By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — Most families have some cousins they would rather not think about. Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York, by Stephen Birmingham (Syracuse University Press, 1996) and Poor Cousins by Ande Manners (Putnam Publishers Group, 1972) relate the stories of the powerful Jewish families of New York and […]
That ‘Other’ Part of the Family Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, USA
Scattered Among the Nations by Bryan Schwartz, Joy Sand and Sandy Carter; Weldon Owen publisher, Visual Anthropology Press, 251 pages, cover price $60. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –I’m going to rearrange the sequence of Bryan Schwartz’s narrative and photography book so that we can always travel toward the east, almost around the world,
Yes, Rebecca, Jews live there too! Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionUnlikely Soldier: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler’s Army by Georg Rauch, Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2006, 2015 By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — As a nineteen year old male living in Vienna during World War II, there was no way Georg Rauch could escape being conscripted into the Nazi military machine. At first he thought
From the Jewish Library: ‘Unlikely Soldier’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish HistoryBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The TV series, Call the Midwife, which is based on Jennifer Worth’s book of that name about her own experiences of working as a midwife in the impoverished East End of post-war London, has aroused widespread interest and enthusiasm, first in Britain and subsequently all over the world.
Book tells how ‘Call the Midwife’ became a TV series Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — With the Paris climate talks concluded, and with most climate commentators agreeing that the COP21 ”agreement” still needs some fine-tuning and follow-up, things are looking good for the future of humanity. For Sarah Newman, a 50-something Jewish writer in Cincinnati, this is is also a time to start
Young adult cli-fi book hopes to shape values Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, The World We ShareBy Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — Neil Folberg’s And I Shall Dwell Among Them: Historic Synagogues of the World, Aperture Book Publisher; 1st edition, September, 1995, is a very special treasure. Each of the almost two hundred large color photographs is an individual work of art about Judaism’s places of worship. Folberg brings expertise and
Photo book of synagogues deeply touching Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — For many of us (of a certain age) the Settlement Cook Book was the first cook book we bought or received as a wedding gift. I bought my copy, 4th edition, published in 1910, with over 600 pages, within weeks of getting married and used it until it fell
Settlement Cook Book helped immigrants Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short StoriesThe Weekly Mitzva by Binyamin Tabory, Maggid Books, Jerusalem; ISBN 978-1-59264-435-24 ©2015, $24.95, p. 228 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California–A mitzva is a religious commandment. Traditional Judaism expects that each person will, to the best of his or her ability, fulfill in letter and spirit the 613 commandments identified in the Torah, the Five Books of
How to interpret, understand the mitzvot Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
By Ryan M. Greiss NEW YORK — The Jerusalem-based nonprofit Shavei Israel has launched a Portuguese-language e-book called “Do You Have Jewish Roots?” offering a practical guide to uncovering one’s Jewish ancestry. The unprecedented 109-page guide is aimed at assisting the millions of people in Brazil, Portugal and elsewhere who may have a long-lost Jewish lineage.
Helping Portuguese, Brazilians, others find Jewish roots Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionLessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Maggid Books, Jerusalem; ISBN 978-1-59264-432-2 ©2015, $18.00, p. 311 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in a 1964 ruling on a pornographic film, said, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of
Torah teaches about leadership Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
Blood of the Band: An Ipai Family Story by David L. Toler, Jr.; Sunbelt Publications, © 2015; ISBN 978-1-941384-12-1; 285 pages, including index; $19.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –This is a story of the San Pasqual band of Ipai Indians. The Ipai are the western branch of the Kumeyaay Nation, as opposed to
The Ipai and the Jews Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County
Ruth: Woman of Valor by Jim Baumgardner; Baumgardner Press, Wichita, Kansas (c) 2015; ISBN 978-0-98841-075-6; 371 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Two years ago on these pages, we reviewed Jim Baumgardner’s fictional biography of Queen Esther. Now comes another novel based on the Bible: Ruth: Woman of Valor. Most of the time
Filling in the blanks in the Book of Ruth Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. HarrisonOne Nation Under Gods: A New American History, by Peter Manseau. Little, Brown and Company. 2015, 469pp By David Strom SAN DIEGO — At the founding of our nation over 20 percent of African slaves were Moslem. Their number dwarfed the number of Catholics or Jews living in the colonies. The third president of the
Historian traces religious diversity in the U.S. Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA
Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman; W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN 978-0-393-24570-7; 304 pages, $25.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – I was enchanted by this novel by Michelle Adelman, who is a teacher here in San Diego. It tells the story of a brain-damaged woman from that woman’s interesting, often humorous, and at
Novel provides insight into the brain- injured Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison