Reviews (1)

This is an excellent book for getting more meaning out of the Torah/ Pentateuch.

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Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible.    3. Criticism, interpretation, etc    4. History and criticism    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - Sacred Writings    7. Midrash    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Pentateuch    11. Religion    12. Religion - Judaism    13. Criticism & exegesis of sacred texts    14. Jewish studies    15. Judaism   

Reviews (30)

How old are the kids now, Isaac?
The doctor's four, the lawyer's seven.
Brilliant
Dennis Prager is emerging as one of the single most insightful and important conservative thinkers in the country.His analysis of Jew-hatred is by far and away the best organized, comprehensive, and compelling account I have ever seen.In an age in which Islamic radicalism seeks to kill the Jews all over again, Prager's book couldn't be more timely.

Best explanation of anti-Jewish sentiment
I won't give up my copy of "Why the Jews..." but I have purchased copies for other people. You might think you know the reasons for anti-Jewish sentiment, but you need to read this book to know for certain.If you believe that you understand the conflict surrounding the Zionists, you need to read "Why the Jews..." to be sure.The age-old mistrust of the Jews, the reasons the Muslim and Semitic attacks on the Jews is all explained in this thought-provoking and well-written book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Antisemitism    3. General    4. History    5. History Of Jews    6. Judaism - General    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Jewish studies    11. Racism & racial discrimination    12. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (4)

Germany's Everlasting Shame
This book is quite simply a horror story.It is over 260 pages of man's inhumanity to man.I base my four star rating on one horror story after another throughout the book.Each person's misery is certainly to be respected, but how people who pass themselves off as human beings could treat other individuals with such despicable behavior defies explanation.Women would hold up their children so they could watch the "fun" taking place at the expense of the Jewish people.This night of November 10,1938 called Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, in which Jewish synagogues and Jewish places of business were destroyed all over Germany not to mention the loss of life these people experienced, was supposedly due to a Jewish person taking revenge on his family's expulsion from Germany by shooting an individual in a German embassy in Paris, France, on November 7, 1938.I've had the chance to meet Martin Lowenberg who was 10 years old at the time of Kristallnacht, and heard him tell his experience of horror at the hands of Hitler's thugs.What is especially frightening is that ordinary Germans got caught up in the terror and relished the role they, too, could play in this everlasting shame on their country.Let us not be so naive to think this could not happen again.

not his best effort
Interesting, but spends way too much time in minute details.And..plenty of the book had nothing to do with Kristallnacht.

compelling eyewitness accounts
The personal narratives that Gilbert found for this book are its most compelling aspect. The overall picture of Kristallnacht has been known for decades. And Gilbert's accounting of that, while written with his usual skill, basically covers well trodden ground.
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Subjects:  1. 1933-1945    2. Europe - Germany    3. Germany    4. Germany - History - Third Reich (1933-1945)    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History - Military / War    8. History: World    9. Holocaust    10. Jewish - General    11. Jewish Holocaust    12. Jews    13. Kristallnacht, 1938    14. Military - World War II    15. Persecutions    16. History / General   

Reviews (5)

Sprightly, optimistic take on the American Jewish community
If those who try to predict the fate of American Jewry can be divided into pessimists and optimists, count Jonathan Sarna emphatically among the optimists. In this succinctly written and cogently argued history of American Judaism, the Brandeis University historian makes a strong case that Jews on these shores have a promising future as well as a storied past.
Could not put it down
Jonathan Sarna's book is the first American Jewish History that I could not put down.Should be required reading for all American Jews.I have read Jewish history and studied in college under Arthur Hertzberg, Arnie Eisen, Michael Stanislawski, so that little here was actually new to me.The book, however, put everything into proper perspective and traced trends in a logical readable way -- beautiful analysis of the origins, history and current status of the major movements of Judaism.
A masterful history by a scholar optimist
In the closing chapter of this mastefully done history of Judaism in America Jonathan Sarna points to major problems the community faces today. One is the problem of boundaries, of defining who is a Jew, and who belongs to the community. Another problem is the one most spoken of the problem of assimilation and intermarriage. The Jewish community has in the last forty years seen an accelerating rate of intermarriage from around seven percent in the early 1950-'s to close to fifty percent today. Another problem(All these problems are interrelated) is the dimnishing numbers of the community that can no longer as it could some time ago rely on immigration to replenish its ranks. And many see that these problems are all moving the community to greater and greater bipolarization,on the one handa majority of assimilated and assimilating Jews with little Jewish knowledge or sense of ethnic or communal belonging, and on the othera more intensely religiously learned and religiously identified Jewish minority. Sarna somewhat worriedly describes these problems, but nonetheless points to past communal resilience . He suggests that the American Jewish community will findanswers and new ways to flourish.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History - General History    3. Jewish - General    4. Jewish Studies    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - History    7. Religion    8. Religion - Judaism    9. United States - General    10. Judaism    11. Religion / Judaism / History    12. USA   

Subjects:  1. Emigration And Immigration    2. Ethiopia    3. Ethnic relations    4. History    5. History Of Jews    6. Jews    7. Operation Moses, 1984-1985   

Reviews (9)

A good overview, but the conclusions conflict with evidence
While I believe that this book is a must-read insofar as gaining an understanding of Khazaria goes, I do not believe, as the author contends, that this population survived in the numbers that he suggests.Most recent Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosome mapping work that has been done on Ashkenazi Jews suggests that the overwhelming majority of the progenitors of this population were middle-eastern in origin.The rest of the genome suggests that an intermarriage and conversion rate that could not have been more than one percent per generation.A mass influx of survivors from the fall of the Khazarian empire just doesn't fit into the genetic picture.
Extremely Interesting
Being turkish myself, I have always found the friendship between jews and turks very warm and interesting (and many of my friends are jewish). I knew the Ottoman Empire accepted 150.000 jews during Sultan Suleyman (Solomon) II in 1492 - when Spain chose to expel them - and that modern Turkey has close military ties with Israel; but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought than an entire Turkish kingdom converted to Judaism and allowed jews from all over the world to settle and build a strong kingdom. What a fascinating and extraordinary positive event!
Excellent
Brook does an excellent job in broaching this topic that many have attempted before him, and I'm sure many will attempt after. Considering how little is known about Khazaria, how much history has been either censored or re-written by the former Soviet Union, and the relatively sparse amount of archaelogical work that has been conducted in the region, Brook brings much information to light, detailing the tribal and linguistic origins of the Khazars. In comparison with Koestler's "The Thirteenth Tribe," Brook's work is more about presenting facts than coming to conclusions.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Jewish - General    6. Eastern Europe    7. Jewish studies    8. Religion / Judaism / General    9. Khazars    10. Jews    11. Russia    12. Ethnic relations    13. Europe - Eastern    14. Caucasus, Northern   

Reviews (125)

Brilliant book
Finkelstein exposes the corrupt wanna-be Jews who exploit the Jewish Holocaust for financial gain.
Cleaning house on the holocaust memory.
The main premise of this book is that after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the powers-that-be in the U.S. saw Israel as a geopolitical asset in the Middle East. Johnson, in particular, decided to tap that asset in the interests of the Cold War. Thus, Jewish organizations siezed the opportunity and in lock-step with U.S. interest, began to exploit the memory of the holocaust, supposed "victim" status, and claims of anti-Semitism in support of Israel. Could this theory be true?
Three and-a-half stars. Prof. Finklestein is very close to being on point. And it has cost him dearly!
I first heard Norm Finkelstein speak
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Subjects:  1. Foreign public opinion, Americ    2. Foreign public opinion, American    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Holocaust    7. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    8. Influence    9. Jewish - General    10. Jewish Holocaust    11. Public Opinion    12. United States    13. Europe    14. Jewish studies    15. The Holocaust   

Reviews (9)

Simply one of the most incredible history books I've read!
I cannot praise the author, his research, his explanations and his writing enough for this singular tome. Like other reviewers have said, the reader goes into this book, whether Jewish or not, with their mouth open at the incredibility of this occurence. It's easy enough in hindsight to make judgement calls about what the the leaders of the Jewish community world-wide should have done about Hitler's rise to power. However, given the economic situation of the time and the Reich's strategems to place all blame for Germany's economic hardships on the Jews throughout Europe, it's hard to determine that even had the massive boycotts been organized and on schedule, would they have work? And even more important, if Hitler was ousted due to the economic stranglehold on Germany,who or what would have taken his place? And would that have been any less devastating for the Jews in Europe. Devasting; THE most jaw-dropping book I've ever read
Readers of this book must be going out of their way to avoid its nightmarish implications; even the author sidesteps them. Indeed, the book is mis-titled. It should properly have been called 'The Great Boycott and its Tragic Abandonment.' The transfer agreement was simply the rationale for the staggering historic blunder whereby Jewish organizations in the diaspora allowed themselves to be persuaded by Zionist forces to puncture the spontaneous and swelling worldwide Jewish boycott of German goods taking place in 1933, a movement with enormous and growing non-Jewish support as well, which, had it been supported rather than undercut by major Jewish organizations, could very well have toppled Hitler from power by the spring of 1934. Not only would this have spared 5-6 million Jewish lives, it would have spared another 45 million or so non-Jewish lives lost in the Nazi holocaust. I once believed like many that the Holocaust led to the fulfillment of Zionism; this book shows rather that it was the fulfillment of Zionism which led to the Holocaust. And it was all for nought. Israel would still have come into being and moreover would have had several million extra potential immigrants to draw from. This book is all about a simply horrific wordwide catastrophe that resulted from an incredibly BAD choice based on ethnic nationalism, and it is made instead to appear as merely a somewhat sordid chapter re. a road to nationhood that featured a few nasty bumps along the way. Mind-boggling!

Devasting; THE most jaw-dropping book I've ever read
Readers of this book must be going out of their way to avoid its nightmarish implications; even the author sidesteps them. Indeed, the book is mis-titled. It should properly have been called 'The Great Boycott and its Tragic Abandonment.' The transfer agreement was simply the rationale for the staggering historic blunder whereby Jewish organizations in the diaspora allowed themselves to be persuaded by Zionist forces to puncture the spontaneous and swelling worldwide Jewish boycott of German goods taking place in 1933, a movement with enormous and growing non-Jewish support as well, which, had it been supported rather than undercut by major Jewish organizations, could very well have toppled Hitler from power by the spring of 1934. Not only would this have spared 5-6 million Jewish lives, it would have spared another 45 million or so non-Jewish lives lost in the Nazi holocaust. I once believed like many that the Holocaust led to the fulfillment of Zionism; this book shows rather that it was the fulfillment of Zionism which led to the Holocaust. And it was all for nought. Israel would still have come into being and moreover would have had several million extra potential immigrants to draw from. This book is all about a simply horrific wordwide catastrophe that resulted from an incredibly BAD choice based on ethnic nationalism, and it is made instead to appear as merely a somewhat sordid chapter re. a road to nationhood that featured a few nasty bumps along the way. Mind-boggling! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1933-1945    2. Europe - Germany    3. General    4. Germany    5. Haavara    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Jewish - General    10. Jews    11. Middle East - Israel    12. Zionism    13. Europe    14. European history: Second World War    15. Jewish studies   

Subjects:  1. 1437-1508    2. Abravanel, Isaac,    3. Doctrines    4. General    5. Judaism    6. Judaism - Theology    7. Philosophy    8. Philosophy, Jewish    9. Philosophy, Medieval    10. Religion    11. Abravanel, Isaac    12. Dialoghi d'amore    13. Jewish studies    14. León    15. Oriental & Indian philosophy    16. Philosophy of religion    17. Religion / Judaism / History   

Reviews (23)

Unsourced Assertions are not proof
Critique of Neumann: The Case Against Israel
Counterpunch is Counterproductive
Anytime I read an article or a book by Michale Neumann, I know it is biased towards his views of being anti Semitic, anti Israel, and anti Capitalism. While he spews out his love for fellow man, he destroys any hope for dialogue in the future with his radical Marxist theories. This book is filled with lies, false facts, and is great to support the ememy. Don't buy it , as Mr. Neumann will profit, something he abhors.

A Very Balanced and Unbiased Review of the Israeli-Zionist Movement and its Impact on the Palestinians
This book has exceeded all expectations of fairness and holds an unbiased view of the impact that Zionism (specifically the European Zionist origins) has had on the Middle East, paying particular attention to Zionism itself as the root cause of violence in the region.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Jewish - General    5. Middle East - Israel    6. United States - 20th Century    7. History / General    8. Middle East    9. Political oppression & persecution    10. Political science & theory   

Reviews (3)

3rd Grade Reading Level and Biased
After reading 100 pages in about ten minutes, I wondered if Josephus really wrote as if he were a child.ie: Jack was a man.He lived in a house.He had a wife.He did something.Then, Jack died.Now replace Jack with Adam, Noah, Moses, Isaac, etc.The translator/editor takes far too much liberty with his abridgement and translation.I bought the unabridge version afterward.The writing in the full version is still easy to read and follow, but it gives a much more detailed and fuller story telling.I realize that the original is very long, and editing was necessary for this book.But, the sentence and paragraph structure was dumbed down too much.Also, the current editor adds too much correlation to Jesus.He may be unaware of this, but not all readers are Christian.I bought the book for Josephus' telling of Jewish history (as the title of Josephus' major works would indicate).Not Paul Maier's idea of what is important in Josephus' landmark undertaking.
Best translation ever of Josephus for normal people
The works of Josephus are the most important writings we have to understand the background and history of the Bible. Yet, trying to read Josephus' wordy prose is one of the most excruciating experiences I ever encountered. Excellent Translation
This is a good introduction to the works of Josephus that are really quite crucial to understanding Second Temple Judaism, the Qumran sect, and the fate of the Jews in the War with Rome. Scholars of both history andreligion alike will benefit from this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Bible    3. Bible.    4. Early works to 1800    5. History    6. History Of Jews    7. History of Biblical events    8. Jews    9. Judaism - General    10. O.T    11. O.T.    12. Rebellion, 66-73    13. Reference    14. Religion    15. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    16. To 70 A.D    17. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (6)

drivel
The book is full of self-important drivel.As a result, it lacks clarity and coherence.

Worth it
Perhaps a little academic, but an extremely interesting, modern take on Jewish culture.

I'm a Jewish person with a culture, too
Even though this book didn't mention me by name, the book helped me to understand my place in the world as a young Jewish person living in my parent's basement. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History Of Jews    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jewish civilization    8. Jews    9. Judaism    10. History / Jewish    11. History of specific subjects   

Reviews (1)

Will the Jews last?
Futurizing the Jews: Alternative Futures for Meaningful Jewish Existence in the 21st Century Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - General    2. Forecasting    3. Forecasts    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Israel    8. Jewish - General    9. Jews    10. Judaism    11. Twenty-first century    12. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Groups In Literature    2. Fiction    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. Jewish authors    5. Jews    6. Judaism - General    7. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Short Story    11. Short stories, American    12. Short stories, Jewish    13. Social life and customs    14. American English    15. Jewish studies    16. Modern fiction    17. Religion / Judaism / General    18. Short stories   

Reviews (5)

Easy Read. Very Informative.
I had to read this book for a US History class and I was very impressed by the book. At no time was I bored with the book. It's actually very captivating and informative. If you really want a short book that is full of information and does not get boring read this book.

The terrible scope of the horror
Most of the previous accounts of Auschwitz that I've read have been personal accounts, most recently Rudolph Vrba's Escape from Auschwitz.While these personal accounts are quite powerful and serve to put a human face on a tragedy of almost inconceivable scope, they are only slivers of the big picture.This book provides a broad overview of the history of Auschwitz, compiled from eyewitness accounts, transcripts of war crimes trials, and the memoirs of Rudolf Hoess and other Nazi's involved in the camp.While it lacks the emotional impact of a more personal account, this book helps shed some light on the scope of the horrors of Auschwitz and Birkeneau and the holocaust in general.By itself, it is an important overview, but if read together with the stories of individual survivors, it provides context for understanding the personal accounts.

Nice and Easy
This is a good little book about Auschwitz.It is extremely thin and easy to read (128 pages).If you just want to know a little bit about Auschwitz and are not inclined to read one of the heavy books on the subject then this may be a good alternative.I found it easy to read and did not lack any of the intensity found in the bigger volumes on the subject.It is very detailed.It is also a great book to introduce yourself on the operations of the death camps.This book may spark your interest and you may want to read further on the subject.I finished it in only a few hours.Nice and easy reading. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    2. Auschwitz (Poland: Concentrati    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Holocaust    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Jewish - General    8. Jewish Holocaust    9. Jewish holocaust (1933-1945)    10. Military - World War II    11. Personal narratives    12. Poland    13. History / Holocaust   

Reviews (5)

Not a Difficult Read, and Filled With Many Interesting Details.
It is the Jewish year 5766. It is a long time for one group of people to stay together following their religion through one era after another and still survive as a group - even without a homeland until recently in 1948 when Israel was founded as a formal Jewish state and democracy. So Jews are a fascinating group of people and frankly have made contributions to the arts and sciences well in excess as one might expect to their small numbers relative to other groups.
A good set of Academic studies
This is a scholarly history of the Jewish people edited by H.H. Sasson. There are six sections, the first dealing with the Origins and Formation of the People is by A.Malmat. The second section deals with the first Temple Period and is by H.Tadmor.The third dealing with theSecond Temple Period is by Menachem Stern. The fourth concerned withthe Mishnaic and Talmudic Period is by S.Safrai. The Medieval Period is by the General Editor H. H. Sasson. And the distinguished sociologist Shmuel Ettinger covers the modern period.
From biblical times through the formation of modern Israel in a thousand pages
This is a big and interesting book.It begins with not only the traditional telling of the origins of Biblical Israel, it does not shy away with the intellectual problematics of that story.However, it is not as dismissive of the ancient stories as are most modern critics.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History Of Jews    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jews    8. World - General    9. History / General   

Subjects:  1. 70-1789    2. Civilization    3. Directories    4. Encyclopedias    5. General    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History Of Jews    9. Jewish - General    10. Jews    11. Judaism    12. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    13. Medieval and early modern period, 425-1789    14. Reference    15. Jewish studies    16. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    17. Reference / Encyclopedias    18. Reference works    19. World history: c 500 to C 1500    20. c 1000 CE to c 1500    21. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE   

Reviews (10)

Did Jews Settle New Mexico and Do They Remain
Thesis:Many of the Spanish settlers of New Mexico were either secretely practising Jews or recent converts.Through the ensuing centuries, some kept up tradition and practice of their Hebrew faith, in all or part. A good history of crypto Jews in New Mexico
A couple of years ago I went to a lecture that Dr. Stanley Hordes presented to the New Mexico Genealogy Society. He discussed his then upcoming book about crypto-Jews in New Mexico titled "To the End of the Earth." What intrigued me about Dr. Hordes lecture was that he found proof that the colony of Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Espana ( present day Mexico) probably was populated with crypto-Jews. This same colony en masse tried to illegally colonize New Mexico in 1591, and a few of these people were also part of the official New Mexico colony in 1598. Dr. Hordes' makes a very good argument that there were crypto-Jews in New Mexico during the first years of colonization and that their descendants continued practicing Judaism up until the present day.
Scholarly but also deeply inspiring
More than 700 footnotes add up to an extraordinary story well worth the telling: quite a few "manitos" of Northern New Mexico were probably crypto-Jews who preserved parts of their own culture through centuries of isolation.So we discover that Hispanos and Hebrews are both part of Chicano history in the American Southwest.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History: World    4. Jews    5. Latin America - Mexico    6. Marranos    7. New Mexico    8. Religion - Contemporary Issues    9. Religion - Socialissues    10. Sephardim    11. United States - State & Local - General    12. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (4)

Memo to Amanda Smythe
In going over the reviews in order to consider whether I should get this book, I read yours in which you claim to know a great deal about military history.You say there was no point in bombing railroad tracks as they can easily be repaired.True.The way you knock out a rail line is by bombing its bridges.

An honest historically accurate book
I completely disagree with the last comment. The book does not "omit" anything that actually happened. It does however "omit" the fantasies that have been propag