 of the Code, subtitled, “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” was recently published (February 2009) to great acclaim. MacArthur Fellow Dr. Rebecca Goldstein wrote, “This work itself achieve a moral grandeur.”

Telushkin’s work, The Book of Jewish Values: A Day by Day Guide to Ethical Living was the subject of a PBS special entitled Moral Imagination that aired throughout the United States.

in 2000. In 2003, Bell Tower/Crown Books published The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life, and the same month, Touchstone/Simon and Schuster reissued a revised and expanded version of Why the Jews: The Reason for Antisemitism, which Telushkin co-authored with Dennis Prager. Rabbi Telushkin’s earlier book, Words that Hurt, Words that Heal became the motivating force behind Senators Joseph Lieberman and Connie Mack’s 1996 Senate Resolution # 151 to establish a “National Speak No Evil Day” throughout the United States.

He has also written Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews. Larry Gelbart, author of Mash and Tootsie said that “I don’t know if Jews are really the chosen people, but I think Joseph Telushkin’s book makes a strong argument that we’re the funniest.”  In 1997, his novel, An Eye for an Eye, became the basis for four episodes of David Kelley’s Emmy Award-winning ABC TV series, The Practice, and he went on to co-write three additional episodes of the program. He also co-wrote an episode of the TV series, Touched By An Angel, for Kirk Douglas, in which Mr. Douglas–who received an Emmy nomination for his role–starred as a man who, after a lifetime of struggle with his faith, returns to God. Telushkin was the co-writer with David Brandes of the 1991 film, The Quarrel. The film, an American Playhouse production, and the winner of the Santa Barbara Film Festival, was released theatrically throughout the United States.

 Rabbi Telushkin was ordained at Yeshiva University in New York, and pursued graduate studies in history at Columbia University. He resides in New York City with his wife, Dvorah Menashe Telushkin, and their four children, and lectures throughout the United States.

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