Reviews (1)

A must for the medieval & Jewish Historian
The late Isadore Twersky of Harvard, an internationally reknowned scholar and walking repository of countless disciplines of knowledge paved the way for a particularly grand level of scholarship in his Rabad of Posquieres. With a keen sense of language, a broad and sweeping grasp of history, an all encompassing awareness of the medieval mind and the protocols and methodology of its legal writings, Twersky portrays a multifaceted medieval legal thinker and the many tensions in the writings and thought of this pivotal figure of 12th century Provence. Twersky's treatment of Rabad reveals an extraordinary mastery of intellectual history and serves to illuminate through the Rabad, the life and history of the Jews in southern France in the 12th century. The work is a supreme specimen of Twersky's style and multifaceted approach toward the study of religious thinkers.His historic thrust, halakhic focus and analytical methodology are not for the intellectual faint hearted and will require serious and proficient knowledge of Jewish texts, legal sources and medieval history to appreciate the profundity of Twersky's analysis and contribution to Jewish thought and intellectual history. Twersky's work is a must for the Jewish historian, Talmudist, Halakhist and philosopher. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very good introduction
This short book gives a quick biography of one of history's "villains", Herod the Great, Kind of Judea. Beginning with his father, Antipater, an Idumaean Arab, the book examines Herod's rise to power and his machinations to stay in power. This book is very interesting, even for adult readers, and I especially liked the many pictures. Overall, I found this to be a very good introduction to the life of Herod the Great. ... Read more

Book Description

This panoramic survey provides a first point of entry into the fascinating richness and complexity of the Jewish philosophical, theological and Kabbalistic tradition. Beginning in the first century with the Hellenistic philosopher Philo, Fifty Key Jewish Thinkers traces the major intellectual events of the last two thousand years, including the growth of Medieval Jewish philosophy, the early modern mystics, the radicals, the Hasidic leaders, the Enlightenment and secular and religious Zionism.

From Maimonides to Martin Buber, and from Baruch Spinoza to Elie Wiesel, this volume carries the standard found in Fifty Key Contemporary Thinkers (Routledge, 1994) and is ideally suited for anyone interested in Jewish thought or history. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A good work which could be better
This work competently traces the lives and outlines the thought of major Jewish thinkers from Medieval times. But it seems to me to have what might be called an ' over-liberal bias' and includes at least two people who certainly are not ' major Jewish thinkers'. It also naturally excludes many others who might be said to truly deserve a place here.
A good work which could be better.

Much more than a catalogue!
Educated persons will know at least something about such Jewish philosophers as Philo, Maimonides, Spinoza, Martin Buber, and Elie Wiesel. All of them have found their way into most major Western encyclopedias. This book offers much more. Cohn-Sherbok, a well-known writer of things Jewish, is an ordained Reform rabbi, and he naturally, and properly, concentrates on the religious aspects of his subject. Cohn-Sherbook devotes a two-page essay to each of the fifty thinkers included in this mini-encyclopedia. There are no footnotes, but numerous crossreferences. The author's deep involvement in his subject helps the reader apprehend the book as a unified whole. This becomes all the more evident if the essays are read in chronological order, which is easy to do, since the author includes a neat 2000-year chronological table of the names included. We thus get a fascinating view of how the Jewish religious landscape changed under the impact of several catastrophic events, from the Babylonian exile, over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, to the Nazi Holocaust. The endurance of the Jewish people under such calamities is striking. So is the ability of the thinkers presented here to steer their philosophical and religious reflection into fruitful channels. This implies neither an easy optimism, nor a resigned submission to fate. Rather, we witness here a deep rethinking of the foundations of religion, obviously relevant to Jews and non-Jews alike. ... Read more

Book Description

As a child in German-occupied Poland, Roma Ligocka was known for the bright strawberry-red coat she wore against a tide of gathering darkness. Fifty years later, Roma, an artist living in Germany, attended a screening of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, and instantly knew that “the girl in the red coat”—the only splash of color in the film—was her. Thus began a harrowing journey into the past, as Roma Ligocka sought to reclaim her life and put together the pieces of a shattered childhood.

The result is this remarkable memoir, a fifty-year chronicle of survival and its aftermath.With brutal honesty, Ligocka recollects a childhood at the heart of evil: the flashing black boots, the sudden executions, her mother weeping, her father vanished…then her own harrowing escape and the strange twists of fate that allowed her to live on into the haunted years after the war. Powerful, lyrical, and unique among Holocaust memoirs, The Girl in the Red Coat eloquently explores the power of evil to twist our lives long after we have survived it. It is a story for anyone who has ever known the darkness of an unbearable past—and searched for the courage to move forward into the light. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

She provides testimony
While I still don't know why some people survived the Holocaust and others didn't, I do know why Roma Ligocka survived: she provides testimony.

Her story begins as a toddler tells her tale of fear in the Krakow Ghetto. Scarcely more than an infant when the Jews were forced to wear Jewish stars on their clothing, she absolutely knew no other way of life. When an aunt said that she'd have men at her feet because of her beauty, she wondered if they'd be dead; that's what she knew.

She watched the snatching of her grandmother before her very eyes, as she hid under a table. Her father was forced to go to Auschwitz. Her mother begged for places for them to stay throughout the war.

The first half of the book deals with Roma's life before the end of the war. The second half deals with her life after the war: how events, seemingly minor, during the war, left permanent scars in her mind.

While this memoir deals with topics such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, failed marriages, show business, prejudice, and addiction, this is not a book ABOUT those topics. This is a book about a woman who saw "Schindler's List" and recognized herself and her family as subjects, and who had the courage to reflect, document, and move on. This is a story of survival.

(purchased via my amazon.com wishlist)

I read it all in one sitting
A very moving book. I've read many books about the Holocaust. However, I don't think I previously read one that was written by someone who was so young during the war and that focused so much on the author's adult life. Even though intellectually one knows that war scars a soul forever, living the aftereffects through a single individual's perspective is emotionally stunning. Highly recommended.

GRIPPING AND TOUCHING
I just wanted to say how moved I was by the book The Girl In The
Red Coat. It is a book that I just didnt want to put down until it was finished. I was so moved by terrible things that Roma Ligocka experienced as a child. Hopefully, the world will never be subject to such tyranny again. I am a Christian, and also have a great love for the Jewish people. Jesus has all the answers.

recommended
one of the best books I have ever read, the one that will stick to my mind forever;
I must admit I don't read a lot (a "no time" excuse...) but I just could not put it down...

Absolutely to be recommended!
No other book on the Holocaust and the heavy burden it has left in its wake has gripped me so deeply. And I have read many. "The Girl in the Red Coat" is an astonishing portrait of a little girl, who lives within the adolescent and the grown woman. An incredibly compelling and deeply moving book about the art to deal with grief. Absolutely to be recommended! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Continuing the sweeping narrative that he began withThe House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets, 1798-1848, Oxford University historianNiall Ferguson conjures up a world in which widespread change and utter uncertainty held sway in the place of carefully ordered dynasties and universally observed mores. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic revolution, European Jews had been able to move within dominant societies somewhat more freely. Of no family was this more true than the Rothschilds, whose branches lived in Germany, France, Austria, and England, and whose vast financial empire enabled them to act as diplomats and power brokers throughout the world. Their influence was enormous. When Spain wanted to build a railroad, its ministers approached the House of Rothschild. When the Confederate States of America sought to be recognized by the states of Europe, it sought--unsuccessfully--the Rothschilds' support. When Ferdinand de Lesseps broke ground for the Panama Canal and Cecil Rhodes broke ground for his vast diamond and gold mines in South Africa, Rothschild funds backed them.

Until the 1920s, Ferguson demonstrates, there was almost no economic, technological, or political development in Europe in which the House of Rothschild did not play some role. The rise of nationalist and national socialist movements and of official anti-Semitism, coupled with the rise in the Jazz Age of a new generation of Rothschilds that cared more for the good life than for the hard work of maintaining their holdings, led to a substantial decline in the family's authority and wealth. But even today, as Ferguson writes in this richly detailed but eminently readable history, the Rothschilds figure in European finance, continuing a legacy that Ferguson's two volumes trace from the Middle Ages to the new millennium. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Disappointed:
I agree with one of the critics that the book had many facts and details that broke up the pace of the book for me. Ferguson presumes that the reader knows a fair amount about bonds, consuls and other financial mechanisms. He would have done well to slow down a bit and explain a few of the terms and concepts. And I think that Ferguson tells an utterly superficial and innocuous history of the Family. Long awkward sentences make for labored reading. That having been said this was no doubt a delicate and perhaps overly ambitious undertaking. And there is a lot of scholarship in here.

The House of Rothschild
Ferguson insults the purchaser of the Penguin Paperback by omitting the bibliography and only providing sketchy footnotes. "Serious scholars" who desire these items are advised to buy the Harcover edition. Other than that, it is a good read

Not as good as the first; a worthy read still
The second volume of the family saga is not as compelling as the first. Perhaps that is due to the length of time covered, or perhaps due to the relative decline of the Rothschilds in the world of finance. Still, this is a compelling story, which is skillfully narrated by Mr.Ferguson

Nothing about the real family ....
This book is not about the members of this vast family. I wish to know what the writer knows of the real Rothschild family, the people, their lives, everyday living? Their pain and heartaches? What does he know? Why not print the truth's about the family behind all he has to say about this so called empire. There are real people here....

un-dumbed down
let me begin by saying that i am not in the habit of handing out five stars in my reviews, but this fine book certainly deserves it. i am not quite sure what to make of some of the criticisms leveled at this book in the reviews until now--too many facts, overly exhaustive, too much about continental finances or politics? can a definitive work of non-fiction have too many facts or be too exhaustive? what meaning do the rothschilds have if not in the context of continental politics. i loved every one of those three qualities about this book and, to boot, though it was appallingly well written as well. i found ferguson exhiliratingly (is this an adverb? it ought to be one) willing to assume that i could assimilate mass amounts of data, only sometimes arcane, and still want to follow a linear, only sometimes, social history--that's what definitive works are all about, i think. i applaud ferguson's not dumbing down history. and perhaps that is the difference between those who very much this book and those who didn't. i wanted to read history, and got it; others, perhaps, wanted to read a good yarn and didn't. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Necessary History
'Nesarim: Child Survivors of Terezin' is not only a profound voyage into the human soul and the depths of camaraderie, but also an academic treasure. Gruenbaum's hard work and dedication have allowed the world access to the life experiences of the men who make up the Nesarim (at its conception a group of boys and their young teacher who were all prisoners at the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin, in the Czech Republic), as well as those of some of their spouses.

Viewed through an historian's eyes, this book is an essential and priceless compellation of rich primary sources. These firsthand accounts are unique in that they encompass the whole of the interviewees' lives. The book covers the Nesarims' experiences during the Holocaust but also portrays the often turbulent journeys each of them undertook after the war, thereby providing a most complete understanding of the on-going effects and lessons of the Holocaust, which has informed the Nesarims' perceptions of themselves and their surrounding world.

This work is a vital piece of knowledge and history and a telling pilgrimage into the possible.

A sensitive and true depiction of child survivors
At a time of life when ordinary youths' minds and bodies are spurting along in growth with accompanying wild swings of judgment and behavior, these boys were confined in Terezin. Separated from their families and familiars, thrown together in deprived and frightening circumstances, they survived.

As Thelma Gruenbaum recounts their stories, this book is touching, exciting, and illuminating. With great sensitivity and delicacy, she brings out the very personal accounts of ten who experienced Terezin, then lived beyond it to persevere, find success in life, and finally even joy in each other.

This work provides a lesson in the possible. Not only is any feeling reader interested but surivvors in all walks of life would find sustenance here.

Courage and Fortitude
I have found Nesarim:Child Survivors of Terezin both fascinating and uplifting. The courage and fortitude of the young men that lived thru this frightening experience at a young age, exemplified the best in human beings, especially when faced with the worst. Although currently living all over the world, they remain bonded and in contact to this day. An inspiring book.

tugs at the heart and renews faith in humanity
This book about a group of boys who were thrown into a camp during WW II moves the heart. The guys are adolescents who learn to cope, survive, and learn from having to live each day in fear and deprivation. The uniqueness of these stories is that the reader gets to follow each boys' life into adulthood and see how the dogged determination, courage, and hard work of each boy resulted in his ultimate success. They all grew up to be good men with families and lives of worth and meaning. They never forgot their early experiences or their loyalty to one another.

I felt sadness when I read their stories, but I also felt uplifted by what they were all able to achieve. These kids lost so much, but they not only survived--they thrived!!

Highly recommended.

A fascinating, true story
I read a draft of this book a few years back, and it was with such pleasure that I read it again in its published form. This is a true story of a group of boys who didn't let the Holocaust stop them from living their lives. They played soccer, wrote newsletters, and stole food from the Nazis to share among themselves. With each interview, a clearer and clearer picture emerges of the surreal place known as the Terezin concentration camp, where art and music and learning flourished despite the constant threat that anyone could be put on a transport and disappear to an unknown fate. The men's stories in these interviews don't end at liberation: they lead rich and interesting lives and keep in contact with each other right up until the present day. It's a wonderful book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Detailed and Shattering
Anus Mundi--1500 Days in Auschwitz/Birkenau is a detailed and shattering view of life in the death camps of the Holocaust.Unlike the writing of Elie Wiesel, Jean Amery, and to a lesser extent, Primo Levi, which is deeply and movingly introspective, Wieslaw Kielar details the brutalities of life in the camps with a simple objectivity that is unsparing in its directness.In this narrative, we learn nothing about Kielar prior to June 1940 and nothing about him after his liberation of the camps four years later.We do know he is Polish Catholic who occasionally prays, but other than that the book is devoid of religious, philosophical or political overtones.

The dozens of camp vignettes that the author has accumulated in this book are as sharp as the eye of a camera: brilliant, detailed, focused and memorable.The closest comparison in style would be Borowski, Kielar's tragic countryman.In each case, the strict lack of sentiment and intellectual elaboration serve only to heighten the horror and leave us with no doubt as to the authenticity of the recollections and their attendant suffering.

Although Kielar's misery was unrelieved, for all its deprivations, his fate was slightly easier that that of the Jewish prisoners.This is in no way meant to be disparaging.Kielar suffered more than his share of harsh blows, severe winters, starvation and infestation with lice and fleas.Although not a Jew, for Kielar, too, the brutalities of the sadistic Kapos were never far away.His memoir records a long season in hell that would have destroyed a lesser man.

Amidst this suffering and degradation, however, Kielar reveals that contacts with the civilian world outside of the camp were still possible for him, that he was entitled to receive packages from home, that correspondence with his family took place with a certain amount of regularity and most of all, that he did not live each day in fear of the ovens and gas chambers which were reserved for the arriving Jews.Those Jews whose lives were spared suffered a fate that proved, ultimately, to be harsher than that suffered by Kielar and the other Polish political prisoners.

This is an intimate and extremely well-written book about the horrors of the Holocaust and it contains a wealth of information.One must though, when reading, remember that there were qualitatively different orders of experience among the various inmates of the camps.Kielar could, at least, count on the fact that he had a chance of outlasting and overcoming the wretchedness.The Jews, however, were from the moment of their arrival, marked for certain death.If not immediately dispatched to the gas chamber, they were worked until death mercifully overtook them.

The acknowledgment of this distinction among the prisoners in no way detracts from the vividness or the pathos of Kielar's memoir of his 1500 days in hell.We must read and remember each survivor's story for its own unique reasons.In Kielar's case, the reasons are compelling enough to make this a first-class memoir in the annals of Holocaust literature.

Striking memoir on life in Auschwitz/Birkenau.
If you only read one book about the holocaust, this should be it. Mr. Kielars memoir is the difinitive book on Auschwitz/Birkenau. This book is moveing, horrific and full of feeling. It goes beyond the documentation ofevents to the dreams, fears, and struggles of a human being in the face ofone of the worst events in history. Anus Mundi gives a personal view of thepeople and events that shaped the concentration camp from those that helpedease suffering, to those who created it. Mr. Kielar shares not only thepersecution of the Jews, but also the Gypsies, political prisoners,homosexuals, and more. This book is a beautifully detailed, extremelypersonal look at life and death in Auschwitz. ... Read more

Book Description

Updated to include year 2001 inductees into the International Jewish Sports Hall of FAme and containing nearly four hundred photographs

Profiles not only participants, but also coaches, sportswriters, organizers, and other significant contributors to every major sport

While many great Jewish sports figures are household names--Koufax, Greenberg, Spitz, and Auerbach probably come first to the minds of American fans--others are not as well known.JEWISH SPORTS LEGENDS features profiles and photographs of the famous, and the not so famous, members of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.Among other interesting facts, readers will learn that-- No fewer than twenty-nine boxing titles were held by Jews

A Jew created baseball's World Series

A Jewish runer won medals in four consecutive Olympics

A rabbi's son was deemed the world's strongest man in the 1964 Olympics

A Jeiwsh gymnast won seven medals in a single Olympics

A Jewish wrestler once won 400 consecutive matches

Four Jews are among the top ten Olympic medal winners of all time

A Jew held five National Basketball Association records when he retired, including career points

JEWISH SPORTS LEGENDS is a fabulous gift for all sports fans. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Lots of Legends
The International Jewish Hall of Fame has plenty of reasons to be proud - and most are listed in this book. Not meant to be a complete biography, it gives sample snapshots of these legendary athletes, coaches and sportswriters. Obviously there is a rich and deep heritage in the Jewish community and this books fosters that well.

Disappointing
One or two paragraphs each containing stats and awards. I was expecting more fleshed out biographies, perhaps outlining any adversities these folks had to endure, Jewish or otherwise. No or almost no personal information. ... Read more

Book Description

An unflinching personal story of family, religion, and community that shows the horror of growing up in the shadow of religious fundamentalism. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

BREATH-TAKING!
Truth often lies in the overlooked details -- a look, a touch, a
thought unspoken. Farideh Goldin is a master at capturing these
details, vividly drawing readers into the hearts and minds of Jewish
women in twentieth century Iran. Through first-person narrative, Goldin
also brings to life the historical relationship between Jews and
Muslims in the Middle East, offering a fresh perspective on the
struggles between peoples of the region. Honest, bold, and gripping,
Wedding Song is a must-read for people of all ethnicities. -- Loolwa
Khazzoom

A must read
Goldin's book is a wonderfully bold telling of her life and memories of her childhood in Iran. The reader gains insight about the lives of women and Jews in Shiraz that many will never share. A must read.

Another world another time
Reading this book transports you to another world, another time. Faridah and I are the same age. I grew up in the heart of the Richmond, Virginia's Jewish community while she was in Shiraz. Our adult lives paralled, but our youth was worlds away. I had BBG, USY, and the JCC while she lived in a world not dissimilar to that described in "The Red Tent". I marvel at how she has come to be the woman she is today despite her family and life experiences. Through her text, you can smell the food and feel the pulse of the market. You are with her in the University and feel the terror as she tries to leave Iran. Looking at the family pictures it is hard to imagine the life she led in Iran. I can't imagine what it must be like for women there now. The courage it took to breakaway and leave is hard to imagine. This is a book every American woman should read to understand how lucky we are to have been born in America. I will be giving a copy to all the women in my family. Thank you Faridah for sharing your life and reminding me how lucky we are.

Bridge to a far away land and culture
Farideh Goldin has taken us on a journey to Shiraz, Iran. A journey different from many others, she reveals to us life behind the closed doors of a ghetto. Her use of Farsi expressions such as najess / inpure expose the inner workings of a Shi'te society, and provide us with an authentic exposure to life in non-western society. This book depicts life as lived by a woman who witnesses radical changes in a life time, changes that took a course of centuries in Europe. Goldin's story is the story of a brave woman re-evaluating norms that have been practiced blindly from generation to generation.

Heartbreaking, haunting, truly affecting
Goldin has written a richly evocative portrait of her life growing up in an Iranian Jewish family. Written openly and unabashedly from her perspective as first a young girl and later an adult woman, the complexity of emotion and a vividness of recollection makes the book truly stand out and offer something new in the literature of women's, Jewish and Iranian/Middle Eastern studies. The author clearly communicates both her pain and pride at her life and origins. A must-read for anyone interested in the lives of women in the Muslim Middle East or in the experiences of the Jewish communities there. ... Read more

Book Description

Israel's national heroine, Senesh returned to her native HUngary in 1943 to help rescue Jews. She was captured by the Nazi's and executed at the age of 23. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

R E A D this book!!
For such a small stature as Hannah was, she is one of WWII or history in general strongest women. A must read for any history class. In addition, would make a great movie if someone would be wllling to do so.

Although she perished in the Holocaust - her memory, her words, her dreams still linger.

Once you pick up this book you will devour it. Her life and who she was will remain forever in your memory. I still envy her.

I read this book 20 years ago or so and it still remains my favorite as well as her being one of my personal heroines. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Forty vignettes drawn from individuals rescued
Holocaust Hero by historian and Holocaust authority David Kranzler is the true story of Solomon Schonfeld, a young British Rabbi of a small Orthodox congregation, and a pioneer of the day school movement in London, who rescued thousands of Jews from 1938 to 1948. An amazing and inherently fascinating biographical study of a dedicate man, Holocaust Hero focusing heavily on Schonfeld's rescue efforts, and also spotlights the community service he did to provide his "charges" with kosher homes, a Jewish education, and jobs. Forty vignettes drawn from individuals rescued by this truly great man add a special highlight to Holocaust Hero. No Holocaust, Judaic Studies, or 20th Century Biography collections can be considered comprehensive or complete without the inclusion of David Kranzler's Holocaust Hero. ... Read more

Book Description

Following the enormous success of her two bestselling novels, The Red Tent and Good Harbor, award-winning author Anita Diamant delivers a book of intimate reflections on the milestones, revelations, and balancing acts of life as a wife, mother, friend, and member of a religious community.

Before The Red Tent, before Good Harbor, before and during six books on contemporary Jewish life, Anita Diamant was a columnist. Over the course of two decades, she wrote essays about friendship and family, work and religion, ultimately creating something of a public diary reflecting the shape and evolution of her life -- as well as the trends of her generation.

Pitching My Tent collects the finest of these essays, all freshly revised, updated, and enriched with new material, forming a cohesive and compelling narrative. Organized into six parts, the shape of the book reflects the general shape of adult life, chronicling its emotional and practical milestones. There are sections on marriage and the nature of family ("Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage"); on the ties that bind mother and child ("My One and Only"); on the demands and rewards of friendship ("The Good Ship"); on the challenges of balancing Jewish and secular calendars ("Time Wise"); on midlife ("In the Middle"); and on what it means to embrace Judaism in today's culture ("Home for the Soul"). ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Almost not worth reading
Coming off the total fabrication of the 'Red Tent' this collection of essays is simply a dirty mirror of the far more organized book they were made into. Capitlizing on interest in feminism and the Bible these essays serve up a cold plat eof fabrication and misinformation, mostly detailing the life of Dinah and her relations with other women of the tribe of Joseph, unfortunatly Dinah comes off as a harlot, and her friends as Pagans and idolworshipers full of a mishmash of psuedo-pagan religions, none of which actually existed at the time of Jacob but this book simply fakes these other religions pretending that the women in the Red Tent would have resorted to heathen barbarism when not in the presence of Jacob and his sons. The reality is that no acts of human sacrifice or the bleeding of cats took place among the women of Jacobs family and since none took place this read is mere conjecture.

Perfect Pitch!
As a long time fan of Anita Diamant's work - THE RED TENT and then GOOD HARBOR, I was thrilled to see that a new one from Ms. Diamant was on the shelves! I bought it right away!
PITCHING MY TENT was a fast read but one that I can see revisiting from time to time. In this compilation of articles and musings, the reader will get a real sense of what it was like for a woman who had choices and took chances - while her faith in Judaism and living a Jewish life blossomed!
Written in such an honest and personal way, this book stirred many thoughts and emotions and really made me think about life.
This is a book to give to the women in your life, messages that we will all identify with. It may even enourage you to pick up a pen and jot down some of your own memories!

A Perfect Book for Fans of Diamant
PITCHING MY TENT by Anita Diamant, author of THE RED TENT, is a collection of short and personal essays on family, friends and religion. Arranged by topic, the essays are, for the most part, light and enjoyable reading. Gathering many essays from her days as a columnist, PITCHING MY TENT reflects the things that are most important in the author's life, and they are things that will resonate with many readers.

Diamant begins by exploring "Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage." In this section she shares personal and general thoughts on marriage and partnership. These thoughts, like those in the rest of the collection, in many ways center not just on marriage, but on a life lived within a particular religious tradition. She shares how she and her husband celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, and his conversion to Judaism. While this section of the book is actually dedicated to her husband, she does discuss her first marriage in frank emotional terms. From pet peeves to health issues, from mutual friends to the birth of their child, Diamant is candid about her marriage; the specifics she shares point to universals.

Next, Diamant dives into the topic of motherhood and her focus is on her daughter Emilia. She writes loving essays about parenthood as both "an adventure and an education." Two essays in this section stand out. The first is entitled "One" and discusses Diamant and her husband's decision to have only one child, despite the pressure to give Emilia siblings. The other is "The Mother's Bat Mitzvah Speech." This speech is a touching and tender tribute to her daughter on a very special occasion.

The third section in PITCHING MY TENT gathers essays about friends and friendship. These are short yet sweet.

"Time Zones" is the fourth section and one of the most interesting topics of the book. Here, Diamant examines sacred time and ordinary time by looking at the Jewish year and some of its holidays and commemorations. In essays about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, the holidays of Sukkot, Chanukah and Purim, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas, Diamant writes about being Jewish in a culture both Christian and secular and how she celebrates and understands Jewish (and non-Jewish) holidays. The essays are quite short but are full of insight and honesty. As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, she writes about Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the idea of memory as a sacred trust. Both this essay and the brief one in tribute to her father are poignant and nicely written.

Diamant also has collected essays on middle age but she ends the book with more discussion about religion in her life. She writes that Judaism is her "journey" and her "home" and that it is an "essential lens" through which she understands herself and her place in the world. But these final essays are not as solemn as the introduction to the section would have you believe. Here, Diamant addresses serious issues such as congregation politics and the expectancy that all Jews read Hebrew --- but she does so with a light and witty touch.

PITCHING MY TENT is not exactly a book about religion or family in general but about Diamant's family and her religious life. Her essays are insightful if not challenging or academic. This collection is a great gift idea for fans of Diamant, those who enjoy easy yet interesting reading, and especially for Jewish mothers. A personal look at contemporary Jewish life, PITCHING MY TENT will not generate controversy or create the kind of following that THE RED TENT had, but it won't disappoint those who are looking to learn more about this author.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Thought provoking
I picked up this book with no intention of buying it, but within a few minutes of reading Anita Diamant's honest and touching essays I was hooked, and knew I wouldn't be leaving the bookstore without it. Her essays are insightful and true without being preachy. I discovered how woefully ignorant I am regarding the Jewish faith; the passages detailing Jewish holidays and traditions were especially fascinating to me. Although the book was a quick read, I felt it was well worth the money. I know I'll return back to it again. I would highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

From July 1942 until August 1944, a young girl named Anne Frank kept a diary. Keeping a diary isn't unusual. Lots of girls do. But Anne's diary was unique. It chronicled the two years she and her family spent hiding from the Germans who were determined to annihilate all the Jews in Europe.

In this sensitive and thoughtful introduction to the Holocaust and to the life of one of its best known victims, acclaimed author Johanna Hurwitz deftly evokes the background of World War II while capturing the unforgettable spirit and tragedy of Anne's life.

In this sensitive and thoughtful introduction to the Holocaust and to the life of one of its best known victims, acclaimed author Johanna Hurwitz deftly evokes the background of World War II while capturing the unforgettable spirit and tragedy of Anne's life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Anne Frank Life in Hidding
The summary on this book is this is a book about Anne Frank. It tells about her life and her diary. Also it tells about her troubles and her problems. In this book, people are put into concentration camps and poision gas room by the Nazis. If you don't know who the Nazis are, they are a type of group that dosen't like Jews.
Anne was born in 1856.Anne was very adventrous. She liked to write, so at the age of 13, her mom and dad bought her a diary. Anne was very talkative. Sha always got into trouble.
Some problems that she faced is hidding.She was hidding from the Nazis. She was hidding with another family and a dentist. Also another problem she faced is physical changes.
Some ways she solved her problems is by writting in her diary. In her diary she would write about things that were going on in her life. Another way she solved her problem is by hidding. This is a problem solver because if she didn't she would be in a concentration camp.

another breath taking book for such an intimate topic
This is another book about Anne Frank that I get the chance to read. Although there are many biographies about this wonderful human being, this book is the closest one that can answer the questions that all Anne Frank fan has. I did for many years just read the Diary over and over but I wanted more! This book is definetly more! It tells you more about the relationship she had with her family and the rest of the people in hiding. This is a girl who could hardly see the light coming from her window and the only green thing that she could think about was a huge chestnut outside the Annex. This book describes this little things that she cherished and that she no longer had....her freedom. She didn't either had freedom of speach inside the Annex due to the critics about her attitude. This book develops more information about why Anne acted like she did and why she had an open opinion about everything. It also gives you a bigger idea of why she didn't like her mother and develops more about her childhood around her family and her friends. I hope all readers that enjoy the Anne Frank writings will enjoy this description about her persona. Is a total different thing to read her diary knowing more about her life and early aspirations. ENJOY! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

MUST READ for artist, historians, and Great for children
This book is wonderful, It is a must read, Freidl Bicker-Brandeis is a heroine, and her story is amazing. One look at this book and you will be glad you bought it. Rubin did a great job choosing pictures for this book, and bringing a hard issue of WWII concentration camps to a child level. Very good at illustrating the importance of Art Therapy.

beautiful-visually & spiritually
Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was an artist of the Bauhaus who was also a Jew, sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and eventually executed at Auschwitz. The story, set against this bleak and oppressive history, is one of love and hope: she teaches children art and helps with "art therapy" in the camp. The importance of her choice in relentlessly pursuing a beautiful and healing expression of the spirit is revealed by the testament of a few who survived. There are numerous examples of the children's art, some of Dicker-Brandeis' art, and photographs that bring the story to life. Interesting, informative, and moving. This is a book to read to children (ages six to nine) or to allow older children to read on their own, and of course it raises questions that will explore the very meaning of humanity. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Interesting insider account of controversial act
This is a first-hand account of the search for, capture and trial of one of the most prominent Nazi war criminals. Adolf Eichmann played a key role in transporting millions of Jews to the extermination camps. After he vanished at the end of the war, Zvi Aharoni, an experienced Mossad operative, led the search for him.

Eichmann, along with at least 300 other leading Nazis escaped from Austria to Italy and then to Argentina via the 'convent route', assisted by the Roman Catholic Church and the Red Cross. However, after Aharoni located and identified Eichmann, the Israeli Government made no attempt to get him extradited from Argentina. It ordered Aharoni to kidnap Eichmann and smuggle him to Israel. The kidnapping, in May 1960, broke Argentina's laws, as Israel's Prime Minister David Ben Gurion later admitted. The United Nations General Assembly passed a Resolution condemning the abduction as a violation of Argentina's sovereignty.

The Israeli Government put Eichmann on trial in 1961. He famously claimed that he was only obeying orders, but was found guilty of instigating the killing of millions of Jews. He was executed on 1 June 1962.

The whole enterprise showed the Israeli Government's cavalier attitude to other countries' sovereignty. Its technical success was used to warrant later repeated attacks on other nations' sovereignty. These aggressions damaged the countries attacked: they also degraded Israel itself. Aharoni laments that after he retired 'the rules changed and the ideals of his past no longer applied; with the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Israel had become a different country.' (A key indicator of this change was that, appallingly, confessions obtained by force became admissible evidence in court.) But he cannot see that his career's most triumphant moment - the forcible abduction of Eichmann - contributed to this moral degradation.

The latest and most complete account of the Eichmann capture
This book, first published in English in 1996, was the most recent of 3 eyewitness accounts of the Eichmann operation Although fairly consistent in details with the other two books written by task force members ('The House on Garibaldi Street,' by Isser Harrel and 'Eichmann in My Hands' by Peter Z. Malkin -- see my reviews of these books), there remains one question to be answered.

Zvi Aharoni and Peter Malkin seem to have a mutual animosity towards each other, a point that is illustrated many times in this book. Of historical importance, however, is Aharoni's claim that Mr. Malkin's discussions with Eichmann while in the former's captivity could not have taken place, both because it was against orders, and also that Malkin and Eichmann did not share a common language. Aharoni claims that Malkin spoke Yiddish and Hebrew, the former sufficently similar to German to communicate simple commands and needs, but certainly insufficient to discuss the fine points of the Holocost. I recently sent a letter to Mr. Malkin asking to clarify his language skills, especially inquiring whether he was fluent in German. It would make sense, since Malkin did extensive undercover work in Germany prior to the Eichmann operation. As of this writing, he has not responded.

Aside from this point, this book probably is the most complete in recounting the research and operational details that went into the making of the capture of Eichmann.

The kidnapping could have gone wrong.
Zvi Aharoni knows from personal experience the inside story of Eichmann's capture and has given us the definitive insight. The description of the trial, however, is less detailed. A lot of myths are laid to rest. For example the SS criminal on the run never tried to disguise his identity after capture contrary to other accounts and movies. Nor did he speak the Hebrew language as has sometimes been claimed by apologists. But the over-riding lesson of this spy story is how it all very nearly went wrong. The undercover agents made the mistake of pretending to be estate agents when visiting Eichmann's neighbor and their cover was very nearly blown. Eichmann himself was surprisingly careless about his personal security in Buenos Aires even though he knew the Israelis were planning to capture him. It is an interesting sidelight that he and his family lived poorly in a house without electricity or fresh water supplies. If organizations such as Odessa had plenty of nazi gold in South America, Eichmann certainly never saw much of it after his arrival there. Apparently, he was the only man executed in Israel since 1947. In the worst sense of the term, Eichmann was indeed a special case.

almost like being there
This book gives a brief history of the beginings of a terrible time in history. It then tells an intriguing story of espionage and kidnapping. The author had intimate contact with Eichmann, and relates some of the conversations with him, giving some insight into a twisted mind. This book has pictures(vital when studying history) which helps to put the reader in Buenos Aires. To get the full story of Eichmann's capture "The House On Garibaldi Street" is an important companion book. Note should be taken that the names are different in the two books, but as the reader gets to know the characters they tend to meld together. Operation Eichmann is a fasinating read as a part of our history that needs to be told and never forgotten. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Extremely inspiring
Mr. Liebster's experience was heart wrenching to say the least. I find that the reviewer from Bakersfield, CA, summed up the book quite nicely, and nothing really needs to be added accept the fact that Mr. Liebster was never ashamed to mention who the "Bibelforschers" were in the concentration camps. He makes no bones about the kindness he experienced from these "Bibelforschers," better know today as Jehovah's Witnesses. In fact he credits his very survival due to their sincere altruism, and upon his release from the concentration camp was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Jehovah's Witnesses were also persecuted in these camps, and were given purple triangles to set them apart from the other prisoners. Just for being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, they were subject to 25 strokes upon arrival to the camp. No other group had to suffer this torment upon arrival. Then all the Witnesses were put in the punishment block for further beatings. Although their release hinged on only signing a document renouncing their faith, they refused to do. They faced long sentences and even execution, rather than compromising their faith.

Other religious groups compromised in order to save their skin and gain favor with the Nazis' even to the point of persecuting those of their own nationality or faith. In contrast, Jehovah's Witnesses stood alone in keeping their resolve not to compromise even to the point of death. They became targets of the Nazi regime because of their unyielding loyalty to God alone, and not the state.

This book was very inspiring, therefore I encourage all to read it.

Haunting and Inspiring - a poignant holocaust memoir
Max Liebster was a handsome and spirited young man, a Jew, living in Viernheim Germany during Hitler's rise to power, and the ensuing Nazi takeover. His style of writing is spare but powerful ("As I witnessed the Hitler Youth parades, my blood turned to ice. I beheld the heaving of swastika flags. I saw the edge of the abyss.") He describes the false security, then the confusion, and finally, the despair of the Jewish situation in Nazi Germany.

He himself was imprisoned in Auschwitz (his father's hometown), Sachsenhausen, and Neuengamme. Like all the concentration camp victims, he witnessed atrocities it is painful even to read about. He carried his father's dead body to the mass crematorium, the last tiny dignity he could bestow upon a broken man.

Never bitter, he describes his wonder at the pervasiveness of the virulent anti-Jewish sentiment that swept the nation. During his incarceration and torment, he converted from Judaism to a messianic Christianity, "Bibelforschers," who were prevalent in the concentration camps. Not the doctrine so much as the living examples of faith that he witnessed won him over - he describes the inner tranquility and compassion that attracted him to the group.

His book is valuable on several counts, probably moreso than I can fathom at present. I enjoyed the insights into his traditional Jewish upbringing and belief system - the faith that to him was Judaism. He describes the differences between the devout and the peripheral practicer, the country and the city Jew. I was touched by the faith of his father, even in such bleak and hopeless surroundings, pronouncing a traditional Jewish blessing on his son, just prior to his own death. And I was surprised at the insight the book gave to the tragic plight of even many Nazis - imprisoned by an ideology futureless and dying, from which there seemed no escape but death.

It was enlightening to see the juxtaposition of the strength and yet frailty of the human psyche - an unbroken inner dignity of faith, but yet a latent emotional frailty in the wake of such numbing human cruelty - to the point that a visit to the site of such trauma provoked a heart attack in the author even some half-century after the fact.

Mostly, I think the benefit of this work is the lesson that survival of the spirit is dependent, not upon an abstract or intellectual faith of doctrine or dogma, but upon a human bond of pragmatic love and recognition of the dignity of the human condition, even in the most vile and desperate surroundings - a faith that is lived in the heart, not merely professed with the mouth. This is what saved Max Liebster in the true sense of the word, and I think there is a lesson for all of us in that fact.

I can't imagine anyone reading this important biography and not being moved, but then I can't imagine those who could perpetrate such atrocities - and yet they were everyday people, as Mr. Liebster demonstrates. A study in the dichotomy of the human condition: cruelty and kindness; weakness and strength; desperation and faith, fear and love. Recommended to students of the Holocaust, of the Jewish and the "other" victims, to students of the reaction of the human condition when under test in what truly is a "crucible of terror."

My only complaint is that the book ended too quickly - I wanted more! I almost gave it a 4 instead of a 5, for this reason, but in the end I couldn't think of what else it needed, only that I resented it ending so quickly. Which may, in the final analysis, be more of a positive than a negative - so I'm going with 5 after all. An important and thought-provoking work.

Crucible of Terror
Fascinating first-person account of Mr. Liebster's experience during the Holocaust. I especially appreciate his description of the time period leading up to his imprisonment - his bewilderment at being caught up in events out of his control and his dispassionate view of those Germans caught up in Hitler's programs. He does not demonize the Nazi loyalists that he had contact with, but tries to look pass their afilliations with Nazism and into what caused them to become part of Hitler's system. He highlights very well how many "normal" Germans were swept along by a tidal wave of events out of their control. His descriptions of the time he spent in the camps are very reader accessible - and give you a real sense of what the day to day life was for people in the concentration camps. He also gives great insight as to what it takes for a person to survive such an experience with his spirit intact. ... Read more