Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Poland, other countries, had mixed Holocaust records

From the respondents to my original article, I am also glad to hear that Witold Pilecki is the most revered in Poland and has been for some time. But one respondent claimed, “There is no anti-Semitism in Poland!” I hoped that this might indeed be the case. But this comment piqued my curiosity, so I decided to check out this out for myself. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USA

Blue Man Group makes noise with ‘Speechless’

Masters of percussion, Blue Man Group employs an array of instruments of wood, metal and glass, plus found objects like large plastic tubes, extended and contracted to vary the pitch, and rubber chickens. All of this is done wordlessly as they work in blue latex masks with robotic moves and gestures, creating an effect that is both eerie and comical.   [Eric George Tauber]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Middle East was politically unstable in biblical times

I Kings covered the history of ancient Judah and Israel from the coronation of King Solomon in 967 BCE through the split of ancient Israel into two nations, Judah and Israel, because King Solomon’s son overtaxed the people as his father did, though the reign of King Jehoshaphat who died in 846 BCE. II Kings resumes the story and tells readers about the twelve kings of the northern kingdom of Israel from 846 BCE, ending in 721/722 BCE when the kingdom was destroyed, and the sixteen kings of the southern kingdom of Judah from 846 BCE until it was destroyed in 587/6 BCE. It describes the kings of the two nations, Judah and Israel, the politics, wars, and a significant problem of the era in both kingdoms, idolatry. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

A sensitive Holocaust history for teens

Notwithstanding its title, this book is primarily a history of the Holocaust, particularly as it impacted the city of Warsaw.  There are some chapters about the Jewish pediatrician Janusz Korczak, whose teachings about respecting the individuality of children were widely admired, but far more attention was given to the rise of Adolf Hitler, the evilness of Nazi ideology, and how Germans degraded, confused, and deceived Jews, ultimately to starve or work them to death or to murder them. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

The Pole who purposely got sent to Auschwitz

Jack Fairweather narrates a remarkable story about a Polish resistance fighter’s infiltration of Auschwitz to sabotage the camp from within, and his daring escape to warn the Allies about the Nazis’ true plans for a “Final Solution.”The book highlights the power of a single individual who tried to make a difference. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Can an architect and interior designer find love?

If you like the Hallmark Channel’s romantic movies, my guess is that you will also enjoy this Jewish author’s venture into an affluent Gentile world where a widowed interior designer meets a divorced architect and finds that not only do they work well together professionally, they have some undeniable chemistry. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Hitches, Glitches, Delays and Success!

In a stunning display of arrogance and stupidity, I ventured out into the wild and woolly world of self-publishing on Amazon’s KDP platform. I’ve done it before, five times in fact, twice with the help of outside agencies, and three times by myself. It’s been a little more than a year since I published my last book, All Quiet on the Midwestern Plains, and apart from help from my designer and computer-whiz son Eitan with the cover of the paperback version, I managed it pretty well by myself. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

Suspense novel speculates on dystopian future

A character based on Theodore Kaczynski, the real-life Unibomber, is a dark presence in this book, as he sends bombs to people and institutions that he believes have been irresponsibly pursuing technological change without fear of the consequences.  This novel’s “Techno-Bomber” has even issued a manifesto, Kaczynski-like, inveighing against the direction in which scientists and industrialists are taking the world. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Chutzpah and Balagan: partners in innovation

he State of Israel is an amazing place. Ever wonder about the secrets behind how Israel, a tiny country with the highest concentration of start-ups per capita worldwide, is raising generations of entrepreneurs who are disrupting markets around the globe and bringing change to the world? What factors have led to these remarkable achievements, and what secrets do Israeli tech entrepreneurs know that others can learn? [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

Rabbi Samuel’s many insights into Maimonides

His work is comprehensive, full of information, and eye-opening. The writings on each parasha is divided by chapters; each of which is subdivided by subjects that Rabbi Samuel addresses in clear detail. For example, in Genesis chapter 1, he examines 22 subjects, such as the meaning of Elohim, the purpose of creation, the reason for marriages, God does not decree moral behavior, the nature of biblical metaphors, exempting women from some biblical commands, and more. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Author Lindsay Lerman is not from nowhere

Lindsay Lerman, the author of a new novel titled I’m From Nowhere, was born in the Chicago area and attended Northern Arizona University for her undergraduate studies and later received a PhD in philosophy from a university in Canada. And yes, given the motto of this online newspaper, there’s a Jewish story here, too, as you will see as you read on. [Dan Bloom]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, The World We Share