Many of the soldiers responsible for that triumph would become the nation's future leaders, including the young paratroopers of reservists' Brigade 55, the unit responsible for restoring Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem. Yet within a few years, these brothers in arms found themselves heading conflicting political movements that would shape Israeli society and its politics.Through extensive reporting, Yossi Klein Halevi explores the lives of seven members of Brigade 55- a popular songwriter, a soldier-turned-radical, a brilliant economist, and religious revolutionaries-and traces their evolving beliefs. Emerging from a religious Zionist background, one group became founders and leaders of the West Bank settlement movement. The other-peace activists who grew out of the world of secular agrarian communes known as kibbutzim-rose in opposition to the settlements. Both groups agreed that Jewish statehood was a powerful, transformative event: For the founders of the kibbutz-based peace movement, Israel would become the laboratory for democratic communism. For many religious Zionists, Israel would become the catalyst for the messianic era.With a supporting cast of family members, politicians, and rabbis, Halevi captures the urgency of a victorious nation determined to define itself. Following the men of Brigade 55 over four decades, he adds a human dimension to the divergent movements that have had a major influence on this country and this volatile region, and provides a fascinating, in-depth portrait of modern Israel itself.

    Facing unprecedented internal and external pressures, Israel today is at a moment of existential crisis. Through revealing stories of significant events and of ordinary individuals—pioneers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, scientists, army generals, peaceniks, settlers, and Palestinians—Israeli journalist Ari Shavit illuminates many of the pivotal moments of the Zionist century that led Israel to where it is today. We meet the youth group leader who recognized the potential of Masada as a powerful symbol for Zionism; the young farmer who bought an orange grove from his Arab neighbor in the 1920s, and with the Jaffa orange helped to create a booming economy in Palestine; the engineer who was instrumental in developing Israel’s nuclear program; the religious Zionists who started the settler movement. Over an illustrious career that has spanned almost thirty years, Shavit has had rare access to people from across the Israeli political, economic, and social spectrum, and in this ambitious work he tells a riveting story that is both deeply human and of profound historical dimension.As it examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, My Promised Land asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? And can Israel survive? Culminating with an analysis of the issues and threats that Israel is currently facing, both internal and external, My Promised Land uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. The result is a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today’s global political landscape.

    A single china cup from a tea set left behind when Jews were forced to leave Russia helps hold a family together through generations of living in America, reminding them of the most important things in life.

    Lev is born in the midst of a terrorist attack. Etgar’s father gets cancer. The threat of constant war looms over their home and permeates daily life.What emerges from this dark reality is a series of sublimely absurd ruminations on everything from Etgar’s three-year-old son’s impending military service to the terrorist mind-set behind Angry Birds. There’s Lev’s insistence that he is a cat, releasing him from any human responsibilities or rules. Etgar’s siblings, all very different people who have chosen radically divergent paths in life, come together after his father’s shivah to experience the grief and love that tie a family together forever. This wise, witty memoir—Etgar’s first non-fiction book, and told in his inimitable style—is full of wonder and life and love, poignant insights, and irrepressible humor.

     In the year 1930, three farmers committed suicide here . . . but contrary to the chronicles of our committee and the conclusions of the British policeman, the people of the moshava knew that only two of the suicides had actually taken their own lives, whereas the third suicide had been murdered. This is the contention of Ruta Tavori, a high school teacher and independent thinker in this small farming community, writing seventy years later about that murder and about two charismatic men she loves and is trying to forgive her grandfather and her husband and her son, whom she mourns and misses. In a story rich with the grit, humor, and near-magical evocation of Israeli rural life for which Meir Shalev is beloved by readers, Ruta weaves a tale of friendship between men, of love and betrayal, that carries us from British Palestine to present-day Israel, where forgiveness, atonement, and understanding can finally happen."

    With cinematic power and beauty, bestselling author David Laskin limns his own genealogy to tell the spellbinding tale of the three drastically different paths that his family members took across the span of 150 years. In the latter half of the nineteenth century Laskin’s great-great-grandfather, a Torah scribe named Shimon Dov HaKohen, raised six children with his wife, Beyle, in a yeshiva town at the western fringe of the Russian empire. The pious couple expected their sons and daughters to carry the family tradition into future generations. But the social and political upheavals of the twentieth century decreed otherwise. The HaKohen family split off into three branches. One branch emigrated to America and founded the fabulously successful Maidenform Bra Company; one branch went to Palestine as pioneers and participated in the contentious birth of the state of Israel; and the third branch remained in Europe and suffered the Holocaust. In tracing the roots of his own family, Laskin captures the epic sweep of twentieth-century history. A modern-day scribe, Laskin honors the traditions, the lives, and the choices of his ancestors: revolutionaries and entrepreneurs, scholars and farmers, tycoons and truck drivers. The Family is an eloquent masterwork of true grandeur—a deeply personal, dramatic, and universal account of a people caught in a cataclysmic time in world history.

    When all Jews were ordered to appear at a gathering point, he didn’t go and persuaded others not to go either. Pretending to be a collaborator for the occupation authorities, he kept on saving lives. He rode his bike to nearby villages to barter goods for his family, at the same time trying to get in touch with partisan units. Like a true ‘blade runner’, he always had a narrow escape until a traitor denounced him. Even then, in the concentration camp, forced to exhume and burn the corpses of those massacred in the first months of the occupation, he didn’t think of death – he thought of freedom. And he led others with him - out from the camp, towards life and a happy future – just a day before their scheduled execution. In the night streets of Kiev, hiding from patrols, they made their way home, to reunite with their families. A dreamlike story, but a true one. Some say, Ziama never existed and the story is a fiction. To contradict this statement and to prove the authenticity of the described events, I found transcripts of the KGB interrogations of the witnesses and of those guilty of the crimes committed in Babi Yar, Kiev, in 1941-1943. This is the truth the world needs to know. The further in time we are from the Holocaust, the more denial and more lies we encounter. So that no Jew would ever have to hide under a Gentile name, so that no Jew would ever have his life threatened for the mere fact that he is a Jew – read and spread Ziama’s message to the world. And if the worst happens and History repeats itself – let Ziama’s heroism be an example to all of us how to fight back and not allow anything to destroy us.Here at last, after 70 years, the final truth about Babi Yar.

    In “Casualties,” Tsabari takes us into the military—a world every Israeli knows all too well—with a brusque, sexy young female soldier who forges medical leave forms to make ends meet. Poets, soldiers, siblings and dissenters, the protagonists here are mostly Israelis of Mizrahi background (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent), whose stories have rarely been told in literature. In illustrating the lives of those whose identities swing from fiercely patriotic to powerfully global, The Best Place on Earth explores Israeli history as it illuminates the tenuous connections—forged, frayed and occasionally destroyed—between cultures, between generations and across the gulf of transformation and loss.

    With deep learning and elegance, David Nirenberg shows how foundational anti-Judaism is to the history of the West. Questions of how we are Jewish and, more critically, how and why we are not have been churning within the Western imagination throughout its history. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world. The thrust of this tradition construes Judaism as an opposition, a danger often from within, to be criticized, attacked, and eliminated. The intersections of these ideas with the world of power the Roman destruction of the Second Temple, the Spanish Inquisition, the German Holocaust are well known. The ways of thought underlying these tragedies can be found at the very foundation of Western history.

    Establishing a Palestinian state, so the thinking goes, would be a panacea for all the region’s ills. It would end the Arab world’s conflict with Israel, because the reason the Arab world is anti-Israel is that there is no Palestinian state. It would also nearly erase the principal cause of the violent extremism in the rest of the Middle East. In a time when American politics are marked by partisan gridlock, the two-state solution stands out for its ability to attract supporters from both sides of the ideological divide. But the great irony is that it is one of the most irrational and failed policies the United States has ever adopted. Between 1970 and 2013, the United States presented nine different peace plans for Israel and the Palestinians, and for the past twenty years, the two state solution has been the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy. But despite this laser focus, American efforts to implement a two-state peace deal have failed—and with each new attempt, the Middle East has become less stable, more violent, more radicalized, and more inimical to democratic values and interests.       In The Israeli Solution, Caroline Glick, senior contributing editor to the Jerusalem Post, examines the history and misconceptions behind the two-state policy, most notably:- The huge errors made in counting the actual numbers of Jews and Arabs in the region. The 1997 Palestinian Census, upon which most two-state policy is based, wildly exaggerated the numbers of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.- Neglect of the long history of Palestinian anti-Semitism, refusal to negotiate in good faith, terrorism, and denial of Israel’s right to exist.- Disregard for Israel’s stronger claims to territorial sovereignty under international law, as well as the long history of Jewish presence in the region.- Indifference to polling data that shows the Palestinian people admire Israeli society and governance. Despite a half-century of domestic and international terrorism, anti-semitism, and military attacks from regional neighbors who reject its right to exist, Israel has thrived as the Middle East’s lone democracy.   After a century spent chasing a two-state policy that hasn’t brought the Israelis and Palestinians any closer to peace, The Israeli Solution offers an alternative path to stability in the Middle East based on Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

    This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to his life and work, revealing how his philosophical sensibility and outlook informed his interpretation of Jewish tradition.Moshe Halbertal vividly describes Maimonides's childhood in Muslim Spain, his family's flight to North Africa to escape persecution, and their eventual resettling in Egypt. He draws on Maimonides's letters and the testimonies of his contemporaries, both Muslims and Jews, to offer new insights into his personality and the circumstances that shaped his thinking. Halbertal then turns to Maimonides's legal and philosophical work, analyzing his three great books--Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. He discusses Maimonides's battle against all attempts to personify God, his conviction that God's presence in the world is mediated through the natural order rather than through miracles, and his locating of philosophy and science at the summit of the religious life of Torah. Halbertal examines Maimonides's philosophical positions on fundamental questions such as the nature and limits of religious language, creation and nature, prophecy, providence, the problem of evil, and the meaning of the commandments.A stunning achievement, Maimonides offers an unparalleled look at the life and thought of this important Jewish philosopher, scholar, and theologian.

    Bubba Brayna makes the best latkes in the village, and on the first night of Hanukkah, the scent of her cooking wakes a hungry, adorable bear from his hibernation. He lumbers into town to investigate, and Bubba Brayna--who does not see or hear very well--mistakes him for her rabbi. She welcomes the bear inside to play the dreidel game, light the menorah, and enjoy a scrumptious meal.However, after her well-fed guest leaves, there's a knock at the door--it's the rabbi, and all of Brayna's other friends, arriving for dinner. But there are no latkes left--and together, they finally figure out who really ate them.Lively illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka, portraying the sprightly Bubba Brayna and her very hungry guest, accompany this instant family favorite, a humorous reworking of Eric A. Kimmel's earlier classic tale, The Chanukkah Guest. A traditional recipe for latkes is included in the back matter, along with interesting, digestible facts about the history and traditions of Hanukkah.A 2013 National Jewish Book Award Winner, this book is perfect for a holiday story time with children-- either in the classroom or at home, as an introduction for young readers to the traditions and customs of Hanukkah, and as a classic to return to year after year.

    But in the aftermath, Avi is forced to flee to America. His darling wife Sara and the rest of his family soon follow – all except his brother Lieb, who stubbornly refuses to abandon his home. In ensuing years, while Avi lives the American immigrant’s dream, Lieb lives Russia’s nightmare: World War I, the Communist revolution, civil war, typhus, and famine. Still Lieb rejects Avi’s pleas to leave Russia. Then on the eve of World War II, Stalin’s pathological purges finally ensnare Lieb’s family. At last he realizes he must escape the Communist nightmare, but now all avenues are blocked, and Hitler’s armies are gathering. He turns to Avi, his brother in America, who frantically tries to rescue Lieb and his family with little more to work with than his own wit. Stretching from pre-Revolution Russia to post-Holocaust America, A Fine September Morning blends historical facts and fictional characters into a compelling epic family saga.

    It spans the millennia and the continents - from India to Andalusia and from the bazaars of Cairo to the streets of Oxford. It takes you to unimagined places: to a Jewish kingdom in the mountains of southern Arabia; a Syrian synagogue glowing with radiant wall paintings; the palm groves of the Jewish dead in the Roman catacombs. And its voices ring loud and clear, from the severities and ecstasies of the Bible writers to the love poems of wine bibbers in a garden in Muslim Spain.And a great story unfolds. Not - as often imagined - of a culture apart, but of a Jewish world immersed in and imprinted by the peoples among whom they have dwelled, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, from the Arabs to the Christians. Which makes the story of the Jews everyone's story, too.

    But on the inside, Rikki and her older sister Daniella are struggling to cope with their desperate home situation, which they must keep hidden at all costs. When their mother's mental illness reaches new depths, the facade that the two sisters have worked so hard to build is shattered. The girls valiantly attempt to keep their lives afloat, guarding their horrifying secrets from well-meaning friends and teachers who want to help. They're worn out by the deception, but can't imagine any other solution. Will Rikki and Daniella be able to transcend the secrecy that has ruled their lives and find the help they need to recover?

    These spiritual seekers make up 20 percent of the adult American population; they are the spiritual equivalent of political independents. Refusing to limit themselves to one religion or another, these seekers without borders are open to wisdom wherever it can be found.This is a "bible" for this vast and growing social movement. It weaves sacred texts and teachings from the world's major religions--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and more--into a coherent exploration of the five core questions at the heart of every religion's search:- Who am I? - Where did I come from? - Where am I going? - How shall I live? - Why?It couples these sacred teachings with modern commentary designed to help readers use these texts in their daily lives. It also provides the basics of spiritual mentor Eknath Easwaran's Passage Meditation to help you internalize the texts that articulate your deepest insights and values.

    When we genuinely care about people, we will not only welcome them; we will listen to their stories, we will share ours, and we will join together to build a Jewish community that enriches our lives."--from the IntroductionMembership in Jewish organizations is down. Day school enrollment has peaked. Federation campaigns are flat. The fastest growing and second largest category of Jews is "Just Jewish." Young Jewish adults are unengaged and aging baby boomers are disengaging. Yet, in the era of Facebook, people crave face-to-face community."It's all about relationships." With this simple, but profound idea, noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to transform the old model of Jewish institutions into relational communities. He sets out twelve principles of relational engagement to guide Jewish lay leaders, professionals and community members in transforming institutions into inspiring communities whose value-proposition is to engage people and connect them to Judaism and community in meaningful and lasting ways.

    Beloved by audiences the world over, performed from rural high schools to grand state theaters, Fiddler is a supremely potent cultural landmark.In a history as captivating as its subject, award-winning drama critic Alisa Solomon traces how and why the story of Tevye the milkman, the creation of the great Yiddish writer Sholem-Aleichem, was reborn as blockbuster entertainment and a cultural touchstone, not only for Jews and not only in America. It is a story of the theater, following Tevye from his humble appearance on the New York Yiddish stage, through his adoption by leftist dramatists as a symbol of oppression, to his Broadway debut in one of the last big book musicals, and his ultimate destination—a major Hollywood picture.Solomon reveals how the show spoke to the deepest conflicts and desires of its time: the fraying of tradition, generational tension, the loss of roots. Audiences everywhere found in Fiddler immediate resonance and a usable past, whether in Warsaw, where it unlocked the taboo subject of Jewish history, or in Tokyo, where the producer asked how Americans could understand a story that is "so Japanese."Rich, entertaining, and original, Wonder of Wonders reveals the surprising and enduring legacy of a show about tradition that itself became a tradition.Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.

    Contained within these exchanges are profound life-lessons in relationships, parenting, leadership, faith, and personal well-being. This book of wisdom has the power to enrich your life and help effect personal growth and meaningful living.

    If you don't want to be a divorce statistic and are ready for a long-lasting relationship, this book's for you. In today's divorce culture, too many people have stopped trusting their ability to build a loving and lasting marriage. Now renowned relationship coach and counselor Chana Levitan reveals the 10 essential questions everyone should ask before saying "I do." Readers will learn how to: spot long-term potential; know the difference between infatuation and love-how they work against each other and yet how they can work together; reevaluate their approach to love and what they really need to succeed in building a loving marriage; gain the confidence to steer through the decision making process of dating; and more. Filled with real-life anecdotes and insightful advice, I ONLY WANT TO GET MARRIED ONCE helps readers get it right the first time.

    Sixty years later, the memory of trauma has shaped both peoples' collective understanding of who they are.After a war, the victors write history. How was the story of the exiled Palestinians erased – from textbooks, maps, even the land? How do Jewish and Palestinian Israelis now engage with the histories of the Palestinian Nakba ("Catastrophe") and the Holocaust, and how do these echo through the political and physical landscapes of their country?Vividly narrated, with extensive original interview material, Contested Land, Contested Memory examines how these tangled histories of suffering inform Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli lives today, and frame Israel's possibilities for peace.

    Experience teaches that the burden of guilt is as difficult for people to bear as the burden of obligation. Philosophers and novelists alike note that irritation with this burden can quickly turn to resentment. So should Jews therefore be especially careful not to present themselves as victims, and not to express fears that the Holocaust might happen again?Does the same law apply to anti-Semitism? Does it, too, perpetuate itself the moment it is pointed out and contested? Anti-Zionists argue that their argument is not with Jews themselves, but they often claim their own immunity from criticism, as though hatred of Israel gives automatic exemption from the charge of anti-Semitism. Today ways would seem to be proliferating in which anti-Semitism can be simultaneously expressed and denied. Howard Jacobson wonders if this chain of animosity can ever be broken.An award-winning writer and broadcaster, Howard Jacobson was born in Manchester, brought up in Prestwich and was educated at Stand Grammar School in Whitefield, and Downing College, Cambridge, where he studied under F. R. Leavis. He lectured for three years at the University of Sydney before returning to teach at Selwyn College, Cambridge. His novels include The Mighty Walzer (winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize), Kalooki Nights (longlisted for the Man Booker Prize), the highly acclaimed The Act of Love and, most recently, the Man Booker Prize 2010-winning The Finkler Question. Howard Jacobson lives in London.

    He has been hailed as a hero, honored as a visionary, and endlessly quoted as a devotional writer. In this sympathetic, yet critical, examination, Shai Held elicits the overarching themes and unity of Heschel's incisive and insightful thought. Focusing on the idea of transcendence--or the movement from self-centeredness to God-centeredness--Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion.

    Can they believe what is written?From the closing months of WWII to the men’s departure for America from a Displaced Persons camp, the manuscript chronicles their troubled journey.

    miracles that sound magical; a good God vs. the tragedies that strike all living creatures; a God who knows the future absolutely vs. an open future that you help to shape through your choices.This fascinating introduction to Process Theology from a Jewish perspective shows that these are false choices. Inspiring speaker, spiritual leader and philosopher Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson presents an overview of what Process Theology is and what it can mean for your spiritual life. He explains how Process Theology can break you free from the strictures of ancient Greek and medieval European philosophy, allowing you to see all creation not as this or that, us or them, but as related patterns of energy through which we connect to everything. Armed with Process insights and tools, you can break free from outdated religious dichotomies and affirm that your religiosity, your spirit, your mind and your ethics all strengthen and refine each other.

    This book brings to life an irresistible blend of healing stories, fascinating history, and a fair-minded perspective on Israel-Palestine, inviting us to use privilege to shift power and midwife justice. Includes action-oriented Reader's Guide, for groups or individuals.

    Gloria Brame has changed their lives. Find out why in SEX FOR GROWN-UPS. The ultimate sex-positive adult primer, SEX FOR GROWN-UPS, takes a delightfully original and upbeat approach to sex based on three simple rules--that human sexual behavior is complicated, that sex and gender diversity are normal, and that all adults can have pleasurable sex. In a radical departure from institutionalized theories about what sex should be, Brame explains the facts about what sex actually is, and shows you how to use this information to improve your sex life and relationships. Drawing on sex history, scientific data, sex studies, medical studies, and stories from her private practice, SEX FOR GROWN-UPS gives you sex education you never knew you needed and will always be grateful you received.About the Author: GLORIA G. BRAME, Ph.D. in Human Sexuality, is an author, blogger, sex historian, board-certified sexologist, and sex therapist in private practice. Brame is the world's leading authority on fetishes and BDSM, and is a much-quoted expert on mainstream sexual issues, including performance disorders and orgasmic function. In addition to The Truth About Sex, Volume I: Sex and the Self and Volume II: Sex for Grown-Ups, she is the author of perennial bestsellers Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission and Come Hither: A Commonsense Guide to Kinky Sex. A full professor of Human Sexuality at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, Brame also sits on the board of the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance. Most recently, Brame was named among the -10 Best Sex and Dating Experts, - by DatingAdvice.com. Google Gloria Brame or follow @DrGloriaBrame on Twitter.

    Nor moved through the East Village and Jerusalem, Syria and Lebanon, with a guide who spies ‘what grows in broken concrete.' This is exploration and revelation via the road less traveled. Where she finally lands pales beside how she sees the world through her tongue. The journey is all.”Solecism is the nonstandard or ungrammatical usage, a breach in etiquette, or any error, impropriety or inconsistency; these poems, according to Alexander Long, “confront the darker side of multi-culturalism, the vertiginous disorientation of being neither this nor that, neither here nor there, essentially being exiled in her own homelands. “ Gritty yet lyrical, Kamilah Aisha Moon says “these brazen, keen explorations are lit by intriguing desires that mirror and unearth our own, fueled by a deft imagination and wielding of language that rings deeply true. The world needs these tough angel anthems.”Drawing upon the author’s Jewish, Middle Eastern and Mexican heritage, Stephan Delbos remarks: “Her poetry is aware of the world's urgencies, and, troubled, engages them in a barbed dream-language of vengeful longing, a language as fragmented as our world, achieving a startled and startling wholeness from the vivid pieces.” Andre Yang observes: “There is a great fierceness in these poems that is balanced with just the right amount of tenderness” In this stunning debut, as Marian Haddad claims, “Ben-Oni is the dark bird— that sparrow, singing.”

    Each word in Biblical Hebrew is numbered, presented in Hebrew script and in transliteration and is accompanied by a pronunciation guide.

    . . As a biography, Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution is literature in its own right; and as a historical document, it startles with revelation after revelation.”—Cynthia Ozick Rav Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis of the twentieth century. A visionary writer and outstanding rabbinic leader, Kook was a philosopher, mystic, poet, jurist, communal leader, and veritable saint. The first chief rabbi of Jewish Palestine and the founding theologian of religious Zionism, he struggled to understand and shape his revolutionary times. His life and writings resonate with the defining tensions of Jewish life and thought.A powerfully original thinker, Rav Kook combined strict traditionalism and an embrace of modernity, Orthodoxy and tolerance, piety and audacity, scholasticism and ecstasy, and passionate nationalism with profound universalism. Though little known in the English-speaking world, his life and teachings are essential to understanding current Israeli politics, contemporary Jewish spirituality, and modern Jewish thought. This biography, the first in English in more than half a century, offers a rich and insightful portrait of the man and his complex legacy. Yehudah Mirsky clears away widespread misunderstandings of Kook’s ideas and provides fresh insights into his personality and worldview. Mirsky demonstrates how Kook's richly erudite, dazzlingly poetic writings convey a breathtaking vision in which "the old will become new, and the new will become holy."About Jewish Lives:  Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present. In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.More praise for Jewish Lives: "Excellent." –New York Times "Exemplary." –Wall Street Journal "Distinguished." –New Yorker "Superb." –The Guardian

    Inside are nearly 100 “Pajama Diaries” comics featuring holidays like Passover and Hanukkah, as well as the long-running 2013 story line about the planning of Amy Kaplan’s Bat Mitzvah. Two page-long descriptions provide background for the cartoons, which are divided into holiday and Bat Mitzvah strips. Modern multitasking families of all faiths will certainly enjoy this book.

    It documents the ridiculously hectic days of Jill Kaplan and her family from 2011-2012… but with a preteen twist. Like Libenson’s first book, “Pajama Diaries: Deja To-Do,” this contains full-color daily and Sunday strips, and includes a bonus selection of “The Parents’ Glossary of Terms.” Multitasking families everywhere will continue to see themselves in this funny, contemporary cartoon.

    Tevye, the wisecracking, Bible-quoting man of God, tells the story of his family’s new life against the backdrop of the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.In AFTER ANATEVKA, Tevye decides to take his wife and three youngest daughters (the three eldest remain in Russia with their husbands) to live on a kibbutz where he must adjust to a secular lifestyle and struggle with the tension between the kibbutzniks’ “religion” of labor and his Jewish beliefs. While Tevye is uncomfortable with the lack of religiosity on the kibbutz, he is gratified to be the one who can teach the laws and traditions of Judaism to the members. As the most learned man on the secular kibbutz, Tevye takes on his long desired role to be the authority on Jewish law who is sought out for answers to difficult questions of law and religion. The clash between tradition and life in Palestine manifests itself, however, in Tevye’s relationship with his daughters, who become assimilated in the kibbutz culture. For example, Tevye is thrilled to learn that one daughter wants to marry the son of a wealthy Jew from the city, but is dismayed when he discovers the young man is a socialist who is estranged from his family. A second daughter, Devorah, works in the kibbutz infirmary and falls in love with an injured fighter from the Jewish underground. When the injured fighter is arrested, Devorah goes to take his place. To Tevye's chagrin, she eschews a traditional female role and becomes a soldier who eventually assists with the illegal immigration of Jews to Palestine. Through her efforts to save Jews, Tevye learns the full horror of the Holocaust.For Tevye's wife, Golde, the most important thing in life is keeping her family together. Golde secretly stays in touch with her daughters Hodel and Tzeitel in Russia, and Chava, who married out of the faith, and moves to the United States. Tevye has disowned Chava and, despite Golde's pleas, refuses to utter her name. Despite the time and distance apart, Golde dreams that the family will someday be reunited.AFTER ANATEVKA is set against the backdrop of the Zionist conflict with the Arabs. Tevye develops a relationship with a Bedouin sheikh, who explains why the Arab claim to Palestine is as valid as that of the Jews, which convinces Tevye war is inevitable. Before fighting for survival in Palestine, however, the Zionists must first win the political battle at the United Nations where a vote will be held to determine whether Palestine should be divided into a Jewish and an Arab state.Millions of people around the world are familiar with the stories of Sholom Aleichem from the movie and play, Fiddler on the Roof, which was an amalgamation of stories about Tevye and his family. The author wrote other stories involving Tevye, however, which were not in Fiddler. AFTER ANATEVKA is inspired by one of those stories, “Tevye Goes to Palestine.”

    It was called, The First Step: A Primer of a Jew's Spiritual Life, and was printed in a simple stapled booklet edition which he mailed out to friends and students. But it was not long before this humble booklet had reached readers as diverse as President Zalman Shazar of Israel and the famous author of The Seven Storey Mountain, Father Thomas Merton. In 1965, it was included as a chapter in the widely influential Jewish Catalog, and read by thousands of young Jews in the late 60s and early 70s looking for an authentically Jewish approach to meditation. Then, for many years, the booklet fell out of use until it was completely revised and updated in 1993, in a new booklet called, Gate to the Heart: An Evolving Process, which was again privately printed and distributed within the Jewish Renewal movement. In this expanded version, the booklet inspired a whole new generation of Jewish contemplatives looking for a manual of Jewish practice. Now, after being revised and supplemented once again, Reb Zalman's first and most personal book, the culmination of over 60 years of spiritual guidance work, is finally being published and made available to the general public. "For me, Gate to the Heart is the one essential book by Reb Zalman. Although there are others that go into more depth, and are more expansive on certain topics, none convey his authentic voice and brilliant creativity more that this one. It is the book that I want to carry with me at all times, a true vade mecum that one can consult again and again to renew one's spiritual practice." --- Netanel Miles-Yepez, co-author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters

    Plus, Jamie offers a whole chapter on the art of making challah, 10 sweet and savory recipes, holiday menus, a special Passover section.

    Its corollary was more elusive. Was it possible to remember—at least to recall—a world that existed before the calamity?”  In the winter of 2000, Louise Steinman set out to attend an international Bearing Witness Retreat at Auschwitz-Birkenau at the invitation of her Zen rabbi, who felt the Poles had gotten a “bum rap.” A bum rap? Her own mother could not bear to utter the word “Poland,” a country, Steinman was taught, that allowed and perhaps abetted the genocide that decimated Europe’s Jewish population, including members of her own extended family.   As Steinman learns more about her lost ancestors, though, she finds that the history of Polish-Jewish relations is far more complex. Although German-occupied Poland was the site of horrific Jewish persecution, Poland was for centuries the epicenter of European Jewish life. After the war, Polish-Jewish relations soured. For Poles under Communism, it was taboo to examine or discuss the country’s Jewish past. Among Jews in the Diaspora, there was little acknowledgment of the Poles’ immense suffering during its dual occupation.   Steinman’s research leads her to her grandparents’ town of Radomsko, whose eighteen thousand Jews were deported or shot during the Nazi occupation. As she delves deeper into the town’s and her family’s history, Steinman discovers a prewar past where a lively community of Jews and Catholics lived shoulder to shoulder, where a Polish Catholic painted the blue ceiling of the Radomsko synagogue, and a Jewish tinsmith roofed the spires of the Catholic church. She also uncovers untold stories of Poles who rescued their Jewish neighbors in Radomsko and helps bring these heroes to the light of day.   Returning time and again to Poland over the course of a decade, Steinman finds Poles who are seeking the truth about the past, however painful, and creating their own rituals to teach their towns about the history of their lost Jewish neighbors. This lyrical memoir chronicles her immersion in the exhilarating, discomforting, sometimes surreal, and ultimately healing process of Polish-Jewish reconciliation.

    Thousands of media articles have been written about Ayn Rand’s ideas. A firestorm of criticism has followed. How is one to make sense of all the competing claims about Rand's ideas? What did Ayn Rand believe? Was she a prophetic visionary who sounded a warning bell about creeping socialism and the financial disaster that would follow in its wake? Did she define what is quintessentially American—individualism, self-authorship, achievement, and freedom? Or was she the lowest of the low, a fawning and vapid worshipper of wealthy persons and unbridled power? If someone asked you to explain Rand's basic ideas, could you? This illuminating book reveals the "clockwork" behind many critics' misunderstandings and distortions of her ideas and provides simple and straightforward explanations of prominent “myths” about Ayn Rand.Whether you decide to embrace Ayn Rand's ideas or reject them, or simply want to be able to participate in an informed way in conversations about Rand’s ideas, this slim volume will help you understand her revolutionary philosophy and identify the myths circulating about her ideas. In these essays, four authors identify some prominent myths, show why they are false, and state the plain facts that the myths conceal.*AUTHORS*The authors of this book include: *David Kelley.* David is a professional philosopher, teacher, best-selling author. After earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1975, he joined the philosophy department of Vassar College, where he remained until 1984. He has also taught at Brandeis University as a Visiting Lecturer. Among his books are Unrugged Individualism: The Selfish Basis of Benevolence; The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand; The Evidence of the Senses, a treatise on epistemology; and The Art of Reasoning, one of the most widely used logic textbooks in the country. With Roger Donway, he co-authored Laissez Parler: Freedom in the Electronic Media, a critique of government regulation. He is also the author of A Life of One's Own: Individual Rights and the Welfare State, a critique of the moral premises of the welfare state and defense of private alternatives that preserve individual autonomy, responsibility, and dignity.His articles on social issues and public policy have appeared in Harper's, The Sciences, Reason, Harvard Business Review, The Freeman, and elsewhere. He has been an editorial writer for Barron's, has appeared on 20/20 and the ABC News special, "Greed" With John Stossel, and has written and lectured extensively on issues in philosophy, politics, and public affairs.

    Or, even better, to discover that oneness right here, in a loving but transformative embrace of both world and self."--from "To the Reader"While Hasidic tales have become widely known to modern audiences, the profound spiritual teachings that stand at the very heart of Hasidism have remained a closed book for all except scholars. This fascinating selection--presented in two volumes following the weekly Torah reading and the holiday cycle, and featured in English and Hebrew--makes the teachings accessible in an extraordinary way.Volume 1 covers Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus, and includes a history of early Hasidism and a summary of central religious teachings of the Maggid's school. Volume 2 covers Numbers and Deuteronomy and the holiday cycle, and includes brief biographies of the Hasidic figures. Each teaching is presented with a fresh translation and contemporary commentary that builds a bridge between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries. And each teaching concludes with a dynamic round-table discussion between distinguished Jewish scholar Arthur Green and his closest students--the editors of this volume. They highlight the wisdom that is most meaningful for them, thus serving as a contemporary circle's reflections on the original mystical circle of master and disciples who created these teachings.Volume 1 of a 2-volume set

    Or, even better, to discover that oneness right here, in a loving but transformative embrace of both world and self."--from "To the Reader"While Hasidic tales have become widely known to modern audiences, the profound spiritual teachings that stand at the very heart of Hasidism have remained a closed book for all except scholars. This fascinating selection--presented in two volumes following the weekly Torah reading and the holiday cycle, and featured in English and Hebrew--makes the teachings accessible in an extraordinary way.Volume 1 covers Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus, and includes a history of early Hasidism and a summary of central religious teachings of the Maggid's school. Volume 2 covers Numbers and Deuteronomy and the holiday cycle, and includes brief biographies of the Hasidic figures. Each teaching is presented with a fresh translation and contemporary commentary that builds a bridge between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries. And each teaching concludes with a dynamic round-table discussion between distinguished Jewish scholar Arthur Green and his closest students--the editors of this volume. They highlight the wisdom that is most meaningful for them, thus serving as a contemporary circle's reflections on the original mystical circle of master and disciples who created these teachings.Volume 2 of a 2-volume set

    But the age of Jewish modernity is over.             That’s the argument that historian Enzo Traverso mounts in this provocative book. With great sensitivity and nuance, he teases out the fundamentally conservative turn that the mainstream of Jewish thought has taken in the years since World War II, revealing its roots in the Holocaust and the establishment of the United Nations and Israel as the new poles of Jewish communal life. Building his argument on a highly original reading of Hannah Arendt’s writings on Jewishness and politics, Traverso offers both an elegy to a lost tradition and a damning intellectual history of the present.

    This groundbreaking book explores what the recitation of Kaddish has meant specifically to women. Did they find the consolation, closure, and community they were seeking? How did saying Kaddish affect their relationships with God, with prayer, with the deceased, and with the living? With courage and generosity, 52 authors from around the world reflect upon their experiences of mourning. They share their relationships with the family members they lost and what it meant to move on; how they struggled to balance the competing demands of child rearing, work, and grief; what they learned about tradition and themselves; and the disappointments and particular challenges they confronted as women. The collection shares viewpoints from diverse perspectives and backgrounds and examines what it means to heal from loss and to honor memory in family relationships, both loving and fraught with pain. It is a precious record of women searching for their place within Jewish tradition and exploring the connections that make human life worthwhile.

    Raised in a Black-Jewish household in Providence, Rhode Island, Samuels is an award-winning poet, educator, and community organizer who has compiled a new collection of naked, poetic work shared at readings in prisons and workshops all across the US.

    He invented the concept and word “genocide” and propelled the idea into international legal status.An uncommonly creative pioneer in ethical thought, he twice was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Although Lemkin died alone and in poverty, he left behind a model for a life of activism, a legacy of major contributions to international law, and—not least—an unpublished autobiography. Presented here for the first time is his own account of his life, from his boyhood on a small farm in Poland with his Jewish parents, to his perilous escape from Nazi Europe, through his arrival in the United States and rise to influence as an academic, thinker, and revered lawyer of international criminal law.

    “Jews Don’t Expel Jews” she cried along with the Zionist activists seeking to stop what they called “The Expulsion.” Once she is dragged out of her home by the Jewish army she had once idolized–and to which her brother lost his life–she decides: Screw it. Screw God. Screw the country. Screw the Jewish people. She sets off for Israel’s big city, Tel Aviv, seductively fertile ground for a religious rebel. The colorful lights and sizzling music of Tel Aviv's world-famous nightclub, Atlantis, ignite her love for dance. Despite herself, she is drawn to its charismatic, liberal owner, Ziv Harel. He's intrigued by the prospect of transforming a “religious settler” into a nightlife queen.Their tortured romance forces both to confront their deep-seated values, but how far will Sarah go to question who she is and what she believes—and at what cost?

    Exploring—in his own family and in culture and politics at large—how Jews have shed their minority status in the United States, poet Kevin Coval shows us a people’s transformation out of diaspora, landing on both sides of the color line.

    But it all gets sorted out when she invites her animal friends to a joyful Hanukkah party.

     At the core of Hebrew, Complete Edition is the Living Language Method™, based on linguistic science, proven techniques, and over 65 years of experience. Our method teaches you the whole language, so you can express yourself, not just recite memorized words or scripts. Millions have learned with Living Language®. Now it’s your turn.    • 3 Books: 46 lessons, additional review exercises, culture notes, and a grammar summary   • 9 Audio CDs: Vocabulary, dialogues, audio exercises, and more—listen while using the books or use for review on the go    • Free Online Learning: Visit our Language Lab (www.livinglanguage.com/languagelab) for additional practice and reinforcement of lesson materialTo learn more visit livinglanguage.com.  The Living Language Method™ Build a FoundationStart speaking Hebrew immediately using essential words and phrases. Progress with ConfidenceBuild on each lesson as you advance to full sentences, then actual conversations.  Retain what You’ve LearnedSpecial recall exercises move your new language from short-term to long-term memory. Achieve Your GoalsDon’t just mimic or memorize. Develop practical language skills to speak in any situation.

    

    An intimate recording of how the disease acts as a slow moving wedge to separate us from the ones we love. A powerful testament to all who love, care give and ultimately say goodbye.

    

    Rabbi Shefa Gold, beloved teacher of chant, Jewish mysticism, prayer and spirituality, introduces you to this transformative spiritual practice as a way to unlock the power of sacred texts and take prayer and meditation into the delight of your life. She illuminates the usefulness, benefits and blessings of chant by:Teaching you the theory and foundations of chant--its relation to beauty, pleasure and the deep wisdom buried in sacred textsProviding--for the first time--complete musical notations for many of her popular chants and practical instruction for how to use them to cultivate self-awareness and love.

    Courageous, cunning, and complex, he lives life to the hilt. Whatever he does, he does with all his might, exuding both vitality and vulnerability. No wonder it has been said that Israel revered Moses yet loved David. But what do we now know about the historical David? Why does his story stand at the center of the Bible? Why didn't the biblical authors present him in a more favorable light? And what is the special connection between him and Caleb - the Judahite hero remembered for his valor during the wars of conquest? In this groundbreaking study, Jacob L. Wright addresses all these questions and presents a new way of reading the biblical accounts. His work compares the function of these accounts to the role war memorials play over time. The result is a rich study that treats themes of national identity, statehood, the exercise of power, and the human condition.

    Soulful and meticulously crafted, says the Jerusalem Post Magazine, this resource offers prayers of joy, thanks and praise for people of all faiths. It has been used and endorsed by rabbis, priests and ministers. It tackles challenging topics including cancer, infertility, living with Alzheimer s disease, gun violence and alcoholism and includes a variety of memorial prayers. Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing is an essential addition to a life of prayer, including more than 150 new prayers, a prologue by Rabbi Susan Silverman and a forward by Rabbi William H. Lebeau. Many of the prayers include English, Hebrew and transliterated closings. Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing is a resource for moments of sorrow and celebration. It will deepen your spiritual voice and become a vital guide to personal prayer.

    Not a single word was considered haphazard or inconsequential. This understanding of how Scripture mystically relates to all of life is the fertile ground from which the Midrash emerged.  Here Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso explores how Midrash originated and how it is still practiced today, and offers new translations and interpretations of twenty essential, classic midrashic texts. You will never read the Bible the same way again!

    Recasting our understanding of Soviet Jewish history, Becoming Soviet Jews demonstrates that the often violent social changes enforced by the communist project did not destroy continuities with prerevolutionary forms of Jewish life in Minsk. Using Minsk as a case study of the Sovietization of Jews in the former Pale of Settlement, Elissa Bemporad reveals the ways in which many Jews acculturated to Soviet society in the 1920s and 1930s while remaining committed to older patterns of Jewish identity, such as Yiddish culture and education, attachment to the traditions of the Jewish workers' Bund, circumcision, and kosher slaughter. This pioneering study also illuminates the reshaping of gender relations on the Jewish street and explores Jewish everyday life and identity during the years of the Great Terror.

    It began as a sobering reflection on theJews killed by the Crusaders who destroyed Jewishcommunities in the Rhineland on their way to theHoly Land. Its signature line, Yizkor ("May Godremember"), headed up the memory books in whichJews listed the names of their dead, with the ferventhope that God would remember them. Other prayersfollowed, including El malei rachamim ("God, full ofcompassion"), a response to the Chmielnicki pogromsin 1648 Ukraine. Jews in the nineteenth centuryenlarged this original set of prayers to become thelengthy and touching service that we have today.May God Remember provides the history and theideas behind this fascinating chapter in Jewish piety.The fourth volume in the Prayers of Awe series, itassembles the collective thought of thirty contributorsfrom all denominations, and from the UnitedStates, Canada, England, France, Germany and Israel.Appendices provide the Sefardi memorial prayer calledHashkavah, and a translation and annotation of theoriginal elegy for the dead in 1648 whose loss spurredthe creation of El malei rachamim, the most famousof our memorial prayers and a staple for the funeralliturgy as well. For a complete list of contributors, seewww.jewishlights.com.

    INTRODUCE THEM TO A FOREIGN LANGUAGE --This first book in our "A Taste of Hebrew for Kids Series" in our Smart Kids Bright Future Children's Book Collection focuses on the Hebrew Alphabet. In this book, the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are illustrated and spelled out in English and in Hebrew. In addition to the letters, 22 basic Hebrew words that are appropriate for young children are taught in a fun way. The words that are selected, one for every Hebrew letter, are written in Hebrew, transliterated and translated to English, and depicted with an attractive illustration. Finally, each Hebrew word included in the book is incorporated into little English rhymes that will help kids and adults not only to recognize the Hebrew Alphabet but to learn foundational words in this beautiful language.In addition, the book also offers a Hebrew Alphabet chart, a transliteration guide, and proper pronunciation help with ‘sounds like…’ examples. A bit about the history of Hebrew as well as fun facts about this beautiful language is also included.

    

    a collection of the 100 most important and entertaining reviews --- books, music, movies --- published by www.HeadButler.com

    Providing a glimpse into the world of these sages, their own teachers' rabbis, the authors outline the ideas and deeds, the values and ethics by which Jews should live. This is not a book about what once was: It is a book about what should, and can, be now and forever in Jewish life.

    Burned prayer books were everywhere. When no one was looking, I hid this one in my coat. I wanted a reminder of the place where I had been so happy.The Tattered Prayer Book is a gentle introduction to the Holocaust for children ages 6-10. Ruthie discovers a secret about her father, while looking through a box of mementos from the “old country.” As her father tells his surprising story, Ruthie learns a piece of her father’s story, a slice of Jewish history and the circumstances under which the family fled Nazi Germany. Sharing the story with Ruthie, allows father to heal and daughter to grow.

    Delving deep into Sasanian material culture and literary remains, Shai Secunda pieces together the dynamic world of late antique Iran, providing an unprecedented and accessible overview of the world that shaped the Bavli.Secunda unites the fields of Talmudic scholarship with Old Iranian studies to enable a fresh look at the heterogeneous religious and ethnic communities of pre-Islamic Iran. He analyzes the intercultural dynamics between the Jews and their Persian Zoroastrian neighbors, exploring the complex processes and modes of discourse through which these groups came into contact and considering the ways in which rabbis and Zoroastrian priests perceived one another. Placing the Bavli and examples of Middle Persian literature side by side, the Zoroastrian traces in the former and the discursive and Talmudic qualities of the latter become evident. The Iranian Talmud introduces a substantial and essential shift in the field, setting the stage for further Irano-Talmudic research.

    It allows us to focus on the birth of our nation, our travels in the desert, our relationship to God, and the giving of the Torah. through the in-depth study of the Torah and the halakhot of the mo'adim, one can and should enrich one's personal religious, and spiritual experience. That is the primary purpose of this book.

    These Jews are called Cochinis and most of them live today in Israel. Spices, especially the 3 Cs - cardamom, cinnamon and cumin - along with coconut, coriander and pepper dominate their cooking. The book contains plenty of fascinating historical notes along with the recipes. This book on Cochini Jewish cooking is the first of its kind in the world.

    He loved adventure without thinking about the ever-present dangers of war.

    Azamra is Rebbe Nachman's teaching about the way to happiness through finding the good points in ourselves and in others. His original lesson is accompanied by a selection of explanatory material showing both its depth and how to apply it in day-to-day living. AYEH? Where? To achieve lasting happiness, you have to know how to rise out of the lows. This is the theme of Rebbe Nachman's teaching of Ayeh?; which shows how to find hope in even the darkest, most desperate situations and turn them to your own advantage.

    In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries postcards served this purpose. The images collected in this volume make it painfully clear that anti-Semitic propaganda did not simply begin with the Nazis. Nor was it the sole province of politicians, journalists, and rabble-rousers. One of the most virulent forms of anti-Semitism during this time was spread by quite ordinary people through postcards. Of the millions of postcards exchanged during their heyday of 1890 through 1920, a considerable percentage carried the anti-Semitic images that publishers churned out to meet public demand, reflecting deep-seated attitudes of society. Over 250 examples of such postcards, largely from the pre-Holocaust era, are reproduced here for the first time—selected, translated, and historically contextualized by one of the world’s foremost postcard collectors. Although representing but a small sample of the many thousands that were in print, these examples nonetheless offer a disturbing glimpse—one shocking to the modern sensibility—into the many permutations of anti-Semitism eagerly circulated by millions of people. In so doing, they help us to better understand a phenomenon still pervasive today.

    Eve studies at the Hebrew University for Jewish Renewal, an island of militant secularism in the religiously-run Shalem State, while Manny is an unemployed graduate student with a secret: he is falling in love with his religious roots and turning his back on modern moral relativism. As their wedding date approaches, Manny deserts Eve, then devastates her a second time with the revelation that he has pre-empted their wedding with a marriage to a new lifestyle. In the midst of this betrayal, Eve collides with a pre-soul who has had his out-of-this-world eyes on her all along. The collision leaves Eve with a choice: reconcile with Manny or else condemn a soul to never living.Now, more than a decade later, the couple live with their three children off the Tel Aviv Coast on the manmade Yovel Islands. But Eve's uncanny encounter has left a mark and she now has her own secret, one that may save her only son's life, or else tear her family apart. King of the Class is a futuristic satire on the toxic brew of religion and politics in modern Israel, poking a playful finger at parental gold-digging and technological dependence.

    When Howard's father is accused in a fraudulent medical malpractice suit, Howard decides to stretch the symbolic ritual of becoming a man and resolves to save his father's career and reputation. Inspired by a new movie sensation, the British secret agent James Bond, Howard recruits best friends Irwin "Stinky" Devinki and Mike Hunsacker for a crack undercover team to thwart the psychiatrist villain Chadwick Huntley and his patient/accomplice Hannah Stringer. Howard's attraction for Huntley's daughter Melissa doesn't make things any easier. This touching and often hilarious book follows Howard's journey to self discovery and manhood during an era of cultural divides between Jew and Gentile, black and white, and even father and son.

    In this masterpiece, he directs the reader in how to attain the level of "chasid", a person who strives to go beyond the minimal requirements of the law.

    He gave a similar speech in New York the night he was murdered, with the added emphasis on the need of every Jew to return to his homeland. Note that this speech was given before the Oslo Accords were signed and before the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) received land and weapons and became known as the Palestinian Autonomy. It was before suicide-bombings, the Intifada (Arab uprising), and 15 years before the attacks of 9-11. His accurate predictions made him a controversial political figure. Two decades later, his proposed solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict seems more relevant than ever.

    An astounding compilation of primary source documents dealing with all aspects of Jewish daily life in the Russian empire

    Numerous editions of the text exist. Each describes the creation of the universe in different ways. The differences relate to the different Kabbalistic Schools that used the text. No edition contains the full knowledge of the different Schools; thus, it is necessary to study the different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah to gain a fuller understanding of the Kabbalah.

    Its findings were nothing short of astounding to communal leaders, demographers and individual Jews alike.In this new e-book, the venerable Forward – the premier source of news, analysis and cultural coverage that matters to the American Jewish community – explains and analyzes the Pew report, with contributions from its own journalists and other experts, including:• Elka Abrahamson, president of the Wexner Foundation• Sarah Bunin Benor, associate professor of contemporary Jewish studies at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion• Steven M. Cohen, research professor of Jewish social policy at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion• Sergio DellaPergola, professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem• Jane Eisner, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Daily Forward• Dan Friedman, managing editor of the Jewish Daily Forward• J.J. Goldberg, editor-at-large for the Forward, and author of "Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment"• Bethamie Horowitz, research professor at New York University and director of the 1991 New York Jewish Population Study• Josh Nathan-Kazis, staff writer for the Jewish Daily Forward• Carla Naumburg, writer, clinical social worker, contributing editor for Kveller.com, and mother• Leonard Saxe, Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies at Brandeis University and director of the Steinhardt Social Research Institute• Martyna Starosta, digital media producer for the Forward• Alan Wolfe, professor of political science and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College.Startling, sobering and sometimes even amusing, this accessible collection of articles and essays will inform and enlarge the critical conversation among American Jews about their communal future.Who Are We Now? includes a helpful discussion guide for educators, community and book groups, and leaders of Jewish organizations. With a preface by Samuel Norich, publisher and CEO of the Forward and the author of “What Will Bind Us Now? A Report on the Institutional Ties Between Israel and American Jewry.”Published by The Forward Association, Inc.

    Gracie's Coming for Hanukkah! THERE'S LOTS OF LOVE in Gracie's and Papa's lives, but not much money. Gracie finds a resourceful way to buy Papa some well-deserved Hanukkah gifts, but an encounter on a bitterly cold night opens her eyes and alters her plans.

    The “Ladies of Literature” project is a collaborative illustration zine dedicated to our favorite literary ladies! Featuring the work of over 30 talented artists, the first volume of “Ladies of Literature” includes a multitude of female characters and authors spanning several genres and time periods.

    Once a thriving community, by the late 1980s, 240,000 Jews had emigrated from Morocco. Today, fewer than 4,000 Jews remain. Despite a centuries-long presence, the Jewish narrative in Moroccan history has largely been suppressed through national historical amnesia, Jewish absence, and a growing dismay over the Palestinian conflict.Memories of Absence investigates how four successive generations remember the lost Jewish community. Moroccan attitudes toward the Jewish population have changed over the decades, and a new debate has emerged at the center of the Moroccan nation: Where does the Jew fit in the context of an Arab and Islamic monarchy? Can Jews simultaneously be Moroccans and Zionists? Drawing on oral testimony and stories, on rumor and humor, Aomar Boum examines the strong shift in opinion and attitude over the generations and increasingly anti-Semitic beliefs in younger people, whose only exposure to Jews has been through international media and national memory.

    His insistence that proper understanding requires substantive, in-depth analysis of the sources leads him to a searching analysis of oft-cited halakhic texts of Ashkenaz, frequently with conclusions that differ from the current consensus. Medieval Jewish historians cannot, he argues, avoid engaging in detailed textual criticism, and texts must always be interpreted in the context of the legal culture of their time. Historians who shirk these tasks risk reinforcing a version that supports their own preconceptions, and retrojecting later notions on to an earlier age. These basic methodological points underlie every topic discussed. In Part I of the book, devoted to the cultural origins of Ashkenaz and its lasting impact, Professor Soloveitchik questions the scholarly consensus that the roots of Ashkenaz lie deep in Palestinian soil. He challenges the widespread notion that it was immemorial custom (minhag kadmon) that primarily governed Early Ashkenaz, the culture that emerged in the Rhineland in the late 10th century and which was ended by the ravages of the First Crusade (1096). He similarly rejects the theory that it was only towards the middle of the 11th century that the Babylonian Talmud came to be regarded as fully authoritative. On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the literature of the time, he shows that the scholars of Early Ashkenaz displayed an astonishing command of the complex corpus of the Babylonian Talmud and viewed it at all times as the touchstone of the permissible and the forbidden. The section concludes with his own radical proposal as to the source of Ashkenazi culture and the stamp it left upon the Jews of northern Europe for close to a millennium. Part II treats the issue of martyrdom as perceived and practiced by Jews under Islam and Christianity. In one of the longer essays, Soloveitchik claims that Maimonides' problematic Iggeret ha-Shemad is a work of rhetoric, not halakhah - a conclusion that has generated much criticism from other scholars, to whom he replies one by one. This is followed by a comprehensive study of kiddush ha-shemn Ashkenaz, which draws him into an analysis of whether aggadic sources were used by the Tosafists in halakhic arguments, as some historians claim; whether there was any halakhic validation of the widespread phenomenon of voluntary martyrdom; and, indeed, whether halakhic considerations played any part in such tragic life-and-death issues. The book concludes with two essays on Mishneh Torah, which argue that the famed code must also be viewed as a work of art which sustains, as masterpieces do, multiple conflicting interpretations.

    Another collection of Jewish works has survived from late- and post-biblical times, a great library that bears witness to the rich spiritual life of Jews in that period. This library consists of the most varied sorts of texts: apocalyptic visions and prophecies, folktales and legends, collections of wise sayings, laws and rules of conduct, commentaries on Scripture, ancient prayers, and much, much more.While specialists have studied individual texts or subsections of this vast library, Outside the Bible seeks for the first time to bring together all the major components into a single collection, gathering portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, the biblical Apocrypha, and Pseudepigrapha, and the writings of Philo of Alexandria and Josephus.The editors have brought together these diverse works in order to highlight what has often been neglected; their common Jewish background. For this reason the commentaries that accompany the texts devote special attention to references to Hebrew Scripture and to issues of halakhah (Jewish law), their allusions to motifs and themes known from later Rabbinic writings in Talmud and Midrash, their evocation of recent or distant events in Jewish history, and their references to other texts in this collection.The work of more than seventy contributing experts in a range of fields, Outside the Bible offers new insights into the development of Judaism and Early Christianity. This three-volume set of translations, introductions, and detailed commentaries is a must-have for scholars, students, and anyone interested in this great body of ancient Jewish writings.The collection includes a general introduction and opening essays, new and revised translations, and detailed introductions, commentaries, and notes that place each text in its historical and cultural context. A timeline of the Second Temple Period, two appendixes (Books of the Bible; Second Temple Literature), and a general subject index complete the set.An electronic, password-protected PDF version of the selected readings is available for $25.00, payable by check or credit card. Please submit your order by email to mpress@unl.edu. Once the order is submitted, you will receive an invoice with payment instructions.

    It contains the functional and contextual elements to bring users’ Hebrew language proficiency to the intermediate level and introduce students to skills they need to become advanced in their use of the language. This volume reflects key principles of the Brandeis University Hebrew curriculum. These include: • Placing emphasis on the learner’s ability to use Hebrew in four skill areas: listening, reading, speaking, and writing • Contextualizing each unit within a specific subject or theme • Exposing the student to authentic materials and exploring aspects of Israeli and Jewish culture through language drills and reading passages