Harry Freedman (author)

Harry Freedman is a British author who writes on history, religion and culture.

Career

Born in London in 1950, Freedman is described by his publisher, Bloomsbury,[1] as Britain's leading author of popular works of Jewish culture and history. His book Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius,[2] which discusses the spiritual and mystical sources that Leonard Cohen drew upon in his music, was published in October 2021. David Kirby, for The Washington Post, described it as "brimming with insight.... peppered with many valuable observations".[3] His forthcoming book, Britain's Jews, about Jewish life in Britain today, was due to be published by Bloomsbury in February 2023.

His previous book, Reason To Believe: The Controversial Life of Rabbi Louis Jacobs, was published in November 2020. It is a biography of the English Jewish rabbi and theologian Louis Jacobs, whose views on revelation led him into conflict with the Orthodox rabbinate in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 2019, he published Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul. The book explores the history of Jewish mysticism, known as Kabbalah, from its earliest origins to the present day. For The Spectator, Nicola Barker wrote in 2019: "There is so much to ponder here and so little space to do it in. Which honestly renders Freedman’s bold attempt to do so an act bordering on the heroic."[4]

His book The Murderous History of Bible Translations was published by Bloomsbury in 2016. The book discusses controversial Bible translations, many of which have led to religious conflict and violence.

He wrote The Talmud: A Biography, published by Bloomsbury in 2014. In the book, he asserts that the Talmud is a classic of world literature and that its story is an account of one of the most important cultural, historical, and religious works of our time.[5]

In 2011, he published Jerusalem Imperilled, the first novel in a trilogy. Published only as an e-book, it tells the story of Levi, a young priest in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, who is captured and sent to Rome as a slave.

He published The Gospels' Veiled Agenda in December 2009. In it, he asserted that the Gospels draw on Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) sources to present a picture of Jesus that resonated culturally with the 1st-century Jewish audience for whom the Gospels were intended. He claimed that the Holy Grail is mentioned in all four gospels and is a central icon in understanding Jesus's true agenda.[6]

In his book How to Get a Job in a Recession, Freedman offers advice on how to find jobs more successfully than everyone else. In his book and articles,[7] he emphasizes that there are still plenty of new opportunities coming onto the market. He claims that even if there are fewer jobs in your particular industry, the chances of getting back to work quickly in another field remain high in this new recruiting environment.[8]

Freedman’s academic qualifications include first and postgraduate degrees in psychology, philosophy, and Aramaic.

Works

  • Shylock's Venice: The Remarkable History of Venice's Jews and the Ghetto (2024, ISBN 978-1-3994-0727-4)
  • Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius (2021, ISBN 978-1-4729-8730-3)
  • Reason To Believe: The Controversial Life of Rabbi Louis Jacobs (2020, ISBN 978-1-4729-7938-4)
  • Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul (2019, ISBN 978-1-4729-5098-7)
  • The Murderous History of Bible Translations (2016, ISBN 978-1-4729-2167-3)
  • The Talmud: A Biography (2014, ISBN 978-1-4729-0594-9)
  • Jerusalem Imperilled (2011, ISBN 978-1-4658-3372-3)
  • The Gospels' Veiled Agenda (2009, ISBN 978-1-84694-260-0)
  • How to Get a Job in a Recession (2009, ISBN 978-1-906821-09-8)

References

  1. ^ "Bloomsbury - Harry Freedman - Harry Freedman". www.bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25.
  2. ^ Freedman, Harry, July- (2021). Leonard Cohen: the Mystical Roots of Genius. London. ISBN 978-1-4729-8730-3. OCLC 1243352373.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Kirby, David (24 November 2021). "How Spirituality Shaped Leonard Cohen". Washington Post.
  4. ^ Barker, Nicola (24 January 2019). "A never-ending mystery". The Spectator. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ^ Dauber, Jeremy (2 November 2014). "Book Review: 'The Talmud: A Biography' by Harry Freedman". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ^ "The Gospels' Veiled Agenda – Revolution, Priesthood and the Holy Grail". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 17 February 2026. The holder of a doctorate in Aramaic translation of the Torah, Freedman deploys his knowledge of midrash with ingenuity, using the techniques of rabbinic interpretation to connect Hebrew sources with material in the Gospels. While his speculations rest on scholarship, he wears it lightly, leading the reader in an easy style to his conclusions about the Grail.
  7. ^ Freedman, Harry (2009-03-18). "How to get a job in a recession". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
  8. ^ "Workers fear for jobs in recession". Metro. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
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