Novel shines a light on Soviet WWII decison- making
This novel gives a detailed account of the days leading up to the German attempt to take Stalingrad in the summer of 1942, doing so by tracing the exploits of a group of former...
Rabbi Samuel introduces Philo to the modern world
The 1stCentury Jewish philosopher and religious scholar, Philo, was very familiar with the Torah, commenting here and there on different portions of the Five Books of Moses in writings that were spread over approximately...
Pondering in ‘Librarian’ where truth ends, fiction begins
This story, set in Prague, Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Hamburg, and Tel Aviv, is creative non-fiction. It appeared in Spanish in 2012 and was translated into English in 2017. The author found his subject by a...
Chesler’s memoir insightful into feminist movement
Possibly before, but especially after publication of Women and Madness, which exposed the practice of falsely committing women to insane asylums and the abuse of women within those institutions, author Phyllis Chesler has been among...
Moncrieff’s 40 packed years
As a former translator and great admirer of the works of Proust, both in the original French (a bit of a struggle for me) and in their delightful English version, I could not resist...
Novel probes stress between Jews and Blacks
Whoever said money can’t buy you happiness would have received resounding agreement from Jay Gladstone, the fictional philanthropist, real estate developer, and professional basketball team owner who is the protagonist of this novel. This...
A Holocaust book for older preteens
That there are casualties and atrocities in war for both soldiers and civilians is summed up best by General U. S. Grant, “War is hell!” How about when there is no war? Should civilians...
Suicide’s memoir indicts the Gur sect of Hassidim
The poor woman who wrote this book (and eventually committed suicide) was born into a specific sect, tantamount to a cult, of ultra-Orthodox Judaism known as the Gur Hassidim
As a child and teenager the...
‘Jewish Libya:’ background for the next James Michener
Jewish Libya is an anthology about a place that no longer exists. Since Israel’s successful 1967 war against several Arab armies, Jewish Libyans have thoroughly scattered to friendlier lands, chiefly Israel and Italy, and all...
Rabbi- historian examines the destiny of the Jews
Rabbi Ken Spiro’s new book, Destiny, successfully guides the reader through the central themes of Judaism: the impact of Jewish values on civilization, Jewish determination, the disproportionate impact of the Jewish people, anti-Semitism and...