No comments about King of Children: A Biography of Janusz Korczak.

2 comments about Strangers No More: One Family's Exceptional Journey from Christianity to Judaism.

1. This book takes you on a journey in more ways than one. Shlomo Burnell recounts his life in Finland from the time he entered the Church as a minister, through the growth of his family, their move to Austrailia and finally to Israel. But the real journey is the spiritual one. From an early acceptance of Church doctrine through questioning and seeking and finally coming to realize the spiritual truth of Judaism, the Burnell family's journey was like riding a whirlwind.
   I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to find the truth.



2. This was a very touching story of the journey to a new belief and the determination to follow it. Every step this family took was heavy with consequences and life changes that one could not go back on. But with determination and a strong faith, they are now part of the community of the Children of Israel.

1 comments about David I: The Time of Saul's Tyranny.

1. Here, says the author, is a "devotional study of what God can do with a man who, though terribly tough and passionate, has a will set to do God's will."
   
   The first of a series, this volume describes the life of David, the shepherd-king, under King Saul. Constantly showing how believers today can meet God through this story, Keller deals with the drama and color of David's stormy relationship with Saul, his friendship with Jonathan, his love for Abigail, Nabal's widow, his interaction with the soldiers he commanded, and his respect for prophet, priest, and king in Israel.
   
   Keller's readers have learned to expect just this kind of faithfulness to the biblical record, along with the author's knowledge of the primitive setting of the Bible, and his ability to knife through pretense and self-importance with sharp spiritual perception. On every page, the reader is confronted with stark calls to obedience such as this.
   
   It was David's lot to follow Israel's first king, Saul -- a concession in governance which God allowed only at Israel's willful insistence. As Saul proved to be equally willful, Keller observes that "Sorrow up sorrow, both to ourselves, to Christ, and to others, most of us prefer to do our own thing in life, to please ourselves rather than Him."
   
   Similarly, with unblinking frankness, Keller refuses to gloss over David's lapses in courage, faith, and obedience. But he finds in the giant-killer and king-to-be a heart that could be touched by its own infirmities, repent, and search eagerly for God's renewing Spirit. As with believers today, whose lives are mixtures of darkness and light, there is hope in the story of David that we might yet be anointed for the Master's use.
   
   This is a book to be savored in quiet personal study, read for both its historical and devotional content, or used for stimulating group discussion.

5 comments about Friedl, Dicker-Brandeis, Vienna 1898- Auschwitz 19.

1. This book is a piece of art and one of the most comprehensive on this amazing woman. It was an inspiring read! I recommend it everyone!



2. This book is a piece of art and one of the most comprehensive on this amazing woman. It was an inspiring read! I recommend it everyone!



3. This is a book I intended to glance over just to look at the art, but ended up reading it cover to cover until 3 in the morning. It is a in depth look at this amazing woman's life, as well as the beautiful art she created. This is a must read for anyone wanting to learn about history, and how people cope with major events in their lives.



4. It is hard to believe that this woman, artist, inventor, and heroine is not better known in the eyes and hearts of the world. As an educator and member of the Jewish community, I am shocked that I wasn't even aware of the remarkable contributions made by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. The works portrayed in this book, the heartfelt letters she wrote, and the historical expose of Friedl's life were enriching. She has brought inspiration to many and should continue to be revered as a talented saint. Thank you Regina Seidman Miller and Elena Makarova for opening our eyes to such a remarkable woman of our past.



5. At first I thought the book, Friedl Dicker-Brandeis by Elena Makarova and Regina Seidman Miller, was just a beautiful exhihibition catalogue.There are hundreds of color plates of paintings so rich in imagination and expressive beauty, and there are designs for theater and costumes as well as plans for houses and rooms. She brought her unique inspirational creativity to every aspect of her life--creating order out of chaos. This was wonderful in itself,but as I read it I realized it was an inspirational biography, the life story of a creative, artistic spirit who despite the most impossible circumstances, which grew more and more intolerable, continued to work creatively and what's more, to teach others--children whose lives had been devastated. For those who managed to survive-- their memories of her are recorded here too. They were forever changed by having been influenced by her and the invaluable medicine she provided. The book offers insight into the influences on her own art education and the development of her approach to inspiring the creativity of children, a wonderful guide for anyone working in an artistic capacity with children. There are so many revealing letters and photographs of hers, and her friends, and from the children she taught which capture so much about this mysterious, irrepressible woman. The book is a treasure, a reassurance. I feel I must hold it close to remind myself that despite the evil in the world there are human beings have wonderful spirit and creative talent, and it will endure despite everything.

3 comments about Hidden Child.

1. During World War II over a million Jewish children were murdered by Nazis: survivors were often those who were in hiding. Author Isaac Millman was one of these children, and his story recounts the kindness of strangers, his move from city to countryside, and how he was forced to shed his Jewish identity to survive. After the year he kept his story to himself: fifty years later it's told, in Hidden Child's series of black and white photos and first-person memoir for grades 5-8.



2. Isaac Millman tells the true story of his youth spent in hiding from the Nazis in a compelling memoir that features his outstanding artwork. We follow young Isaac as he and his parents enter the Free Zone of France, only to find that this is only a respite until the Nazis again intrude. Isaac's father is taken to a "camp", which he and his mother are allowed to visit once; then disaster falls as he and his mother are rounded up for deportation. How Isaac escapes and is placed in foster homes for the duration of the war is told through Millman's sparse writing and his vivid drawings. As with most Holocaust tales, there is no happy ending, but Millman survives and is able to share his journey with us, and that is all we can ask. This is a splendid book that shows how even the youngest victims of the Holocaust found inner strength. We are privileged to know their stories. Recommended.



3. A very powerful and exquisite book. I recommend this book to all middle school educators. It would do well on a summer reading list. The book is moving and empowering. The hidden children are often an overlooked part of high school Holocaust studies. This book speaks volumes about human nature, from the couple who took him in, a Hidden Jewish child, to exploit a slave like labor, to the people who really helped him survive. Isaac Millman's description of the changes in his life from the perspective of the child that he was during the is moving and informative. This is a courageous book. I recommend it to All.
   
   Also, the artwork is stellar. Very moving on so many levels.

No comments about A Hidden Life: A Memoir of August 1969.

No comments about Blessed is the Daughter, Eighth Edition.

1 comments about Life Death Memories.

1. Life Death Memories is the deeply personal and candid recollections of Thomas T. Hecht, a Jewish man who grew up in a Polish shetl during the murderous years of Hitler's horrific and genocidal "Final Solution". Hecht's village culture was obliterated in the wake of the Holocaust; scarce survivors and scarcer memories of it remain today. A memorial to those murdered and a powerful testimony to the human capacity for mass atrocity, Life Death Memories is a welcome addition to Holocaust Studies reference collections and not-to-be-missed powerful reading.

No comments about James Joseph Sylvester: Jewish Mathematician in a Victorian World.

1 comments about Glimpses: Through Holocaust and Liberation.

1. I have just finished Glimpses and want to say it made a deep impression upon me. It's a moving account of the World War II experiences of the author and his wife. It's beautifully expressed and one of the best written personal holocaust narratives I have read.

   While not a Jew myself, I have long had an interest in Jewish history and especially in that darkest of periods known as the holocaust. Every time I read a book like this it is painful to realize that for every person who survived, there were thousands who were less fortunate. To know that these two people have remained together for so many years and are now helping others to learn the truth about this period in history is especially satisfying.