No comments about Jews And Baseball: Volume I: Entering the American Mainstream, 1871-1948.

No comments about Signs of Life : Jews from Wuerttemberg-Reports for the Period after 1933 in Letters and Descriptions.

5 comments about Stalin's Last Crime: The Plot Against the Jewish Doctors, 1948-1953.

1. This is a fine-grained look at Stalinist terror. Based on original archival research by the authors and additional new information published primarily by Russian scholars, this book is a careful examination of the so-called Doctor's Plot, the last gasp of Stalin's systematic terrorization of Soviet society. The Doctor's Plot was a conspiracy fabricated by Soviet security organizations purporting to show an organized effort to undermine the Soviet State by destroying its leadership via negligent or murderous medical care. The Plot was viewed previously as an irrational and relatively (compared to the great purges, executions, and deportations of the 20s and 30s) minor aspect of Stalinist state terror. The authors argue that the Doctors' Plot was actually the likely prelude to a planned major convulsion that would reproduce many features of the great purges of the 30s. This is impossible to prove definitively but the authors make a good case that the Doctors' Plot was developed carefully by Stalin to eventually start a series of purges and trials that would result in a large scale terrorization of Soviet society. The authors also place the Plot in the context of other important Stalinist campaigns of the period, notably the anti-Semitic actions that preceded and are to some extent coincident with the events of the Doctors' Plot. In this case, the attack would expand to involve a wholesale assault on Jewish citizens of the Soviet Union. The authors conclude that Stalin pursued this end as a means of maintaining his absolute power and that only his death in 1953 prevented terrible atrocities on a scale with the crimes of the 20s and 30s. The result probably would have been something similar to the Cultural Revolution in China.
   A surprising aspect of the book is the apparent demonstration of how relatively difficult it was for Stalin to piece together the Plot. The book contains fascinating details such as Stalin's dissatisfaction with coerced confessions because they were too inconsistent to be used for credible public show trials. There are also remarkable episodes of some figures in the Soviet securiry organizations criticizing documentation of these purported crimes. As the Soviet State matured, it appears that there were expectations that Soviet justice, claimed by Stalin to be essentially perfect, had to meet some realistic and rational expectations. This type of relative resistance probably only increased Stalin's desire to unleash a major purge.
   Some prior reviewers comment that this book is not smoothly written. This is a fair comment as the authors use quotations from original documents and much of the text is a very careful analysis of the signficance of the original documents. In my opinion, however, this approach enhances the value of the book. The extensive quotations give readers a very good sense of the Kafkaesque and bizarrely bureaucratic nature of Soviet repression in a way that a more conventional approach cannot accomplish.
   The book includes also a discussion of Stalin's death. Following the suggestion of the American scholar Amy Wright, the authors argue that Stalin may have been poisoned by Lavrenti Beria, the out of favor former head of the security services, with the anti-coagulant warfarin. This suggestion based on the fact that Stalin died from a cerebral hemorrhage and had a gastrointestinal hemorrhage during his final illness. This is plausible but his final illness is typical of individuals dying from major hemorrhagic strokes and gastric erosions (so-called stress ulcers) are fairly common in acutely and severely ill individuals and may cause significant gastrointestinal bleeding. It is more likely that Stalin died as a consequence of years of untreated hypertension.



2. Fascinating well researched subject matter but somewhat ruminative and tedious. I found that could skip through many pages and find that the same events were being described yet again.



3. For all its admirably meticulous documentation, this book does not pierce the mystery of the Doctors Plot. For all the correspondence, interrogation transcripts and memos excavated from the Soviet archives, one archive remains forever closed: Stalin's implacably bloody mind.

   Brent and Naumov chillingly recreate the omni-paranoiac climate among the Soviet leadership in the late Stalin era. These people had survived wildly irrational purges in the Thirties, but they best of all knew on what shaky ground they stood. Any hint of independence, any perceived threat to Stalin's dominance, could land them in the execution cellars.

   The trouble is, Stalin rarely confided his plans to paper, so there is no smoking gun to be found. This sheaf of documentation fleshes out what the people involved said, certainly, and when they said it. But as the authors admit, they are not really much closer to learning the purpose of the whole grim charade. We don't even get as much detail in some instances, such as the Stalin-ordered murder of the prominent Soviet theater director Solomon Mikhoels, as was available in some Soviet-era books.

   The elusiveness of the authors' task is illustrated by their use of sources. In addition to the archival material, they draw material from the memoirs of Molotov, Khrushchev, and retired NKVD assassin Pavel Sudoplatov. The authors are perfectly above board about the general unreliability of these memorists, so it says something that, even with the availability of the archives, they are reduced to consulting those books.

   This admirable but ultimately unsuccessful book demonstrates the enduring mystery of the evil of Stalin.




4. When the Second World War was over in 1945, First Secretary of the Communist Party, Joseph Stalin seemed to be at a personal peak of power. Despite monumental losses of dead Russian soldiers and civilians, Stalin had led Russia to a victory over Hitler and National Socialism that left him in control not only in Russia but of all of Eastern Europe as well. Further, because of his earlier purges in the late 30's, there was no one left to challenge him either within the Communist party or outside it. Yet, in STALIN'S LAST CRIME, Jonathan Brent and Vladimir Naumov picture a Stalin who, by the time of his death in 1953, was far from the omnipotent ruler that most Russians assumed he was. Brent and Naumov present Stalin as a man who could not change to match changing times. When the war in Europe was over, Russia was not the insular country it had been just ten years earlier. An increasing number of Russians had an equally increasing contact with Western, and hence, democratic ideas and values. The horrors of the war reaffirmed in the collected minds of Russians of the need for a legitimate government that followed its rule of law. The once all consuming fear of Stalin had diluted to the point where some of his less visionary peers would dare to contemplate in the pages of PRAVDA no less of who would follow Stalin once he was dead. Finally, there was Stalin's health, which by the late 1940's had regressed to the point that his Politburo comrades might legitimately wonder about the line of succession. Stalin took note of all this and was determined to turn back the clock to 1937 when he could purge millions of his countrymen merely by snapping his fingers. But by 1949, he could not do so. He needed more, and the so-called plot of the Jewish doctors allowed him to crank up the old machinery that would spin out huge nets to catch anyone whom Stalin suspected needed killing.

   Much of the first half of STALIN'S LAST CRIME is a minute examination of the death of a party comrade, A. A. Zhdanov, who unexpectedly suffered a heart attack and was ordered to recuperate at Valdai, a health resort for members of the Soviet political elite. Zhdanov died there, and Stalin saw in his death the first filmy web of a plot that he knew would ultimately ensnare at least as many as he purged in the 1930's. Brent and Naumov progress from Zhdanov's death to blaming that death on a cabal of Jewish doctors. From there, they detail how Stalin began laying traps for nearly the entire leadership of the Soviet Secret Police, the MGB. Hundreds of high-ranking MGB officers were purged. Thousands of Jews were rounded up and shot or sent to a gulag. Clearly, Brent and Naumov portray a Russia that was only in the first stage of Stalinist immolation. Yet, when Stalin died, the entire apparatus of destruction came to a thankful halt. Russian society returned to a business as usual routine. The gloomy concluding chapters of STALIN'S LAST CRIME suggest that the monstrous vision of a bloody thug leader does not necessarily end with the death of that leader. In fact, many of the inner circle of Stalin's closest comrades were themselves arrested and shot by Stalin's successor, Nikita Khruschev, who decided that to hold onto power might require a Stalinist approach to housecleaning: a new broom must sweep most thoroughly every generation or so. Stalin's own virulent form of anti-semitism as suggested by Brent's and Naumov's subtitle: The Plot Against the Jewish Doctors, well indicates that for Stalin at least, recycling Soviet anti-semitism must always give way to creating demons that only he could vanquish.




5. As someone familiar with Russian history, I enjoyed this book. Among others, it debunks the myth that Stalin was weak and out of touch at the time of his death. The fact is he was clearly in control up until the time he died. Reading this book also raises more questions than it seems to answer. For example, how does this plot fuse with his foreign policy? The military? Was this strictly an internal affair or actually a prelude to Nuclear War with the United States? Although beyond the scope of this book, the reader was left wondering how Khruschev, Beria, Malenkov, et al worked out power arrangements after Stalin's death. We know, of course, that Beria was shot in December 1953; but what formed the BASIS for each person's power in what was clearly a lawless state?

3 comments about Why Me.

1. Jacob Damkani has written an excellent book of apologetics for why Jesus is the Messiah. I particularly enjoyed the insight on the Jewish faith. I found it sad to realize how far away many Jews are from their Father and how they just miss the true joy and happiness they could have by getting to know Him personally. I was very helped by the book to realize the difficulties and obstacles the Jew faces. Thanks you, Jacob for your honesty in portaying what went on for you and how Jesus can change lives, even today! Praises be to God!



2. It reads very easily and you feel right along with Jacob on his journey to understand the Messiah of Israel. I pray that everyone would have an encounter with a person like Jeff. To me, the biggest question regarding the New Testament that Jeff asks is "How can you (the Jews) have such a fixed idea regarding something that you do not know anything about? How can you issue such a terrible verdict on Yeshua and on the New Covenant, when you do not have the faintest idea about them? It's too bad that you condemn a book that you have never seen." Jacob replies "We Jews are forbidden even to hold that book in our hands! It's a Gentile book, and we must not defile our hands with it." I didn't know the Jews felt this way. God says seek and you shall find. For all of us we must look for the answers ourselves, not take some other person's word as truth. This is such an eye-opening book and I do believe that everyone who reads this book will have a better understanding of the Jewish faith with love. God Bless You Jacob, Thank you.



3. This is a life changing book. I enjoyed reading it very much. God Bless Israel!

No comments about Becoming a Bat Mitzvah: A Treasury of Stories.

No comments about Lillian Wald: A Biography.

3 comments about My Life in Stalinist Russia: An American Woman Looks Back.

1. Although I have read a number of books on the Soviet Union, much to my surprise, I found myself totally absorbed by Mary Leder's odyssey. Starting with her travels across the US, and thence to Birobidzhan (Siberia), later asked to spy and, of course, spied upon, I believe Ms. Leder spins an eloquent and gripping tale. From Mary the dedicated communist to Mary the disenchanted one, from Mary the factory worker to Mary the editor-translator, she paints a totally honest and courageous picture of herself and her travails and those of so many of her fellow citizens. I recommend this book highly.



2. A great account of how people lived in the Soviet Union during Stalin's rule. The advantage of this book is that it gives you the facts in such a way that it is up to you to decide whether or not the author is right in her conclusions. I strongly recommend this book for both academic and private reading for I believe it is one of the most unique books ever written about the lifes of regular Soviet citizens.



3. Mary is taking you to the Stalin era... in imagination I lived her life while reading the book..When I went to Moscow it felt as if I have already been there.

1 comments about An Orphan in History: One Man's Triumphant Search for His Jewish Roots.

1. I read this book many years ago, and still remember it. Cowan was raised a secular Jew, in a wealthy family, in one of the richest suburbs of Chicago. His parents did raise him to be proud of his culture, and to remember the tragedy of the Holocaust.
   After he attends elite schools (one Episcopalian), and moves to Manhattan as a journalist, he becomes interested in Judaism, especially its spiritual aspects. He studies it; attends synagogues; and becomes very open to it in every way. He eventually takes up its ancient rituals, such as putting on tfillin (phylacteries) and praying.
   His wife, a non-Jew, observes him carefully, and also becomes extremely involved in Judaism, eventually converting.
   He also interviews others about Judaism. One interview which is particularly compelling is of a Jew who had attended the elite Episcopalian school with the author, where all students had to pray (Christian) prayers every morning in the chapel. He revealed to Cowan that he had been raised as a Jew, and even had had a Bar-Mitzva. He became very upset every day in that chapel, being forced to say
   non-Jewish prayers, but could reveal his feelings (and his background) to no one.
   This book is one of the best-written describing a person's tremendous attraction and exploration of Judaism. It is not easy writing about one's spiritual experience, but Cowan does a tremendous job.
   I feel sad that more people have not read this book. Also tragic is that the author died (from leukemia) in his forties, so that his work is not well-known. However, his wife, Rachel Cowan, has continued her own exploration of Jewish spiritually, eventually becoming a Rabbi. She carries on the essence of this book.

3 comments about My Life as a List: 207 Things About My (Bronx) Childhood.

1. Linda Finch has written a lively, endearing, and rejuvenating biography that will take you back to your own roots, Bronxite or not. Her non-chronological life list is both warm and peppery. Vibrant little memory flashes weave an indelible sense of her World War 11 childhood in the Bronx and resonate with our own. My Life As A List is wonderfully laid out with an amazing number of family photographs which somehow, inexplicably, reflect the wry poignancy that pervades this fascinating and unique little book.



2. Even though my upbringing was different from the author's, Linda Rosenkrantz's My Life as a List had deep resonance for me. The surface textures and emotional truths brought back and awakened, so many memories of early childhood. The idea of doing the book in list form is liberating and truly original, and as Joe Torre says on the back cover - It's really funny as well.



3. This is a clever idea for a charming little book. Linda Rosenkrantz gives us a memoir in the form of a list. It goes from birth until puberty. Of course, it's a glossy memoir with no unhappiness allowed to intrude but so what? This is fun.

5 comments about Witnesses to War: 8 True Life Stories of Nazi Persecution.

1. I read this book and I thought it was quite interesting... I'm a History major in college and one of my fields of expertise is World War II. I really appreciated this book because it covered some things I've always been curious about, such as Germanization and victims who were not Jewish, but victimized because they were "physically unfit" or "racially impure." You hear very little about the terror of Germanization because until recently, almost non of the Germanized children spoke about it at all. Non-Jewish victims had trouble too because either they were employed in jobs that were censored (art and religion to name a few) or because they were handicapped or because they were members of little-known cultures. The Holocaust should never be forgotten! Never! I am a quarter Polish. My grandma was born in Poland but came to America in 1922. I've always been glad that we got out of Europe long before the war ever started. What would've happened to us?



2. I picked this book up from my local book store with great curiosity. I am doing a History GCSE and am especially interested in WW2, and how it affected everyday people like myself. This book looks at the war through the eyes of children. Not only Jewish children but Polish and Gypsy children too. Some parts of the book drew tears to my eyes. I was shocked at some of the horrific things these children endured. I noticed when reading the details about this book, that it is supposed to be suitable for children aged 9-12 years old. I my self am 15 and the other review writer is in college. I have a younger brother aged 11 and I do not think that this book would be appropriate for him! Some of the text would be too difficult for someone his age and a lot of the things mentoined he would not understand (I doubt if he even knows what a concentration camp is! ). Also some of the things talked about are a little too advanced for his peer group. To say I thouroughly enjoyed the book makes me sound slightly morbid, but it was a deeply touching book. Poeple who have read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK will most likely find this of interest also.



3. The book I read was Witness to War by Michael Leapman. This book was about eight true-life stories of children that were sent to concentration camps, and others who the Germans tried to make into German citizens. The German police and army shipped off some kids to different places so they did not get caught. A lot of the Jewish people that got sent to camps were well-respected people in a society of German. Most of the people in this book are Jewish but one of the kids is a gypsy. I think this book was very good. It is very odd that people can treat others so cruel.



4. I was impressed by this book because it presents the suffering of people in WWII without staying completely focused on the Jews. The Nazis were willing to murder anybody, who, for any reason, did not fit in to their ideology or view of the world. With this book, there is a more clear demonstration of that - yes, a couple of the stories are about Jewish children, there is also a story concerning the plight of a Polish child, one about a gypsy girl, and a child's view of the horrendous occurence at Lidice, Czechoslovakia. The stories about the Jewish children are also varied; one escaped via the Kindertransport, one story was about girls hidden in a convent, and another whose father was featured in a very famous photo that made it out of Germany to tip people off to the kinds of things happening there.

   My main gripe about the book is fairly minor. I enjoyed the pictures and the background given to each story, but every once in awhile I felt that the text was patronising. Mind you, this is targeted towards a juvenile audience, but if one believes that the children that will be reading this book are mature enough to deal with this type of material, they probably are not in too terrible need of some of the simpler explanations, and I found these a bit distracting from the focus of the text.

   Overall, it is a very good book that serves a subject that is often neglected.




5. When I read the book "Witnesses To War" I couldn't put the book down. I was disgusted by the true Nazi persecution. The book is about collections of the true life stories during the holocaust and the Nazi persecution . One of the stories I liked the best was about the Polish children being tested for Germanization because it was twisted that the Nazi's could capture a child .The parents were helpless. I liked this book a lot because I am interested in the holocaust . It's well written and makes you want to read more aobut the holocaust.