Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Jewish Stories Are Everywhere — Especially in Books

It’s my joy to review for this publication many current books — especially memoirs, biographies, and novels — but occasionally when there are none left on the pile to review, I have the opportunity to tuck into older books recommended to me by friends and relatives who know that I love to find stories corroborating this publication’s mantra that “There is a Jewish story everywhere.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

A Modern Look Into the Hebrew Bible

Tanakh, the all-inclusive Hebrew word for the Bible—Torah, Prophets, and Writings—holds many problems and puzzles: What does an infrequently used biblical Hebrew word actually mean? Does the Bible describe true historical fact, or just fantasy? What is the origin of particular prayers? Attorney and independent biblical researcher Mitchell First, in his newest book Links to Our Legacy, continues his mission to find lost meanings and correct inaccurate historical accountings. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion

Novel Imagines German-Jewish Relationships at Close of 19th Century

The book cover of ‘All Things That Deserrve to Perish’ gives a false impression of the contents..  While there are sexual situations that contribute to the outcome of the story, the major theme of this book is the toxic relationships between Jews and German Christians at the fin de siècle. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Good News from Israel (June 13, 2021)

In the June 13, 3021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
–Israel has now had several days with no new coronavirus cases.
–An Israeli eye-scanning device performs blood tests without blood.
–Israel was overwhelmingly voted onto the UN Economic and Social Council.
–Israelis use bacteria to keep crops fresh – in the ground and on the shelf.
–2021 investment in Israeli startups has already exceeded the total for all of 2020.
–Divers can explore Israel’s new unique underwater nature park
–Evidence that the land of Israel was an ancient trade center
[Michael Ordman]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Novel Set in Warsaw Ghetto Has Verisimilitude

Normally, I am a bit wary of Holocaust fiction because I fear it will prompt Holocaust deniers to say, “See, it’s all made up.” But whether someone writes a novel or a rigorously footnoted history, that will be what the deniers say; no matter that the novel is clearly identified as a fictional work as indeed The Warsaw Orphan is so billed. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

More Than a Raceway: Novel Presents a Jewish Side of Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen by Eleanor Lerman; Mayapple Press 2021; ISBN 9781952-781018; 213 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York is known for Watkins Glen International, a race car venue that permits ordinary citizens to take three laps around the track in their personal cars for a fee.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, USA

A New Prism for Viewing ADHD

When I heard that Avigail Gimpel was writing a book, called HyperHealing, The Empowered Parent’s Complete Guide to Raising a Healthy Child with ADHD Symptoms, I knew from the subtitle that this was going to be an out-of-the-box book, by referring to their behavior as “symptoms” and not “children with ADHD.” [Toby Klein Greenfield]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald

Author Tells How to Recognize and Treat Addiction

Readers with limited knowledge of addiction will find the book useful as it provides signs and symptoms to look for that may indicate that you, your child or other family member may be at risk of addiction. Also useful is the information provided that lays out possible treatment strategies and organizations that can be contacted for help with addiction issues. [Ben Dishman, Pharm.D]

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Ben Dishman, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

A Survivor’s Trek Through Europe and the U.S.

In this memoir, nonagenarian Michael G. Kesler tells how as a teenager, he escaped both forced service in the Soviet Army and the Nazi invasion of his Polish home town by hopping trains with his older sister Luba eastward to the Soviet Asian republics where they both found productive work. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Travel and Food

Jewish Family’s Anguish after Converting as Catholics during Nazi Era

Erika Hecht’s mother had herself and Erika converted from Judaism to Catholicism to protect them from discovery by the Nazis or their Hungarian allies, the Arrow Cross. Erika was enrolled in Catholic school, where she learned her catechism, but she remained aware of her Jewish parentage — especially since she remained close to her father and paternal grandmother. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History

Superman: The Mighty Analog

The answer to the question, “Is Superman circumcised?” in literature probably would depend on what the custom might have been on Krypton concerning the ceremony we Jews know as brit milah.  Such an operation would have been impossible on Earth.  If a bullet couldn’t penetrate Superman’s skin; how futile would be the use of a mohel’s lknife? [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County