2 comments about Will to Live.

1. I justy read this book and it was very informative and interesting. Such hardships by all but informative as well. I just recently visited Dauchau Concentration Camp in Germany and it makes me appreciate what they went through so much more. Everyone should read some of the books on the Holocaust.



2. This is a remarkable book. It is different from many books on the Holcaust because the main characters do not end up in a concentration camp or death camp. Instead, they remain in Poland and try to survive by maintaining Christian identities. Without giving anything away, the method that the parents select for their baby daughter to escape the ghetto is not to be believed. The book also provides a stunning first-hand account of the conquest of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union.

1 comments about Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works.

1. Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works by Herbert A. Davidson (Oxford University Press) offers a thorough survey of the life and writings of this most influential Jewish thinker. The work gives a refreshing account of his life and influence with a close survey of all existent writings. In the process some surprising facts about his life and times come to the fore as well as some common myths are dispelled. Important for beginners and scholars alike.

No comments about Child of the Winds: My Mission with Raoul Wallenberg.

5 comments about I Chose Life: Biography of a Holocaust Survivor Saul I. Nitzberg, M.D. A Survivor's Search for Peace.

1. "I Chose Life" is a labor of love, a paean for a dear man, saved for his family now and for the family that will be in generations to come. Dr. Nitzberg's story is singled out from the six million other stories because his wife and his dear friend wanted his remarkable saga to live forever. The breadth of Dr. Nitzberg's life and accomplishments are there, as is his great love of family and his hope for the future. Despite his losses at the hands of the Nazis, despite his suffering, he lived a life free of bitterness. He was warm, funny, and as a physician, he was beloved, truly beloved. Why should anyone besides his family chose to read this book? Simple. There is much to learn about humanity, about marriage, about unconditional love. It also brings the horror of the Holocaust away from an enormous catasphrophe of history and makes it the events of one person's life. We can feel the horror more readily because we are reading about the boy whose peaceful life, one like any of us may have known, is wretched from him, how he survives hell in the face of enormous loss, and how he came to American and made his own American dream. In the interest of full disclosure, I want to say that my sister married one of his sons, and that I loved Saul and he loved me. I sobbed reading about people in the book I never knew. Just as the recent "Suite Francaise" made us think about ourselves in dire circumstances, so does this book. The only difference is that this story is true. Read it, think about it in light of today's world. Kiss your children, and read it again.



2. I started reading at 2PM, at 2AM I forced myself to close the book for the night. The history, emotions and love shines thru.. Dr Nitzberg had a lust for life that makes this book a must read for all history buffs. I only wish that I can be one half the human that he was.. an inspiration for us all.
   
   Pam Crawford
   Pahrump, NV



3. What is so compelling about the book, "I chose Life" is that it goes well beyond the story of a holocaust survivor. While the tale of endurance, devastating deprivation and suffering is exceptional, the story after Dr. Nitzberg arrives in the United States is as fascinating and inspiring. The book shows how one man rebuilt his life, without bitterness, and with a wholeheartedness that anyone would envy. His relationships--with his wonderful wife, relatives, children, long-term family friends and patients is an inspiration to anyone looking to understand how to live life fully.



4. My bookclub recently read this book. What an amazing story about an incredible man and his family. This is a well written and very emotional book. I couldnt wait to pick it up to find out more. It was a great book for bookclub discussion. All who read this will be inspired by this remarkable man who endured so much , and went on to better himself and his community and raise such a wonderful family. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.



5. This book brought true life to the....
   
   *Life the Jews went through during the Holocaust
   *Impact of Strong Parental Influence and Morals that bind a family
   *Ambition it takes to become better...to go beyond the expected
   *Importance of Education
   
   This is a story of an amazing man who survived the Holocaust and the difficulties he endured. - Pictures included! I cried hard!
   
   He found his way, through distant relatives, to the U.S. after the concentration camps and started college. Met his wife and started a family. - Pictures included. Beautiful!
   
   He melded his way into the hearts of everyone who knew him (because he was such a compassionate man), either personally or professionally.
   - Testimonies embraced him!
   
   He instilled in his children the importance of education. "They can't take that away from you". What an impact!
   
   A MUST READ for all denominations! It brings true life to a higher level!

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.

No comments about One Who Came Back: The Diary of a Jewish Survivor.

5 comments about If a Place Can Make You Cry: Dispatches from an Anxious State.

1. I started "If A Place Can Make You Cry" expecting what the dust jacket promises -- the story of a family's move from California to Israel, from safety to war, why they did it and how it affected them (particularly the children). What I got instead was something very different, worth reading for the many questions it raises, but profoundly sad and dispiriting -- one man's journey from a religion and culture based on moral values to one based on land and security. As Gordis puts it toward the end of the book, "when you finally understand what is important to you, you have to be willing to fight for it." (266) The land of Israel itself becomes that important to Gordis, important enough that he is willing to stand aside and tolerate the suffering of innocent Palestinians (of which he admits there are many) in order to secure his family's safety. (See pages 186-87 for an explicit admission that he is sacrificing his values for security.) Maybe I would do no better in his place, but it still sad to watch.

   Gordis will make you think about other interesting questions -- what does it mean to have a home? Can one live a meaningful Jewish life outside Israel? How does one justify where one lives (or doesn't live)? Gordis is of two minds on many of these questions -- for example, he states several times that he's not suggesting all Jews are morally obligated to move to Israel, but at the same time, he does in fact suggest that meaningful Jewish life is possible only if it is at risk (see, e.g., page 259). Gordis seems to be utterly befuddled by the idea of secular Israelis or secular Jews (for example, at pages 66-67, where he asks "what is the point?" of having this country if it's not religious) -- apparently ignoring the fact that there would be no State of Israel without the secular Zionists. (For an interesting look at combining secular values with the religious and cultural heritage of Judaism, read "From Jerusalem to the Edge of Heaven," by Ari Elon.)

   It is not surprising that Gordis fails to offer any solutions to what are obviously very complicated problems. Where it seems to me that the book really fails is in the limited range of viewpoints it presents. Perhaps because the book originated in personal emails to family and friends, it consists almost entirely of Gordis' personal observations and angst, his own questioning of himself, his values and his actions. His wife and children are present only as foils, for Gordis to react to something they've said, done or experienced. I did not come away with any sense of who they are or what any of them really think. Secular, Orthodox and Palestinian viewpoints are barely mentioned (of these, the best represented are the Palestinians, interestingly enough, although mostly to illustrate Israeli failures). At the end, it's hard to say whether you've learned much about the state of Israel today or if you've just learned something about one man's viewpoint. And although that viewpoint develops somewhat over time, the constant hammering away at the same issues becomes tiring by the end by the book (again, if you read one email/chapter every few weeks, it probably wouldn't be nearly so bad).

   Despite these significant qualifications, the book is generally well written, a quick read, and I am giving it extra credit for presenting a point of view we seldom get to see and for making me think about the questions he raises.




2. This is a MUST READ for anyone who thinks they have a solution to the problems in the Middle East. Rabbi Gordis doesn't present ideology -- rather, he gives us a dose of reality; of what he and his family face every day, along with constantly questioning the decision they made to remain in Israel. I've read a lot of negative comments regarding "putting his children in harm's way," but he is teaching his children what's to be valued, cherished and fought for -- not land, per se, as some have intimated but, rather, the ideal of one place on this earth that Jews can live -- one day, God willing, in peace. Israel serves its purpose not only as the one place Jews in peril can immigrate to, but as a place of inspiration and dedication. While Israeli and American parents both want the same thing for their children -- they should only be happy, have a successful career, a loving spouse, healthy children and NOT have to face going to war. Israeli parents, however, know there is something more -- that achieving these personal goals should not come at the expense or peril of the country's goals.

   In the past, I have had opinions as to what Israel should or shoould not do to make peace, but this book highlights better than anything else what the daunting reality is vis-a-vis a solution. While we may all "pray for the peace in Jerusalem," the reality is that more than prayer is needed, and there may not be A single solution or long-term peace -- at least not without other Arab countries stepping in.

   This is an extremely well-written, highly enlightening book, and the next time I hear anyone stating a firm opinion as to what Israel should do, I'm going to recommend they read this before the spout off again!




3. Began as e-mails back home to family, this book's strength is the description of day-to-day life in Israel through good times and bad. For the book, Gordis intersperses the letters with political commentary to give some context to the letters' time of writing. More personal than David Horovitz' A Little Too Close to God, it is similar in bringing the political and personal together as a family debates the wisdom of staying in Israel when the peace process goes bad. You will get drawn into experiencing the emotions and ambivalences the Gordis parents and children have about their life. Very readable!



4. Yes, this is a splendid account of what it has been like for the Gordis family, moving to Israel from California. And it's worth reading.
   
   But why did I read it? It was because I'd seen an article by Gordis called "Take Off That Mask." The article was in the form of a letter, sent at Purim to Jill Jacobs, a graduating rabbinical student. The letter began, "Dear Jill," and I simply had to read it. Jill was quite properly concerned about human rights in Israel, not just for Jews but for everyone. But when she wrote about it, she came up with something quite controversial that eventually got a reply from Gordis. He pointed out that Jill was showing an unjustified certainty that Israel was simply Wrong, and that she was claiming that Israel had better options that were manifest to any moral person. And that her writing showed a dangerous and myopic irresponsibility, as well as a lack of love for Israel. Well, after reading all that, I simply had to read "If a Place Can Make You Cry."
   
   The more I thought about this interesting and thoughtfully written book, the more I realized that it deserved a jilllike response. Maybe something like, um:
   
   Dear Daniel,
   
   I'm a Pagan. I really enjoyed your book. I don't judge Israel. I don't think it is Wrong. And I don't know what it ought to do. Still, even though I know that many centuries ago, the Jews in that region killed Jezebel, I truly support Israel. And I hope that it will thrive in peace and that vast numbers of Israeli Jews will be walking out of Yom Kippur services during Yizkor.
   
   I've thought about why Israel is rightfully Yours and not Mine. And here is my answer. There are millions of You. And just one of Me. And You wanted Israel and You outbid others and bought the land and made it bloom. That is why it is rightfully Yours.
   
   Shabbat Shalom,
   
   Jill



5. Daniel Gordis is a Jewish writer and educator. When he brought his family to Israel for a year he did not know the dramatic turnabout they would come to face. The terror- war which the Palestinians launched when the Clinton brokered peace - process broke down in late September 2000 means his family is exposed to a kind of violence they had never imagined. In clear and informative E- mails to friends he tells the story of this year of what his family goes through. A person of the liberal left, a super- tolerant idealist he comes to understand that it is not enough for one side to want peace, but rather that both sides must. He becomes more passionate in his defense of Israel when he understands that really it is a country subject to aggression fighting for its own life . He too confronts the hard questions of his own family members, his childrens' suspicions that they are being sacrificed on the altar of their parents idealism. This book is important precisely because Gordis is clearly such a ' man of peace and good- will'. And because it shows how complicated and difficult the struggle of Israel is for life and peace.

4 comments about Jews in American Politics: Introduction by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman.

1. Senator Joseph Lieberman. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Host of Nightline Ted Koppel. Senator Carl Levin. Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin.

   What do these distinguished people have in common?

   All have left an indelible mark on American Politics and all are Jewish. These are just some of the many names that grace the pages of "Jews in American Politics." Editors L. Sandy Maisel and Ira N. Forman have done a masterful job collecting accounts from leading experts on the past, present, and future role of Jews in American politics. Topics range from Jews' role in presidential administrations and Congress to their influence in the media and elections.

   This book does an excellent job pulling together a great deal of information into a fluid narrative that inspires the reader to learn of Jews' valuable role in American politics.




2. " Jews in American Politics" should be in the the library of every person interested in the Jewish American experience. It contains not only a group of impressive essays but also an amazing assemblage of facts and statistics on things such as The Jewish vote and other political matters. The essays make for great reading and the statistical section make the book a very useful reference work.There really is nothing like the book available to people thinking and writing and teaching about Jews in America.



3. This book does something extraordinary. It presents a vast array of information while at the same time including a number general essays on Jews in American politics. No person seriously interested in ethnic politics and Jews particularly should be without this book.Clearly edited and turned by the press. There is no political slant--all positions represented.



4. No one interested in American politics could fail to find this an interesting and informative volume. The essays are perceptive, tho some are repetitous. The listing of all the Jewish Senators, Representatives, Federal judges, and governors is valuable. I found it amazing that apparently there was no Jew appointed a Federal judge till Wilson appointed Brandeis to the Supreme Court in 1916 and then thereafter there was no Jew appointed to the Federal judiciary till Hoover appointed Cardozo to the Supreme Court in 1931, and not till FDR was any Jew appointed a lesser Federal judge! An excellent reference book.

1 comments about Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox.

1. Mainly, Shapiro's focus is on the history of the relationship of the general Orthodox leadership--i.e. The Council of Torah Sages (Moetzei Gedolei haTorah), Rabbinical Council of America, and The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada(Agudas haRabonim)--with Orthodox rabbis who worked for/with non-Orthodox institutions. Shapiro also devotes a few pages to the Conservative scholar, Dr. Louis Ginsburg, and his relationship with the Orthodox community (as long as Shapiro was at it, I would have been interested to see some information about Dr. David-Weiss haLivni, the talmudic genius who quit the Jewish Theological Seminary of America over the issue of women becoming rabbis and is currently attempting to forge a "Traditional" denominational road between Conservative and Orthodox). Shapiro largely dedicates the pages to Saul Lieberman (the G'RaSh), the ingenius Orthodox Talmudic scholar who had permission from two universally recognized rabbinical figures to work at the JTSA and, while there, composed an infamous treatise of the Tosefta. Although Shapiro's facts are quit interesting and do indicate Orthodoxy's fundamental shift to the right, I think he reads way too much into things. He quotes a lot of 19th century Chareidi rabbis as working with people who graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau as similar to the Saul Lieberman case. I don't think it's so simple to do so. Many rabbis probably considered the JTSB an "Orthodoxish" institution at the time (in fact, the first two presidents of the Orthodox Union were H.P. Mendes and Bernard Drachman, two JTSA stalwarts; it is especially worthy of notice that the latter was a graduate of JTSB and quit his shul when it got rid of the mechitza). One of his main focuses is on titles, which many would argue are not indicative of a rabbi's position on a person's philosophy; however, it is extremely interesting that some of the most respected right-wing rabbis addressed Ginzburg--who, by Orthodox standards, was undoubtedly a heretic--with some very respectful terms. That being said, Shapiro debunks many myths which are embedded in the book "Saul Lieberman", as well as introducing the reader to the following: the tremendous respect which the Orthodox community had for Lieberman (as opposed to Ginzburg and Dr. Mordechai Kaplan); recently found documents which reveal why Lieberman decided to work at the Seminary; Rabbi Samuel Belkin's alleged recommendation of Lieberman as a decisor of Jewish law; the constant respect showed by moderate left-wing Rabbis Joseph Soloveitchik and Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg (the Seredei Ish) to Lieberman; an interesting story delineating somewhat the positions of the moderate right-wing Agudath Israel's Rabbis Yaakov Kaminetsky and Aaron Kotler; different decisions in Jewish law in relation to working at a Conservative institution (althogh, here too, I think Shapiro makes some mistakes. For example, he seems to believe that according to a certain opinion in Jewish law which feels that one cannot teach Torah to somebody who does not deserve to learn it, outreach would be impossible. But this opinion is not necessarily referring to a halachic "Jew captured in the land of Gentiles," but a student at a Conservative seminary.); how many Chareidi scholars have managed to quote Lieberman (including an Artscroll!), often while debasing/ignoring his rabbinical status; and more. All of this makes for a fascinating read.

2 comments about The Martyr: Luis de Carvajal, A Secret Jew in Sixteenth-Century Mexico (Jewish Latin America).

1. The archives of the inquisition have been preserved in Mexico, including detailed testimony recounting actual conversations. The book reads like a novel but it's history. Cohen must have been truly obsessed in order to do the research and write such a book. It's a compelling read.



2. The book is very interesting and gives a historical jewish perspective in New Spain during the late 1500's. I became interested in the book because my ancestor Juan Ramirez probably emigrated with Luis Carvajal (Conquistador) in 1580.