5 comments about I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree: A Memoir of a Schindler's List Survivor.

1. The book I will Plant You A Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman is an excellent book. I would most likely recommend it to girls though. I would recommend it to girls because the book talks about Hannelore getting sexually assaulted and other things like her falling in love with Bernard (Dick) Hillman. I would also recommend this book because it talks about true fact that happened during the Holocaust. This book has been the best book I've ever read. One reason it is would be because she expresses her feelings about the people she loved and lost, but also how she hated what was happening to the Jewish religion. All in all if you're looking for a good read I think you should read the book I will Plant You A Lilac Tree.



2. This is one of the best books I've ever read on any subject. It was compelling reading--I, too, couldn't put it down.
   I love its honesty. Nothing was left out of this book. And yet it is not sensational or graphic. It's an honest, humane, and brave book about a terrifying time.
   I'm so grateful to the author for writing it.



3. This is the first-person account of Hannelore Wolff, a survivor of Nazi death camps and a Jew on Schindler's List. The story chronicles Hannelore's time when she leaves safety to accompany her mother and brothers to first a Jewish ghetto and then to a concentration camp in an effort to keep the family together. Hannelore then spends the next three years living day to day as she survives the disease, death, and horrors of the Holocaust. Her story is by turns one of luck, faith, and perseverance as she ultimately finds herself on Oskar Schindler's famous list and thus brought to the relative safety of his factory. Along the way Hannelore meets and falls in love with her future husband, Dick. Mrs. Hillman gives us a chilling account of a desperate time and helps us all to remember those who should not be forgotten. A tremendous story that will touch you deeply. Highly recommended.



4. This book is great! I have always been interested in this subject and i don't normaly read books! I'm a junior in high school and i enjoyed this book ALOT!!! Great character plot and great ending!! I don't want to return it to the library!! Also i share the same last name!



5. One day I had nothing to read and I decided to get this book because I heard was great. It kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book! I finished in less than two days and have read it five more times since.

5 comments about But He Was Good to His Mother : The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters.

1. The author's writing style successfully avoids smooth flow and continuity. He skips around, and maintains superficiality throughout. No interest was generated, and it was hard to keep track of the individuals chronicled in the book.Definitely not a good read. There was no eagerness to find out what was next, rather eagerness to finish. I honestly could not remember one fact from it. Even the photos were not anywhere in the book near where the subjects were discussed.



2. The title of this book comes from the fact that Jewish gangsters took a very protective attitude towards their mothers, and did everything they could to keep them and other family members in the dark regarding their unsavory behavior. Gangsters may have led immoral lives regarding their so-called profession, but would turn weepy when the subject of their mother came up. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact they knew their mother would be disappointed in them. Unlike those in the mafia the offspring of Jewish gangsters did not intermarry with others so their profession did not extend beyond one generation. I found the book to be well written, and what I especially liked was the number of photos of gangsters I have read about in previous books, but of which photos have been scanty. Gyp the Blood (square name Harry Horowitz), Irving Wexler (Waxey Gordon), Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro, Abe Reles, Harry Strauss (Pittsburgh Phil), and a family photo of the Purple Gang were all included in addition to photos of Dutch Schultz (square name Arthur Flegenheimer), Jack Guzik, Lepke Buchalter, and numerous others. This book is a worthy addition to my gangster library, and you can purloin this book for only $10.00.



3. Robert Rockaway provides an engaging portrait of the warm, loving relationships many of the most notorious Jewish mobsters in the history of U.S. crime enjoyed with their girl friends, wives, children, and other family members, especially mothers. The emotions the wicked ways of these boys provoked from their loved ones ranged from devastation and shame to pride, arrogance, and defensiveness. While a lot of this material is old hat, an equal amount is not, and I generally found this book to be light and enjoyable.



4. A good book for casual crime readers who don't need heavy details, but amazingly inaccurate in several areas. Seems to repeat old myths told in other books rather than do research.
   
   ie Joe the Boss's hit team did not include Anastasia, Adonis or even Siegel
   
   or
   
   Dutch Schultz was not shot in the bathroom or even shot by Charlie Workman. The caliber of the bullet found in Dutch matched those used by his men, not those who had shot his men down. The more accurate tale is that he was mistaken;y shot by his own men while trading fire with Lepke's boys. (The bathroom was directly behind the doorway where Workman had to be shooting from)



5. Prompt delivery of my order. Would recommend this seller. Book as advertised.

5 comments about Maimonides (Jewish Encounters).

1. It's an interesting read, but Nuland cites absolutely no sources, a problem when you have a subject with as much scholarship - much of it conflicted - as there is on Maimonides. One spot where this actually leads to him to make a pretty egregious error is when he cites the Maimonidean 13 'principles of faith.' Nuland correctly states that Maimonides writes these principles in his mishnaic commentary, but he then proceeds to give a word for word translation of a watered down version of these principles that appears in all Orthodox prayer books. This is highly problematic because the anonymously authored (not by Maimonides!) prayerbook version often inaccurately summarizes or even 'censors' Maimonides' statements in his commentary, and Nuland doesn't even bother noting that or even crediting the anonymous author as a source! He disingenuously makes it appear that this is his own correct paraphrase of Maimonides' formulation - a total inaccurate impression. I find this an alarming sign of Nuland's lack of in-depth research or even understanding of this important topic. I would not recommend this book to anyone who wishes to actually understand Maimonides' life and works.



2. Maimonidies' two biggest contributions to civilization were his religious writings, and medical practice. As author Sherwin Nuland himself points out, Maimonidies' truest, lasting legacy are his religious writings. Yet probably because he himself is a doctor, Sherwin Nuland emphasizes the medical Maimonidies at the expense of not giving the religious Maimonidies his proper due. When reading this book, Maimonidies sounded like quite an ordinary man, nothing special, and the truth is, as a doctor he was nothing special. Yet in religious circles, he is a giant. This specialness of Maimonidies was lost in this short biography of this great man.



3. The most interesting parts of this book focus on Maimonides the physician (as opposed to Maimonides the religious leader, where Nuland's discussion is a bit too sparse here and there). Maimonides (known to most Jews as Rambam) did not develop new medical knowledge, but wrote ten books synthesizing existing medical knowledge in a clear and concise way, and even occasionally criticizing the Greco-Roman masters whose works dominated medieval medicine. By the low standards of the Middle Ages, this passed for genius.
   
   Nuland links Rambam's religious and medical careers by pointing out that in both areas, Rambam focused heavily on codifying existing knowledge in ways that would be easy for the public to use.
   
   Nuland also engages in interesting speculation about a variety of other issues, including:
   
   1. Why were Jews so likely to be doctors in the Middle Ages? Nuland asserts that (a) Christians were uninterested in medicine because they were more ascetic, (b) because priests could not take employment as doctors, the Christian talent pool for medicine was artificially diminished and (c) because Jews' wealth could easily be taken away, Jews had a strong incentive to seek portable skills (as opposed to investing in fixed assets such as land).
   
   2. Why was Rambam so uninterested in accommodating or discussing competing religious views? Nuland speculates that because of Judaism's dire condition in those days (beset in persecution in some places and the temptation of assimilation into Islam in more tolerant places) Rambam may have felt the need to "circle the wagons" by encouraging as much uniformity as possible.
   
   3. Why did Rambam (who generally opposed Messianic speculation) suggest in his letter to Yemenite Jews that prophecy might return in 1216? Nuland suggests that Rambam may have been trying to defang Messianic fever by setting a date so far in advance that he could not be disproven during his lifetime.



4. Nuland has accomplished the difficult task of summarizing Maimonides' complex writings in a way that is accessible to the common reader. Nuland's style is clear and concise, and he obviously admires Maimonides as a sort of Renaissance man before the Renaissance. It is true that the book gives considerable attention to Maimonides' life as a physician, but as someone who has dipped a bit into Maimonides' writings on Jewish law and thought but knew little of his place in medical history, I didn't see that as a problem. In fact, I found that that made this book even more enlightening.
   
   I could have used more discussion of the Guide to the Perplexed, however, beyond the notions that the book is difficult and that some see it as a hidden confession by Maimonides of his lack of belief (an unlikely hypothesis). The Guide is an extraordinarily fascinating book, from all I understand, and Nuland does not do it justice.



5. it shows you right way about life
   i think it is possible to adopt it to today.
   it was very interesting book for me.
   it is the kind of book that i always enjoy reading

5 comments about Irene Nemirovsky: Her Life And Works.

1. The author has successfully been able to glean most of the existing information of Nemirovsky and put her and her works in a meaningful order in the light of France
   in 1930-1942....helping the reader to get the full impact of her works, especially Suite Francaise



2. Having read the majority of Nemirovsky's works in French, I was eager to read this book. What a disappointment! Mr. Weiss cannot make up his mind whether he is writing literary criticism or biography. His research is thin and the conclusions he draws (or attempts to draw) from the works themselves and various bits of research are extremely dubious. Mr. Weiss has jumped on the bandwagon of the success of 'Suite francaise' to sell his book. Do read Irene Nemirovsky's works and make up your mind youself about her work; I highly recommend them. As for a biography, save your money and wait for the really good biography of Nemirovsky that has just come out in French, which should be available in English in about a year.



3. This biography is an academic, critical study of the life and writings of Irene Nemirovsky. It is well researched. As a critical study it is directed to other professionals in literature and to their graduate students.



4. This great work brings to light the controversy of integration. Irene, sacrificing her Russian Jewish origins to embark on a literary career in France finds acceptance, not because of who she was but because of what she could produce. Her intrinsic value as a human being is recognized by a few but ignored by the masses as she finds her end at Auschwitz. Her works seem to be a foreshadow of her life. Am I Jewish, am I Russian, am I French, am I a woman of letters, am I a friend, am I a mother, am I a wife...or am I human debris? Tragically this book is non-fiction! A great read as a follow up to Suite Francaise, which is written by Irene.



5. This short biography helps the reader get a better picture of Irene Nemirovsky's background and hardships as a as a Jewish author living in France both leading up to and during the occupation before her deportation. I highly recommend reading it after reading "Suite Francaise." Her tragic and untimely death keeps us from being able to see how the rest of her serial novel (Suite Francaise) and writing would have unfolded had she survived.

5 comments about A Walker in the City.

1. Ditching college class one day, I went to the local public library, plucked a random book from the shelf and found that it was, "Walker in the City." I knew nothing about Kazin and didn't especially enjoy memoir, but I checked out the book and took it home. There, Kazin drew me in, one page after another, into the world of Brownsville, and the dreams of the world beyond. I could relate to his need to describe it all, to leave not one stone unturned in his cataloging of memory. I felt that he wrote in obedience, that his describing was of duty, that writing this book was a mission; that the story of this place and people, and his processing of it, had to be told. I have since bought and given away several copies of this memoir. It is a gem, and each time I read it is only slightly less delightful than the last.



2. A Walker in the City seems like a book that I should like. Critically acclaimed and lauded, i expected it would be wonderful. Granted, Kazin has a way with words and description unlike most, however, "A Walker" simply bored me. Reading it in comparison to McCourts Angela's Ashes for a college course, I can't help but wish Kazin had resisted the temptation to describe everything in detail and tell us more about the people. He ends the book talking about a romantic relationship, yet tells nothing of the girl, simply the reservoir and park in which they walked. I can't help but almost be angry that he seems to have no value for human relationships, he rather bury his nose in a book or stare at a brick wall on the street. I see this book as missing the mark, having potential and good qualities but overall being an overdramatic, over-emotional boring description of his emotions and surroundings. "give me a break"



3. I first read A WALKER IN THE CITY as an adolescent, and the book impressed me, in that mysterious way that things that we know "should" impress us can do.
   
   I re-read WALKER as an adult and, by modern standards, I think that it is overrated.
   
   It is long and rambling and self-indulgent.
   
   By rights, A WALKER IN THE CITY should have resonated for me, since my own father had grown up in Brownsville, exactly the same neighborhood that author Alfred Kazin describes, and at virtually the same time.
   
   Yet I found little about Brownsville in this dreary memoir; it simply explores the rather maudlin sentiments of the young Kazin. Swifty Lazar, the late literary agent who was renowned for representing men of letters, as opposed to being a man of letters himself, had offered a far more compelling description of life in that same Brownsville in his own memoir.
   
   No, WALKER only is about Kazin and his adolescent imagination, his theories about those who lived in places other than Brownsville (to wit, "the city") and about his personal (and intensely idiosynchratic, if not peculiar) yearnings.
   
   There are points in which he uses Yiddish without offering a translation, and even a section in which he lapses into high-school French, again with no translation. His use of language often seems strained and self-conscious, such as using the word "plash" as--I think--a synonym for "splash."
   
   Insofar as much of the book had been printed in contemporary magazines as essays, the format here has cobbled together several essays into a memoir. In consequence, this memoir could have used better editing, since things that are fully explained on their first mention do not need the identical explanations further into the book; such styling would be reasonable in a series of magazine pieces, but not in a volume offered as a cohesive work.
   
   I cannot help wondering whether A WALKER IN THE CITY, first published in 1946, would be as enthusiastically received if it first saw print today. It strikes me as the literary equivalent of the Emperor's new clothes.



4. Alfred Kazin's eminently readable memoir of his childhood and adolescent life growing up in a Jewish enclave in New York City during the early decades of the twentieth century, offer certain insight into the realities of the cityscape but most enjoyably his personality. The first lines - 'Every time I go back to Brownsville it is as if I had never been away' - are not mere platitudes, but rather establish the style of the book and the indelible connection between the author and the city. Kazin at times meanders with his storytelling and rememberances of the textures of the city, of Brownsville and it's inhabitants, but like any good writer who has developed a truly authentic voice, he redraws the reader into the narrative, into himself. And for Kazin - and vicariously for the reader - the city, his experiences of Brownsville, and the inhabitants are bound into a seamless whole. Kazin seems at his best when he parrots the coyly yearning adolescent male. I couldn't help but smile at one particular scene in which he described an older, married, and forlorn woman, who's mysticism piqued his youthful interest. 'How did you address your shameful secret love when she walked into a kitchen, and sat down with you, and smiled, smiled nervously, never fitting herself to the great design?' the sly youth pondered, for in his imagination, which Leo Tolstoy too inhabited, she was his Anna. This scene was one of several anecdotes that I found myself smiling at as I read, enjoying the author's wit, prose, and storytelling ability.
   If one reads for the love of language and for the imagination, this book will not disappoint.



5. In the 1940s, Alfred Kazin (1915-1998) revisited his Brooklyn childhood in the short yet elegant memoir, A WALKER IN THE CITY. It is a stunning literary work, with the added bonus of getting a rare close-up view of a particular culture in a particular time and place that might otherwise be lost in oblivion.
   
   The culture is the Yiddish enclave of the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, circa 1920s and the coming of the Great Depression. To the young boy, it was the entire planet, one that throbbed with the food, language and traditions of old world immigrants who want their children to preserve their ways but avail American education. The neighborhood's minorities include the Italian peddlers, the gentile school principal, and the African American population that is beginning to settle at the edges, on Livonia Avenue. It is a time of change: in the streets there are Zionist, Socialist, Communist, and union proclamations. Young women are bewildering their elders with their independence and new thoughts on marriage. As Kazin grows older, he begins to experience "the beyond" as well: the world brought in by films and literature, the wonders of "the city" (Manhattan), the mysteries of the human condition.
   
   The telling of his story is golden. It's as if Kazin is a cinematographer, his prose growing more colorful as he slips from a walk in the present back into memory. He plays to all the senses with vivid imagery. His rhythmic prose is effortlessly lyrical. So precise is his description, that when I looked up a map of Brooklyn, the streets he named are all exactly where he laid them out in my mind.

5 comments about The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuals in the Nazi Death Camps.

1. The product came on time and enjoyed the book. More books need to be written on this topic.



2. Written in the first person, this book describes in vivid detail the horror of day to day life in a Nazi concentration camp. It's one man's eyewitness account of the camps, the death and degradation he faced on a daily basis, and how he clung to his humanity ~ and his life ~ against such unbearable odds.
   
   Most telling ~ though not really very surprising, given the vast power differences between prisoners and their guards ~ was his recollection of camp politics. He managed to survive by taking advantage of a guard whose friendliness toward him turned into sexual interest.
   
   This book is not for the faint of heart. The scenes of horror that play out ~ the executions, the torture ~ are not graphic in their description, but the stark, terse language in which they're conveyed, married with the sense of hopelessness you read between the lines, speak more to the brutality of the Nazis than a thousand descriptive paragraphs ever could.
   
   But this was probably one of the best books I've read on the Holocaust. I wish it were required reading for every person, everywhere, as a testament of the human spirit in adversity and a warning to us all. Perhaps then we could begin to move past our differences to a more peaceful co-existance.



3. This is a must read for everyone who wants to discover the whole truth abut the concentration camps that the devilish Nazis set up during WW2. It's also a must read for every gay man in the world because it documents an important chapter about how gay men were so ill-treated (starved, beaten, horribly tortured, dishonorably killed) during ww2 and afterwards. I'm just sorry that the author didin't identify himself, because if he was living today I would try to find him and thank him for telling his story. It also documents the horrible descrimination that the gays suffered after 1945 until the 70s and how differently they were treated than the jews. These had the holocaust horror recognised immediately after the war was over, but no such luck for the few gay men who survived the camps (mostly Sachsenhausen and Flossenburg). Don't miss this book if you're setting up any kind of document, museum, documentary about gay people in the 20th century. I'm so touched by the men who died in those camps, I just can't believe how much they suffered....I've been at Sachsenhausen 2 months ago, and they had a sign in memory of the gay people that have died there, but I didn't realize the horror in it's full scope. All this just makes hate more and more anyone who defends the nazis and that deny the holocaust. I hope the nazis who did these crimes burn and suffer in hell for all eternity for everything they did. But I think it won't be enough punishment.....



4. The dirty closeted secret of the Nazi Holocaust is and was the persection of gays and the subsequent systematic effort to exterminate them. This book is an eye opening account of an actual gay survivor of this 20th Century atrocity. It is absolute MUST reading for anyone who wants to understand aspects of the Holocaust, or for any gay man or woman in America today. Eye opening and brutal, this book will provide the reader with a glimpse of history not often told.



5. Such a good book. It gives a different perspective on the Holocaust. It's a page turner...I couldn't put it down once I got past the first few pages. Everyone one should read!

5 comments about Fear No Evil.

1. Having met the esteemed Sharanksy and heard him speak many times, this book, which he autographed for me before a speech last year, is priceless. The tales inside, as well as the lessons, are incredibly moving, angering and inspiring.
   
   I recommend this book to all, especially American Jews who should read this man's story to understand what people of our religion have gone through, especially in Europe -- and how lucky we are to live in a peaceful, tolerant and fair place like these United States...where, like ALL minorities, we are treated better than anywhere else we've dispersed during our near 5800 year religious history.
   
   Ignoring this book is why people don't understand history and evil: be that Nazism, Communism, Islamo-fascism or the dangerous left wing media who appeases these animals here and abroad.



2. In this classic, in the tradition of The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956, Prisoner of Zion, Natan Sharansky, one of the greatest Jewish heroes of our time, tells of his nine years in Soviet prisons and gulags, because of his desire to live in the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.
   Sharansky was first denied an exit visa to Israel in 1973. Seperated from his wife, Avital, a day after thewir marriage, in 1974, Sharansky fought for the rights of Jews in the Soviet Union as well as the rights of other persecuted minorities such as Pentecostals, Catholics, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and ethnic Germans, which disproves the repulsive charge by anti-Semites that Zionists only care about their own people.
   He worked as a translator for Soviet dissident and human rights champion Andrei Sakharov, and his spokesman.
   Sakharov never stopped fighting for Sharanky's freedom, for human rights and for the Jews of the Soviet Empire.
   Sharanky describes his life in the preface as a Jews growing up in Russia, and his mental liberation from Soviet thought slavery, by his discovery of his Judaism and Zionism. He then details his 1977 arrest, and his nine years of brutal incarceration.
   He never bowed to his captors and refused to have anything to do with the perfidious KGB.
   A variety of mental and physical tortures were used to try to break Sharansky, but he never flinched.
   Always given courage by the word of the G-D of Israel, and particularly guided by Psalm 23:
   "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
   I will fear no evil
   For though art with me..."
   Indeed he did not fear the evil of the Soviet tyranny.
   His wife Avital tirelessly fought for his release as his cause became known in the free world, and fought for by all freedom-loving people.
   The book ends with Sharansky's release in 1986 and his aliyah to Israel, where he was reunited with his wife.
   The book is a testament to the evils of a one party tyranny.
   It is a testament to the eternal endurability of the Jewish people, and their unbreakable bond wit the Land of Israel.
   Unltimately it is a testament of hope and of freedom of the human spirit.
   Today the same Communist ideology that persecuted Sharansky is waging a jihad of intellectual terrorism against Israel and her people.
   But the courage of people like Sharansky and the people of Israel has shown that Israel can and will prevail.



3. Natan is a hero to the human race. He is wise beyond his years and his wife really proved what true love is. No wonder our Oresident sticks to his convictions. We should all be like Natan



4. "[Saul] put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on [David's]head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around... "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached [Goliath]".
   
   So begins the story of the famous battle between the future King David of Israel and the giant Phillistine during Biblical times. In Natan Shcharansky's "Fear No Evil" (the title taken from one of David's own psalms), the author is less equipped even than young David in battling the ubiquitous and evil KGB, which maintains an illegal presence in the prisons he's held in (again, illegally), accused of spying for western countries. But because of decisions he makes early in his arrest, he is the victor in the struggle waged over his soul by men who would like him to acknowledge he is wrong, who would like him to implicate others in his "crimes" in order for favors from them, or who would simply like him to stop being the delightful fly in the prison ointment he is.
   
   Shcharansky's only weapons during his trial and during his following prison term, consist of his personal integrity, which remains unsullied; his faith and trust in his family and friends; and a tiny book of psalms that he will spare nothing in reminding prison officials he is entitled to. He sometimes has to wage a hunger strike for these things, but always wins. It is true that his wife, who managed to reach Jerusalem before Shcharansky's arrest, is on a worldwide campaign for his release, resulting in no less than two sitting US presidents mentioning him by name in speeches heard by Soviet officials as a political prisoner, as well as global support, but Shcharansky does not learn this until later, and so believes he is virtually alone in the fight.
   
   This gritty autobiography is a lovely example of human survival, and how one can keep his humanity in a horrific place. Shcharansky's relationships with his fellow "zeks" (prisoners) is especially touching, and we're able to get a glimpse of how even the guards in the system have surrendered their souls in this "police state".
   
   A great read for anyone questioning how to survive while it seems suffering and injustice are towering overhead. Very inspiring.



5. Having met Sharansky in Israel (Birthright alumni!), and having had a long time interest in the Soviet Jewry dissident movement - which allowed my own (Jewish) family to emigrate from the Soviet Union in '91 - I had little doubt as to the outcome of Sharansky's imprisonment. As someone who has read a number of books on similar subjects - in particular the Alexander Solzenytsin "Archipelag Gulag" series - I was a bit dissapointed with "Fear no Evil". (Nevermind that Solzenytsin is widely believed to be an anti-semite; I'm speaking of the literary aspect only.)
   
   In contrast to Solzenytsin's breathtakingly vivid literary style and powerful analysis of the core of the Soviet regime and it's criminal code, Sharansky's book read rather like an eagle's eye view of a convoluted social and political order. "Fear no Evil" reads instead like a game of mental swordsmanship, with a self-inflicted narrow focus quite removed from breadth and depth of a much needed analysis on the Soviet system as a whole.
   
   However, Sharansky does not proclaim himself to be a literary guru. This book is a poignant (if dry) portrayal of one man's fight for freedom - both for himself and 2 million of his people. The uncompromising stance taken by the author with the Soviet regime throughout his imprisonment - his life, family and future hanging in the balance - is awe-inspiring in its simplicity and effectiveness.
   
   It has become a cliche in our time that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". Yet the Sharanskys of the world have proven that one need not be a terrorist to be a freedom fighter. Where are such men today?

5 comments about Jewish With Feeling: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Practice.

1. I am not a religious Jew in any sense of the term. But so far I have found this book a welcoming approach to religion. This humble approach to spirituality is refreshing.



2. A brilliant and loving introduction to new ways of approaching religion--and specifically Judaism-- for contemporary people. Very spiritual, very creative. JWF focuses more on how to rethink and reinterpret religious ideas and rituals, rather than a comprehensive primer to Jewish ideas and practices.
   
   Informative and inspiring. Well worth multiple readings!



3. From the time he was first sent out with Shlomo Carlebach by the then Lubavitch Rebbe Rav Zalman has been a major Jewish outreach person. He has followed the dictates of his own heart and experience. And he has tried to make Judaism a living spiritual reality for many. There are those who say he went outside the fold in doing this, went far too far especially in his efforts at syncretic connection with other religious traditions. But there are others his followers who claim that in the words of Reb Shlomo he is the 'holiest of the holy'.
   While recognizing his deep feeling for Jewish life and story, his deep readiness to feel the mystical presence of God, his hunger for life, real life in religion- I wonder if he does not make a bit too little of traditional Halachic practice, underplay the way for many observance is the key to the higher spirituality.
   Whatever one feels about it, this work provides a clear and story- filled picture of Rav Zalman 's personal way of seeing his life as a Jew, and making it holy.



4. Perhaps the greatest compliment an author of a spiritual book can be paid is that he has, through virtually every page of his book, changed your life, deepened your connection with God, and brought new life to your spiritual disciplines. This is precisely what Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi has done for me through "Jewish with Feeling." It's the only book I keep among my prayer books, and each day I read something I've underlined (I've highlighted approximately half the book!)so that I might bring that spiritual practice or thought or way of interacting with others into my life .
   
   Rabbi Schachter (or, Reb Zalman, as he's known to many of us) lives a life full of delight, creativity and joy and, through this book, he infused mine with a desire for the same zest and exuberance. While he loves his own religion of Judaism, as do I, he brings in fresh insights telling us how to connect - not just dialogue - with people of other faiths. He tells us of the unique contributions that Judaism has brought to the world, and at the same time, reminds us of the rich traditions given to the world by those of other faiths. Yet he doesn't stop there. Reb Zalman shows us how our spiritual life can be deepened through a literal sharing of one another's spiritual practices.
   
   In addition, his personal experiences and stories captivated me, and his unique way of telling these stories, helped along by Joel Segel's extraordinary writing style, makes this a book I'll return to many, many times. Very often, it's a tribute to a book to say, "I just couldn't put this book down." But I think Reb Zalman would greatly appreciate the fact that I had to put this book down many times - to dance, to pray, and to reflect on how to live all I was reading.



5. Jewish With Feeling: A Guide To Meaningful Jewish Practice isn't just a guide to Jewish mysticism by Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi (in collaboration with Joe Segel): it translates scholarship and Jewish mystical experience to the realm of designing a personal spiritual path for those who would practice Judaism as a living religion. From questions of the special mechanics of faith in Jewish interactions, which differ from other religions, to Sabbath's real meaning, individual chapters translate the feelings and intentions of Jewish spirituality for all.

5 comments about Hana's Suitcase.

1. I've read many accounts of the holocaust throughout my 68 years ...and thought, perhaps,this particular story might be a good introduction to this time in history for my granddaughter. I read it, prior to giving it to her. It was captivating. She read the book and decided to present the story in her class for her spoken book report. Her teacher borrowed the book and now this little volume has been added the list their 'new' list of required reading for the 3rd grade class. The accompanying photographs, needless to say are precious and in themselves, tell a story.



2. A suitcase belonging to a Hana Brady gets to the children's Holocaust education centre in Tokyo in the year 2000. It immediately propels students and teachers alike to find out more about this mysterious girl. Thanks to their invaluable work, they are able to retrace Hana's story. This book is the result of their search for the truth.
   
   A clear, simple narrative delivers a vivid picture of what happened. It was touching to see the dedication and interest of the children and of Ms. Ishioka to find out as much information as possible with just a name to start with. Well done.
   
   I believe that this book is also suitable to readers aged 12+.



3. THANK YOU FOR THE PROMPT DELIVERY OF THE BOOK: HANA'S SUITCASE. IT WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE BOOK ITSELF WAS WONDERFUL, AND THE PICTURES ADDED SO VERY MUCH TO THE BOOK. I SHALL NEVER FORGET READING THIS LITTLE BOOK. I SENT IT ON TO MY GRANDCHILDREN. THANK YOU.



4. This was a wonderful book. Hana's Suitcase allowed children to connect the events of the Holocaust with the experiences of a person about their own age who actually was affected by these events. Although sad by definition, the tale ends on a high note, as Hana's older brother travels to Japan to meet with young visitors at a Holocaust Museum. He is able to tell of his young sister who actually carried the suitcase in one of the museum's exibits and who later died while imprisoned by the Nazis.



5. I have read this book to my fourth grade class for the past two years. They are instantly drawn to Hana, Fumiko, and the story of the Holocaust. The minute they see the picture of Hana's Suitcase, they begin to ask all the questions that the children in Japan asked of Fumiko. They always want me to continue reading and they are so eager to find out about her story. This book has inspired so many deep and thoughtful discussions with my students. They really connect to Hana and her story and the book helps them understand what happened with the Jewish people in WW2 and why it got so out of control. The chapters switch between Hana's story and the story of the children in Japan who are learning about Hana, so it kind of breaks up some of the more difficult parts of the story with the more happier, hopeful parts. I highly recommend this book for anyone- kids and adults.

5 comments about Shut Up, I'm Talking: And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government--A Memoir.

1. In his Author's Note, Gregory says that he wrote his tale of his failure (he doesn't call it that of course) in the service of the Israeli Government because "sometimes it's the comic details that best reflect the gravity of the larger picture." And he certainly wrote a hilarious, page-turner or a sad book. But it was sad for me at least because it was so obvious that Greg just didn't get it.
   
   For years Greg worked for a country whose people and institutions are in profound transition. (And who are not at all sure they want to transform.) The transition is from a kibbutz-style country, a family; to a bureaucratized state with attendant civil institutions. From a big family where the cab driver gives the Prime Minister advice to a place where autonomous individuals take official rules and the arbitrary hierarchy those rules impose very seriously indeed. For years Greg worked (and even lived) in a place that only has the trappings of a bureaucracy but no actual bureaucracy--and for years he didn't see that.
   
   At one point he tells his fiancée that Israel is a big family. But I never got the sense that he stopped to think what that might entail. In a family, you don't have a bureaucracy or rules. In a family, if a bunch of kids want a treat, they just stampede to the grown-up handing the treats out and the loudest ones get it first. In a family, if you want to get hired you don't follow formal protocol; you call someone. As Greg had to in the end call someone to get his job in the Mission.
   
   But Israel, the state, can't just be a family. Because so much attention is directed at it, it is being forced to change. To become more bureaucratic. More like "a regular country". Or at least its civil institutions are undergoing that transition. It is a profound and painful transition--and one that many Israelis around Greg were not at all sure they wanted. That is why Israelis elected Ariel Sharon, a man renowned for his ability to do backward planning (i.e., decide on the goal he needs and on all the little steps needed to accomplish that goal) and that is why there was such a huge hole when Sharon was no longer there.
   
   But Greg missed all that. He was too busy being frustrated; too busy being too young; too busy falling back on comfortable ideological assumptions. And so he failed to do the job he was hired to do: explain the improvisation-in-transition that is Israel to the rest of the world. The tale of his failure makes for a hilarious book that left me feeling very sad for this nice Jewish boy who takes rules so seriously. And when I finished the last page, I remembered that at the beginning of the book, Greg relates how Ambassador Mekel told him, "You look perfect on paper, so there must be something wrong with you."
   
   There was. Greg was too young.



2. The author, probably because of his youth, shows consistently a superior and patronizing attitude.
   Probably due to his "outsider" point of view, he generalizes and presents negative stereotypes from just a few personal unpleasant incidents.
   If you read it for laughs or to gain some understanding of the complicated situation of the Middle East, you will be disappointed.
   I was.



3. I liked the concept of this book. Take the state of Israel and turn it into a Seinfeld episode. The writing style is rather basic and so flat, that it detracts from the revelations of the narrative. Also, too many lapses in the time line make for a heavily disjointed narrative. You often want to know more about his side trips to South Africa, than his glossed over, day-to-day grind in Tel Aviv.
   Mildly amusing, but would have been a better New Yorker story than an actual book.



4. Levey, Gregory. "Shut Up, I'm Talking and Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government", Free Press, 2008.
   
   A Laugh Riot
   
   Amos Lassen
   
   I do not think that many of us laugh when we think of the inner workings of government agencies but Gregory Levey knows differently. In fact, reading "Shut Up, I'm Talking" explains, in its own way, why the Middle East is so hard to understand.
   Levey was once a speechwriter for the Israeli delegation to the United Nations when he was only 25 years old. He was thrust into a world of foreign ministers, heads of state and American senators and before he knew it he was attending sessions at the U.N. as well as being responsible for the drafting of major statements of the Israeli government. Then he was transferred to Jerusalem to be the speech writer for then prime minister Ariel Sharon,
   I found myself laughing aloud while reading the book and then running to the phone to call a friend and tell it to him. Levey was in Israel for three years during which Arafat died, the intifada continued, Hamas rose to power and Sharon had the stroke that has left him in a coma. He takes us inside the government of Israel and we see how casual the workings are and as well as how the government works behind the scenes.
   As a non-citizen of Israel he sat in the Israeli seat at the United Nations General Assembly and when an important vote came up, he not only had no idea of how to vote but he had virtually no idea of what was being voted on.
   Levey mixes satire and reality to give us the poetical picture and we learn that he became interested in Israel when he came to law school in New York and decided to volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces. He is a Jewish Canadian and since he had time before he was due to report for military service, he applied for an internship at the Israel Mission to the U.N. and it is from that point that the comedy begins.
   If you want to learn about Israeli politics this is not the book for you but if you want to laugh then you are at the right place.



5. ** AUTHOR'S NOTE **
   "As I write this note, things don't look good in the Middle East. I'm not sure when you're reading this, but I assume that things still don't look good in the Middle East, because they never really do."
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   
   The author Gregory Levey at the age of twenty-five-years-old and not even an Israeli citizen found himself sitting alone at the State of Israel's seat at the United Nations General Assembly. An important vote was about to take place, and he not only didn't know which way to vote on the resolution... he didn't even know what the resolution was!
   
   This humorous and almost satirical yet somber situation was all set in motion innocently enough when Greg became bored in his second year of law school. The author being Jewish and a Canadian citizen going to school in New York decided to volunteer to serve in the Israeli army. After he signed up on-line for the army he still had a number of months ahead of him until he had to report to Israel. Unwilling to accept the monotonous months of waiting ahead he decided to apply for an internship at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations. What follows could provide enough fodder for a full season of hilarious sitcom material. As Greg followed up on his application, over and over again, without any positive results, he showed dogged determination and made yet another phone call to yet another person who told him to fax his resume directly to her. After still no response Greg gave up on the whole idea and left for Christmas break.
   
   After he returned to New York in January he got a strange call from a man named Yaron from Israeli security. This led to many, many, phone calls with varying degrees of time between each clandestine call, with questions that ranged from "what side of the street did he live on?" to questions about the Jewish summer camp he attended as a child. Finally an interview was set up with Israeli Ambassador Mekel. The first thing the Ambassador said was: "You look perfect on paper, so there must be something wrong with you." During the interview the Ambassador told Greg there is no internship program but offered him a deputy speechwriter job on a part-time basis, because the regular speechwriter was going to be leaving and if everything went well he could take over fulltime. "Greg accepted the offer, but told him that as a Canadian, he was not eligible to work in the United States. The Ambassador shook his head before he even finished the sentence and said, "I can hire anyone I want. We'll just change your status from student to DIPLOMAT!" "So that was it. From the U.S. State Department's point of view, Greg was going to be an Israeli Diplomat, even though he wasn't an Israeli citizen." Greg had come in the hope of getting an internship and walked out as an Israeli Diplomat.
   
   From there Greg starts writing speeches for Ambassador's in New York and gets noticed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's staff in Israel, and as a favor writes a speech for the Prime Minister. While working in the Mission in New York he takes a vacation in Israel and takes a course in "combat firearms". He subsequently takes another vacation and goes to Israel and takes an "intelligence and counterintelligence" course, and as part of an assignment has to go undercover as "Joey Shmeltz". He then gets invited to come to Israel and work on Prime Minister Sharon's staff. From there on out the author provides a never before seen "outsider's" view of the "inside" of the tumultuous stress that Israeli's face daily as a people and as a nation with a smattering of rye humor along the way.