5 comments about The Survivor Of The Holocaust.

1. I read this book this past year, my sophmore year in High School. This book told pieces of the hell Mr. Eisner had to go through and how he managed to survive. I was told by my teacher (and several other students in my class) that this was a "hard read" and it would take a little while to finish. I, however, was so entranced by Jack's words that I had to keep on going and finished it in over a course of a day. Not only did I get to read Jack Eisner's book, but I got to meet him in person when, not only did he come to the university (where I attended his first speech), but at my High School, where I again attended his speech and even got to shake this man's hand. To actually get to meet him was something all together and made the book even more wonderful. Soon everyone who lived during that time, who actually fought or survived the horrors of that world, will be gone, but through Jack's book, and other's like his, we will never forget. That is one thing that Jack said, we must never forget. I guarantee anyone can like this book ... it shows you a first hand prospective of how things actually went on in the Ghetto and the camps, although it just barely skims the surface of some of the things that happened.



2. At the end, the author wrote, "Everyone who had a chance to read the manuscript in progress expressed disbelief that all these experiences could have happened to one person and yet he survived." This is how I felt reading this book. His will to live and his resourcefulness were amazing. What guts he had, for example, to plot and to rescue his mother from the Nazi hospital! He came so close to being killed by the Nazis so many times and managed to escape so many times. It's hard to imagine that there really are people in the world with such courage. I didn't want to read another WWII book, but I picked this one up (my wife had bought it)while waiting for my next book to arrive, and once I started it I couldn't put it down. If you can stand to hear the horrible realities, read this book.



3. The Survivor of the Holocaust, by Jack Eisner, is not just a story of camp survival, although the book does deal with Mr. Eisner's time in various camps. More importantly, it is the story of one man's attempt to fight back, to make a difference, during a time when the life of a Jew was worth less than that of an animal. In that, Mr. Eisner succeeded. Although, as one review of this book stated, some of the events may, and I emphasis the word may, have been embellished with time, I find little fault with this based upon the fact that it was written well after the events occurred. Additionally, the subject matter is so horrific that it is only natural that, with time, some of his experiences might have taken on a different light. In my opinion, this in no way detracts from the quality or importance of the story. We owe it to Jack Eisner and all of the others like him to read his story. I recommend this book.
   
   One of the leaders of the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto said " We must fight them (the Germans) as a symbol for posterity to show that even in the face of certain death, with hardly any weapons, a handful of Jews had the guts to stand up to the mighty German Army."



4. I read this first as a child and have recently re-read it. It is as intense as it was when I discovered it at 13. This one IMHO is THE holocaust memoir and I say this as a big fan of Anne Frank's Diary. I wish I could say never again, but Rwanda made it clear that this stage in history is not an aberration. Silence doesn't exist. Revisionism is easier than truth and unless truth is passed on there will be no alternative.



5. What a man! He is a real fighter and hero. At least people can see the truth about the Germans now, and can also admire such a hero whose hand of G-d made him a survivor.
   This book is wonderful, it deserves to be the best book about the Holocaust. Very moving, well written, and a real story.

5 comments about The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah.

1. Read this book. I read it in a day. I went back and underlined the good parts. I told a number of friends about it. You don't have to know anything about Judaism or Israel to appreciate Maron's spiritual journey. It's the funniest thing I've ever purchased online.



2. I bought this because I think Marc Maron's standup comedy is hilarious. I caught a brief appearance of him on Comedy Central awhile ago and it took me several months to find out the name of the guy who made me laugh so hard. After finally finding out who he was, I found out he has a CD, Not Sold Out, and this book, The Jerusalem Syndrome. The CD is hilarious and I highly recommend it. Since no other CDs or a DVD of his standup is available (yet, anyway - fingers crossed!), I went ahead and got the book because he wrote it, not really knowing what it was about, with pretty high expectations.

   The book is a fragmentary autobiography of some events in Maron's life, very little of which is directly related to his career as a standup comic.

   The brief first chapter foreshadows the events that will occur later in the book during Maron's trip to Israel.

   Chapters two through five cover Maron's life up to high school. I simply didn't find this stuff to be very interesting.

   Chapter six covers Maron's college years, focusing on him adopting the Beat religion. The ideas and events in this chapter are very interesting, they're written about very well, and the chapter is very funny.

   Chapter seven is another highlight of the book, covering the modest beginnings of his career as his comedian and his relationship (friendship is too strong of word) with Sam Kinison. Like the previous chapter the events here are interesting and funny, if not scary.

   In chapter eight Maron recounts his foray into conspiracy theory, and how his credulity for that intellectual junk food led to him making a fool of himself. He does save some face, though, by turning his mind back on before the chapter is through. Maron does make a really good observation about conspiracy theory literature:

   "The thing about conspiracy literature is that it's perfect for stupid people who want to seem smart and ground their hatred in something completely mystical and confusing, and it's good for smart people who are too lazy to do their homework. People can't argue with it without possibly implicating themselves."

   What I don't get is, if this stuff really happened, how is it possible that he didn't learn from this and avoid the whole Jerusalem Syndrome thing, if that stuff really happened, too?

   Chapter nine is hilarious, as Maron tells of his visits to a Philip Morris plant and the Coca-Cola museum. Maron gives great, detailed accounts of these visits and makes many humorous but true, if not obvious, observations.

   Chapter ten provides a mish-mash of professional and personal experiences. I simply didn't think this stuff was very interesting or funny.

   Chapters eleven through thirteen contain the events foreshadowed in the first chapter, including his trip to Israel and his experience with Jerusalem Syndrome. I don't know how much of this is true or exaggerated, but I thought most of this stuff was pretty stupid. Some of it is funny, but not in a very good way. Perhaps a Jewish person could relate to this more and find some value in it, but I could not.

   Chapter fourteen is simply excellent. Maron returns home to do a benefit show for his old synagogue. He sees some friends and acquaintances from his youth and ends up helping out in a pretty big way. This concluding chapter is interesting and touching.

   The Jerusalem Syndrome contains very little about Maron's career as a standup comic. There's a little bit about him getting his foot in the door as a comedian at The Comedy Store and then later a bit as he starts to make a name for himself with appearances on television. If you want more on the life and times of a standup comic, I don't think you can do any better than True Story, Bill Maher's fictional story of several standup comics trying to make careers for themselves during standup's golden years.

   This book has some really good parts, but at least as many not so good parts. Perhaps the good parts make up for the not so good parts, but overall this was pretty disappointing considering how hilarious Maron's standup is. In any event, I'd rather just have more of Maron's standup comedy on CD or DVD.




3. I can't stop thinking about this book. I could not put it down. I had tears rolling down my face as I read it. Marc=Good=Sony=Love.



4. The author is a lazy slacker who's never had an original thought in his entire life. Before buying this book do youself a favor(and save some money) take a hammer hold it in front of your face. Swing towards your forehead. Apply ice. This will give the same effect as reading this tripe.



5. A complete waste of time. There were no original thoughts in this book at all. It is the standard fare from most tree hugging, left-wing, wacked out liberals. A lot of crap about how evil conservatives are etc without backing any of it up. Before you read this pile of refuse, do yourself a favor and buy a gallon of gas and a match. That way when you are finished, you can burn the book and maybe save a few bucks on your home heating bill.

No comments about A Clash of Heroes: Brandeis, Weizmann, and American Zionism (Studies in Jewish History).

4 comments about Anne Frank and the Children of the Holocaust.

1. Most people are familiar with Anne Frank's story, but in this book the author has added additional information about other children and teenagers who suffered during the Holocaust.
   Lee does not shy away from the graphic details of everyday life in hiding, during the transports, and in the concentration camps. She describes the fear and horror of those times, but refrains from giving the reader more information than is age appropriate.
   The bibliography is extensive, including standard Holocaust history books as well as interviews and unpublished memoirs. Sources of quotes are not always clear; a timeline and map would have been useful.
   Literature for young adults often concludes with a hopeful note, in spite of overwhelming problems. A quote from Anne's diary ends this book: "I want to go on living, even after my death!" The author paints a picture of friendship, bravery, loyalty, and fortitude. She demonstrates why Anne's diary is a symbol of ultimate victory over evil.
   Books like this will ensure that the one and a half million children who died in the Holocaust will not be forgotten. For those who question whether we need yet another book about Anne Frank, the answer is: decidedly yes.
   For ages 12 and up.
   Reviewed by Anne Dublin



2. Carol Ann Lee has made a bit of a career writing books on Anne Frank and the Frank family. As someone who considers himself a bit of an amateur Anne Frank scholar himself, I can respect this. Fortunately, Ms. Lee is a very engaging writer and does an excellent job with her material.
   
   This time around, Ms. Lee uses the story of Anne and her family as a way to delve a bit more deeply into the events of the Nazi era. She sketches out Anne's story again but she also writes more about the anti-Jewish laws, the experience of the occupied countries and the function of the transit camps, concentration camps and death camps.
   
   She also reaches further outside of the Frank's experience to pull in diaries, memoirs and interviews from other young people who lived (and died) during this period. Anne's diary remains one of the most powerful written expressions to survive that time but the use of this other material adds a different flavor to the prose. In some ways, it deepens the impact to hear the experiences of others in counterpoint to Anne's.
   
   Which brings me back to a question I often ask myself: why bother with these biographies of Anne when her diary is such a strong document? Ms. Lee answers that question well with this book. Scholars today can help fill in the gaps not covered in Anne's diary and add color to her experience by highlighting it with other documents from the time. When the resulting book is as well-written and user friendly as Ms. Lee's, it makes fine additional reading once Anne's diary has been experienced.



3. Unfortunately, so many students today get their entire knowledge about the Holocaust entirely from Anne Frank's diary. With this book by Carol Anne Lee, students will get some of the background necessary to understand this event in history as well as Anne's diary.
   
   Using other materials to document the historical background and to give a different view of events that actually happened, gives a clearer picture of Anne and the events that occurred. The book does give a clearer picture of Margot than we get from Anne's book. This helps explain some of Anne's feelings towards her sister when the actual diary is read. This is not a substitute for Anne's diary; but a supplement to it.
   
   If a teacher had to choose one book to use to teach about the Holocaust, this would be an excellent choice.



4. Reviewed by Anne Marie Medema (age 12) for Reader Views (2/08)
   
   I am impressed that the author Carol Ann Lee has been interested in Anne Frank since she was 6-years-old. Carol Ann Lee has a unique ability to bring the Holocaust and the main character of Anne Frank to life. Carol Ann Lee has lived in Amsterdam, a town where portions of the Holocaust took place. Thus, she was probably able to thoroughly research and to visit the places where the holocaust took place. I have read some of Carol Ann Lee's other books and she is very good with descriptions of characters, settings and places. She also adds historical information about the Holocaust in the back of the book. Some of the things she adds are interesting statistics about the Jewish population before and after the war. Maps showing the areas where the Nazi's controlled Europe are also given along with locations of the death and concentration camps. All these references helped me to link together the chain of events occurring during the Holocaust.
   
   This book includes references of the diary of Anne Frank. The areas which the diary does not include, Carol Ann Lee covers by putting it into her own diary as if she were Anne Frank hiding. Carol Ann Lee also talks about other children who lived during the Holocaust and whose lives were affected by the Holocaust. The mentally and physically abused were used as experiments or were put to death. In some cases the women that were mentally and physically wronged were deprived of having children because the Nazi's only wanted purebred healthy children. The anti-Nazi children were normally hidden or if discovered by the Nazi's were killed or died while working for the Nazi's. The Nazi children at the age of 14-years were enrolled in Nazi Youth. Nazi Youth is where they would learn what is wrong with the Jews. Anne Frank died three weeks before the allies liberated the death camp Auschwitz. Her father was the only family member that survived the Holocaust. Meip Gross is the woman who hid the Frank family for over two years and she found Anne's diary. She hoped that Anne Frank would still be alive so she could hand back the diary to Anne. Sadly Meip Gross was only able to hand back the diary to Anne's father Otto Frank.
   
   This is one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read because of what the Nazi's did to poor, innocent children. It is also interesting to see what actually happened during the Holocaust. You would definitely want to read this book because it is realistic. If you love history I would recommend that you read this book because it educates the reader about the Holocaust and Anne Frank. Carol Ann Lee makes this story come alive by detailed pictures and words. Dive into "Anne Frank and the Children of the Holocaust" and discover how fortunate we all are to live freely in a country.

5 comments about Blood Relation.

1. Konigsberg's book is a success on many levels--as a period piece, a crime drama, and most impressively, as a profound investigation into what it means to be related to someone, anyone. Konigsberg does not flinch as he looks into what his murderous great uncle means to his family, his religion, his aspirations, and himself. An elegant, courageous work of art.



2. Blood Relation is a superbly written account of one family's secret connection to Mob violence in America. The characters are as sinister, vivid, and intriguing as any fictionalized "good fella" novella, but more frightening because every fascinating detail is true. Immersed in discovering his uncle's horrible history, Eric Konigsberg confronts his own perceptions of himself and his family. Best of all, it is a page-turning adventure for the reader.



3. I knew that I'd buy Blood Relation after reading the excerpt in the New Yorker magazine, but I had no idea how much better the book would be. Konigsberg's voice is very subtle, almost plaintive and self-abnegating, and maybe it's because he's not a hard-seller with a typically annoying therapy issue to work out that his point gets across so poignantly: how weird would it be to have a mass murdering psycho's genes double-helixed alongside yours and those of your whole family? What is it like to deal with shame, to have your family shamed, to feel somehow (if irrationally) responsible for gruesome, venally, crudely performed acts of murder that you yourself had nothing to do with, but must somehow, however tangentially, live with for the rest of your life? The story itself is fascinating for anyone who's into the fifties and sixties and the whole mafia scene and great crime stories in general. I mean, the main subject here is a true and fascinating psycho. The murders and the glee with which he executes them is beyond compare. But I think the most interesting thing for me is the delicate and evolving relationship between the writer and his uncle, the mass murderer. As a story about family, as a story about a journalist, the depiction of what it must have been like to go visit this creepy guy in jail over and over again, this guy who's manipulating you, but desperate to get his story out, who at one point gets angry at you and threatens to kill you, then later on, berates you, "Hey, you jerk, why don't you come visit me more often?? Everyone ignores me!! Where's the love???" -- it's just too odd of a scenario and too well-written not to titillate and fascinate. I'd definitely give it a ten, whatever your background is. I think for anyone with any kind of immigrant backround, which is to say 99% of America, it's a fascinating story about how hard we all try to fit in and what happens when a real weirdo/loser enters into the picture. I loved it.



4. Author Eric Konigsberg grew up in a prosperous and socially conscious Midwestern Jewish family, descendants of east European immigrants who had settled and made their living and reputation in Bayonne, New Jersey.
   
   Sometime during his young adulthood, the author is surprised to learn that his father's uncle, Harold Konigsberg (Koyo), is a violent and notorious Mafia hit man accused of some 20 murders. Not satisfied with simple murder, he is infamous for permanently disturbing the surviving family members.
   
   While writing a magazine story on mob crime, despite his family's objections, Eric becomes acquainted with Koyo, who has spent the last 40 years in jail on a never-ending self-led legal battle. Soon the author is being manipulated by his uncle to aide his crusade for freedom. His association with the crime figure ends when his life is threatened.
   
   This intriguing story is told through the uncovering of family denial and lore, historical facts, statistical data on Jewish immigrant culture, narrative from victims families, facts from FBI and court reports and commentary from Koyo himself.
   
   It's hard to say whether Konigsberg (Uncle Heshy) is a brilliantly manipulative businessman, a remorseless criminal, a loyal family man or just plain psychotic.
   
   Maybe the moral of the story is: There are some basic issues children should take advice from their parents about--and forging a relationship with family members connected to the mob might be one of them!
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Intriguing story that was most interesting to read.



5. Having known a great deal about the people depicted in this book, I do have to say that the author did a superb job. The only thing I did not care for is that 1 of the "accused" mentioned in the book is still living. I happen to be a "blood relative" of that person mentioned in the book. Although it is all a matter of public record I have to say that it is very uncomfortable knowing that Mr. Konigsberg would write this book knowing that there are other families out there who are not familiar with the events that took place,like he was. Mr Konigsberg is digging up alot of skeletons for some of the other families mentioned.

2 comments about Always an Olivia: A Remarkable Family History (Jewish Identity).

1. Carol Olivia visits her great-grand mother and learns of her Jewish ancestors and their having to flee Spain because of the Spanish Inquisition, and her African American ancestors who were slaves in America.
   
   Your children should read this beautiful book!



2. Esteemed author Carolivia Herron shares the story based on her own fascinating history as a Jewish African-American. Always an Olivia is a heartwarming story of pride and family connections. Young readers will discover a unique piece of history through the eyes of young Carol Olivia as her grandmother passes on the story of her family - from one generation to another. From the Spanish inquisition to Jewish life in Portugal and Italy, Herron describes the joys and struggles of Jewish life. The youngest of readers might be alarmed when beautiful young Sarah is kidnapped by pirates, but Sarah's future brightens when one of the pirates aids in her escape. Like a real-life fairytale, they eventually fall in love and settle on the Georgia Sea Islands, among the descendants of West African slaves. Deep colored illustrations beautifully depict the characters and the scenery. Particularly noteworthy are the vibrant flowers depicted in the illustration of the Georgia Sea Islands, which contrast the darkness of the night sky when Sarah is in captivity. Herron includes a footnote of "Jews and Racial Designation," which will be of interest to teachers and students. Always an Olivia is a unique and important addition to any Jewish school or library. Although appropriate for readers as young as five, older children will be interested in the political and family history aspects of the story. This book is sure to be a favorite among teachers embarking on family genealogy projects. Highly recommended. Ages 5 and up. Reviewed by Barbara Bietz

1 comments about Documentors of the Dream: Pioneer Jewish Photographers in the Land of Israel, 1890-1933.

1. This book tells all about jewish photographers in Palestine / Israel in the years 1890-1933. A fascinating book and a great gift!

No comments about Shush! Growing Up Jewish under Stalin: A Memoir.

2 comments about The Fortune Teller's Kiss (American Lives).

1. This memoir is beautifully crafted. It took me back to another time and place, and it is still with me. The author presents us with a candid look at her fascinating relatives (She is from a Sephardic family with roots, traditions and superstitions carried forth from centuries in Turkey and Spain.) She shares the struggles and triumphs of her own childhood. I am recommending it to those of us who remember the importance of a skate key, and to younger readers, as well. It is a timeless treat that continues to ring true.



2. Since visiting Ellis Island's Museum, I have been collecting adult and children's books about the trials and tribulations that my ancestors had to endure, at Ellis Island. This book is a great addition to those books!

1 comments about My World As a Jew: The Memoirs of Israel Goldstein.

1. This is the memoir of a distinguished Jewish leader who dedicated himself to the service of his people and to the state of Israel.