January 26, 2018
By BEN SALES
NEW YORK (JTA) — Book Culture, a chain of independent New York City bookstores, just can’t win.
First it promoted a children’s book about Palestine that praised intifada. That angered members of the Jewish community, so Book Culture apologized, condemned violence against Israelis and declared its support for Israel’s right to exist.
Now the apology has angered pro-Palestinian activists, who are pledging to boycott Book Culture unless it...
January 10, 2018
Author Frances Klagsbrun, who spoke at the Uptown Jewish Community last night, got good news in addition to a nice New Orleans audience to welcome her. Her book “Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel” was just selected this morning as the Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year by the Jewish Book Council (JBC).
The award is considered the most prestigious in the field of Jewish literature...
December 10, 2017
By VICTOR WISHNA
(JTA) — When Chanukah comes, it hangs around for more than a week. That means plenty of gifts to give, as well as ample time for procrastinators.
For your favorite Person of the Book, you can’t go too wrong with giving, uh, a book. We have eight of them here, from the culinary to the cartoonish (in a good way), with a few gripping novels and too-crazy-not-to-be-true...
July 02, 2017
By VICTOR WISHNA
(JTA) — Sure, winter might seem like the ideal time of year for curling up with a good book — but summer is when you might actually have time to read.
So before these warm months all too swiftly fade to fall, here are some Jewish-themed titles, from a wide range of genres, to fill your beach bag (or tablet) for the season.
A bonus: These works, from...
July 02, 2017
By CURT SCHLEIER
(JTA) — In February 2015, Sen. Jim Inhofe carried a snowball on to the floor of the Senate to prove global warming did not exist.
Everyone knows “it is very, very cold outside,” the Oklahoma Republican said. “Unseasonable.”
That, said Al Franken, gave him an idea.
“I thought about coming into the chamber with a snowball and just packing it very tight the way we do in...
May 19, 2017
By ALEXA DAYAN
“Lashon HaKodesh History, Holiness, and Hebrew” examines the Hebrew language as well as its history to bring forth a greater understanding and appreciation of the language. From a historical perspective, this book examines what languages were spoken during different time periods in the Bible and how the modern Hebrew language evolved. Klein’s analysis provides passion that truly distinguishes the Hebrew language from any other ancient or spoken...
May 12, 2017
Tulane University’s Jewish Studies Department Sizeler Family chair Brian Horowitz has a new academic book featuring 12 different essays about the Jewish community connection to Russia. Horowitz, who was the first chair of the academic department that began first as a Jewish studies program, will step down as department chair in June, but remain on the Tulane faculty.
The book titled “‘The Russian-Jewish Tradition” is a scholarly work that contains...
April 06, 2017
By PENNY SCHWARTZ
(JTA) — From the wizardry of Harry Potter that echoes with Passover’s themes to a cartoon frog who wisecracks his way through the seder, this year’s new crop of Passover books for kids offers something for all ages and interests.
The selection of fresh reads, including two family-friendly Haggadahs, also includes an unusual Jewish immigrant tale set in rural Argentina and a heartwarming, intergenerational story about an...
January 13, 2017
REVIEWED By BRIAN HOROWITZ
Lawrence J. Epstein. The Dream of Zion: The Story of the First Zionist Congress. London Rowman and Littlefield, 2016. 172 pp. $36.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-4422-5466-4.
The topic of this book is specific: the First Zionist Congress in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland. The hero of the event is Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism, who famously announced at the meeting, “In Basel I founded the Jewish state.” However, the...
December 23, 2016
By VICTOR WISHNA
(JTA) — Chanukah is “late” this year (no disrespect to lunar-calendar literalists), which means winter will be well underway by the time those first lights are lit. What better time to curl up with a good book than when the weather outside is frightful, but the latkes are so delightful?
So, in the spirit of Chanukah, whether you’re looking to rededicate yourself to literature or just find...
