Created in 1906 to help bewildered Eastern European immigrants learn about their new country, the column also gave them a forum for seeking advice and support in the face of problems ranging from wrenching spiritual dilemmas to petty family squabbles to the sometimes hilarious predicaments that result when Old World meets New. Isaac Metzker's beloved selection of these letters and responses has become for today's readers a remarkable oral record not only of the varied problems of Jewish immigrant life in America but also of the catastrophic events of the first half of our century.

    This relationship is important not only for an appreciation of the mystic and Messianic movements but for Jewish history in general.Scholem clarifies the Messianic concept and analyzes its transformation in the Kabbalah up to the paradoxical versions it assumed in the Sabbatian and Frankist movement, in which sin became a vehicle of redemption.

    

    An affirmation of what Rosenzweig called “the new thinking,” the work ensconces common sense in the place of abstract, conceptual philosophizing and posits the validity of the concrete, individual human being over that of “humanity” in general. Fusing philosophy and theology, it assigns both Judaism and Christianity distinct but equally important roles in the spiritual structure of the world and finds in both biblical religions approaches toward a comprehension of reality.

    When the movement against tradition arose and young Jews flocked to its ranks en masse, Hirsch staunchly defended the traditions of Judaism, and succeeded in winning the commitment of large segments of the Jewish people. His community of Frankfurt-am-Main represented a bastion of traditional Judaism in Germany. Hirsch's crowning work, The Pentateuch, contains his original translation and fascinating commentary on the Chumash (Five Books of Moses). The commentary fully expresses Hirsch's philosophy of Torah im derekh eretz-the interconnectedness of Torah and world civilization. Moreover, Hirsch's commentary addresses doubts and questions that often assail the modern mind and provides insightful, penetrating answers. Translated into English from the German, this beautiful edition contains the complete Hebrew text of the Chumash, plus Hirsch's translation and illuminating commentary.

    Story of Alvin Karpis, released from prison in 1968 having served 33 years of the life sentence he received for the kidnapping of William Hamm Jr of the Hamm Brewweries in Minneapolis-St Paul.