From brutal Nazi killers to Hanukkah heroes in the hood, tough Jews refute images of doomed Holocaust victims, wandering Jews of exile before them, and the post-war nice Jewish boys who followed. They foster belligerent responses to polemics of fear and self-hatred, and as such, materialize as a challenge for postmodern cultural identity. A Culture of Tough Jews reframes the tough Jew as an enduring act of rhetorical regeneration by reifying a related figure, the vital Jew. As corrective to the tough Jew, the vital Jew encourages robust cultural production and dialogue. For audiences...