Editorial Review

A photographic celebration of the diversity of the Jewish religion and Jewish people in America--from "Jews with Hogs," a portrait of a motorcycle group astride their Harley Davidsons outside a Miami Beach Synagogue, to "Passover 5754," which captures the observance of the holiday feast in a maximum-security women's prison, to "Marxists," a group portrait of a boisterous band of Groucho Marx imitators. Photographer Frederic Brenner goes beyond the confines of conventional Judaism to depict the practical application of the religion in everyday America. A visual catalogue of signs, ritual objects, artifacts, and kitsch rounds out this book. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lovely
Surprising, moving, magical. Brenner's photographs speak volumes. I was most moved by a picture that includes not a single Jew. It features instead a panoramic shot of the main street of Billings, Montana, the citizens of which had filled the streets, each holding a menorah aloft in protest against a violent attack on a Jewish resident's home. A book that claims to, and succeeds at, framing the diversity of American Jewish experience also succeeded in reaffirming my faith in the decency of humankind.

The Jews do not control the banks, newspapers and movies.
All stereotypes are broken with this unique view of a people and their eclectic influence on the American scene. The mostly black & white panoramic viewpoint maximizes the visual impact. The outstanding photo technique, large page size and strong composition make this a center piece of your home coffee table books to be enjoyed for years to come. I only wish several pages were devoted to the actual technical aspects of the shots

Stunning photographs of Jews in America and American Jews
This oversize coffee table book caught my eye in the bookstore.With a price of $67.50, its gotta be great to sell -- and it is. The photographs are truly outstanding and many outlandish.Jews on Harleys in front of a synogoge in Florida, Holocaust survivors visiting LA's holocaust museum, and a family of persian, jewish immigrants seated on a flying carpet in their neighborhood.The best part of this book is not that the photographer manages to capture the diversity of jews in the states but that each of the pictures he presents is stunning in its own right.Brenner managed to gain access to an unbeliveable number of private, Jewish forums, from Jewish Civil War buffs who get together in costume to re-enact period battles to Lesbian Jewish families, the collection is fresh, provocative, and rich ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collections Of Photographs    2. History: American    3. Individual Photographer    4. Jewish Sociology    5. Jews    6. Photo Essays    7. Photography    8. Photography, Artistic    9. Pictorial works    10. Social life and customs    11. Travel - World/Middle East    12. United States    13. Jewish studies    14. Photographs: collections    15. USA   

Reviews (7)

Disappointing
The story of the blind hatred and inhumanity whipped up by the Nazis needs to be told - and told often.But it deserves a more nuanced telling than this single-dimensional presentation.This account is all bright colors (first quarter) and darkness (remainder), with little in between.
Decadence and Poverty of Wartime Shanghai
I thoroughly enjoyed "Ten Green Bottles".Unlike other books on Shanghai of that period, I particularly relished the intimate glimpse of the extreme wealth and decadence that was ongoing alongside the abject poverty of the immigrants that fled Europe.Much is written here of how people of many nations with unimaginable wealth made Shanghai their "sumptuous playground" between the stench and filth of the city.
A story that should not be forgotten
This story about the experiences of a Viennese Jewish family in Shanghai perfectly fulfills two raison d'etre of books - on the one hand it allows the reader to enter a time-warp machine and be transplanted to another time and another place and vicariously live through the emotional upheavals, the smells, sights, sounds and most importantly the feelings of fear, frustration, Angst and yes, fortunately also joy, of the main characters.Vivian Kaplan is a master of setting the scene and allowing the reader to slip into the protagonist's skin.I have lived and worked in Vienna and also in Northern China (albeit at a much later time) and Vivian's writing rings true.The chapters in the book are like 3-D images conjured up for the reader (and would make a very gripping screenplay).The other raison d'etre of books is to preserve and hand down important happenings and narrate them in a gripping and thought-provoking manner.The manner in which the Jews in Austria and elsewhere were treated by an Austrian madman who managed to come to power in Germany should never be forgotten. More importantly, we all need to be vigilant that such events happen less and less frequently in the history of humankind.Although familiar with the story of displaced Jews from German-speaking countries as I (like the author) am offspring, I was unable to put down the book.What Nini Karpel's mother had to experience in one short lifetime is more than most people should have to live through.The book also helped me understand the initial inertia of many Jews in Vienna to the anti-Semitic flare-up in the 1920s and 30s."Oh, we've seen this many times, let's just lie low and wait for it to blow over". Writing in the present tense made the story more immediate.However, despite the fact that the book had its share of gruesome scenes, overall the manner in which Nini viewed the world seemed overly rosy-colored and syrupy sweet.The naive tone that permeates the book distracts from the serious situation in which these refugees find themselves.Even a five-year old would know better than to state 'we are awed by the changes in the babywithin his first year.Every day he seems to learn some new word...'p.5.Should the book get reprinted, I suggest a German-speaking editor correct some of the German words.The great Ferris wheel in Vienna is no 'Reisenrad' p.77 and the 'Fuhrer' should be spelled 'Fuehrer'.But overall we are better off for having another story capture the senseless suffering human beings will inflict upon one another. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Austria    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. China    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Historical - General    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Jewish - General    11. Jews, Austrian    12. Karpel, Nini    13. Refugees, Jewish    14. Shanghai    15. The Holocaust   

Reviews (25)

A touching story
A Tale of Love and Darkness is a hilarious though serious book about the life of the author in the historical setting of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Being the great storyteller he is, Amos Oz made the true events so easy to relate to, and as such this book is remarkable.Also liked Usurper and Other Stories, which I have included in my collection.

Lyrical memories
A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS is a deeply poignant, lyrical tapestry of memories that will be much loved by admirers of Oz's work. The prose is finely crafted, as we'd expect from a writer of Oz's stature. This book is not a memoir, as such--its narrative is not linear, but waxes and wanes through various themes. Arching over the narrative is the shadow of Oz's loss of his mother. My one reservation about the book is that I feel Oz withholds from us--it's never really adequately explained why he changed his name to Oz or what train of thoughts led him to do this. Was he attempting to erase the trauma of his profound loss? Regardless, this work will linger with you after you finish its final pages.

Brilliant piece of storytelling but, alas, not a memoir
Amos Oz likes to say "the first thing you should know about [his] autobiography is that it's not an autobiography. It's an imposition forced on [him] by the Library of Congress." An interesting confession considering "A Tale" was publishedunder the genre "memoir" and went on to reap much acclaim - and quite a bit of money -- as a memoir, including The Koret Jewish Book Award for Autobiography. Asked by befuddled interviewers to clarify himself, Mr. Oz will say only that having asked the dead into his home, "they told him the stories he never heard". This is a writerly response, with much truth and sense, but it doesn't excuse Mr. Oz for allowing his publisher to tout the work as a memoir or to blame the Library of Congress. Actually, a good old-fashioned name already exists: a semi-biographical novel. Or, if that's not hip enough, call it a post-modernist novel, then, a nod and a wink to the reader to figure out what is real and what isn't. As it stands,the many fans of Mr. Oz ---until now I've considered myself one --- believe they're hearing true stories, not stories conjured by the artist if he listens hard. This year we've been brutal on American writers who've played on the popular taste for truth; we've held them to standards and shouted "foul" when they haven't lived up to them. It saddens me that a great fiction writer like Mr. Oz hasn't held himself to a higher standard. "Oz" in Hebrew, we're reminded again and again, means "strength." As a "moral conscience of the modern world", as we're also reminded
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Childhood Memoir    5. Historical - General    6. Jewish    7. Literary    8. Personal Memoirs    9. History / Jewish   

Reviews (16)

Unbelievably heart stopping
I bought this book when I went to the Holocaust museum in D.C. This book is unbelievably heart stopping. This book takes you into a world of pain and terror. To be able to read about every momment of torture this man witnessed and partook in, is extremely moving. This book takes you deep inside the morbid ways of Hitler.

Amazing!!!
I loved this book but I find it hard to say that because of the sheer fact of what the people in this book went through.Muller's account of his years in auschwitz as a prisoner forced to work in the gas chambers is graffic and upsetting yet you wont want to put it down.It's hard to imagine what these people went through but reading this book is almost like you are right there seeing it with your own eyes.If you are interested in the subject i recommend this book to you, and if you arent interested in the subject i recommend this book anyways.

So difficult to read...
when you know every word is true.The hell this man went through is unimaginable.There isn't a lot you can say,really.The fact that the writer survived is a testimony to his will to keep living and tell the world what he saw and endured.The fact that he can relate his unfathomable experiences at Auschwitz without sliding in to self-pity is remarkable.
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Subjects:  1. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    2. Biography    3. Czechoslovakia    4. General    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: World    8. Holocaust    9. Jewish - General    10. Jewish Holocaust    11. Military - World War II    12. Muller, Filip    13. Personal narratives, Czech    14. Poland    15. Prisoners of war    16. World War, 1939-1945    17. Biography: historical    18. History / Jewish    19. History / Military / World War II    20. The Holocaust    21. World history: Second World War    22. Judaica   

Editorial Review

"Jewish history is often told not as a narrative of real people with human problems and interests but as an idealized national myth," writes Raymond Scheinlin, in the introduction to his excellent Read more

Reviews (7)

Good choice for lay people or undergraduates
I teach a survey of Jewish history course at the freshman/sophomore level, and this is a great text for a course of this sort.It is easily understandable, concise and has all the important information.The index is helpful.I would also recommend it for the non-student looking for a quick introduction to the basics of Jewish history.Scheindlin is particularly good with material from Jews in theMiddle East. For my course I supplement it with primary texts.

Concise, Readable, Essential
In taking a "Survey of Jewish History" course this fall, which is a broad subject, a broad and sweeping primary textbook was needed.In the short space of 263 pages, Scheindlin covers equitably the history of world Jewry, balancing coverage of religious and sociopolitical elements.
Superb, Stylish summary of Jewish History
Although one can quibble over specific statements and interpretations (e.g. he writes that Yiddish is a dialect of modern German, when actually it derives from Middle German and is as much a dialect as English is, which also evolved from Middle German) or his inclusion or exclusion of certain figures, facts, etc.-- overall Scheindlin has created a superb work. It is concise, well written, and nicely complemented with clear historical timelines, maps, and small topical essays.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History Of Jews    3. History: World    4. Jewish - General    5. Jews    6. Judaism - History    7. Religion - Judaism    8. History / Jewish    9. History, World | Middle Eastern   

Reviews (24)

The Best Book About Today's Israelis
A student gave me this book. Now I assign The Israelis in my university sociology class and students -- Jews, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists -- love it. It's lively, balanced and fascinating. The best book about contemporary Israelis I know.
Six Stars
What a lovely book! On returning from my first trip to Israel not long ago, friends and colleagues were stunned at how totally I -- a liberal secular non-Jew -- had fallen for Israel, and especially for the Israeli people. No doubt I sounded goofily infatuated trying to explain the resilience, toughness, crusty directness, the kindness, the wit, the incredible Israeli smile -- see, there I go again.
An excellent book on the lives of modern Israelis of all kinds.
I first read The Israelis about a year ago, and I enjoyed it very much.With the recent events in and around the country (the Hamas election victory, Ariel Sharon's new political party, his incapacitation) I decided to read it again.I started by looking up a few facts for a discussion group, and became so involved that I read the book a second time from cover to cover.I've discussed the book with friends from Israel, and all but one of them feel that it is an accurate view of modern life.The one person who didn't agree said it was "skewed," with not enough weight given to the various Orthodox communities and beliefs (she is Orthodox).The impression I had of her comments, though, were that she wasn't unhappy with the boook per se, but rather with the current path being taken by Israelis, and that this boook is promoting this path.My feeling was that it wasn't promoting, just reporting it as accurately as possible.
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Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - General    2. General    3. Jewish Studies    4. Middle East - Israel    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Sociology    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history    9. Current Events / General    10. Israel    11. Social history   

Reviews (9)

Disco Review
Cool book.I took it to work to show all my gentile co-workers and they loved it.

Had me in stitches
What a funny funny book this is.It's classic.Great concept and well written.It brings back so many memories - both painful and funny and many people can relate.The clothes, the music, the friends and the parties themselves.It's weird enough looking back at your own Bat Mitzvah photos let alone many other peoples Bar/Bat Mitzvah pics.Some of these earlier ones are hillarious but getting into the 80's (the era mine was in) is getting rediculously funny.This is the perfect gift for someone else or yourself.It will have you in stitches reading the stories and looking at the pictures.I love this book.

Get ready for fun flashbacks...
(...)The authors tell the story of a generation through collections of Bar and Bat Mitzvah pictures and stories from friends, families, and strangers.
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Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. General    3. Humor    4. Jewish Studies    5. Jewish teenagers    6. Jews    7. Pictorial works    8. Rites And Ceremonies Of Jews    9. Social Science    10. Social conditions    11. Socialization    12. Sociology    13. Topic - Religion    14. United States    15. Humor / General   

Reviews (1)

A Woman I Would Like You to Know
With the words of the title of this review, Esther Schor introduces the reader to Emma Lazarus (1849 -1887)in her newly-published biography of this late-nineteenth Century American poet, essayist, novelist, critic, and social activist for newly-arrived immigrants. Schor is Professor of English at Princeton University, a poet in her own right, and the editor of the Cambridge Companion to Mary Shelley. Her biography of Emma Lazarus is part of a series of books called "Jewish Encounters" edited by Jonathan Rosen and "devoted to the promotion of Jewish literature, culture, and ideas."
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Subjects:  1. 19th Century American Literature    2. 19th century    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Jewish - General    8. Jewish American Literature    9. Literary    10. Poets, American    11. United States    12. Women social reformers    13. Zionists    14. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Reviews (8)

Great book if you need to learn Hebrew quickly
I don't know how much I would have liked this book if I was learning Hebrew from afar, but a few years ago, I found out on two week's notice that I was going to Israel for six months.I had to get a workable knowledge of Hebrew in a short period of time.I carried the pocket pal card and the grocery card everywhere, and the flash cards were great.I like the style of the workbook - it is fun and entertaining.You definitely need the discipline to repeat things to learn much, though, as with any language learning.I clearly don't know Hebrew well enough to know about inaccuracies, but it was great for me, teaching me the basics very quickly.

For best results use in conjunction with Pimsluer tapes
The book is very good, it makes the learning process fun, the stickers and flashcards are great, too! Also constantly writing the words allows you to learn the spellings better than you would with other language learning tools. I am new to learning hebrew and I found this book quite helpful. Although I must agree some of the words are transliterated incorrectly (how do i know? I spent a few months in Israel). Anyways what was most effective to me was using this book as a suppliment to the Pimsluer languge learning tapes. Since the tapes usually come with no text supliment but generally cover the same material as this book, the two compliment eachother quite nicely. Using the tapes will also overcome the transliteration problems since you will HEAR the words being spoken (it will also help you nail down the accent). Also the book will help you understand what they are saying on the tapes more correctly (sometimes the speaker doesn't say the words as clear as you would like.)
Always a Variance
I have been a student of Biblical Hebrew for over 3 years.But I've also investigated modern pronunciation.Interestingly, one will not find any consistency (I've found about half a dozen modern variations, both for consonants and for vowels, a total of about 12 pronunciation systems).A living language by definition means constant change and dialects existing side by side.Read more

Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. English    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Hebrew    6. Hebrew language    7. Language    8. Self-instruction    9. Travel / Middle East / Israel    10. Jewish studies    11. Language & Linguistics    12. Middle East - Israel    13. Travel   

Reviews (7)

Good, but...
I like this book. I use this book. I find that it written very matter-of-factly, with little room for interpretation, so it feels sort of un-Jewish in that aspect to me. But, as long as that is in mind, it does offer a lot of good jumping-off points and good ideas and good references.

The Jewish Holidays Explained for All!
This book is remarkable to me because it has simple explanations, but is never patronizing.The depth is there as well.This is no silly enumerated edition or with kiddie pictures.The focus is on celebration as a family!

wonderful beautiful
this is a wonderful book. I cannot reccoment it enough to add to your collections of books.A must purchase to review the Jewish holidays.With lovable excerts on how to build a Sukkah and other important observations can be found in the text.Historical importance is detailed in each chapter for each holiday.Also present are wonderfulo pieces of artwork and commentaries. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fasts and feasts    2. Holidays - Jewish    3. Judaism    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Jewish studies    7. Religion / General    8. Religious rites & ceremonies   

Reviews (3)

An excellent book about Zionism
What is modern Zionism?Is it Jewish nationalism?Is it simply an ideology of human rights for everyone, including Jews?These are questions that I hoped would be answered (and are answered) in a book that contains articles written from 1843 to 1948 by about three dozen leading Zionists.
splendid compelation
the a hundred page introduction of this work is absolutely essential for people of every ilk who want to undertand the whole zionist idealogy in one fine, easy-read scoop. the rest of this work is a presentation of every important leader of zionism in the course of 19th and 20th centuries with a short description of the writers life, endeavors, and accomplishments in the beginning of every excerpt. Richard A. Macales, columnist, "Mac's Facts"
If you are proud of the role that Orthodox Jews have played in developing the modern Zionist movement, you will love this reader compiled more than 35 years ago (and back in print). Orthodox rabbis and Zionist leadersYehuda Alkalai, Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, Yechiel Michel Pines, Meir Bar-Ilan,Shmuel Chaim Landau, Samuel Mohilever, Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook andIsaac Reines take up a disproportionate amount of space in Hertzberg's richwork. And for good measure you will find the writings of Ben-Gurion andJabotinsky. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History Of Zionist Movement    3. Jewish - General    4. Judaism - Theology    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Sources    8. Zionism    9. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    10. Israel    11. Jewish studies    12. Nationalism    13. Social history   

Reviews (1)

Large, Sturdy, Informative...
The Jewish New Year starts in September and so does this calendar, which covers 16 instead of 12 months.This calendar is larger than other Jewish calendars I've seen, and it's pages are sturdy, not flimsy.The calendar art is from the Museum's collection of Jewish ceremonial and cultural art, and except for February, each month has one full-page art feature plus 2 smaller ones within empty calendar boxes.It identifies all Jewish holidays as well as all national holidays.Weekly Torah portions and Shabbat and holiday candle-lighting times are noted.Four wallet calendars with the Jewish holidays are also included.While primarily of Jewish interest, the calendar is also appropriate for Gentile Christians (like myself) who note the timing of Jewish holidays for commemorative or typological significance. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars & Diaries    3. Judaism - General    4. Non-Classifiable    5. Jewish studies    6. Religion / Judaism / General    7. Stationery items   

Reviews (3)

A GOOD COLLECTION OF STORIES
THIS IS A GREAT COLLECTION OF STORIES COVERING JEWISH ATHLETES. FROM MARK SPITZ TO SANDY KOUFAX, EACH PERSON IS COVERED IN NICE DETAIL TELLING A BIT OF THEIR LIFE AND WHAT THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR SPORT. I REALLY FOUND THIS ENTERTAINING AND INTERESTING. A RECOMMENDED READ.

gift well received
I gave this as a Bat Mitzvah gift to a young woman who is into sports.Her mother reported that she really enjoyed it!

Encyclopedic!
Outside the names of Sandy Koufax and Mark Spitz, it's hard to rattle off a list of great Jewish athletes. For me, this encyclopedia of Jewish athletes (complete with photos) offered encouragement in the field ofathletics, and I think this can be a very empowering book for aspiringJewish athletes in any sport. It's fun to flip each page and learn aboutanother exciting career! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Ethnic Cultures - General    5. Jewish - General    6. Sports - General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (22)

To Be A Jew by H.H>Donin
This is an extremly helpfull book for those wanting to know what Judaism is all about..I personally recommend it as a must for studyingif thinking of converting, or just to understand Jewdaism as a whole..

This is the best bookI have ever been blessed with.
This book is absolutley wonderful and amazing and it saved my life. The Rabbi's prose is eloquent and precise and his selection of source and quotations is intelligent and persuasive.This book is gold.

To learn and relearn about Judaism
I often precede writing a review of a book on Amazon by reading the reviews of others. In reading these I am impressed by the unanimity of positive response to this guide. I was especially impressed by how many non- Jewish readers found this book an understandable introduction to Judaism.
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Subjects:  1. Customs and practices    2. Jewish way of life    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Jewish studies   

Reviews (21)

True Kabala
Cosmology is enlightening, this is one of the books you definitely need to get started in the Kabalistic view on the Creation. It is sometimes a bit technical, it gives you the information but you'll need other books by the same author and author Shlomo Weiss to further understand and appreciate what is being presented, if you really want to read Shlomo Weiss it would be helpful to read A Brief History of Time by S. Hawking (no mathematics in any of these books don't worry). The wholeKabalistic Theory is just out of this world literally, if you start down this path your life will change.

Very informative book
This book is extremly profound and Kaplan does a wonderful job as usual.He has selected the most authoritative version of the Sefer Yetzirah.This is an invaluable book and I very much enjoyed this book and will read it over and over.

Uncreative
It is a shame that even though it was advertised, the hebrew text is missing ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cabala    2. Early works to 1800    3. Judaism - General    4. Judaism - Sacred Writings    5. Meditation    6. Mysticism    7. New Age    8. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    9. Religion    10. Sefer Yezirah    11. Sefer Yeòzirah    12. Jewish studies    13. Judaism    14. Other prose: classical, early & medieval   

Reviews (2)

A terrific collection of articles
There's already an excellent review of this fine book on this site (by Shalom Freedman).But I'd still like to add a few words of my own.
An important analysis of an extremely sad phenomenom
This book is a collection of essays in which the phenomenom of Jewish self- hatred most particularly in the form of hatred of the Jewish state is analyzed and to a degree explained. It deals with many of the most well- known haters, including Chomsky, Tanya Reinhart, Norman Finkelstein, Israel Shahak, Daniel Boyarin , Jacqueline Rose, Joel Beinin, Michael Neumann(Canada), and others.
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Subjects:  1. Attitudes toward Israel    2. History - General History    3. Intellectual life    4. Israel and the diaspora    5. Jewish - General    6. Jewish Studies    7. Jews    8. Middle East - Israel    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    13. History / Middle East    14. International relations    15. Israel    16. c 1960 to c 1970    17. c 1970 to c 1980   

Reviews (18)

Assumes too much...
While Dennis Prager makes some good points, he doesn't so much explain his ideas as state them as fact. From the very first chapter: Morality is impossible without a God. In the next few pages, he states that, to paraphrase, "every leading moral philosopher agrees" with that statement. I bought the book hoping for an objective view on Judaism and God. I don't feel that's what I'm getting.

The Advanced(but concise)Guide to the religion of Moses,Benny Leonard,Barney Ross and Herman Wouk and...
For anybody thinking of converting to Judaism-or for anybody who considers himself a maven on the subject of Judaism-this is the first book I recommend.And that includes Herman Wouk's 'This Is My God';Wouk,who wrote the forward to this book-and the blurb on the cover,'The Intelligent Skeptic's Guide To Judaism'-seems to agree.For anyone interested in slugging it out in the religious tradition of Benny Leonard and Barney Ross,this book is indispensible and co-authored by a talk-show host who really is a "maven"(Prager)-and probably today's most indispensible,accesible Orthodox rabbi(Telushkin).

Great Introduction
This little number is great for an individual who has little knowledge of Judaism.Displays in a readable way the differences between Christianity and it's parent faith; Judaism.Great read for anyone wishing an introduction into a very misunderstood faith, especially looking on from an outsider.
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Subjects:  1. Addresses, essays, lectures    2. Jewish - General    3. Jewish way of life    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    7. Orthodox Judaism    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (9)

Fantastic!
This is a wonderful book albeit with few personal experiences of the victims but on the whole you will enjoy the book. The writer's grasp of English is exceptional and in fact taking this parameter alone you can enjoy the book and learn something new in word and sentence formations. Though at first glance it may look like one of those boring and dry books, which inhabit the shelves of libraries all over the book without being opened for many years to come. The book is excellent and shows the level of utter nadir reached by Nazis and German people while persecuting their own. Seems to have been a sort of a collective disease in which even a modicum of humanity or decency taken a permanent back seat. The author has presented the facts and names of very difficult and guttural German names with such ease that there is no confusion to the reader.
Great Work from A Great Historian
I've taken several seminars at UCLA with Saul Friedlander, and to say that he is an objective and very insightful historian is an understatement.This book is terrific and deserves all the critical praise that it has received.Even if you are just curious about the Holocaust, or you are a serious historian of the time period, you should definitely pick this book up.