DR. ARNOLD L. SEGEL LIBRARY CENTER OF TEMPLE ISRAEL : Mah chadash? What's new?

BOOK FAIR!

2011-11-21T12:32:00.002-05:00

The Temple Israel Library book fair will be held Friday, December 9, through Sunday, December 18 in the Atrium.

Come and check out the hundreds of Jewish books for adults and children!

Book fair schedule:

Sunday: 8:45-2:00

Monday & Tuesday: 9:00 -9:00

Wednesday: CLOSED

Thursday: 9:00 -6:00

Friday: 9:00 -5:00 and after Qabbalat Shabbat Service

Shabbat day : CLOSED

If you have any questions or want to volunteer, please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian, at aabrams@israel.org

USED BOOKS EVERY DAY!

Also don't forget to stop by the Book Shuk, the library's for-sale collection of used books, mostly on Jewish topics. All proceeds benefit the library. The Book Shuk is located on carts outside the doors of the Dr. Arnold L. Segel Library and is open whenever the building is open.

AUTHOR TALKS AND FILMS WITH JEWISH THEMES IN THE BOSTON AREA

2011-09-19T16:32:00.001-04:00

BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH
Monday, October 31 at 6pm

Meir Shalev. My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner One of Israel's most celebrated writers, Meir Shalev is the author of over 20 books for children and adults, including the Brenner Prize-winning A Pigeon and A Boy. In his funny, touching new book, he tells the story of his grandmother Tonia and her fierce, neverending battle to keep her new house spotless in her adopted home of Palestine.

Friday, November 4th at 7pm
Amos Oz - on sale 10/3

Scenes from Village Life

From Booksmith website: Because we expect a large crowd for this event and have limited space, we will be giving out 2 tickets to attend the reading with each pre-order of Scenes from Village Life. A ticket guarantees you a seat at the reading. After the tickets run out, we will try to fit more people into the reading, and everyone who purchases a book here will be able to attend the signing.

Amos Oz is the award-winning author of such books as Don't Call It Night, The Same Sea, and A Tale of Love and Darkness. In his new novel in stories, he tells of a fictional village in which everything is not as it seems--a digging sound keeps an old man up at night, a man's wife disappears leaving only a note, a singing party goes on during an air raid.

AUTHOR TALKS AND FILMS WITH JEWISH THEMES IN THE BOSTON AREA

2011-08-08T15:41:00.000-04:00

Author and Writers reading from their new books.

Wayne Hoffman will be reading from his novel, Sweet like sugar, on Wednesday evening, September 21, 7:00 pm, at the Harvard Coop, Cambridge, MA, sponsored by Keshet.

From the author:

Sweet Like Sugar follows an unexpected friendship between a young gay Jewish man and an elderly Orthodox rabbi. It's about fate, faith, and how alienated Jews can reconnect with their identity. Serious stuff. But along the way, it's also about Kurt Cobain, class stratification in the DC suburbs, Space Mountain, the Book of Esther, the war in Iraq, Israeli dance, Jewish summer camp, Barack Obama, Miami's bar scene, the Holocaust, interfaith relationships, immigrant communities in Jersey City, Will & Grace, crystal meth, kashrut, Sammy Davis Jr., and much more.

Schedule of appearances, September - December

Films

Sarah's Key opened last Friday, and is playing at the Kendall Square Theatre.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

2011-05-15T13:08:00.002-04:00

This month is Jewish American Heritage Month and throughout the month the government will be hosting events and offering historical information on a variety of websites. For example, on Tuesday, May 17th, President Obama will host a Jewish American Heritage Month reception at the White House. A number of government agencies have combined to create a website with historical information and audio/visual resources as well. Another website focuses on events happening around the country and also includes a page entitled 50 States/50 Stories that highlights Jewish American historical events and famous figures in each state, including Massachusetts. If you are interested in the legal history of Jewish American Heritage Month, the Law Library of Congress has a research guide that collects information on the legislative and executive branch documents related to this commemoration.

The Library of Congress also has a website devoted to its exhibit, From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America

Posting by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

Jewish literature, learning and culture: Events in the greater Boston area in MAY

2011-05-02T15:55:00.003-04:00

As usual, this month there are many interesting events happening in and around Boston. Here are just a few that may be of interest:

Wednesday, May 18, at 6pm, Gary Shteyngart will read from his novel, Super Sad True Love Story, a dystopian view of the future of America as seen by a Russian-Jewish immigrant and the Korean American woman with whom he falls in love, at the Harvard Bookstore. This acclaimed book takes a bitingly satiric view of the future of America and was named one of the best books of 2010 by more than a dozen reviewers, including The Boston Globe and The New York Times. Tickets are on sale for $5.00 and can be purchased through the Harvard Bookstore website.

Also on May 18th at 8pm, the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore will have a live, interactive simulcast of satirist Andy Borowitz’s Countdown to Election ‘12 as part of their Manhattan in Marblehead series. Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $12 for the community and can be purchased on their website.

Poetry reading by Barbara Helfgott Hyett, May 23, 2:30, @ Goddard House, Brookline. dobrien@radiusmanagement.com; Free

FEAST OF JEWISH LEARNING featuring Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Tuesday May 24, 11:00 am, Beth El Temple Center, Belmont;

AND

Tuesday May 24, 7:00 pm, Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Chestnut Hill.

Margie Piercy celebrates the release of her newest collection, The Hunger Moon: new and selected poems, 1980-201, Wednesday, May 25, 7pm, at Brookline Booksmith.

On Thursday, May 26th at 7pm, Porter Square Books will host a talk with Peter Cole and Adina Hoffman on their book, Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza. This book tells the story of the discovery of one of the most impressive and important collections of Jewish manuscripts in an Egyptian geniza.

In addition, all month long the Countway Medical Library will be hosting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race travelling exhibition. The exhibit will be on show until July 17th.

Book Event Tomorrow, April 12th

2011-04-11T19:47:00.000-04:00

Elaine Scarry will be speaking at the Harvard Book Store tomorrow, April 12th, at 7pm. She will be speaking about her new book, Thinking in an Emergency, which is an entry in the Amnesty International Global Ethics Series. The book discusses the compatability of thought and rapid action as a refutation of government emergency powers and emergency actions.

Book event by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

April Events

2011-03-28T16:40:00.001-04:00

In April there are a number of events of interest happening in and around Boston, so whether you are interested in an author event, or a museum exhibit, or a conference, there is something for you!

On Thursday, April 7th at 7pm, the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton will be hosting a discussion betweent Judith Shulevitz, author of The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, entitled Is Belief Besides the Point?

Also on Thursday, April 7th at 7pm at the Brookline Booksmith, Bart Ehrman will be discussing his book, Forged: Writing in the Name of God - Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are.

The Second Annual Conference on Public Intellectuals at Harvard University is scheduled for April 7th through the 9th at James Hall. Gerda Lerner and Robert J. Lifton will both speak on Friday evening. Information about the full program is available on The Historical Society blog.

On Sunday, April 10th, Joan Leegant will be speaking at Temple Emeth (194 Grove Street, Chestnut Hill) in the afternoon on her novel, Wherever You Go.

On April 14th, Countway Medical Library will be hosting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race travelling exhibition. The exhibit will be on show until July 17th.

On Monday, April 25th at 7pm, Elisa New will be speaking at Porter Square Books about her new book, Jacob's Cane: A Jewish Family's Journey from the Four Lands of Lithuania to the Ports of London and Baltimore.

On Thursday, April 28th at 7pm, Porter Square Books will host James Carroll who will speak about his book, Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World.

Events postings by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

Edith Pearlman Events

2011-03-14T13:54:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately, Edith Pearlman's reading at Porter Square Books on March 8th had to be cancelled. However, it has been rescheduled and she will also be speaking at a number of other venues in and around Boston in the coming weeks:

Stellina's Author Night, Watertown - March 16th at 6pm
Porter Square Books, Cambridge - March 28th at 7pm
Upstairs at the Square, Cambridge - April 7th at 7pm
Smith College, Northampton - April 20th at 4pm
Muse and the Marketplace at the Park Plaza, Boston - April 30th and May 1st

For a more complete list of her appearances, please see her website.

Edith Pearman Events post by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

March Author Events

2011-02-28T15:56:00.003-05:00

Quite a few interesting authors will be speaking in March, including two authors who will be having events in multiple venues.

James Carroll, news director of Brandeis University and foreign affairs columnist for The Jewish Advocate, will be speaking about his book, Jerusalem, Jerusalem: The Ancient City that Ignited the Modern World at several events this month. First up, he will be speaking at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton on Tuesday, March 1st as part of the 2010 Distinguished Authors Series. Then, on Friday, March 11th at 7pm he will be speaking at the Harvard Bookstore. Finally, on March 16th at 6pm he will be speaking at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square as part of their ongoing Author Talk Series.

On Tuesday, March 8th at 7pm, Porter Square Books will host Brookline resident Edith Pearlman, who will discuss her new collection of short stories, Binocular Vision.

On Friday, March 11th at 6:30pm, Temple Israel will be hosting the annual Carl Steinbaum Program. This year, Rabbi Louis Rieser will be giving a presentation entitled The Night Hillel Was Snowed In: Lessons from the first Rabbi to the 21st Century, based on his book, The Hillel Narratives: What the tales of the first rabbi can teach us about our Judaism.

Mark R. Warren is another author who will be speaking multiple times this month. He will discuss his book on social justice, Fire in the Heart, at both the Harvard Bookstore at 7pm on Wednesday, March 16th and the Brookline Booksmith at 7pm on Tuesday, March 29th.

On March 23rd at 8pm, the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore will be live broadcasting an interview with the Barefoot Contessa which is taking place in New York City. Ina Garten will talk about her career and her personal life and will answer questions from the audience as part of this interactive event. Tickets for this event are available online.

Fans of cookbooks will have another exciting event on Friday, March 25th at 6pm, when Porter Square Books will host Joan Nathan who will discuss her book, Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France.

To wrap up the month's author events, on Thursday, March 31st at 6pm, the Harvard Bookstore will host a reading by Sandra E. Rapoport from her new book, Biblical Seductions: Six Stories Retold Based on Talmud and Midrash.

In addition to all of these interesting events, the Brookline Booksmith's reading group will be discussing Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay at their meeting on March 14th at 7:30pm. This novel, which is set in Paris in both 1942 and 2002, considers an actual event that took place in France during the Holocaust. The book was a previous selection of our book group as well.

Author events postings by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

Check Out Two New Library Contests

2011-02-14T17:49:00.002-05:00

For all of our library patrons who are 13 years old and younger, Mandarin Library Automation is currently sponsoring a great "Why I Love My Library" contest. To enter, submit an essay of 300 words or less about why you love your library by March 4, 2011. The full rules are available online. Good Luck!

In other contest news, Gale is currently sponsoring a Are you a Librarian Superhero? contest to "recognize the often heroic efforts put forth by librarians around the country, and to encourage other feats of greatness" and none other than our own Ann Abrams has been entered! To learn more about the contest, go to Gale's press release.

Contest posting by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

February Author Events

2011-01-31T18:50:00.003-05:00

Several local bookstores, libraries and community centers are hosting interesting events in February.

Thursday, February 3rd at 2:00 pm, the Central Library of the Boston Public Libraries will be showing Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, a documentary on Gertrude Berg who was creator, star, and writer of “The Goldbergs,” a popular radio show which became television’s first character-driven sitcom.

Also on Thursday, February 3rd at 8:00 pm, the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore will be live broadcasting an interview of author Michael Lewis by NPR’s Ira Glass that is happening in New York City. Lewis will discuss his book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, about the global financial crisis and steps to prevent future collapses.

Tuesday, February 8th at 7:00 pm, the Harvard Bookstore and Harvard Hillel will co-host James L. Kugel, Harvard professor of Hebrew literature, who will discuss his new book, In the Valley of the Shadow: On the Foundations of Religious Belief.

On Wednesday, February 9th at 7:00 pm, Jennifer Wright Knust, an assistant professor at BU, will be discussing her new book, Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire at the Brookline Booksmith.

Saturday, February 13th at 11:30 am, Porter Square Books will be hosting Senator Bernie Sanders, who will discuss his new book, The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class.

On Thursday, February 17th at 6:30 pm, the Cambridge Public Library will be hosting Ted Gup who will discuss his book on the Depression Era entitled, A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness – And a Trove of Letters – Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression.

On Friday, February 18th at 7:30 pm in First Parish Church in Harvard Square, Cambridge Forum presents a benefit concert for the Terezin Music Foundation and Cambridge Forum. Performances of works created in Terezin and contemporary works inspired by the artists of the holocaust will be followed by a panel discussion on the relationship between creativity and stress, using the works created in Terezin as examples. More information about this event is available on the Harvard Bookstore website.

Author events postings by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

Watch Harvard Bookstore Events from Home!

2011-01-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

Have you missed any recent author events at the Harvard Bookstore? If so, you are in luck! The Harvard Bookstore just launched its new website, which includes an extensive video archive of past events so that it is now easy to catch up on events you missed or watch events about books you have just read. Some examples of the events that are currently available online are:

Gal Beckerman discussing his book, When They Come For Us, We'll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry,
Eric Nelson discussing The Hebrew Republic in March 2010, and
Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi David Wolpe debating religion and God.

More videos will continue to be posted, so check back if you hope to find a video for a particular event or if you miss any future events.

Update about the Harvard Bookstore Website by Carli Spina, Library Intern.

Books and films by temple members in 2010

2011-01-03T20:26:00.011-05:00

2010 was a productive year for temple members who are authors and film-producers! Four members of Temple Israel published books, one contributed to an anthology, and another produced and directed a film!

Harvey Burstein, who has previously published several books on security, criminal investigation and ethics, published his 12th book this past year. This latest volume entitled Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool Through College examines school violence and discusses approaches taken to combat this type of crime.

Jenifer Firestone contributed a chapter to And Baby Makes More, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families. This collection explores the phenomenon of the “known donor” in the queer family structure: what happens when would-be dyke moms or gay dads ask a friend or acquaintance to donate sperm or an egg, or to act as a surrogateedited.

Mark Lowenstein authored Great Runs in the Boston Burbs, to add to his previous titles in the Great Runs series: Great Runs in Boston and Great Runs in Brookline and Vicinity.

Rochelle Ruthchild's latest work is Equality & Revolution: Women's Rights in the Russian Empire, 1905-1917. This book examines the largely unknown work done by Russian feminists, which ultimately culminated in Russia becoming the first major world power to allow women to vote and hold office. She is also the author of Women in Russia and the Soviet Union: An Annotated Bibliography.

Roger Gottlieb edited Religion and the Environment, a four volume collection of works related to religious environmentalism. And he has another one coming out in March, 2011 - Engaging Voices: Tales of Morality and Meaning in an Age of Global Warming This link will also tell you about Roger's many other publications.

Adam Mazo released his documentary, Coexist, and its premiere screening was held here, at Temple Israel! It examines the ongoing reconciliation between the perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda, who are now being released from prison, and those whose families were killed in that genocide.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Mark's, Rochelle's or Jenifer's book, please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian. Or, if you are a temple member, and have written a book or produced a film, and would like to let the temple community (and beyond) know about it, please contact Ann as well!

News about Temple Israel Authors, by Carli Spina, Library Intern, and Ann Abrams, Librarian.

Upcoming Author Events in the Area

2010-12-20T14:56:00.001-05:00

A number of interesting author events are scheduled for January.

On Thursday, January 13th at 7:30pm, author Karen Armstrong, one of the world's leading writers on comparative religions, will discuss her new book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, at Congregation Kehillath Israel. Sponsored by the Brookline Booksmith, this talk will present Armstrong's argument for compassion as the basis of a life well-lived. Tickets for the event are $5 and are available in person at the Brookline Booksmith or by phone.

On Tuesday, January 18th at 7pm, Brookline resident Edith Pearlman will be discussing her new collection of short stories, Binocular Vision, which includes stories on Jewish topics. The event will be held at the Brookline Booksmith and is free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, January 25th at 7pm, the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton is hosting Alice Hoffman in conversation with Joyce Kulhawik as the latest installment of the 2010 Distinguished Authors Series. They will discuss Hoffman's newest book, The Red Garden. For more information on tickets for this event, or any of the other upcoming author events in this series, please see the Ryna Greenbaum JCC Boston Jewish Book Fair website.

Jewish book news around the Boston area, by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program

2010-11-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

On Friday, December 17th, Temple Israel will host the 16th Annual Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program immediately following the Qabbalat Shabat service. This year, our guest speaker will be Dr. Eliza Slavet, author of Racial Fever: Freud and the Jewish Question. This promises to be a very interesting event. Rabbi Ronne Friedman interviewed Dr. Slavet on his television show, The Jewish Perspective, and was so impressed, he recommended her as a speaker, calling her book, "a magnum opus." For more details on the event, please go to the Library's webpage for the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program. The Library has also prepared a list of resources available in the library or online for those interested in reading up on these topics before the event!

Also this month, the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton is hosting Ted Gup as part of its going 2010 Distinguished Authors Series. On Wednesday, December 8th at 10 am, Mr. Gup will discuss his book on the Depression Era entitled, A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness – And a Trove of Letters – Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression. For more information on this free event, or any of the other upcoming author events in this series, please see the Ryna Greenbaum JCC Boston Jewish Book Fair website.

RESOURCES FOR CHANUKAH!

2010-11-16T12:20:00.002-05:00

Chanukah begins the evening of December 1, so it's not too early for us to post the wonderful Chanukah resources we have in our library, and that are also online.

Chanukah Books, Websites, and DVDs for All Ages

Ages 0-2

Katz, Karen. Where Is Baby's Dreidel? Baby wants to spin the dreidel, but where is it? Lift the flaps to see.
Shostak, Myra. Rainbow Candles : a Chanukah Counting Book. This rhyming board book helps the youngest readers count the eight nights of Chanukah.

Ages 3-6

Modesitt, Jeanne. It's Hanukkah! An adorable mouse family celebrates the Festival of Lights. The Hanukkah story, a Hanukkah blessing and song, directions for playing the game of dreidel, and a recipe for latkes are included.

Moffatt, Judith. Chanukah lights. Rhymes explain the holiday. This book glows in the dark!
Ofanansky, Alison. Harvest of Light. An Israeli girl describes how her family grows and harvests olives to make the oil they use each year in their Hanukkah menorah. In the spring the trees bloom and tiny green olives form; in early fall the family picks and preserves a few green olives for eating; and in late fall they pick, sort, and press ripe black olives for oil.

Older, Effin. My Two Grandmothers. Lily loves spending time with her grandmothers, but they're as different as could be. When she visits Grammy Lane, they ride a tractor or go snowshoeing. then return to the farmhouse to eat red flannel hash. Bubbe Silver, who lives in a tall apartment building in the city, takes Lily to play golf and serves her gefilte fish with extra hot horseradish. Lily goes to Bubbe Silver's apartment for Hanukkah and Grammy Lane's house for Christmas. Lily loves carrying on the family traditions from both sides, so she starts a new one of her own: Grandmothers' Party, bringing Grammy and Bubbe together to enjoy each other's food and company.

Sper, Emily. Hanukkah : a counting book in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. Readers will learn about Hanukkah, as well as how to count all 8 nights in Hebrew and Yiddish! Pronunciation guides help kids say the words, and die-cuts reveal the candles as they are lit each night.
Zorn, Steve, and Joui Hellel. The Hanukkah family treasury. Includes stories, recipes for latkes and doughnuts, rules of the traditional dreidel game, and classic holiday songs. Ages 7-10

Adler, David A. Chanukah in Chelm. Good-hearted, foolish Mendel can’t find a table for the menorah.

Bunting, Eve. One Candle. Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose keep a tradition alive that began in the concentration camps by lighting one candle in a potato “menorah.”

Cohn, Janice. The Christmas Menorahs. In this true story, after an anti-Semitic incident involving a menorah at a Jewish home in Billings, Montana, Margaret McDonald leads the Billings community in a fight against bigotry by suggesting that as many people as possible place pictures of menorahs in their windows.

Conway, Diane Cohen. Northern Lights: a Hanukkah Story. Sara joins her father on his medical rounds by plane to remote Eskimo villages. When their plane is grounded due to a winter storm, Sara learns about Yupik culture from one of her new Eskimo friends, and in return, shares her story of Hanukkah and its significance.

Goldin, Barbara Diamond. Just Enough is Plenty. At Malka and Zalman’s house, money is tight. Mama has invited fewer people to celebrate Hanukkah with them. As they light the first candle that night, there are barely enough latkes to go around. Then a mysterious peddler arrives at their door. Mama says, "We can stretch the 'just enough.' . . . We are poor, but not so poor." The family and their guest feast and play dreidel; they sing and dance. The old man reaches into his pack and brings out a book full of stories about "Elijah the Prophet who would come back to earth to help someone who was poor but kindhearted."

Howland, Naomi. Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat!

Kimmel, Eric. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Hershel of Ostropol, a clever wanderer, outwits a group of goblins who have been terrorizing a village at Hanukkah. Caldecott Honor book.

Kimmel, Eric. The Magic Dreidels : a Hanukkah Story. A young boy keeps losing his magic dreidels to an unscrupulous and greedy woman neighbor, but with the help of a goblin he retrieves his dreidels in time to salvage Hanukkah for himself and his family.

Krensky, Stephen. Hanukkah at Valley Forge. In this fictional encounter between General George Washington and a Polish immigrant fighting with the Continental Army, the soldier lights candles tells the general the ancient story of the fight for religious freedom against King Antiochus. An author's note details the historical facts on which the story is based.

Rosen, Michael J. Elijah's Angel : a Story for Chanukah and Christmas. A nine-year-old Jewish boy and an elderly Christian black man, who is a barber and a woodcarver, exchange gifts during the holiday season. The boy wonders if the woodcarver’s angel constitutes a graven image until his parents help him understand the nature and intention of the gift he has received.

Stillerman, Marci. Nine Spoons : a Chanukah story. As her grandchildren cluster around Oma on the last night of Chanukah, she tells them about a long-ago celebration when she was a young woman in a Nazi concentration camp.

Ages 11-14

Jaffe, Ellen S. Feast of Lights. Sarah, age 12, and her parents are mourning the death of her little brother. Sarah's father wants nothing to do with the holiday festivities this year. Sarah and her mother for the first time decide to polish and use her sick great-grandmother’s menorah. Each night when Sarah lights the candles she falls into a reverie which introduces her to her own relatives in generations past during different Hanukkahs in their lives. In some of the eight episodes Sarah is fully a part of history, and in others she is simply an observer. The time travel elements are similar to those in Jane Yolen's "The Devil’s Arithmetic. "

Cooper, Ilene. Sam I Am. Everything falls apart the day the dog knocks over the Hanukkah bush. Twelve-year-old Sam's mother is Christian and his father his Jewish, and their half-hearted attempts to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah have never really worked. Then the tree goes, and the ornaments with it, and suddenly the whole issue of just what religion their family is going to follow bubbles up. In this funny, revealing book, Sam tries to find the answer to a question lots of families avoid asking.

Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Power of Light : Eight Stories for Hanukkah. Meet a parakeet named Dreidle, two teenagers who escape from the Warsaw ghetto, and a fawn who brings a message of joy to a childless couple.

Schram, Penninah. Eight Tales for Eight Nights. Included are eight stories, in addition to the ancient legend, which reflect the holiday themes and traditions of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews. There are appendixes of Chanukah music, notes on the story, and a chapter on retrieving family stories. Two family stories told by the authors are also included.

FILMS

Bubbe's Boarding House: Chanukah at Bubbe's. An introduction to the Jewish feast of Hanukkah presented by puppets, including a recreation of the original events that led to the celebration of Hanukkah.   30 minutes. For ages 4 and up.

Lights. Animated program about the history of Chanukah. This animated film introduces children to the story of Hanukkah and the many traditions surrounding this important holiday. In one way, this film is the story of a people struggling to preserve their identity in the face of a cruel world. In another, this film addresses the larger issue of the right to be different. Leonard Nimoy and Judd Hirsch are two of the voices children will hear. Review from All Movie Guide. 30 minutes. For ages 4 and up.

There's No Such Thing As a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein. In this film, based on the book by Susan Sussman, Robin wants a Christmas tree so badly that she dreams of decorated trees beckoning to her. Despite her mother's explanation that people are Jewish in different ways, which is why her friend Sandy Goldstein can have a Christmas tree and her own family cannot, Robin still desires one of her own. A night out at a Christmas party with her grandfather changes her wishes, though, when she learns that it's OK to enjoy other people's trees as you help them celebrate their holidays, just as they can help you celebrate yours. We also have the book in our library. 23 minutes. For ages 9 and up.

RESOURCES FOR ADULTS

BOOKS
Wolfson, Ron. Hanukkah : the family guide to spiritual celebration.

Zion, Noam Sachs. A different light: the Hanukkah book of celebration. Blessings, songs, stories, readings, games and cartoons to engage adults, teenagers and children on each of the eight nights.

Haneirot Halalu: These Lights are Holy: Prayers, stories, and songs for Chanukah.

MUSIC

Gods of Fire: Hanukkah Gone Metal

A Taste of Chanukah. (FILM AND CD) recorded live at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. Starring host Theodore Bikel and Hankus Netsky, Director of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, this program features the Boston Community Gospel Choir, Cantor Morton Shames, humorist Chasia Segal and over 150 gifted musicians. Songs include: Oy Chanukah, Ocho Kandelikas, Candle Blessings, Kitaltas, The Miracle of Chanukah, Haneyros Halalu, Al Hanisim, O Ir Kleyne Likhtelekh, Maoz Tzur, Lo B'Chayil, Siete Ijos Tiene Hanna, Fayer, Latke Cooking Demonstration, Mi Yimalel, Ikh Bin A Kleyner Dreydl, I Have a Little Dreydele, Dance Music; Keshenev Bulgar.   1999.

WEBSITES

Aish HaTorah's page of Chanukah stories and activities

Chanukah tips from Union of Reform Judaism.  Includes ideas for donations and social action.

We have many more Chanukah books, films and cds in our library, Come visit and see them all!
And check out our online catalog

Pathfinder by Assistant Librarian Wendi Hoffenberg and Librarian Ann Abrams.

Upcoming Author and Library Events in the Area

2010-11-01T18:51:00.001-04:00

In November, there are a number of author and library events being hosted in the area that may be of interest, including:

November 2nd at 7pm: Joan Leegant will be speaking at Porter Square Books on her new book, Wherever You Go. The novel tells the story of three Jewish Americans who encounter radical political and religious beliefs while in Israel. More information on the event is available on the bookstore’s website: http://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/joan-leegant-wherever-you-go

November 11th at 7pm: Dan Porat will be speaking at the Brookline Booksmith about his new book, The Boy, which is a study of the Warsaw Uprising and in particular one famous image of a boy being brought through a door by three SS officers. More information is available on the bookstore’s website: http://brooklinebooksmith.com/events/mainevent.html

November 12th at 7pm: The Brookline Booksmith will host Nicole Krauss for a discussion of her new novel, Great House, which follows a writing desk as it moves between several owners. More information is available on the bookstore’s website: http://brooklinebooksmith.com/events/mainevent.html

November 15th at 7pm: David Hazony will discuss his new book, The Ten Commandments, at the Brookline Booksmith. The book looks at all aspects of the Ten Commandments from their history to how they can guide modern life. More information is available on the bookstore’s website: http://brooklinebooksmith.com/events/mainevent.html

November 17th at 6:30pm: The Boston Public Library’s Copley Branch will host Carol Clingan, Vice President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston, for an Introduction to Jewish Genealogy. More information is available on BPL’s website: http://www.bpl.org/news/local_family_history_series.htm

Jewish book news around the Boston area, by Library Intern, Carli Spina.

PATHFINDER ON GRIEF AND MOURNING

2010-10-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

Pathfinder: Resources on Grief and Healing for Adults and Children

This pathfinder will focus on resources regarding healing from loss and managing grief. There are many resources in the library that may be able to help those in bereavement. Those interested in laws and customs in Jewish mourning, particularly halachah, should look at section BM712. Most resources meant to provide support and comfort to those in mourning are in section BF575; books on explaining death to children and teenagers are under BF723. These materials are personal, memoir-style accounts of grief and loss, often written poetically, as well as resources from the Jewish tradition looking for insight and comfort.

Adult, Print Resources

Bing, Claudine. Painting out of Sorrow. Font and Center Press, Weston, MA, 1999. BF575 .G7B49. Summary: A book that helps those in mourning cope through artwork and self-expression. The author is a member of Temple Israel.

Blank, Jeanne Webster. The Death of an Adult Child: A book For and About Bereaved Parents. Baywood Publishing Company, Amityville, MI, 1998. BF575 .G7B53. Summary: A valuable and rare resource which focuses on bereaved parents who have lost an adult child.

Brener, Anne. Mourning and Mitzvah: A Guided Journal For Walking the Mourner's Path Through Grief to Healing. Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 1993. BM712 .B7. Summary: This book draws on mystical traditions within Judaism to help free mourners of the grief in a Jewish way. It includes practical exercises as well as spiritual wisdom.

Brisson, Barbara Schiff. Such is the way of the World: A Journey Through Grief. Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ, 1997. BF575 .G7B7. Summary: A personal account of grief with coping advice for the reader.

Diamant, Anita. Saying Kaddish: How to Comfort the Dying, Bury the Dead and Mourn as a Jew. Schocken Books, New York, NY, 1998. BM712 .D53. Summary: This book from acclaimed author Anita Diamant explains how to turn Jewish rituals into sources of great comfort for the bereaved. It also explains Jewish mourning customs in an accessible and palatable way. Recommended over the more esoteric explanations of Jewish mourning practice.

Fein, Leonard. Against the Dying of the Light: A Father's Journey Through Loss. Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2001. BF575 .G7F4. Summary: A personal account of a father’s loss of his thirty year old daughter, this poetic memoir helps the reader cope with their own tragedies through Jewish tradition and personal experiences.

Gordon, Sol. "Is there anything I can do?": Helping a Friend When Times are Tough. Delcorte Press, New York, NY, 1994. BF575 .F66G6. Summary: A rare book of advice for friends of those in grief or difficult situations, this book provides a wealth of advice for a variety of different situations, from mourning to escaping abuse.

Greenberg, Sidney. A Treasury of Comfort. Hartmore House, Hartford, CT, 1969. BF575 .G7G68. Summary: This collection of wisdom and guidance draws on the best of Jewish tradition, from Midrash to modern poets. Despite its age, the book is still a valuable resource.

Grollman, Earl. Bereaved Children and Teens: A Support Guide for Parents and Professionals. Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1995. BF723 .D3G7. Summary: An important book explaining how to explain death to children and help them deal with loss as a parent. It draws upon material Grollman has used in older books.

Grollman, Earl. Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love. Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1993. BF724.3 .G73G76. Summary: Suggests ways to deal with the grief and other emotions felt after the death of a love one and to discover how to go on living.

Grollman, Earl. What Helped Me When My Loved One Died. Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1981. BF575 .G7G76. Summary: A collection of essays from people involved in various ways with mourning different loved ones, focusing on what helped them recover.

Kushner, Harold. When Bad Things Happen to Good People. NY: Schocken Books, 1981. A personal account of dealing with unjust tragedy, and how the author achieved peace of mind, discussing the questions of life and death, and testing faith. 1981.
BM645 .P7K87

Excerpt from the above book, from My Jewish Learning: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Theology/Suffering_and_Evil/Responses/Modern_Solutions/When_Bad_Things_Happen.shtml
Liebman, Joshua Loth Peace of Mind. NY: Simon & Schuster. 1946.
From the author, who was the Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel, Boston, from 1939-1948. It may seem strange for a man to write a book about peace of mind in this age of fierce turmoil and harrowing doubts. I have written this book in the conviction that social peace can never be permanently achieved so long as individuals engage in civil war with themselves. In this book I try to present some answers that have proved helpful to me about the universal human dilemmas of conscience, love, fear, grief, and God-- crucial problems that present themselves in every kind of society, and, I believe, will present themselves as long as man is man. --Joshua Loth Liebman BF636 .L47

Linzer, Norman. Understanding Bereavement and Grief. Yeshiva University Press, New York, NY, 1974. BF575 .G7U5. Summary: A collection of essays from various perspectives regarding grief, including the position of each person in the process, such as a widow, widower, parent, nurse, etc. Also provides a wealth of spiritual resources in the first section.

Mandell, Sherri. The Blessing of a Broken Heart. Toby Press, New Milford, CT, 2003. BF575 .G7M3. Summary: The account of a mother whose children were murdered in the Judean desert, this book, recommended by the Jerusalem Post, follows the journey of their mother to gain healing and hope in the context of Jewish tradition.

McCracken, Ann and Semel, Mary. A Broken Heart Still Beats: After Your Child Dies. Hazelden Publishers, Central City, MN, 1998. BF575 .G7B74. Summary: A powerful collection of essays from a wide variety of contributors, from Anna Quindlen to Mark Twain, on managing the grief that comes from the loss of a child. This book has received some critical acclaim and is highly recommended.

Rapoport, Nessa. A Woman's Book of Grieving. William Morrow and Company, New York, NY, 1994. BF575 .G7R358. Summary: A book that delves straight into difficult emotions and by its own admission avoids escapism, Nessa Rapoport uses poetic language and women’s friendship to cope with grief.

Rimer, Jack. Jewish Insights on Death and Mourning, Schocken Books, New York, NY, 1995. BM635.4 .W73. Summary: A valuable book that provides comfort and insight on death and mourning using Jewish traditions and sources.

Silverman, William and Cinnamon, Kenneth. When Mourning Comes: A Book of Comfort for the Grieving. Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale, NJ, 1990. BF575 .G7S54. Summary: A collection of comforting poetry, meditations and self-help for a mourner from various traditions, including Jewish texts.

Wolfson, Ron. A Time to Mourn, A Time to Comfort. Federation of Jewish Men, New York, NY, 1993. BF575 .G75W6. Summary: A collection of articles about death and mourning including: the process of dying, medical issues and Jewish law, miscarriage, AIDS-related death, grief, funerals, Kaddish, Shiva, Shloshim, Yizkor.

Children's Print Resources

Buscaglia, Leo. The fall of Freddie the leaf : a story for all ages. CB Slack, 1982. As Freddie experiences the changing seasons along with his companion leaves, he learns about the delicate balance between life and death. Pic Bus.

Dennison, Amy. After You Lose Someone You Love: Advice and Insight from the Diaries of Three Kids Who’ve Been There. Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN, 2005. j .BF575 .G7D46. Summary: An accessible book on grief for children focusing on the diaries and experiences of three other children who have lost loved ones.

Gellman, Marc. Lost and Found: A Kid's Book for Living Through Loss. Morrow Junior books, New York, NY, 1999. j. BV4905.2 .G44. Summary: A book focusing on the impact that death has on children and how they can come away from mourning as stronger individuals. Includes a workbook and illustrations.

Grollman, Earl. Talking about Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child. Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1990. j .BF723 .D3G72. Summary: A children's edition of Earl Grollman's book Talking about Death, this guide helps children come to cope with the death of others.

Gootman, Marilyn E. When A Friend Dies: A Book for Teens About Grieving and Healing. Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN, 1994. p-b YA Goo. Summary: A resource for young adults on help and consolation after the loss of a friend.

Krementz, Jill. How it Feels When A Parent Dies, Knopf Publishing, New York, NY, 1981. j .BF723 .O3K73. Summary: Eighteen young people ranging in age from seven to sixteen discuss the questions, fears and bereavement they experienced when one of their parents died.

Lanton, Sandy. Daddy's Chair. Kar-Ben Copies, Rockville, MD, 1991. Pic Lan. Summary: The story of a child coping with the death of his father while observing Jewish mourning rituals and remembering the positive things about life.

LeShan, Eda J. Learning to say Good-by: When a Parent Dies, MacMillan Publishing, New York, NY, 1976. j. BF723 .D3L4. Summary: Discusses the fears, questions and fantasies many children experience when a parent or someone close to them dies.

Liss-Levinson, Nechama. When a Grandparent Dies: A Kid's Own Workbook for Dealing with Shiva and the Year Beyond. Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 1995. j. BM712 .L57. Summary: A workbook with exercises and insights for children on how to deal with the death of a grandparent.

Mellonie, Bryan. Lifetimes: A Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children. Bantam Books, Toronto, ON, CA, 1983. j .BF723 .D3M4. Summary: A book focused on explaining death to children in a positive and uplifting way.

Stein, Sara Bonnett. About Dying: An Open Family Book for Parents and Children Together. Walker Publishing, New York, NY, 1974. j. BF723 .D3S7. Summary: A useful workbook for parents and children to explore the idea of death and dying together.

Techner, David. A Candle for Grandpa. NY: New York URJ Press 1993. A guide to the Jewish funeral for children and parents. Pic Tec.

Viorst, Judith. The tenth good thing about Barney. NY: Aladdin Books, 1971, 1988. In an attempt to overcome his grief, a boy tries to think of the ten best things about his dead cat.

Adult Online Resources

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Resources on death, grief and mourning http://urj.org/life/family/bereavement
The articles here are about death, grief, and mourning, including how to talk to children about death, from a Reform Jewish perspective.

My Jewish Learning : Death and Mourning
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/life/Life_Events/Death_and_Mourning.shtml
This website includes articles such as "Shiva, the First Seven Days of Mourning," "Reading & Writing Ethical Wills," "How to Make a Shiva Call," and "Yahrzeit." This website also provides a bibliography of books on the topic and additional sections on topics such as "Death & Mourning 101," "Burial & Mourning," "Practical Aspects," and "Contemporary Issues."

InterfaithFamily.com : Death and Mourning
http://www.interfaithfamily.com/life_cycle/death_and_mourning.shtml
This websites focuses on resources for interfaith families, intermarried couples or individuals who have converted to Judaism. It offers a number of articles, such as "Finding a Way Through Grief," "Grieving in a Different Tradition," and "Jewish Burial and Mourning Practice for Non-Jewish Relatives," as well as the "Guide to Death and Mourning for Interfaith Families," which is available as both a PDF and Word document.

JewishJournal.com : How to Talk to Your Kids About Death
http://www.jewishjournal.com/education/article/how_to_talk_to_your_kids_about_death_20030523/ This article by Rabbi Earl A. Grollman discusses how parents can discuss death and mourning with children and includes tips for the conversation.

Ritual Well : ceremonies for Jewish Living.
http://www.ritualwell.org/
The source for innovative, contemporary, Jewish ritual.

Pathfinder by Library Interns, Jon Cohen and Carli Spina, and Ann Abrams, Librarian.

RESOURCES ABOUT JEWISH COOKING

2010-07-13T12:30:00.002-04:00

General cooking

The gefilte variations by Jayne Cohen

Variations on traditional Jewish dishes. TX724 .C54

1,000 Jewish recipes by Faye Levy

An extraordinarily comprehensive Jewish cookbook. TX724 .L4125

The book of Jewish food : an Odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden

Recipes, history, and culture. TX724 .R53

Special occasions

The New York Times Passover cookbook : more than 200 holiday recipes from top chefs and writers edited by Lindwa Amster

Selections from dozens of top chefs and cookbooks. TX739.2 .P37N48

Shabbat shalom : recipes and menus for the Sabbath by Susan R. Friedland

Friedland improvises on traditional foods from across the Jewish world. TX724 .F688

The essential book of Jewish festival cooking : 200 seasonal holiday recipes & their traditions by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer

200 recipes organized by festival, from Passover to Purim. TX724 .G595 2004

World cuisine

Aromas of Aleppo : the legendary cuisine of Syrian Jews by Poopa Dweck

A Syrian-Jewish American documents her culture's cuisine with recipes and dazzling photographs. TX724.D88 2007

The world of Jewish cooking by Gil Marks

Jewish recipes and history from around the world, including Italian, Yemenite, Ethiopian, Indian, Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian, Ukranian, Moroccan, German, Alsatian, and Middle Eastern cuisine. TX714 .M3195

The foods of Israel today by Joan Nathan

Captures the rich traditions of contemporary Israeli food. TX724 .N3674

Particular foods

The bagel : the surprising history of a modest bread by Maria Balinska

A history of the bagel from 17th century Poland to America today. TX770 .B3B3

A blessing of bread : the many rich traditions of Jewish bread baking around the world by Maggie Glezer

Breads from the Ashkenazi, Sephardic, North African, and Near Eastern traditions. TX769 .G555

Olive trees and honey : a treasury of vegetarian recipes from Jewish communities around the world by Gil Marks

A tremendous variety of vegetarian Jewish cooking. TX837 .M34 2005

Websites

About.com Kosher Food: http://kosherfood.about.com/

Includes articles exploring Jewish food and explaining kashrut and hundreds of recipes organized by category.

Jewishrecipes.org: http://www.jewishrecipes.org/recipes/index.html

Recipes collected from Jewish cookbooks, organized by category and holiday.

Jewish Recipes at Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/tools/browseresults?type=browse&att=17

Browse the user-submitted and reviewed recipes. Also browse their holiday menus at http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/holidays

Pathfinder by Brian Samek, Library Intern.

Zionism and Israel : Resources for Adults

2010-06-28T12:22:00.001-04:00

Most resources on the politics and history of Israel can be found around DS126, which is the Library of Congress call number for books about Israeli history and politics, and DS109. Social and religious issues in Israel can be found in BM390. The adult web resources include current news about Israel, focusing on the recent raid on the flotilla heading to Gaza and the renewal of talks between Egypt, Israel and the PLO.

Adult Print Resources

Cheshin, Amir. Separate and Unequal: the Inside Story of Israeli Rule in East Jerusalem. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999. DS109.94 .C49. Summary: An account by scholars from Jerusalem about Israeli rule of Palestinian East Jerusalem, with detailed analysis of Israeli policy, the politics behind it, and its failures. The book is notably critical of famed mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek.

Efron, Noah. Real Jews: Secular versus Ultra-Orthodox and the struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel. Basic Books, New York, NY, 2003. BM390 .E34 2003. Summary: An account of the religious-secular divide in Israel and its impact on identity and politics in the Jewish state.

Enderlin, Charles. Shattered Dreams: The Failure of the Peace Process in the Middle East, 1995-2002. Other Press LLC, Pittsfield, NH, 2003 (translated from French by Susan Fairfield). DS119.76 .E5913. Summary: Charles Enderlin, a Jerusalem resident since 1968 and Bureau Chief since 1990 for the France 2 TV channel, writes about the peace process from an insider’s perspective, drawing on many of his own interviews as well as archival information. This book is notable for the praise it has received from high level negotiators including former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Gorenberg, Gershom. The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977. Times Books, New York, NY, 2006. DS110 .G67. Summary: In this highly-acclaimed work named one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post, Gershom Gorenberg meticulously traces the beginning of the Israeli occupation and colonization of the West Bank. Gorenberg makes extensive use of primary sources, archives and interviews.

Parsi, Trita. Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the U.S. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2007. Summary: A behind-the-headlines book that deeply examines the history of American-Israeli-Iranian relations and exposes this dynamic as more complex than it is often portrayed. Parsi’s biggest revelations come regarding the attitude of Iran, which he regards as that of a normal rather than an ideological state. Parsi includes contemporary declassified information such as a May 2003 peace offer from Iran that was rejected by the United States in the appendices. A timely and fascinating read.

Rabinovich, Abraham. The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter that Transformed the Middle East. Shocken Books, New York, NY, 2004. DS128.1 .R33. Summary: Abraham Rabinovich, a journalist during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, writes an important history about the Yom Kippur War, one of the most important and defining wars in Israeli history. The book, written in a readable journalist’s prose, attracted praise from noted historian Howard Sachar.

Ross, Dennis. The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, NY 2004. DS 119.76 .R68 2004. Summary: An insider’s account of the long Israeli-Palestinian peace process from the 1991 Madrid accords through the failed 2000 Camp David negotiations. Ross, a former envoy and ambassador, mixes a personal memoir with political history and recalls negotiations, conversations, strategies and personal quirks with minute detail. A recommended companion book to Ross' 2005 lecture at Temple Israel, which is listed under the Media Resources section of this pathfinder.

Sachar, Howard M. A History of Israel, From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York, NY, 2000. DS126.5 .S152. Summary: This exhaustive history, acclaimed by the New York Times and the Washington Post, serves as one of the most important histories of Israel and the Zionist movement. Published in 2000 at the very end of the peace process negotiations, Sachar’s history spans over one hundred years. At over 1,000 pages, this book is recommended for reference and background or for a serious reader regarding pre-2000 Israeli history.

Segev, Tom. One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate. Metropolitan Books, New York, NY, 2000. DS126 .S38. Summary: A comprehensive history of Palestine during the British Mandate era, Segev’s One Palestine, Complete provides important background reading for those looking to be informed about Israel.

Segev, Tom. 1967: Israel, the War and the Year that Transformed the Middle East. Metropolitan Books, New York, NY, 2005. DS127 .S4413. Summary: This history of the war of 1967, which led to Israel’s military ascendancy over the West Bank and Gaza and resulted in a lightning defeat of Egypt and Syria, writes of the forgotten context of the war: economic recession and a climate of doom in Israel. Segev takes the belief that war was not inevitable, but rather the result of panic and blunder by both sides.

Shindler, Colin. A History of Modern Israel, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2008. DS126.5 .S55. Summary: A more modern and accessible history of Israel than that of Howard Sachar, Colin Shindler details the history of Israel from the 1948 war through to the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the rise of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tolan, Sandy. The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East. Bloomsbury, USA, New York, NY, 2006. DS126.6 .A2T65. Summary: A remarkable book regarding a chance encounter and the subsequent friendship between a young Jewish woman who meets the Arab man displaced from the home she is living in, this book puts a human face on the sufferings and wars of the Middle East.

Wallach, John. The Enemy has a face: The Seeds of Peace Experience. United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington, DC, 2000. DS119.76 .W35. Summary: This book chronicles the Seeds of Peace experience, in which Israeli and Palestinian teenagers meet and camp together in Maine to bond with each other and discuss and focus on peace. It brings the important perspectives of young people on both sides of the conflict into play, but the book is somewhat dated given the events that have taken place after 2000.

Media Resources

Ross, Dennis. Dennis Ross Speech at Temple Israel, Temple Israel, Boston, MA, 2005. AUDIO ARCHIVE DS119.7 .R6. Summary: A speech by former ambassador and negotiator Dennis Ross, with an introduction by Rabbi Ronne Friedman. Ross helped broker the Hebron Accord of 1997 and participated as a special envoy during the Camp David peace talks of 2000. The library has Ross’ memoir and accounts of these events, The Missing Peace.

Tamir, Nadav. A Diplomacy Discussion with Consul General of Israel. Temple Israel, Boston, MA. AUDIO ARCHIVE TAMIR 2009 Summary (from catalog notes): Nadav Tamir joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 and the following year began to serve as the Policy Assistant to the Foreign Minister. He was promoted to the position of Political Officer at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. in 1997. In 2001, Nadav was granted the position of Advisor to the Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. In 2003 Nadav was chosen as a Wexner Israel Fellow and earned his Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2004.

Web Resources

BBC News, “Netanyahu Meets Mubarak Ahead of New Mid-East Talks”, May 3rd, 2010. URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8658045.stm

BBC News, “PLO Leadership Backs Indirect Peace Talks with Israel”, May 8th, 2010. URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8669886.stm

Gabbatt, Adam. “Israel Flotilla Raid: Reaction and Fallout as it Happened”, Guardian UK World News Blogs, June 1st 2010. URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/jun/01/israel-flotilla-raid-fallout-live
Summary: A blog updated minute by minute posting events during the Gaza flotilla raid and reactions from various parties, including the Israeli government.

Gabbatt, Adam. “Israel attacks Gaza flotilla – Live Coverage”, Guardian UK World News Blogs, May 31st 2010. URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/may/31/israel-troops-gaza-ships
Summary: A minute-by-minute news blog posting the events of the Gaza flotilla raid the day that it happened.

Israeli Knesset, “English Gateway to the Knesset Website”. URL: http://www.knesset.gov.il/main/eng/home.asp
Summary: The official site of the Knesset provides information on the members of the Knesset (MKs) and ministers of every Israeli government and includes minutes for most of the meetings in the Knesset’s history and other important documents. An important background resource for understanding the Israeli political process.

Medzini, Ronen. “IDF: Wasn’t Possible to Stop Largest Craft”, Ynet News, June 1st, 2010. URL: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3897323,00.html

Mitnick, Joshua. “Israel Announces Gaza Aid Flotilla Inquiry, Turkey Not Satsified”. Christian Science Monitor, June 14th 2010. URL: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0614/Israel-announces-Gaza-aid-flotilla-inquiry-Turkey-not-satisfied

Mitnick, Joshua. “Israel’s Deadly Gaza Flotilla Raid Sparks Diplomatic Crisis”, Christian Science Monitor, May 31st, 2010. URL: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0531/Israel-s-deadly-Gaza-flotilla-raid-sparks-diplomatic-crisis

Rachman, Gideon. “How badly has Israel Miscalculated?”, Foreign Times Blogs: Gideon Rachman’s blog, FT.com, May 31st, 2010. URL: http://blogs.ft.com/rachmanblog/2010/05/how-badly-has-israel-miscalculated
Summary: An editorial blog post by Gideon Rachman, 15-year chief correspondent for the Financial Times, predicting the fallout from Israel’s raid on the Gaza flotilla in May 2010.

Ynet News, “Hundreds Detained at Ashdod Port: Soldiers, officers bring passengers of Marmara ship under arrest at Ashdod port, first questioning each separately and then transferring them to Beersheba Prison, where they receive toiletries, meal, and beds”, Ynet Reporters, June 1st, 2010. URL: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3897136,00.html

Pathfinder by Jon Cohen, Library Intern.

Judaica librarians' convention!

2010-06-17T15:37:00.000-04:00

In a couple of weeks I'll be heading off to the annual meeting of the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL), http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ in Seattle, WA. The AJL is an international organization of Judaica librarians, and, more importantly, an extremely dedicated group of folks who generously share of their expertise. I always learn a tremendous amount at these conventions.

If you're interested in knowing more about this event, please visit the conference blog, and scroll down to the Convention Countdown: http://jewishlibraries.org/blog

I look forward to sharing all that I've learned when I get back!

Ann Abrams, Librarian

Health, Medicine and Judaism: Resources in our Library and Beyond

2010-03-26T17:49:00.013-04:00

Library Print and Multimedia Resources

Judaism has tackled medical problems from biblical times to modern medical technology. This pathfinder offers resources on Jewish law (halacha) and medical ethics, as well as varying Jewish approaches to healing and an exploration of medicine and healing in traditional Jewish sources. Most of our resources are located under the call numbers R-RG and BM500-600. Jewish Lights Publishing has produced many books on the art of healing and modern medicine and integrated these ideas with Judaism. Authors such as Immanuel Jakobovitz and Fred Rosner appear frequently in this pathfinder with a more traditional approach rooted in Jewish law. This pathfinder touches upon topics such as sexual morality, drug use, AIDS, and mental health issues as well as general wellness and healing guides and women’s health issues.

Alternative Healing, Alternative Medicine and Judaism
Print Resources

Siegel, Bernie S., Peace, Love and Healing: Body-mind Communication and the Path to Self-Healing: An Exploration, , Walker, New York, NY, 1990. Summary: An alternative approach to healing, combining Judaism and mysticism with modern self-help. LP R726.5 .S55

Multimedia Resources

Kleiman, Nancy, A Guided Journey to Healing with the Harp, , Nancy Kleiman, Temple Israel, Boston, 2008, Summary: Soothing harp music set to a guided meditation visualizing healing one’s DNA to reach a strong, healthy and vibrant wholeness. CD MUSIC Kle

Health and Medicine in Jewish Law
Print Resources

Abraham, A.S., The Comprehensive Guide to Medical Halacha, , Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, Israel, 1990. Summary: An update of an earlier work “Medical Halacha for Everyone”, this book is a large scale guide to the treatment of medicine in Jewish law. R694 .A2C6

Bleich, David J., Judaism and Healing: Halakhic Perspectives, Ktav Publishing House, New York, 1981. Summary: This book is useful in providing the perspective of Jewish law on a very wide range of issues spanning 27 chapters, including taboo topics, and using real-world examples. BM515 .B61

Freudenthal, Gad, AIDS in Jewish Thought and Law, Ktav Publishing House, New York, 1998. Summary: This work contains responses from rabbis and other interdenominational commentary regarding the AIDS virus. BM538 .H43J4

Rosner, Fred and Tendler, Moshe, Practical Medical Halachah, Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale NJ, 1997. Summary: A conservative Orthodox perspective on Jewish medical ethics, covering a wide range of topics from sexual taboos to mental illness to dentistry. R694 .R6

Steinberg, Avraham, Jewish Medical Law: A Concise Response, Beit-Shamai Publications, Woodmere, 1989. Summary: Based on the response of Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg, chief justic of the Rabbinical District Court of Jerusalem, author of Tzitz Eliezer. Deals with medical issues including: physician & patient; medical services and the Shabbat; contraception, fertility, abortion; surgery, psychiatry, death and dying and more. R694 .S74J4 1989

Various Authors, Medicine and Jewish Law, J. Aronson, Northvale, NJ, 1990, Summary: Proceedings of a conference on medicine and Jewish law sponsored by the Raphael Society of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. R694 .R53M4 1990 v.1

Various Authors, Jewish Law in Ancient and Modern Israel: Selected Essays, Ktav Publishing House, New York, 1971, Summary: Includes the essay Jewish Law and Modern Medicine by H. H. Cohn. BM520 .C66

Health and Medicine in Jewish Sources
Print Resources

Cutter, William, Healing and the New Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT., 2007 Summary: A practical perspective on using spiritual methods for healing. BM538 .H43 H43 2007

Feldman, David M., Health and Medicine in the Jewish Tradition: L’hayyim – to life, Crossroad, New York, NY, 1986. Summary: A guide to Jewish tradition regarding various modern health issues. R694 .F4H4 1986

Freeman, David L., and Judith Z. Abrams, editors. Illness and Health in the Jewish Tradition: Writings from the Bible to Today, The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1999. Summary: A wide-ranging book from rabbis, survivors and physicians regarding Jewish values and modern medical advances. BM538 .H43I45

Greenblatt, Robert B., Search the Scriptures: A Physician Examines Medicine in the Bible, Lippincott, Philadelphia, PA, 1963. Summary: A Physicians’ take on the flaws and remarkable prescience of medicine as told in the Bible. R135.5 .G7S4

Maimonides, Moses Ben, Maimonides’ Medical Writings, The Maimonides Research Institute, Haifa, Israel, 1984, Summary: The writings of Moses Maimonides regarding health and medicine in five volumes. R694 .M54 v.1-5

Odell, Wesley, Towards a Recovery of Prayer: A Reform Response to Healing, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1994.

Summary: The senior thesis of Wesley Odell (who later changed his name to Lev Baesh) on Jewish attitudes towards healing, broken down into an analysis of practice in biblical times, Talmudic times and the attitude of modern Reform Jews.The author received rabbinic ordination in 1994. R726.5 .O3

Press, Julius, Biblical and Talmudic Medicine, Sanhedrin, New York, NY, 1978. Summary: A scholarly examination of biblical and Talmudic attitudes towards sickness, medicine and healing. R135.5 P7413

Rosner, Fred, Encyclopedia of Medicine in the Bible and the Talmud, Jason Aronson, Inc., Northvale CA, 2000. R135.5 .R663
Rosner, Fred, Medicine in the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides, Ktav Publishing House, New York, NY, 1984. Summary: A Scholarly examination of Maimonides’ view of medicine as expressed in the Mishneh Torah. R135.5 .R675

Multimedia Resources

Mehlman, Bernard H., The Jewish Perspective, WNEV-TV, Boston, 1995, Summary: A show in three parts: in part 1, participants discuss Project Yad, a program for the terminally ill. JPERSP COLL VIDEO BM700 v.172

Friedman, Ronne, The Jewish Perspective. WNEV-TV, Boston, 2000, Summary: In Part 2, Dr. David L. Friedman talks about his book, Illness and Health in the Jewish Tradition: Writings from the Bible to Today. JPERSP COLL VIDEO BM700 v.234

Jewish Approaches to Health Problems and Healing
Print Resources

Berman, Robin, The Hadassah Jewish Family Book of Health and Wellness, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2006. Summary: A comprehensive guide to Jewish approaches to modern problems of health and wellness; this is a comprehensive book that covers a very wide range of medical and personal issues. BM538 .H43 B47 2006

Cutter, William, Healing and the Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT., 2007. Summary: A collection of thirteen essays regarding Jewish perspectives on healing and bioethics. BM538 .H43 H43 2007

Jaffe, Hirshel L., Gates of Healing: A Message of Comfort and Hope, Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, 1988. BM665 .G31

Landman, Leo, Judaism and Drugs, Hermon Press, New York, NY, 1973, Summary: Various essays regarding the Jewish approach to drug culture and drug addiction, including methods on reaching alienated youth who turn to drugs. R694 .L23

Lown, Bernard, The Lost Art of Healing, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 1996. Summary: A book examining the doctor-patient relationship and a critique of modern medical practice, explaining how doctors excessively focus on diagnosing and fixing rather than healing. R733 .L684

Meszker, Rabbi Joseph B., Facing Illness, Finding God: How Judaism Can Help You and Caregivers Cope When Body or Spirit Fails, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2010. Summary: A personal book designed to help readers focus on ‘spiritual well-being as an essential aspect of physical healing and wholeness’ (from the book jacket) for the ill and caregivers alike. This book combines real life experiences with traditional Jewish sources to comfort the ill and those caring for them. BM538 .H43M4

Moyers, Bill D., Healing and the Mind, Doubleday, New York, NY, 1993. R726.5 M69

Person, Hara, The Mitzvah of Healing: An Anthology of Essays, Jewish Texts, Personal Stories, Meditations and Rituals, UAHC Press and Women of Reform Judaism, New York, NY, 2003. Summary: A Reform perspective on using traditional Jewish texts as well as modern meditation for healing, including personal stories. BM538 .H43M5

Various Authors, A Time to Prepare: A Practical Guide for Individuals and Families in Determining a Jewish approach to making personal arrangements, establishing the limits of medical care and embracing rituals at the end of life, , UAHC Press, New York, NY, 2002. R726. A3 2002

Jews in Medicine and Health Practice
Print Resources

Berger, Natalia, Jews and Medicine: Religion, Culture, Science, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1997. R135.5 .J49

Block, Irvin, Neighbor to the World: The Story of Lillian Wald, Crowell, New York, 1969, Summary: A biography of the nurse whose many campaigns, including her reestablishment of the settlement house on Henry Street in New York, introduced the concept of public health nursing to America. BIOG WALD

Freeman, David, An Act of Worship: Moses Maimonides on Excellence in the Practice of Medicine, JIMA, 1999. Summary: A study of Maimonides’ thoughts on medicine and its linkage to religious practice. VERT FILE FREEMAN

Heynick, Frank, Jews and Medicine: An Epic Saga, Ktav Publishing House, Hoboken, NJ, 2002. Summary: An exhaustive history of Jewish participation in healing and medical practice, from the court Jews of medieval times to the modern day doctors. R694 .H4

Rosner, Fred, The Medical Aphorisms of Moses Maimonides, Bloch Publishing, New York, 1970. BM545 .M54 v.1

Rosner, Fred, The Medical Encyclopedia of Moses Maimonides, Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale, CA, 1998. R135 .R66

Siegel, Beatrice, Lillian Wald of Henry Street, Macmillan, New York, 1983, Summary: A biography of an urban pioneer who evolved new concepts of public health, led the movement for peace, and pressed governments to assume responsibility for the economic well-being of its citizens. BIOG WALD

Siegel, Rachel and Cole, Ellen, Jewish Women in Therapy: Seen but not Heard, Harrington Park Press, New York, NY, 1991. Summary: A survey of Jewish woman therapists and patients who examine the cultural effects of Jewishness in therapy, treatment and their personal lives and passions. RC451.5 .J4J49

Judaism and Medical Ethics
Print Resources

Dorff, Elliot N., Matters of Life and Death, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1998. Summary: A Jewish professor approaches moral and sexual issues as well as end of life care in Jewish law and tradition. R694 .D6

Jakobovits, Immanuel, Jewish Medical Ethics: A Comparative and Historical Study of the Jewish Religious Attitude to Medicine and its Practice, Bloch Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1975. Summary: An academic, historical approach to the study of Jewish medical treatment, focusing on traditional and medieval practices. R694 .J21

Meier, Levi, Jewish Values in Health and Medicine, University Press of America, Lanham, 1990. Summary: A survey of Jewish responses and tradition regarding modern medical dilemmas. R725.57 J493 1990

Rosner, Fred, Modern Medicine and Jewish Ethics, Ktav Publishing, Hoboken, N.J., 1986. Summary: A traditionalist view of the effects of Jewish traditions on modern medicine. R724 .R624

Multimedia Resources

Mehlman, Rabbi Bernard, Chapin, David and Levin, Susan, Medical Ethics Symposium: The Beginning of Life – Ethical Dilemmas for Families and Physicians, Temple Israel, Boston, 1991. Summary: Topics: Ethical Dilemmas from a physician’s perspective, the conflicts families present to clinicians and a reform rabbi’s response to Jewish/medical/ethical issues surrounding the beginning of life. AUDIO ARCHIVE R724 1991

Mehlman, Bernard H. and Terry Bard, Medical Ethics Symposium, Temple Israel, Boston, 1993. Summary: Health Care Rationing?: Presented by Rabbi Bernard Melman and Rabbi Terry Bard at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston in two volumes. AUDIO ARCHIVE R724 1993 v.1-2

Various Participants, Medical Ethics Symposium: The Right to Die, Temple Israel, Boston, 1990. Summary: Part I Side A: What Judaism teaches us about decisions near the end of life; Rabbis Bernard Mehlman and Ronne Freidman. Side B: Forum: A time to die – how do we decide? Panel with Dr. Lowell Schnipper, Chief of Oncology, Beth Israel Boston, Alex Moschella, Esq., Board Member of Law Medicine Inc., Naomi Stearns, LICSW, Dir. Of Social work at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. AUDIO ARCHIVE R724 1990 v.1-2

Mental Health Resources
Print Resources

Address, Richard F, Caring for the Soul: R’fuat hanefesh: a Mental Health Resource and Study Guide, UAHC Press, New York, NY, 2003. Summary: Caring for the Soul: R’fuat hanefesh was created as a response to the need to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma within congregations regarding individuals and families who are dealing with mental health issues. RC541 .C3

Clark, David C., Clergy Response to Suicidal Persons and their Family Members: An Interfaith Resource book for Clergy and Congregations, Exploration Press, Chicago, Ill., 1993. BV4330 .C54

Siegel, Rachel and Cole, Ellen, Jewish Women in Therapy: Seen but not Heard, Harrington Park Press, New York, NY, 1991. Summary: A survey of Jewish woman therapists and patients who examine the cultural effects of Jewishness in therapy, treatment and their personal lives and passions. RC451.5 .J4J49

Wechsler, James, In a Darkness, Norton, New York, 1972. Summary: A memoir about a man facing a severe mental illness and his eventual suicide. f. Wec

Women’s Health Resources
Print Resources

Butler, Sandra, Cancer in Two Voices, Spinsters Book Co., San Francisco, CA, 1991. Summary: From book jacket: ‘This collaboration began when Barbara Rosenblum was diagnosed with breast cancer. Using essays, journal entries and letters, Sandy and Barbara share the experience of living with cancer and being the partner who survives. Cancer in Two Voices is a subversive book in the best sense of the word – it provokes you to be engaged with all of your life’s choices: goals and values, work and friendship, lovers and family. It will nourish and sustain you, leaving you with fewer certainties but more compassion and generosity.’ RC280 .B8B85

Cardin, Rabbi Nina Beth, Tears of Sorrow, Seeds of Hope: Jewish Spiritual Companion for Infertility and Pregnancy Loss, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 1999. BM667 .W6T4

Falk, Sandy and Judson, Rabbi Daniel, The Jewish Pregnancy Book: A Resource for the Soul, Body and Mind during Pregnancy, Birth and the First Three Months, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT., 2004. RG525 .F34 2004

Frymer-Kensky, Tikva, Motherprayer: The Pregnant Woman’s Spiritual Companion, Riverhead Books, New York, NY, 1995. Summary: A book of prayers and history that covers Jewish tradition regarding motherhood and pregnancy. BM667 .W6F78.

Temple Israel/Beth Israel Hospital Panel, Women Helping Women: a Women’s Health Program, Temple Israel, Boston, 1992. Summary: A women’s health group discussing various issues with patients at the Beth Israel Hospital. VISUAL ARCHIVE R694

Web Resources

Breslev.co.il, Medicine in Judaism Articles http://www.breslev.co.il/categories/family/health_and_fitness/medicine_in_judaism.aspx?category=211&chapter=180&pageid=1&language=english, Summary: A traditional Hasidic Jewish approach to medicine and wellness

Hebrew Union College Kalsman Institute, http://huc.edu/kalsman/, HUC’s organization dedicated to dialogue between rabbis and health care professionals.

JPsych, Judaism and Mental Health, http://www.jpsych.com/, Summary: A premier site on research regarding Judaism and mental health; it is frequently updated and contains advanced research.

Judaism, Science and Medicine Group, Arizona State University Jewish Studies Program, http://jewishstudies.clas.asu.edu/science, Summary: This is an international group of physicians, rabbis and scholars who debate together over Jewish values and medicine. The group publishes articles and anyone can join.

My Jewish Learning, Jews and Mental Illness, http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ethics/Our_Bodies/Themes_and_Theology/Mental_Illness.shtml, Summary: Section on non-denominational My Jewish Learning about mental illness

National Association of Judaism and Medicine, http://www.nijm.org/, Summary: A Chabad-funded group bringing together Judaism and modern health and medical professionals through annual conferences

Nefesh, http://www.nefesh.org/, Summary: An association of Orthodox Jewish mental health professionals

Nishmat, http://www.jewishwomenshealth.org/, Summary: An Orthodox organization discussing women’s health

URJ: Health and Wellness, http://urj.org/life/health/, Summary: The official URJ website pertaining to health and wellness; it includes many health and wellness resources and women’s and mental health and addiction sections at http://urj.org/life/health/mentalhealth/

Pathfinder by Library Intern Jonathan Cohen, March, 2010.

For more information about any of these resources, please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian, aabrams@tisrael.org.

Resources for Torah Study - Advanced List

2010-03-05T16:06:00.000-05:00

Torah Study Pathfinder
As among the oldest and perhaps the most fundamental activities of Judaism, Torah study holds a special place for most Jews. It is one of the most important rites of passage, bonding for Jewish communities and also among the most important ways to learn about Judaism. This pathfinder will focus on advanced resources, including scholarly examination of the Torah and advanced and medieval commentaries. This pathfinder will include a diverse array of resources to help students of all ages further their study of Torah through audio, visual, print and online sources of Torah, as well as a wide variety of commentaries.

Print Sources

• Torahs:

o English Torahs:

 Friedman, Richard Elliott, Commentary on the Torah with a new English Translation and the Hebrew Text BS1225 .3 .F7 Harper

 Plaut, Gunther, “The Torah: A Modern Commentary”, BS1225.3 P55 UAHC, New York, NY, 1981

 Stein, David, “The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS Translation”, BS1223 .S74 2006, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, 2006

 Various Authors, “The Jewish Study Bible: A Tanach Translation”, BS895 .J4 2004, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2004

• Medieval Commentaries:

o Moses Maimonides:

 Hartman, David, “Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic Quest”, B759 .M34H36 2009, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, 2009

 Maimonides, Moses, “The Code of Maimonides, (A translation of Mishneh Torah),” BM545 .M54 v.2-4, 8-9, 11-12, 14-16, 19, 21, New Haven, Yale University Press, Volumes 2-5, 8-9, 11-12, 14-16, 19, 21

o Nachmanides:

 Nachman, Rabbi Moses ben, “Ramban: Comentary on the Torah”, BS490 .C40 v.1-5, Shilo Publishing House, New York, NY, 1971, edited by Rabbi Doctor Charles B. Chavel, in 5 volumes

o Rashi:

 Isaiah, Rabbi Abraham ben and Sharfman, Rabbi Benjamin, “The Pentateuch and Rashi’s Commentary”, BS1225 .B4 v.1-5, “Rashi’s Commentary on the Torah in five volumes”, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, 1976

o Other Medieval Commentaries:

 Pelcovitz, Rabbi Raphael, “Sforno: Commentary on the Torah”, BS1225 .S44, Mesorah Publications, 2001, “A Commentary by 16th century Italian Rabbi Ovadiah ben Josef Sforno”

 Loez, Me-am, “The Torah Anthology: MeAm Loez”, BS1225 .M4 v.1-19, Moznaim Publishing, New York, NY, 1987, “A nineteen-volume Sephardic Torah commentary, translated from Ladino”

• Modern and Women’s Commentaries:

o Modern Commentaries:

 Kasher, Menahem, “Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation: A Millenial Anthology”, BS1225 K363 v.1-9, New York, American Bible Encyclopedia Society, “The Text of the Pentateuch with Commentary and Talmudic-Midrashic Interpretations, Volumes 1-9

 Kripke, Rabbi Myer, “Insight and Interpretation: Reflections on the Weekly Sidrah”, BS 1225 .K75 1988, Town House Press, Chestnut Ridge, NY, 1988

 Kushner, Lawrence S., “Sparks Beneath the Surface: A Spiritual Commentary on the Torah”, BS 1225.3 .K87 1993 Northvale, N.J. Aronson, 1993

 Various Authors, “The JPS Bible Commentary: Volumes 1-7”,

BS1225 .J4 v.1-7, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2001

o Women’s Commentaries:

 Antonelli, Judith, “In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah”, BS1225.3 .A58, Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale, NJ, 1995

 Goldstein, Rabbi Elyse, “The Women’s Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions”, BS1225.3 .G6, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2000

 Newsom, Carol A. and Ringe, Sharon H., “Women’s Bible Comentary: Expanded Edition”, BS491.2 .W66 1998, Westminster John Knox Press, Lexington, KY, 1998

• Torah Study

o Torah Study and the Broader World:

 Carmell, Aryeh, “Challenge: Torah Views on Science and its Problems”, BM538 .S3C45, London: Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, 1976

 Lamm, Norman, “Torah Umadda: the Encounter of Religious Learning and Worldly Knowledge in Jewish Tradition,” BM 538 .S3L34 1990, Northvale N.J. Aronson, 1990

 Petuchowski, Jakob Josef, “Ever Since Sinai: A Modern View of Torah”, BM560 .PK44, New York, Scribe Publications, 1961

o Critical and Historical Scholarship of the Torah:

 Fishbane, Michael, “Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel”, BS1186 .F57 1984, Clarendon Press, New York, 1984

 Friedman, Richard Elliot, “The Hidden Book in the Bible: The Discovery of the first Prose Masterpiece”, BS1181.4 .F72, Harper, San Francisco, 1998

 Friedman, Richard Elliot, “Who Wrote the Bible?”, BS1225.2 .F75 1997, Harper, San Francisco, 1997

 Knohl, Israel, “The Divine Symphony: The Bible’s Many Voices”, BS1192.5 .K545 2003, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, 2003

 Levenson, Jon D., “The Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament and Historical Criticism”, BS476 .L48, Westminster/John Knox Press, Louisville, KY 1985

o Resources on Torah Study:

 Rosenak, Michael, “Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge: Conversations with the Torah”, BM103 .R635, Boulder Westview Press, 2001

 URJ Press, “Living Torah: Selections from Seven Years of Torat Chayim”, BS1225.52 L58, URJ Press, New York, NY, 2005

 Heschel, Abraham Joshua, “Heavenly Torah: As Refracted Through the Generations”, BM504.3 .H4713 2005, Continuum Publishing, New York, NY, 2007

 Sipure Hasidim, “A Treasury of Chasidic Tales on the Torah: A Collection of Inspirational Chassidic Stories Relevant to the Weekly Torah Readings”, BM532 .Z2 v.1-2, Mesorah, New York, NY, 1980, in Two Volumes

 Zolty, Shoshana, “And all your Children Shall be Learned: Women and the Study of Torah in Jewish Law and History”, BM726 .Z65 1993, Northvale, N.J. Aronson, 1993

o Women’s Resources:

 Bach, Alice, “Women in the Hebrew Bible: A Reader”, BS1199 .W7W65, Routledge, New York, NY, 1999

 Goldstein, Elyse, “ReVisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens”, BS1199 .W7G6, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 1998

 Meyers, Carol, “Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament”, REF BS575 .W5, Houghton-Mifflin, Boston, 2000

 Ronson, Barbara, “Women in the Torah: Commentaries from the Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah”, BS680 .W7R66, Jason Aronson Inc., New Jersey, 1999

 Shanks, Hershel, “Feminist Approaches to the Bible”, BS521.4 .F44 1995, Biblical Archaeology Society, Washington D.C., Various Authors, 1995

Multimedia

• Audio (also see Audio Meah Lectures)

o Ba’esh, Rabbi Lev, “Introduction to Judaism”, AUDIO ARCHIVE BM700 .I59 v.4 no.1, Temple Israel Boston/Union for Reform Judaism, 2004, Volume 4: Jewish History: Biblical to Rabbinic, Torah and Jewish Texts

o Carmell, Aryeh, “Challenge: Torah Views on Science and its Problems”, BOCD DS 113 .R8 v.2 London, Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, 1976

o Firestone, Reuven, “Burstein Scholar in Residence-2007,” Temple Israel Boston, 2007, Summary: “The Torah portion that will be read this morning is Lekh L’kha when God calls to Abraham and he answers Hineni I am here, I will follow you, God. So was he really the first Jew, or does Muslim tradition have equal or superior claim to him as the first Muslim? Using eerily similar Muslim and Jewish midrashic texts, Dr. Firestone will uncover the roots of Abraham’s stature in both religions. Light refreshments to follow.”

o Rosen, Jonathan, “Torah and the Internet”, AUDIO ARCHIVE Ros, Temple Israel, Boston, 2000, “Jonathan Rosen Speaks about his New Book, Torah and the Internet”

o Zecher, Elaine, “Torah: A Woman’s Commentary”, AUDIO ARCHIVES Torah Study

• Software

o Kolel, “Gates of Torah”, CD-ROM BM657 .G3, Kolel, 1999

Websites

• Advanced Torah Study Websites:

o Chaver.com, http://www.chaver.com/
“An innovative resource with online ‘woven text’, displaying simultaneously Torah portions and the entire Mishnah in Hebrew”

o Jewish Agency for Israel, “Iyunim – Weekly Insights on the Parsha with Nehama Liebowitz”, http://www.jafi.org.il/education/torani/nehama/indexgil.html
“An advanced-level commentary on weekly Torah portions”

o Tanach.org, http://www.tanach.org/
“An expert-level, comprehensive resource in English and Hebrew on Torah Commentary”

• Torah Study from a Reform Perspective:

o Bluethread, “Torah Portions”, http://www.bluethread.com/torah.htm
“A list of Torah portions and commentary, as well as other Jewish resources, from a Reform/non-denominational perspective”

o Temple Emanu-el, “Weekly Torah Commentary: Archive”, http://www.emanuelnyc.org/torah_archive.php
Weekly Reform commentaries on the Torah from a large NYC Temple”

o Union for Reform Judaism, “Torah Study”, http://urj.org/learning/torah/
“Torah portions and Rabbinical Commentary from the official Reform Jewish website”

o Westchester Reform Temple Torah Study Blog, http://wrttorahstudy.blogspot.com/
“A blog mixing Reform Jewish torah study with practical advice on daily matters – an excellent, frequently updated blog”

o Women of Reform Judaism, “Torah Study Website”, http://www.womenofreformjudaism.org/the-Torah-a-womens-commentary/the-torah-a-womens-commentary-study-guide-program
“The Women of Reform Judaism organization’s website on Torah commentary; a useful general resource”

• Torah Study from a Non-Denominational Perspective

o My Jewish Learning, “Torah Study: Jewish Learning”, http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Torah_Study.shtml
“Resources on the practice of Torah Study and actual commentaries, including valuable guides to writing a D’var Torah or independent commentary”

o Shamash.org, “Divrei Torah – Commentaries” http://shamash.org/tanach/dvar.shtml
“A search engine featuring a large section of full-text Torah commentaries, mostly at advanced levels”,

o Torah from Dixie, “A selection of Torah commentaries from Atlanta, GA”, http://www.tfdixie.com/

o Torahnet.org, http://torahnet.org/
“A very comprehensive, multidenominational list of online Torah resources”

• Additional Resources

o I Love Torah Learning Site, http://www.ilovetorah.com/, “A website featuring hundreds of video and audio lessons on the Torah, from a Kabbalist/Orthodox perspective”

o Torah Educational Software, http://www.jewishsoftware.com, “A website with a large selection of educational materials for all ages and study levels”

Resources for Torah Study - Beginner's List

2010-03-05T15:55:00.003-05:00

Torah Study Pathfinder – Beginner’s List

As among the oldest and perhaps the most fundamental activities of Judaism, Torah study holds a special place for most Jews. It is one of the most important rites of passage, bonding for Jewish communities and also among the most important ways to learn about Judaism. This pathfinder will include a diverse array of resources to help students of all ages further their study of Torah through audio, visual, print and online sources of Torah, as well as a wide variety of commentaries. This beginner’s version will focus on introductory, easy to read, and newer English-language materials.

A note: This pathfinder includes Torahs and resources on Torah study and scholarship, but not books and scholarship on individual portions of the Torah.

Print Sources

• Torahs:

o English Torahs:

 Friedman, Richard Elliott, Commentary on the Torah with a new English Translation and the Hebrew Text, BS1225 .3 .F7 Harper

 Plaut, Gunther, The Torah: A Modern Commentary, BS1225.3 P55 UAHC, New York, NY, 1981

 Scharfstein, Sol, The Five Books of Moses: An Easy-to-Read Torah Translation, BS1223 .S43, Ktav Publishing House, Jersey City, NJ, 2005

 Stein, David, The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS Translation, BS1223 .S74 2006, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, 2006

 Various Authors, The Jewish Study Bible: A Tanach Translation, BS895 .J4 2004, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2004

• Modern and Women’s Commentaries:

o Modern Commentaries:

 Grishaver, Joel Lurie, Learn Torah With…5756 Torah Annual: A Collection of the Year’s Best Torah, BS1225 .L35 5756, Alef Design Group, 1999

 Rossel, Seymour, The Torah: Portion-by-Portion, BS1225 .R6, Torah Aura Productions, LA, 2007

o Women’s Commentaries:

 Antonelli, Judith, In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah, BS1225.3 .A58, Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale, NJ, 1995

 Frankel, Ellen, The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah, BS1225.3 .F67, Grosset/Putnam, New York, 1996

 Goldstein, Rabbi Elyse, The Women’s Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions, BS1225.3 .G6, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2000

• Torah Study

o Introductory Materials for Torah Study

 Cohen, Norman, The Way into Torah, BM71 .C64, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 2000

 Cherry, Shai, Torah Through Time: Understanding Bible Commentary from the Rabbinic Period to Modern Times, BS 476 .C477 2007, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2007

 Isaacs, Rabbi Ronald H., Entering the Biblical Text: Exploring Jewish Values in the Torah, BS1225.3 .I82, Ktav Publishing House, Hoboken, NJ, 2001

 Kugel, James L., How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, then and Now, BS 1171.3 .K84 2007, Free Press, San Francisco, 2007

 Mandel, David, Who’s Who in the Jewish Bible, BS 570 .M36 2007, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2007

 Reis, Pamela, Reading the Line: A Fresh Look at the Hebrew Bible, BS1188 .R45 2002, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 2002

 Wolbe, Rabbi Shlomo, Pathways, a Brief Introduction to the world of the Torah, BM560 .W83, Feldheim, New York, 1993

o Resources on Torah Study and Critical Scholarship:

 Carmell, Aryeh, Challenge: Torah Views on Science and its Problems, BM538 .S3C45, London: Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, 1976

 Friedman, Richard Elliot, Who Wrote the Bible?, BS1225.2 .F75 1997, Harper, San Francisco, 1997

 Knohl, Israel, The Divine Symphony: The Bible’s Many Voices, BS1192.5 .K545 2003, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, 2003

 Lamm, Norman, Torah Umadda: the Encounter of Religious Learning and Worldly Knowledge in Jewish Tradition, BM 538 .S3L34 1990, Northvale N.J. Aronson, 1990

 Rosenak, Michael, Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge: Conversations with the Torah, BM103 .R635, Boulder Westview Press, 2001

 URJ Press, Living Torah: Selections from Seven Years of Torat Chayim, BS1225.52 L58, URJ Press, New York, NY, 2005

 Zolty, Shoshana, And all your Children Shall be Learned: Women and the Study of Torah in Jewish Law and History, BM726 .Z65 1993, Northvale, N.J. Aronson, 1993

o Women’s Resources:

 Bach, Alice and Exum, J. Cheryl, Miriam’s Well: Stories about Women in the Bible, j .BS551 .2 .B23, Delacorte Press, New York, 1991

 Bach, Alice, Women in the Hebrew Bible: A Reader, BS1199 .W7W65, Routledge, New York, NY, 1999

 Goldstein, Elyse, ReVisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens, BS1199 .W7G6, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, 1998

 Ronson, Barbara, Women in the Torah: Commentaries from the Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah, BS680 .W7R66, Jason Aronson Inc., New Jersey, 1999

o Other Resources

 Frankel, Ellen, The Illustrated Hebrew Bible: 75 Selected Stories, BS550.2 .F73, Stewart, Tabori and Chang, New York, 2000

Multimedia

• Audio (also see Audio Meah Lectures)

o Ba’esh, Rabbi Lev, Introduction to Judaism, AUDIO ARCHIVE BM700 .I59 v.4 no.1, Temple Israel Boston/Union for Reform Judaism, 2004, Volume 4: Jewish History: Biblical to Rabbinic, Torah and Jewish Texts

o Rosen, Jonathan, Torah and the Internet, AUDIO ARCHIVE Ros, Temple Israel, Boston, 2000, Jonathan Rosen Speaks about his New Book, Torah and the Internet

o Zecher, Elaine, Torah: A Woman’s Commentary, AUDIO ARCHIVES Torah Study

• Software

o Kolel, Gates of Torah, CD-ROM BM657 .G3, Kolel, 1999

Websites

• Introductory Websites/Articles on Torah Study

o The Movement for Reform Judaism, A to Z of Reform Judaism: Torah, http://www.reformjudaism.org.uk/a-to-z-of-reform-judaism/?id=154
A quick, introductory article on the Torah and Torah Study from a Reform Jewish perspective

o Jewish Virtual Library, Torah Study, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/talmudtorah.html
An article introducing the history and ideas of Torah Study to the learner

Torah Study from a Reform Perspective:

Bluethread, Torah Portions, http://www.bluethread.com/torah.htm

A list of Torah portions and commentary, as well as other Jewish resources, from a Reform/non-denominational perspective

Temple Emanu-el, Weekly Torah Commentary: Archive, http://www.emanuelnyc.org/torah_archive.php

Weekly Reform commentaries on the Torah from a large NYC Temple

Union for Reform Judaism, Torah Study, http://urj.org/learning/torah/

Torah portions and Rabbinical Commentary from the official Reform Jewish website

Westchester Reform Temple Torah Study Blog, http://wrttorahstudy.blogspot.com/
A blog mixing Reform Jewish torah study with practical advice on daily matters – an excellent, frequently updated blog

Women of Reform Judaism, Torah Study Website, http://www.womenofreformjudaism.org/the-Torah-a-womens-commentary/the-torah-a-womens-commentary-study-guide-program
The Women of Reform Judaism organization’s website on Torah commentary; a useful general resource

Torah Study from a Non-Denominational Perspective

My Jewish Learning, Torah Study: Jewish Learning, http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Torah_Study.shtml

Resources on the practice of Torah Study and actual commentaries, including valuable guides to writing a D’var Torah or independent commentary

Torah from Dixie, A selection of Torah commentaries from Atlanta, GA,

http://www.tfdixie.com/

• Additional Resources

Torah Educational Software, http://www.jewishsoftware.com/

A website with a large selection of educational materials for all ages and study levels

Resources about Israel

2010-02-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

Pathfinder for Israel Trip

This pathfinder is a list of resources in print and online that will help adults and children of all ages become acquainted with the history, leaders, places, and culture of Israel, as well as the lives of Israelis of all ages. It includes age-appropriate books, websites, DVDs and other multimedia that will introduce you to both modern Israel and ancient Jewish history. This is just a taste of what we have in our library, and of what’s available on the Internet. Please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian, if you’d like to borrow any of these materials, or if you have any questions about them.

BOOKS FOR ADULTS AND TEENS

Feiler, Bruce S. Walking the Bible : a journey by land through the five books of Moses The story of Bruce Feiler's 10,000-mile trek from Mount Ararat to Mount Nebo, undertaken for reasons he did not understand at the outset and accompanied by a companion who was very nearly a stranger.

Gavron, Daniel. Walking Through Israel.

Daniel Gavron, one of Israel’s best-known journalists, set out to know his country in a way few people ever have—by walking it on foot from end to end.

Gluzman, Michael. Israel : a traveler's literary companion / This is the fourth in a series of collected short fiction depicting contemporary life in a locale popular with tourists (previous volumes are on Costa Rica, Prague, and Vietnam). The editors, travelers and journalists, have selected 16 recent essays grouped under the headings Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat, kibbutz, land, borders, and pilgrimage, all written in Hebrew and translated into English. The authors are mostly Israeli, e.g., Amos Oz ("Thank God for His Daily Blessings," about Jerusalem); David Grossman ("Barta'a," which focuses on the West Bank border), and Ofra Rizenfeld ("What's There and What Isn't," concerning kibbutzim). The pieces reveal a cross section of people in situations tender, sad, angry, and funny. Collectively, the pieces present a view of Israeli life seldom encountered by tourists or other outsiders, as well as suggesting the rich state of creative writing in the country today. A good foreword and preface place the essays in context for the reader. From Library Journal

Hoffman, Lawrence. Israel: A Spiritual Travel Guide.

Combining, in quick reference format, ancient blessings, medieval prayers, biblical references, and modern poetry, it helps today’s pilgrim tap into the deep spiritual meaning of the ancient—and modern—sites of the Holy Land.

Michener, James. The Source. The author sweeps us back through time to the Holy Land, thousands of years ago. By exploring the lives and discoveries of modern archaeologists excavating the site of Tell Makor, Michener vividly re-creates life in and around an ancient city during critical periods of its existence, and traces the profound history of the Jews, including that of the early Hebrews and their persecution, the impact of Christianity on the Jewish world, the Crusades, and the Spanish Inquisition.

Let's Go Travel Guide: Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Budget travel guide

Rosenthal, Donna. The Israelis: ordinary people in an extraordinary land.

Depending upon the source of the report, Israelis are either portrayed to Americans as stalwart but beleaguered allies in the war against terror or frequently brutal colonizers determined to maintain control over justifiably resentful Palestinians. Of course, both images can be true, and both can be terrible distortions of reality. Rosenthal, a journalist, television news producer, and lecturer at Hebrew University, has written a broad portrait of a people and of individual Israeli citizens that is interesting, compelling, and often surprising. As revealed by Rosenthal, Israel is a vibrant and amazingly diverse nation. Ultra-Orthodox Jews wait for the Messiah and hunt down and abuse "immodestly" dressed women in Jerusalem streets. Nearby, twenty-first-century entrepreneurs break new ground in high-tech industries. Children of Bedouin families strive to carve a niche for themselves in a relentlessly modernizing society, while other Israeli Arabs struggle to define their identity in a Jewish state. This is a refreshing book that humanizes people and helps to counteract news reports that usually stress acts of savage inhumanity. Booklist.

Salkin, Jeffrey (ed.) A Dream of Zion: American Jews Reflect on Why Israel Matters to Them.

What keeps American Jews connected to Israel? How does Israel fit in their sense of what it means to be Jewish and American? This moving collection presents answers from American Jews of many different religious, political, and professional backgrounds.

St. John, Robert. Tongue of the prophets; the life story of Eliezer Ben Yehudah. A very engaging historical novel about the man who practically single-handedly transformed Hebrew from a language of prayer and study to a spoken language.

Singer, Alex.

Alex, building a life : the story of an American who fell defending Israel /

Wolman, Baron. Above the Holy Land: Israel from the Air.

A colorful introduction for those who are anticipating their first trip to the Holy Land.

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS (5TH GRADE AND UP)

Allon, Hagit. The Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What Daniel really wants is to be a detective, but so far he hasn't been having much luck. That is, not until he is assigned a project on the Dead Sea Scrolls and discovers that there are even bigger mysteries than burglaries and murders.

Feiler, Bruce. Walking the Bible, kids’ version. While in Jerusalem, Feiler, the author of the adult book by the same name, walked across the Middle East, exploring the places where the biblical stories ostensibly took place. He began at the intersection of the Tigeris and Eurphrates rivers, a likely spot for the Garden of Eden, then headed to Turkey to find Noah's Ark; to Ur and Abraham's home; to Egypt, Moses and Joseph's adopted land; and finally to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. This volume, aimed at young people, has been trimmed considerably, and at times, the cuts seem to have been made with a hacksaw rather than a scalpel, making the version shorter but not always shaped for its intended audience. Still, readers won't be disappointed by the material. Feiler writes in a conversational way that will draw them close, and his significant descriptive abilities will ground familiar stories in reality. Effective black-and-white photographs and evocative line drawings are scattered throughout. Booklist.

Goldreich, Gloria. Lori.

Though her parents claim it will be a broadening experience, a sixteen-year-old New Yorker is uncertain about the merits of spending 18 months with an Israeli family.

Kort, Michael. Yitzhak Rabin: Israel’s Soldier-Statesman.
The story of the growth of a man and the birth of a modern nation

Maltz, Fran. Keeping Faith in the Dust.
Sixteen-year-old Hannah describes the events that lead her family from their home near Dead Sea to the fortress at Masada, where a group of Jews hold out against the Romans for seven years.

Rossel, Seymour. Israel: Covenant People, Covenant Land.

Samuels, Gertrude. B-G: Fighter of Goliaths, the Story of Ben-Gurion.
A biography of the Israeli statesman which is also an account of modern Israel's fight for recognition, independence, and survival.

Sherman, Josepha. Your Travel Guide to Ancient Israel.
Takes readers on a journey back in time in order to experience life in Israel at the time of King Solomon, describing clothing, accommodations, foods, local customs, transportation, a few notable personalities, and more.”

Silverman, Maida. Israel: The Founding of a Modern Nation.
The story of how the nation of Israel came to be is a drama filled with heroes and villains, promises broken and kept, bloody battles and miraculous events. But above all, it is a story about hope.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS (1ST-4TH GRADE)

Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Israel.

An introduction to the history and geography of Israel

Adler, David A. Our Golda: The Story of Golda Meir.
A biography of the Israeli prime minister and world leader, emphasizing her early childhood and youth in Russia and America.

Burstein, Chaya. A Kid’s Catalog of Israel
Examines the history, customs, language, crafts, recipes, geography, and music of Israel.

Carmi, Giora. And Shira Imagined….
A young girl visits Israel and envisions the history of the sites she sees. Fiction, picture book.

Mayers, Florence. ABC, The Alef-Bet Book
Presents the Hebrew alphabet, using each letter to introduce the Israeli and Judaica collections of the Israel Museum.

Paris, Alan. Jerusalem 3000: Kids Discover the City of Gold.

Your guides, Shalom and Tamar, are waiting to lead you along the trail of ancient landmarks that have made Jerusalem the magical, mystical and very real center of Jewish history.

Podwal, Mark. Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses and Crescents. Beautiful illustrations of Jerusalem

Rivlin, Lilly. Welcome to Israel! Illustrations, photographs, maps, and text introduce the history, culture, religions, and peoples of Israel.

Rouss, Sylvia A. Sammy Spider’s First Trip to Israel.
Sammy Spider joins the Shapiro family on a vacation, and he uses his five senses to experience Israel.

Sofer, Barbara. Keeping Israel safe : the Israel Defense Forces /

Taitz, Emily. Israel: A Sacred Land.
Describes the land and people of Israel today and in the past.

MULTIMEDIA

Drishat Shalom : Israeli TV on DVD. For teens and adults

Milk, Honey, Chocolate and Falafel.
American Jewish children ask questions about Israel; Israeli children currently living in the Boston area answer. The American children are students in Zivit Davidovitch's 5th grade class at Temple Israel, Boston. Zivit, a film student at Boston University, produced and directed this film.” (VHS) All ages.

Fliegel’s Flight: A Bird’s-Eye View of Jewish History. (DVD) All ages.

The Wonder of Israel.
Topics include: Geography, History, Government, People, Lifestyles, Economy, The Search for peace.” (VHS) Grade 3 and up.

Israel Beyond Our Borders.
The historical significance of Israel can be felt in its other name, the Holy Land, and in sites such as the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and Al Aqsa Mosque, holy places of three religions. But it is best known as the home of modern Jews, so the old and new exist side by side in places and cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or ruins of several civilizations that have come and gone.... (DVD) Grade 3 and up.

Shalom Sesame: This series of dvds has the cast of Sesame Street and guests giving us a tour of Israel, teaching us Hebrew and about Jewish holidays. Geared for American Jewish children grades 1 and up.

Children of Jerusalem: Asya, Tamar, Ibrahim, Yacoub, Neveen, Gesho, Yehuda.
This is a series of seven documentaries about the lives of Arab and Jewish children in Jerusalem, sometimes focusing on holidays. (VHS). Grades 3 and up.

WEBSITES FOR ALL

Akhlah – Fast Facts about Israel for Kids http://www.akhlah.com/israel/israel_facts.php

Frommer’s Guide to Israel
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/israel
Up-do-date advice on what to do in Israel

Israeli Embassy’s Kids Website (for young children)
http://www.israelemb.org/kids
Includes games, pictures and information for young children

Israel For Kids

http://www.israelforkids.com/
Fun facts, cool news and games

Israel Wonders
http://www.goisrael.com/

Official Tourism Site of the Israeli Government

My Jewish Learning’s Israel Articles
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/israel.shtml
Information on Israeli history, politics and culture

New York Times Online Article, In Israel, History with a Whiff of Adventure, May 17th, 2009
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/travel/17kids.html
Article on traveling with kids in Israel

Travel for Kids
www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Israel/israel.htm
Fun activities to do with kids in Israel

This Pathfinder was a collaboration between Library Interns Jon Cohen and Kim Kennedy, with a little help from Assistant Librarian Marie Cloutier and Librarian Ann Abrams

New books, films and music for all!

2010-01-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

Here is a sampling of the new additions to our library:

Books for Adults

NON-FICTION

Leigh, Jeremy. Jewish Journeys. Here's a review from the Independant Books website:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/jewish-journeys-by-jeremy-leigh-476256.html

Goldin, Judah. The Jewish expression

Modern scholars examine and interpret 3,000 years of Jewish literature and history. The essays study the actions and institutions of the Jewish people as well as their literary tradition. Included are essays on medieval poetry (Shalom Spiegel), Jewish thought and Jewish learning (Harry Austryn Wolfson and Louis Ginzberg); Spinoza (Leo Strauss); the Kaddish (S. Y. Agnon), and many more. Each essay reveals the diverse ways in which the Judaic tradition interacts with contemporary events, so that the Jewish expression remains vital and immediate.

Rodovsky, Jayson. Music for Shabbat Worship from the 70th URJ Biennial November 4-8, 2009 Toronto, Ontario / Union for Reform Judaism, published by Transcontinental Music Publications.

Transcontinental Music Publications and the Union for Reform Judaism present a collection of all the congregational music sung during Biennial Shabbat worship. This diverse collection embraces the numerous musical styles heard in today’s Reform Jewish worship.

Steinsaltz, Adin. Miracle of the seventh day : a guide to the spiritual meaning, significance, and weekly practice of the Jewish Sabbath /

Jacobs, A.J. The year of living biblically
Raised in a secular family but interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to stone adulterers. The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history's most influential book with new eyes. Jacobs embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally: he tours a creationist museum and sings hymns with Amish; he dances with Hasidic Jews and does Scripture study with Jehovah's Witnesses. He wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the 21st-century brain, and he discovers ancient wisdom of startling relevance.--From publisher description.

Gelernter, David. Judaism : a way of being

Written for observant and non-observant Jews and anyone interested in religion, this book by the scholar David Gelernter seeks to answer the deceptively simple question: What is Judaism really about? Gelernter views Judaism as one of humanity’s most profound and sublimely beautiful achievements. But because Judaism is a way of life rather than a formal system of thought, it has been difficult for anyone but a practicing Jew to understand its unique intellectual and spiritual structure. Gelernter explores compelling questions, such as: How does Judaism’s obsession with life on earth versus the world-to-come separate it fundamentally from Christianity and Islam? Why do Jews believe in God, and how can they after the Holocaust? What makes Classical Judaism the most important intellectual development in Western history? Why does Judaism teach that, in the course of the Jewish people’s coming-of-age, God moved out of history and into the human mind, abandoning all power but the capacity to talk to each person from inside and thereby to influence events only indirectly? In discussing these and other questions, Gelernter seeks to lay out Jewish beliefs on four basic topics the sanctity of everyday life; man and God; the meaning of sexuality and family; good, evil, and the nature of God’s justice in a cruel world and to convey a profound and stirring sense of what it means to be Jewish. From Yale University Press website.

Marcus, Ivan G.   Title: Rituals of childhood : Jewish acculturation in medieval Europe

In medieval times, when a Jewish boy of five began religious schooling, he was carried from home to a teacher and placed on the teacher's lap. He was then asked to recite the Hebrew alphabet and lick honey from the slate on which it was written, to eat magically inscribed cooked peeled eggs and cakes, to recite an incantation against a demon of forgetfulness, and then to go down to the riverbank with the teacher, where he was told that his future study of the Torah, like the rushing river, would never end. This book--Ivan Marcus's erudite and novel interpretation of this rite of passage--presents a new anthropological historical approach to Jewish culture and acculturation in medieval Christian Europe.

Marcus traces ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman elements in the rite and then analyzes it from different perspectives, making use of narrative, legal, poetic, ethnographic, and pictorial sources, as well as firsthand accounts. He then describes contemporary medieval Christian images and initiation rites--including the eucharist and the Madonna and child--as contexts within which to understand the ceremony. He is the first to investigate how medieval Jews were aware of, drew upon, and polemically transformed Christian religious symbols into Jewish counterimages in order to affirm the truth of Judaism and to make sense of living as Jews in an intensely Christian culture. From Yale University Press website.

Oelschlaeger, Max. Caring for creation : an ecumenical approach to the environmental crisis

Many environmentalists believe that religion has been a major contributor to our ecological crisis, for Judeo-Christians have been taught that they have dominion over the earth and so do not consider themselves part of a biotic community. In this book a philosopher of environmental ethics acknowledges that religion may contribute to environmental problems but argues that religion can also play an important role in solving these problems that religion can provide an ethical context that will help people to become sensitive to the environment and to elect leaders who are genuinely responsive to the ecological crisis. Examining a broad range of Western religious traditions from conservative Christianity and orthodox Judaism to Goddess feminism and nature religion Max Oelschlaeger provides a sociolinguistic analysis of their creation stories and finds environmentally positive aspects in each of them. He asserts that religious discourse in the public arena can offer a way for such environmental issues as biodiversity, pollution, and population to be addressed outside the realm of special-interest politics. And he urges local churches to make "caring for creation" a theme for worship in their services; the majority of Americans, says Oelschlaeger, will discover an environmental ethic only through their religious faith. From the Yale University Press website:

Lotan, Jonathan. Learn to write the Hebrew script : aleph through the looking glass /

This quirky, unexpected, and utterly charming book offers a three-step method for learning to write Hebrew script, and the author has a gift for presenting the technical and abstract clearly and disarmingly."—The Jerusalem Report.

Levi ben Gershon. Commentary on Song of songs /

Gersonides (Rabbi Levi ben Gershom, 1288-1344), one of medieval Judaism's most interesting figures, was not only a philosopher, exegete, and halakhist but was also known for his contributions in the fields of astronomy and mathematics. In this new translation of Gersonides' Commentary on Song of Songs, Menachem Kellner brings to English-language readers a work that draws together many important strands and elements of Gersonides' thought: philosophical theology, philosophy of science, biblical exegesis, and Aristotle/Averroes commentary. With an informative introduction and thorough annotations, this volume focuses fresh attention on an important example of medieval Jewish biblical commentary and medieval philosophical thought.

Gersonides stood at the intersection of three worlds: he was a learned and devout Jew whose major philosophic and scientific teachers were Muslims and whose scientific colleagues were Christians. Applying his learning and brilliance to the Judaism he had inherited, Gersonides transformed it and passed along to his own students a Judaism that bore the stamp of his unique personality and of the Jewish-Muslim-Christian symbiosis he both represented and helped create. His philosophical commentary on Song of Songs reveals his belief that this poem is the only book in the Bible written to teach the ultimate truths of the universe to the elite while being of no outward benefit to the masses. From the Yale University Press website.

Benjamin, Marina. Last days in Babylon : The exile of Iraq's Jews, the story of my family.

Through the events of her late maternal grandmother's life, British journalist Benjamin tells the saga of the Iraqi Jews, who arrived during the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles from Judea in the eighth and sixth centuries B.C. and were once Iraq's largest and wealthiest ethnic minority. Born in 1905 in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, Regina Sehayek is a compelling character who lived in tumultuous times, witnessing as a child the British takeover of Baghdad and, as an adult, Arab nationalism and revolution. A moneychanger's bright and opinionated daughter, Regina was married off (and deflowered semipublicly as tradition dictated) to a virtual stranger, a prosperous merchant 30 years her senior whose ancestor was the Persian Jewish doctor for an 18th-century shah. Although indifferent to Zionism, Regina and her kin were victims of the rabid anti-Semitism that began to pervade Iraq in the 1930s. By 1950, the Jews' desperate situation forced a widowed Regina to thwart police and petty bureaucrats and flee, eventually settling her children in London. Benjamin (Rocket Dreams) honors her family by vivifying a once-thriving community that has dispersed worldwide, leaving only 12 souls struggling for survival in present-day war-torn Baghdad. Photos. (Oct. 3) From Publishers Weekly. All rights reserved.

Burns, Michael Joseph. Accepted and Welcome : The Unlikely Response of the Jesuits at Marquette University to Jewish Applicants during the Interwar Years, 1920-1940.

A Thesis in the Field of History for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies. Harvard University

During the interwar years - 1920-1940 - most American colleges and universities either firmly restricted or out-right barred the admittance of Jews to their student bodies. Two major American Catholic schools operated by the Jesuits - Saint Louis University in Saint Louis and Marquette University in Milwaukee, along with some other Catholic schools - did not hold up such a bar. Those schools considered only students' ability to perform academically, and did not consider religious preferences or national origin in their admission process. Because of their central locations in the American hearland, and with easy rail connections from all over the country, both Marquette and Saint Louis were popular among Jewish families. The focus of this thesis is on Marquette University.
Dodds, Jerrilyn. The arts of intimacy

FICTION

Albert, Elisa. The Book of Dahlia

Dahlia Finger, the heroine of this début novel, is a sarcastic, self-absorbed Jewish American Princess, twenty-nine years old and living in a desirable bungalow in Venice, California, bought for her by her lawyer father. She’s also, thanks to Albert’s control of tone and timing, one of the most likable characters in recent fiction, as self-aware about her bad habits (smoking pot, wallowing in hopelessness, refusing to engage with her broken family) as she is incapable of changing them, even when diagnosed with a "level four" tumor in the left temporal lobe of her brain. Basing her chapters on a self-help book that Dahlia buys ("It’s Up to You: The Cancer To-Do List"), Albert writes with the black humor of Lorrie Moore and a pathos that is uniquely her own, all the more blistering for being slyly invoked. From the New Yorker.

Kuper, Daniela. Hunger and thirst

Kuper conjures a vividly textured culture as the backdrop for the poignant, funny story of the Trouts, a 1950s Chicago Jewish family in which father Buddy is occasionally found lying drunk on the sidewalk and mother Irwina so worships culture, especially Chanel-style, that the first purchase for the apartment is a fountain whose blue water spouts from the mouths of fish and the not-so-private parts of angels. The women in the Trouts' building, compounded of equal parts chicken fat and regret, provide ongoing commentary on Buddy's drinking and Irwina's affectations: she wears a different dress every day, and with shoes that match! Daughter Joan is the pivotal character in a novel and a world in which the known is good, hidden stories are threatening, the elderly come from places whose boundaries and names changed too often to remember, and straw beach bags become first-aid kits for snakebite and loss of limb at the annual B'nai Zion picnic. You don't have to be Jewish to love it; it goes well beyond "oy." Whitney Scott. Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

YOUNG ADULTS

Abelove, Joan. Saying it out loud.

With the help of her best friend, sixteen-year-old Mindy sorts through her relationships with her solicitous mother and her detached father as she tries to come to terms with the fact that her mother is dying from a brain tumor.

FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS

Shapiro, Zachary. We're all in the same boat. A Noah's ark story. The author grew up at temple Israel and is now a rabbi in California.

LOOK AT ALL THESE HARRY HOUDINI BOOKS! YES, HE WAS JEWISH!

MacLeod. Harry Houdini

Adler, David. A. A picture book of Harry Houdini

Kimmel, Eric A. : A spotlight for Harry

For Hebrew students of all ages:
Hoose, Phillip.    Hey, Nemalah! Hebrew version of "Hey, ant!" Hebrew, only, with vowels.

Wasserman, Sany. The sun's special blessing

Every twenty-eight years the sun returns to the exact spot it occupied at the time of creation. Mr. Jacobs tells his third grade class that when he was in third grade, his class buried a time capsule in 1981. As they buried their time capsule, his class recited the special blessing on the sun. Twenty-eight years later it's time for the 2009 third graders to bury their time capsule and celebrate this special occasion by reciting the prayer.

Snir, Mirik. When I first held you :

CDS:

We have many cds by singer/songwriter, Rick Recht, who recently performed at Temple Israel, including:

Shabbat alive and Tov

and many more cds of Jewish folk, rock, rap jazz and more!

FILMS

At home in Utopia

Focuses on the United Workers Cooperative Colony, aka the Coops, the most grass-roots and member-driven of the Jewish labor housing cooperatives, where many of the residents were Communists or sympathetic to the communist movement. Beginning as a stalwartly secular East European Jewish working class enclave, they were part of an international movement the power of which blows minds today. This film bears witness to lives lived with courage across the barriers of race, nation, language, convention, and sometimes even common sense.

The first basket

Examines both the role that Jewish players had in the evolution of basketball and the impact that it had on the assimilation of American Jews. Some of the players mentioned are Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Dolph Schayes, Red Sarachek, Barney Sedran, Eddie Gottleib, Abe Saperstein, Ossie Schectman, Ralph Kaplowitz and Sammy Kaplan.

VISUAL ARCHIVES

Our visual archives has a growing collection of The Jewish Perspective, hosted by Rabbi Ronne Friedman. It's usually on Sunday mornings at 6:00 am. What, you've never seen it! Well now you can! You may borrow our library's copies. We also have recordings of temple lectures and other special events.

Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Jewish Community

2009-12-17T15:36:00.004-05:00

Created by library intern Kim, here is a list of resources if you're interested in learning about the connections between civil rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Jewish community.

Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Jewish Community

American Jews played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement, exemplified by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. In addition, King was a strong advocate for Jewish rights and spoke in support of Israel. This pathfinder gives a sampling of both children’s and adult’s books available at the Dr. Arnold L. Segel Library Center that explore King, Heschel, and the Civil Rights Movement. For more information, check out the websites listed.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Rappaport, Doreen, and Bryan Collier. Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. BIOG KING
Award-winning picture book on the life of MLK.

Michelson, Richard and illustrated by Paul Colón. As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom j. E 185.97 .K5M44 King
A beautifully illustrated book and inspiring story.

Rose, Or N. Abraham Joshua Heschel: Man of Spirit, Man of Action BIOG Heschel
The first biography of Heschel intended for young readers.

BOOKS

Schneier, Marc. Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community.
E 185.97 .K5S59
Using previously unpublished writings and interviews with King’s peers, Rabbi Schneier shows King’s commitment to the Jewish community and support of Jewish rights.

Blacks and Jews: Alliacnes and Arguments. Ed. Paul Berman. E185 .615 .B5534
A collection of essays that explore the alliances and enmity between the Jewish American and African-American communities.

Schultz, Debra L. Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement. E185.61 .S364
A history of the key role Jewish American women played in the Civil Rights Movement.

File on Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Temple Israel Library. Contains the programs of past liturgies for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Located in the cabinet under the photocopier

WEBSITES

Martin Luther King Day Resources- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
http://rac.org/pubs/packets/mlk/
This webpage includes links to King’s writings and speeches, articles and websites about King, and ways to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. day in synagogues.

A Special Bond: Martin Luther King, Jr., Israel and American Jewry- Stuart Appelbaum
http://rac.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=415
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a strong supporter of Israel and called for unity between the Jewish and African-American communities.

Information about Civil Rights from the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
http://www.jewishlexington.org/page.aspx?ID=164624
Includes the text of Dr. Joachim Prinz’s speech at the March on Washington, information on Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, and a link to an online exhibit on Jewish women in the Civil Rights Movement.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Black-Jewish Relationship, Rachel Mauro, DC Jewish Life Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-1507-DC-Jewish-Life-Examiner~y2009m1d17-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-and-the-BlackJewish-relationship
A current take on the relationship between the Jewish and African-American communities.

NEW CHANUKAH BOOK FOR KIDS BY FORMER TEMPLE MEMBER!

2009-12-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

Sharon Kaufman, who attended our Hebrew School and became a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel, is now living in Texas and writing and illustrating children's books! Here's one in time for Chanukah!

Candles All Around: a Chanukah Miracle Story http://www.sammiescornerpublications.com/

Check it out!

Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program - A History

2009-11-30T16:59:00.016-05:00

Jewish Book Month, celebrated mid-November – mid-December, is a time when public and school libraries nationwide highlight their Jewish book collections. Here at Temple Israel, this is a time when we showcase our library, the Dr. Arnold L. Segel Library Center, and the authors in our community. One of the celebration’s key events, the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program, brings authors and artists to our congregation to help us connect with each other and create community through learning and literature.

Joy Ungerleider was a museum curator, philanthropist, visionary, and much, much more. She served as curator (1967-69) and director (1972-1980) of the Jewish Museum in New York, bringing important religious and secular exhibits to the museum and raising substantial funds to make the museum more successful than it had been in decades. She established the Dorot Foundation in 1972 and, through the foundation, she contributed to Jewish Studies in the United States and in Israel. The broad scope of her philanthropy -- from giving aid to the Dead Sea Scroll project to programs that allowed Arabs and Israeli Jews to study together -- left a permanent mark on Jewish education throughout the world. After she died in 1994, the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program was established by her family as an endowed lecture series, under the supervision of the Library Committee.

We are pleased to be celebrating the fourteenth year of the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program!

FIFTEEN YEARS OF SPEAKERS.

1995. Neil Asher Silbermann, author of The Hidden Scrolls: Christianity, Judaism and the War for the Dead Sea Scrolls

1996. Deborah Lipstadt, author of Denying the Holocaust

1997. Melissa Fay Greene, author of The Temple Bombing

1998. Bezalel Narkiss, founder and professor of the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, spoke about “The Lost Sephardi Ark”

1999. Everett Fox, author of a new translation of The Five Books of Moses

2000. Amy Dockser Marcus, author of The View from Nebo: How
Archaeology is Rewriting the Bible and Reshaping the Middle East.

2001. Mark Novak, Renee Brachfeld. "This ain’t your bubbe’s Yiddish theatre." A storytelling program by a cantor-storyteller duo.

2002. Craig Taubman, singer/songwriter, performed as part of a jointly-sponsored program with the annual Karol Music Service

2003. Emily Sper, children’s book author and illustrator, in a program for children in our Education Program about how she creates books

2004. Twenty-one authors, all Temple Israel members, on how their Jewish identity affects their writing, as part of the temple’s sesquicentennial celebration.

2005. Lisa Fagin Davis, Meaghan Dwyer, Susan L. Porter, authors of
Becoming American Jews: Temple Israel of Boston, 1854-2004 (forthcoming in 2009) on the process of writing this new history of Temple Israel.

2006. Ken Gordon, Editor of JBooks.com, on “Jewish Literacy and the Internet”

2007. Jerome Groopman, M.D., author of How Doctors Think

2008. Edie Aronowitz Mueller and Ellen Steinbaum, temple members and poets, authors of The Fat Girl and Other Poems, and Container Gardening, respectively

2009. Robin Abrahams, temple member and author of Miss Conduct’s Mind over Manners: Master the Slippery Rules of Modern Ethics and Etiquette and columnist for the Boston Globe.

Historical note: In 1993, before this series was officially called the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program, temple members and poets, Doris Panoff, z”l, and Edie Aronowitz Mueller read their poems as part of the first Jewish Book Month Program; then, in 1994, author Leslea Newman talked about the controversy around her book, Heather Has Two Mommies.

This Year's Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program - Friday, December 4, 2009

2009-11-02T16:43:00.002-05:00

Click on the picture above for an enlarged image of the poster.

This year's Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program will feature author and Temple Israel member Robin Abrahams, the Boston Globe's Miss Conduct and author of Miss Conduct's Mind Over Manners.

MISS CONDUCT’S MIND OVER MANNERS: Master the Slippery Rules of Modern Ethics and Etiquette, by Robin Abrahams

Should you say “Bless you” to a sneezing atheist?
Should you pronounce a foreigner’s name in their native r-trilling accent?
What do you serve guests for dinner if one is a fruitarian, another keeps kosher, and yet another is intolerant of gluten?

Robin Abrahams helps us navigate today’s dizzying social complexities in her clever and witty compendium of advice, MISS CONDUCT’S MIND OVER MANNERS (Times Books/May 26, 2009). Throughout history, new technologies (from the printing press to the iPhone) and new ideas (from Manifest Destiny to multiculturalism) have changed the accepted rules of social behavior. But unlike a school of fish suddenly veering away from a shark, we human beings don’t all react to change in a coordinated fashion. The multitude of cultural shifts within the past few decades has left us in etiquette limbo.

Are men still expected to pick up the dinner tab? Is it possible to request a “doggie bag” with dignity? How do you tell colleages about your recent bout with the stomach flu without going over the line? Following the “rules” isn’t enough anymore. We have to think. A uniform code of conduct may have worked in the days when everyone agreed on the same set of priorities: that decent people never talk about money or sex, that children are seen and not heard, and that observant Jews and Muslims should simply accept that Christmas is as American as pizza and chow mein. But in today’s diverse offices, health clubs, dog parks, and soccer fields, manners aren’t enough—we need to use our minds.

Much more than a plain guide to protocol à la Emily Post or Miss Manners, MISS CONDUCT’S MIND OVER MANNERS covers food, finance, religion, sex and relationships, children, health, pets and other passions, and everyday conversational kick-starters. Abrahams examines how values, priorities, and experiences differ in contemporary America; explores the psychological and evolutionary reasons these differences are so challenging; and offers fun and concrete advice on how to cope.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robin Abrahams is the “Miss Conduct” columnist for The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and writes the “Socially Scientific” column for Annals of Improbable Research. A research associate at Harvard Business School and a former stand-up comedian, she holds a doctorate in psychology. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Book Fair Preview 5770

2009-10-26T17:45:00.010-04:00

Our annual Jewish Book Fair will begin December 4, and will continue through December 15. Hundreds of Jewish books for adults and children will be available for perusal and purchase, including Robin Abrahams's book Miss Conduct’s Mind Over Manners: Master the Slippery Rules of
Modern Ethics and Etiquette,
and the temple’s new history book, Becoming American Jews.

We are also delighted to partner with the creators of Emily’s Table: Recipes Lovingly Compiled by the Friends of Emily Mehlman, z”l, 1941-2006. Every member family will receive a gift copy of this lovely cookbook, thanks to the generosity of its contributors. Additional copies will be on sale for $18, and the proceeds will benefit The Riverway Project.

Book Fair schedule:
Friday Dec. 4: Following the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program

Dec 6 – 13: Sundays, 9:00 – 2:00; Mondays, Tuesdays: 9:00 – 8:30: Thursday 9:00 – 5:00;

Fridays 9:00 – 4:00 and after Qabbalat Shabbat Services

Click on the pictures below to preview the Book Fair selections!

Orphaned Jewish Books: Sermon, August 21, 2009, Temple Israel, Boston

2009-08-18T11:56:00.000-04:00

“I will not tolerate stolen books in our collection.”

These were the words of Barbara Schneider-Kempf, the Director General of the Berlin State Library-Prussian Cultural Heritage Center, as she addressed a group of Judaica librarians from all over the world at the annual conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, held last month in Chicago. I was fortunate to attend Mrs. Schneider-Kempf’s presentation, called “Stolen Books: the Third Reich’s Exchange Center and the Prussian State Library, 1933-1945.” She spoke about her library’s study of books stolen by the Nazis and incorporated into German libraries and about efforts to return the books to the relatives of the original owners.

Until I heard Mrs. Schneider-Kempf’s talk, I knew nothing about what are called “stolen,” “plundered,” or “orphaned” Jewish books. In 1998 the Conference on Holocaust Era Assets, held in Washington, DC, focused mostly on unique and valuable works of art and museum pieces. The issue of stolen books has only come into focus more recently, in part due to the leadership of people like Barbara Schneider-Kempf.

Mrs. Schneider-Kempf’s research has turned up astounding –and disturbing--results: There may be as many as 150,000 stolen books in the holdings of Berlin's Central and Regional Library! Schneider-Kempf described how the stolen books got there, the difficulties involved in trying to identify and return what she calls “Nazi Loot” to the relatives of their original owners, and the efforts—only some of which have been successful--that have been made to do so. After WWII ended Berlin was divided. Berlin’s Prussian State Library also was divided into two separate libraries: the Berlin State Library and the Prussian Heritage Library. The East and West libraries didn’t get along any better than their corresponding governments, thus obstructing efforts to access not only materials, but also sources for investigating the materials.

In spite of the challenges, there have been some successes in returning books to their rightful owners. For example:

When Arthur Rubinstein and his family saw the writing on the wall and moved to the United States in 1939, the renowned composer left his library behind. The contents were seized by the Nazi agency Einsatzstab Reichsleter Rosenberg. Led by Alfred Rosenberg, this agency was charged with the task of confiscating Jewish property. The Rubinstein collection was first taken to Berlin. Later it was confiscated by the Soviets and, in 1958-59, taken to East Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation was charged with returning identifiable materials to their rightful owners. 71 of Rubinstein’s scores were eventually discovered and returned to his family. In 2007, his children donated the collection to the Julliard School of Music.

Books and other documents belonging to Rabbi Leo Baeck, leader of Germany’s Jewish community during the Holocaust, and to German Jewish theatre critic Alfred Kerr, also were returned to family members just in the last few years.

I was riveted by Schneider-Kempf’s talk, first, because the subject was new to me; and second, I was fascinated by the fact that this German woman is dedicating enormous time and energy to this effort, which more often than not, turns out to be frustrating and fruitless. Beyond that, she is providing moral leadership in Germany and internationally. Her final comment in the presentation was, “The Berlin State Library is determined to confront its past honestly, even when it is at its most inglorious.”

After the conference, I emailed her to ask why she’d chosen to get involved with this project. Here is her reply:

Thank you for your kind e-mail and your interest in the reasons why I have chosen to address the issue of books and other cultural property looted as the result of Nazi persecution as one of my priorities. My reasons for drawing attention to the issue are quite unspectacular - I cannot name any particular personal encounter or experience as a decisive influence. I simply consider it to be both my civic and professional responsibility as a citizen of a free and democratic Germany and as an academic librarian to search for items in our collection that were acquired in violation of our present-day standards and to return these books and manuscripts to heirs, museums and memory institutions whenever this is possible. And I expect colleagues in libraries throughout Germany, if not worldwide, to act in the same manner.

As I was working on this sermon, a colleague who’d also attended Mrs. Schneider-Kempf’s session shared with me an article from the Malibu Times, about a survivor who’d been re-united with a childhood book. Rabbi Larry Seideman of Newport Beach, California, read a story on the German news source, Shpiegel, about stolen Jewish books in Berlin libraries. The article told of a children’s book that was found, called For our youth: a book of entertainment for Israelite Boys and Girls. Inside the book, there was a handwritten dedication: “For my dear Wolfgang Lachmann, in friendship, Chanuka 5698, December 1937.” Rabbi Seidman immediately picked up the phone and called his friend and neighbor, Walter Lachman, a survivor, who, sure enough, had changed his name when he came to the United States after the war. “That’s my book!” he said. The volume had been a gift from his Hebrew School teacher.

Lachman’s daughter, Deborah Valdez, traveled to Berlin to receive the book on her father’s behalf. The Berlin library officials held a ceremony, which Valdez described: “They found a suitcase belonging to one of the young girls who went to the camps. … In it, she had a list of all her favorite books. She couldn’t bring the books with her because when they were deported, they were told they could only bring one suitcase. So she made the list, instead, and at the ceremony, they read from portions of the books. Philosophy, books about movie stars. They were trying to bring her to life for us. Art might be priceless, but librarians know how important books are.”

Lachman said that he was “a little anxious” to see his book again. Asked what he will do with it, he paused. “Maybe I’ll read it again,” he said.

As you can probably tell, I found this topic of orphaned books to be very moving. I am proud that a fellow librarian has taken the lead in this effort, and encouraged by the fact that this she is a German and is continuing the work of many other Righteous Gentiles. May we all be inspired by her acts of social justice.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ORPHANED JEWISH BOOKS

RESOURCES USED IN PREPARATION FOR THE ABOVE SERMON:

1) “Stolen Books: The Third Reich’s Exchange Center and the Prussian State
Library in the Years 1933-1945. Lecture given by Dr. Barbara Schneider-Kempf, Director General of the Berlin State Library-Prussian Cultural Heritage
Center, and recorded as a pod-cast, July 6, 2009, at the Association of
Jewish Libraries’ Convention, Chicago, IL.

http://jewishlibraries.org/podcast/?p=326 (pod-cast)

2) Article in Malibu Times about survivor being re-united with childhood book.

http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2009/07/22/malibu_life/art1.txt

3) Jewish Cultural Reconstruction. Organization established in 1947 to deal
with the collection and redistribution of heirless Jewish cultural property

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0011_0_10131.html

4) The Holocaust-Era Judaic Heritage Library in the Hebraica Collection of
the Library of Congress.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/hs/hscoll.html

Librarian is interviewed on children's book pod-cast!

2009-08-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

I recently attended the annual convention of the Association of Jewish Libraries, held July 5-8 in Chicago. In addition to the wonderful sessions, opportunities for networking, and wonderful setting (downtown Chicago), I was fortunate to meet, and be interviewed by Mark Blevis, of the children's book pod-cast, "Just One More Book!" Here is an excerpt of the interview - my debut on a podcast!

Ann Abrams, Librarian

http://www.justonemorebook.com/2009/07/13/exploring-jewish-books-and-literacy-programs-at-ajl09/

New books, films and cds in the library!

2009-07-28T14:19:00.001-04:00

Modan, Rutu. Exit wounds. Graphic novel.

Paths of emancipation : Jews, states, and citizenship

The Jew in the American World

Stern, Guy. Nazi Book Burner and the American Response

Sonsino, Rifat. Did Moses really have horns? and other myths about Jews and Judaism

Can It Happen Again?

Labovitz, Annettte. A Touch of Heaven: Eternal Stories for Jewish Living

Cohen, Edward. The Peddler's Grandson: Growing Up Jewish in Mississippi

Sholom Israel: A Musical Companion to my Cousin Tamar Lives In Israel

Whitney, Kim Ablon. The other half of life : a novel based on the true story of the MS St. Louis

AvRutick, Sharon. The Jewish world : 365 days : from the collections of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Einhorn, Erin. Pages in between : a Holocaust Legacy of Two Families, One Home

Friedman, Robin. The Importance of Wings

Den Hartog, Kristen. The occupied garden : a family memoir of war-torn Holland

Jewish Family and Children's Services. Jewish Prayers, Psalms and Readings for Comfort, Hope and Support

Ofanansky, Allison. Harvest of Light

Fishbein, Susie. Passover by design : picture-perfect kosher by design recipes for the holiday

Kamen, Henry. The Spanish Inquisition: A historical revision

Melnick, Ralph. The Stolen Legacy of Anne Frank: Meyer Levin, Lillian Hellman, and the staging of the diary

Gordon, Charlotte. The woman who named God : Abraham's dilemma and the birth of three faiths

Lawrence, Gunther. The Business of Being a Jew

Trivellato, Francesca. The familiarity of strangers : the Sephardic diaspora, Livorno, and cross-cultural trade in the early modern period

Transmitting Jewish Traditions: orality, textuality, and cultural diffusion

Congregation, Kol Ami. Entrances to Holiness are Everywhere: Shabbat Morning Prayer Book

Gordis, Daniel. Saving Israel: how the Jewish people can win a war that may never end

Davidson, Susan J. The Holocaust: Memory and Legacy A Documentary Film Based on the 2005 Book by Susie Davidson

BenShea, Noah. Jacob the Baker

Chabon, Michael. Manhood for amateurs: the pleasures and regrets of a husband, father, and son

Wex, Michael. How to be a mentsh (and not a schmuck) : secrets of the good life from the most unpopular people on earth

London, Charles. Far from Zion : in search of a global Jewish community

Keats, Jonathon. The book of the unknown: tales of the thirty-six

Feiler, Bruce. America's Prophet Moses and the American Story

Silver, Harold S. I will not let you go until you bless me : memoirs of a reform rabbi

Keneally, Thomas. Searching for Schindler: a memoir

Sababa! Pray for the Peace (Music-CD)

Boxer, Mike. New Jewish Tunes. Ruach 5769 Songbook

Hyman, Paula. The emancipation of the Jews of Alsace: acculturation and tradition in the nineteenth century

Scliar, Moacyr. The strange nation of Rafael Mendes

Anthology of Jewish Art Song, VolumeII. Father to son A Hugo Chaim Adler and Samuel Adler Solo Collection

Hample, Stuart and Marshall, Eric. Children's Letters to God The New Collection

Behar, Yvonne. Out of Spain: a course of study for children 10 to 12 covering Sephradic history, customs, festivals, music, food and folklore

Tulchinsky, Gerald J. J. Taking root: the origins of the Canadian Jewish community

Leibowitz, Yeshayahu. The Faith of Maimonides

Newman, Elias. Art in Palestine

Hartman, David. Love and terror in the God Encounter: the theological legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Stone, Ira F. A responsible life: the spiritual path of Mussar

Hurwich, Louis. Memoirs of a Jewish Educator Louis Hurwich and the Story of Boston's Jewish Education

Jews in Germany after 1945: citizens or "fellow" citizens?

Buber, Martin. At the turning; three addresses on Judaism

Gabel, Dina. Behind the Ice Curtain

Commission on Reform Jewish Outreach. The Idea Book: Reform Jewish Outreach

Masa‘ le-Polin. Journey to Poland: in search of a vanished Jewish world

Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston. Managing Food Allergies in Our Jewish Schools

Vogelstein, Hermann. Rome

Hirsch, Richard G. Thy Most Precious Gift

Morgenstern, Mira. Conceiving a nation : the development of political discourse in the Hebrew Bible

Mazor, Yair. Who wrought the Bible?: unveiling the Bible's aesthetic secrets

Raphael, Lev. My Germany: a Jewish writer returns to the world his parents escaped

Shindler, Colin. A History of Modern Israel

Zonana, Joyce. Dream homes: from Cairo to Katrina: an exile's journey

Kotek, Joel. Cartoons and extremism: Israel and the Jews in Arab and Western media

Jewish women in pre-state Israel : life history, politics, and culture

Saxe, Leonard. Ten Days of Birthright Israel: A Journey in Young Adult Identity.

Roden, Fredrick S. Jewish/Christian/queer: crossroads and identities

Baëre, Elvire Coriat de,. Realm of silence

Arnold, Bill T. Genesis

Meyers, Carol L. Exodus

Roitman, Gina. Tell Me a Story, Tell Me the Truth (a novel about being the child of Holocaust survivors)

Baumgard, Herbert A. Finding My Way to God

Brimmer, Gabriela. Gaby Brimmer: an autobiography in three voices

Kessner, Carole S. Marie Syrkin: values beyond the self

Frisch, Daniel. On the road to Zion, selected writings

Maimonides, Moses. Rambam: readings in the philosophy of Moses Maimonides

Roth, Cecil. Venice

Judah Goldin and the Study of Rabbinics: Proceedings of a Symposium in Memory of Professor Judah Goldin

Adar, Zvi. The Biblical Narrative

Neusner, Jacob. The Yerushalmi--the Talmud of the land of Israel: an introduction

Buber, Martin. Two Types of Faith

Grunwald, Max. Vienna

Zabuski, Charles. Needle and Thread: A Tale of Survival from Bialystok to Paris

Maimon, Solomon. The Autobiography of Solomon Maimon With an Essay on Maimon's Philosophy by Hugo Bergman

Buber, Martin. Pointing the Way

Congregation Beth Israel. 70th Anniversary and Rededication

Knispel, Gershon. Brecht: Masa Tzlav Shel Yeladim Lithographs by Knispel

Fackenheim, Emil L. To mend the world: foundations of post-Holocaust thought

Freidman, Maurice. A Dialogue with Hasidic Tales Hallowing the Everyday

Heschel, Susannah. Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus

Fuchs, Rabbi Stephen. What It Means to be a Jew: One Rabbi's View

Goodrich, Frances. The diary of Anne Frank. Based on the book Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Histadrut Ivrit. Tov Lichtov: It's Fun to Write Creative Writing Project in Hebrew by Students of Hebrew Schools in the United States and Canada

Cohen, Steven M. and Wall, Susan and Chazan, Barry. Youth Trips to Israel: Rationale and Realization The Israel Trip: A New Form of Jewish Education

NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY!

2009-05-28T15:23:00.001-04:00

Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel Jon D. Levenson

Hitler, the Germans, and the Final Solution Ian Kershaw

Resurrection Kevin J. Madigan and Jon D. Levenson

The Bagel Maria Balinska Cloth

Treacherous Alliance Trita Parsi; With a New Preface by the Author

King's Dream Eric J. Sundquist Cloth

The Golem and the Wondrous Deeds of the Maharal of Prague Yudl Rosenberg, edited and translated by Curt Leviant

God’s Last Words David S. Katz Cloth

The Book of God Gabriel Josipovici

The Empty Men Gregory Mobley

1948 Benny Morris

Writing a Modern Jewish History Edited by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett with essays by Arthur Hertzberg, Susannah Heschel, Barbara Kirshenblat...

Landmark of the Spirit Annie Polland; Foreword by Bill Moyers

In Queen Esther's Garden Translated and with an introduction and notes by Vera Basch Moreen Cloth

One State, Two States Benny Morris

Dateline Israel Edited by Susan Tumarkin Goodman, with essays by Susan Tumarkin Goodman, Andy Grundberg, and Nissan N. Perez

The Pentateuch Joseph Blenkinsopp

The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe Editor in Chief Gershon David Hundert

Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater Susan Goodman, with essays by Zvi Gitelman, Vladislav Ivanov, Jeffrey Veidlinger, and Benjamin Harshav

The Bible and the People Lori Anne Ferrell

Hitler's Professors Max Weinreich; With a new Foreword by Martin Gilbert

The Midrash on Proverbs Translated from the Hebrew, with an Introduction and annotations by Burton L. Visotzky

My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness Adina Hoffman

The Jewish Identity Project Susan Chevlowe; With contributions by Joanna Lindenbaum and Ilan Stavans

The Jewish King Lear Jacob Gordin; Translated by Ruth Gay, with notes and essays by Ruth Gay and Sophie Glazer

Fallen Angels Harold Bloom; Illuminations by Mark Podwal

Islamic Imperialism Efraim Karsh

The Ancient Synagogue Lee I. Levine

Divided Souls Elisheva Carlebach

Eva Hesse Elisabeth Sussman and Fred Wasserman, with essays by Yve-Alain Bois and Mark Godfrey

The Yale Book of Quotations Edited by Fred R. Shapiro; Foreword by Joseph Epstein

FROM THE JEWISH WOMEN"S RESOURCE CENTER:

The third day : poems /Jare, Karen.

The road to November : new & selected poems/ Spektor, Mira J

Love poems of a philanderer's wife / Wenkart, Henny

REVIEWS BY JON

2009-05-28T14:53:00.001-04:00

Jonathan Cohen is a Simmons College Graduate School of Library Science student and Temple Israel Library Intern, this summer. Here are his latest book reviews:

The Faith Club: A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew - Three Women Search for Understanding, by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner

The Faith Club is the story of three women, a Muslim, Christian and Jew, who meet together to discuss life and faith and try to better connect the different faiths with each other. The group, which functions like a mixture of a discussion group and a book club, was originally formed to write a children’s book but evolved into a long, open-ended discussion about various religious issues, life experiences and attempts to learn more about each other’s faith. In order to stay true to the experience of the discussion group, the book is organized as a discussion: instead of one long narrative, each member records their views and opinions and the others record their reactions in turn. Sometimes, actual dialogue from the group meetings is inserted as well. The book’s format is distinctive and does a good job of making sure the concerns and reactions of each member get equal space. The Faith Club makes a valiant effort, and mostly succeeds, in recreating the atmosphere of the discussion group for the reader.
The three members of the group talk and debate with each other about issues from their own lives as well as the differences among their faiths. Difficult issues such as stereotypes and politics, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, come into play. The best feature of the The Faith Club is that the three women are not academics; they are simply average people getting to know each other. This prevents the book from getting bogged down in minutiae and makes the women very relatable to the average reader, regardless of the reader’s faith. Each one struggles with feelings of doubt and alienation; Suzanne, a Christian, feels like an outsider in New York; Ranya, a progressive, non-conformist Muslim has difficulty finding a Muslim community that suits her; Priscilla, a Jew, suffers from anxiety and paranoia after 9/11, doubts her faith in God and struggles to cope with family problems. Their lives and humanity are extremely well documented. The book also does not try to smooth over their differences of opinion; rather, it tackles them head on. This leads to an honest atmosphere that deals with real issues rather than one of overblown niceties meant to gloss over conflict. In creating honest debate and exposing the humanity of the three women involved, The Faith Club succeeds admirably.
The greatest flaw of The Faith Club is the limited space given to each issue, done in the name of keeping a broader focus. Important issues are brought onto the table, and the dialogue is often interesting, but things are often not resolved as the members speed on to their next concern. This stood out in the discussion about Israel between the Ranya and Priscilla. The two put their different opinions on the table, and Priscilla eventually defers, but what could have been a long, deep and interactive discussion is not as comprehensive as it should have been. Since discussions are not moderated, they often become arguments between two members in which the third is excluded. When Priscilla and Suzanne debate the New Testament account of Jesus’ death, they both refuse to let Ranya even contribute to the discussion. When Ranya and Priscilla debate Israel, neither one listens to Suzanne.
One of the strengths of The Faith Club, showing the humanity and normality of its members, can also become frustrating. Priscilla, who notes that she suffers from anxiety problems, acts overly defensive sometimes. In one chapter, “The Crucifixion Crisis,” Suzanne reads a version of the New Testament account of Jesus’ death, and mentions “the wicked men who killed Christ” without specifying who they were. Priscilla interprets this as use of the “Christ killer” stereotype of Jews, although Jews were never mentioned. Suzanne leaves feeling resentful that Priscilla seemed to put words in her mouth. Later, the two study the historical reality of the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, and patch up their differences. In addition, the three women enter the group quite ignorant about the faiths of the others; Suzanne, and Priscilla are especially ignorant about Islam. Much of the book consists of Ranya dispelling their stereotypes. Priscilla, in the aptly titled chapter “Stop Stereotyping Me!” even denies the existence of stereotypes of Muslims before 9/11, which causes an angry outburst from Ranya.
Overall, The Faith Club is a good read for those interested in how average people of different faiths can build bridges and better interact with one another. It encourages readers to create their own “faith clubs” and even provides directions in English, Hebrew and Arabic on how to do so. Those looking for scholarly discussions about the religions involved should look elsewhere. However, The Faith Club succeeds at its goal of creating an interesting, interactive atmosphere and exploring the humanity of each of its members and their views.

One State, Two States, by Benny Morris

One State, Two States, written by eminent historian Benny Morris, discusses a topic that has been widely written - finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book is organized into three sections, the first as a commentary on the reemergence of the idea of a one state solution, the second a history of one state and two state solutions and the third predictions and Morris’ own opinion on the problem. Morris’ history of the one state solution records the ideas of binationalists as well as Arabs who wish for a one state solution. The second section is a long history of the two-state solution. Morris records this idea’s tentative acceptance by both sides, with each seeing it as less than ideal.
It is in the third section of this book, Where to?, where Morris expresses his opinion and he eschews his normally balanced, nuanced approach. Morris blames Arafat for the failure of the peace process, expresses skepticism and mistrust towards Arab intentions and descends into generalities and stereotypes. Statements like “the Palestinian Arabs, like the world’s other Muslim Arab communities, are deeply religious and have no respect for democratic values and no tradition of democratic governance” (Page 170) are rooted in Orientalist stereotypes. For a book about solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Morris offers no real solution himself. He dismisses binationalism as a pipe dream that nobody wants and thinks that the two-state solution is nearing death. Due to his suspicion of the Arabs and skepticism about whether the two can peacefully coexist, Morris comes across as a pessimist. He raises the idea of a Palestinian state with parts of Jordan, but it is doubtful if the Palestinians would accept Jordanian sovereignty rather than a state of their own, which they were offered at Camp David in 2000. One State, Two States offers a vivid picture of the life of both one state and two state ideas, but when Morris’ objectivity falters and his skepticism about coexistence with the Arabs rises in the last chapter, the book suffers. Although the history is illuminating, those seeking objectivity and real solutions will be disappointed.

1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War, by Benny Morris

1948, which documents the first Arab-Israeli war, is a timely and complete work. Known to Israelis as the War of Independence and to Palestinians as al nakba, or “catastrophe,” the 1948 war is absolutely central to the narrative of each side and carries much emotional baggage. In writing about such an emotionally charged event, it is extremely difficult for any historian to be neutral. However, Benny Morris does a very good job of staying objective and keeping composure throughout the book. He keeps historical perspective and is careful to always note that in 1948, neither Israel nor the Arab nations were modern states with modern armies. This is important to remember when the most heavily debated questions arise, such as who started the war, and the question of Palestinian refugees.
1948 has two great strengths; it shines as a blow by blow documentary of the details of the 1948 war and debunks some of the sacred myths held by both sides. The book is an extraordinarily thorough account of every military engagement and political development of the war. Morris spares neither side in his critique of popular narrative about the 1948 war. He debunks the Arab belief that pre-1948 Palestine was a panacea of coexistence destroyed by Zionist aggression; in reality, both sides rarely interacted, massacred each other intermittently, and prepared for war by themselves. On the issue of refugees, Morris denies the Arab claim that there was a master plan by the Israelis to deliberately ethnically cleanse Palestinians but also refutes Israeli attempts to avoid responsibility for the Palestinian refugees. Morris notes that although most of the refugees fled on their own, they did so out of fear created by massacres perpetrated by right-wing Jewish militias, such as Irgun and the LHI (“Stern Gang”). Morris also notes that in many instances Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their villages, that such expulsions were often done under orders from Israeli command, and that all Palestinians refugees were denied the right to return home. Finally, Morris debunks the myth that heroic, vastly outnumbered and under-equipped Israelis beat off overwhelming Arab armies. Although both sides’ militaries were relatively primitive even by 1948 standards, the Arab armies, except for the Jordanian Arab Legion, were small and underequipped militias or the descendants of colonial police forces. Morris notes that the Israelis were better equipped, better trained, better led and, by the second half of the war, actually outnumbered the armies of the six vastly larger Arab states that they fought.
Nonetheless, 1948 has a few critical weaknesses. Despite unparalleled attention to detail, it lacks overarching analysis of the many events it describes so thoroughly. 1948 often focuses on blow-by-blow accounts of battles without describing their larger significance. Also, though it debunks many myths about the Palestinian refugees, especially those held by Israelis, 1948 does not have a comprehensive history of the creation of the refugee problem, preferring to stay within the realm of military history. Finally, the book’s sources are very disproportionately Israeli. This is somewhat understandable as the undemocratic Arab states grant little access to records, especially to an Israeli. For Morris, an Israeli, it is also next to impossible to actually go out and interview Arabs themselves. 1948 suffers from this lack of Arab primary sources. As a military and political history of the creation of Israel, 1948 shines and it will surely take its place among the more important histories of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Reviews by Amanda!

2009-05-07T15:30:00.001-04:00

Faraway Home, by Marilyn Taylor

Faraway Home is about a boy named Karl, who is 13, and his sister Rosa, age 7, in World War II. They escaped from Austria on a “kindertransport”, a program that took Jewish children to non-Nazi occupied countries. Karl escaped to work on a farm in Northern Ireland, with other refugees, while Rose was adopted by an Irish family. On the farm, Karl makes new friends like Danny and Eva. However, he is worried about Rosa, who is unhappy with her new family, and the rest of his family in Austria, or Ostmark, its new name.

Even though Karl and Rosa escape from the Nazis, they don’t escape from the war. Because of this, Karl has lots of scary and fun adventures, such as almost getting arrested by the Irish police, for spying, when all he did was walk on the beach. I recommend this book to boys and girls who like historical fiction and adventure stories.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic, by Sarah Darer Littman

Confessions of a Closet Catholic, is about Justine “Jussy” Silver, an eleven year old Jewish girl, who decides to give up being Jewish for Lent. She learned about Lent from her friend, Mary “Mac” Mcallister, a Catholic.

Justine goes to confession in her closet, to her teddy bear, Father Ted. She does communion with grape juice and matzah. On her dad’s side, she has a Bubbe (grandmother), a survivor of Auschwitz, who keeps kosher and is a very strict orthodox Jew. On her mom’s side, her grandparents go to a Jewish country club that serves shellfish and lobster. Along with this, Jussy worries about her appearance, and her belief that her parents love her siblings and dog more than her.

This book is sad and funny at the same time. It teaches you to figure out how to be yourself. It would appeal to anyone who ever wondered how to be Jewish.

Amanda is a fourth grader in our Education Program

PASSOVER FAIR!

2009-03-20T11:35:00.001-04:00

PASSOVER FAIR!

The Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) and the Dr. Arnold L. Segel Library Center are sponsoring a Passover Fair, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays in March. We're featuring Passover haggadot, books, and games every Sunday, 9:30 – 12:30, Tuesday, 3:30 – 6:00, Fridays 9 - 4, or by appointment.* You may order multiple copies of haggadot through March 29, and receive them in time for the first night of Passover, April 8.

LIBRARY WISH LIST. If you're looking for an opportunity to support our library, any of the items on the list, below, would make wonderful additions to our collection, and may be donated in honor or in memory of a loved one.

BOOKS AND GAMES FOR SALE AT THE FAIR

RESOURCE BOOKS FOR ADULTS

Book of Passover $9.95
Leading the Passover Journey $18.99
Pesach for the Rest of Us $22.95
Seder Stories: Passover Thoughts on Food, Family, and Freedom $14.95
Songs of the Seder $15.95

COOKBOOKS

Vegetarian Pesach Cookbook $13.00
Passover by Design $29.99

Haggadot for all ages

Dayenu!: A Passover Haggadah f $8.95
Different Night Haggadah $12.95
Different Night Haggadah-Compa $6.95
Family Haggadah $4.95
Family Haggadah II $4.95
Family Haggadah-Seder For All $8.95
Haggadah For Jews & Buddhists $15.00
Haggadah With Answers $17.99
My People's PassoverHaggadah 1 $24.99
My People's PassoverHaggadah 2 $24.99
Passover Haggadah (Goldberg) $2.25
Please Don't Pass Over The Seder $8.95
Mystical Haggadah: Passover Me $16.95
Night To Remember: Haggadah $13.95
Open Door: Passover Haggadah $19.95
Why On This Night? $14.99

Children’s Haggadot

Children's Haggadah $12.95
My Very Own Haggadah $3.95
Sammy Spider's First Haggadah $5.95

Picture Books for ages 4 and up

Abuelita's Secret Matzahs $9.99
All About Passover $5.95
Dinosaur on Passover $6.95
Let My People Go $7.95
Matzah Ball-A Passover Story $6.95
Matzah Man $16.00
Mouse In The Matzah Factory $6.95
On Passover $6.99
Passover Around The World $7.95
Pickles Passover (Rugrats) $3.50
Too Many Cooks: Passover Parable 5.95
Carp in the Bathtub $5.95
Fantastic FotoHunt: Pesach$14.95
Matzah Meals $7.95
Matzo Ball Moon $5.95
My Book of The Passover Seder
My First Passover $5.99
Nachshon, Who Was Afraid To $8.95
No Matzoh For Me! $3.49
Passover Parrot $6.95
Passover Ultimate Sticker Book
Pharaoh And The Fabulous Frog $13.95
Rebecca's Passover $7.95
Sammy Spider's First Passover $7.95
Sammy Spider's Passover Fun Book $4.95
Ten Plagues of Egypt $9.95
Touch Of Passover $8.00
What Do You See on Pesach?

For ages 8 and up

Private Joel and the Sewell Mountain seder $16.95
Kids' Catalog of Passover $15.95
Passover $5.95
The Yankee at the seder $16.99

For ages 10 and up

Dear Elijah $9.95
Pharaoh's Daughter $5.99

GAMES FOR ALL AGES!

Card games by Emily Sper:

Passover Go Fish - $5.00
Jewish Holidays Go Fish - $5.00

Oy Vey Sudoku (with Passover words) $5.00

*For more information about the book fair, other library programs, or giving opportunities to the library, please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian, aabrams@tisrael.org . 617-566-3960.

Purim's coming! March 10th

2009-03-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

We have lots of great books in the library, for all ages, about the festival of Purim, its star, Queen Esther, its villain, Haman, and how Jews celebrate Purim all over the world.

In addition, here are some parodies I've written over the years.

http://parodiesfound.googlepages.com/parodiesfound

Jews have written Purim parodies since medieval times. Here's some info about why this happened, and what types of parodies have been written throughout history:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Purim/TO_Purim_History/PurimHumor.htm

Purim's a lot of fun at the temple! Come to our festive service, Erev Purim (Purim Eve), Monday March 9th at 6:30!

NEW BOOKS, FILMS AND MUSIC FOR ALL!

2009-02-19T11:33:00.001-05:00

BOOKS FOR KIDS!

For ages 5 and up

Title: Aunt Claire's yellow beehive hair /
Author: Blumenthal, Deborah.
A girl, seeking her connection to family past and present, creates a special book in tribute and remembrance, leaving blank pages for future memories.

Title: Messes of dresses /
Author: Pertzig, Faigy
The New Yorker (Review)It is unquestionably the cute rhyming verses which give this book so much charm for 3 to 7 year olds. But there is a serious lesson to be learned by little girls who read this book. Gittel has her own house which she takes care of, and she enjoys having only two dresses to wear. Then a friend introduces her to the luxuries of many dresses until they are so plentiful they occupy all her time and energy. Finally, Gittel learns her lesson. In the meantime, the colorful airbrush illustrations by Tova Leff will cause any young lady to giggle and laugh. The lesson Gittel learns will make little girls better appreciate what they have and can't have in a simple to understand way and how possessions relate or don't relate to one's happiness in life. The idea is imaginative and the style is charming

Title: The brothers Schlemiel /
Author: Binder, Mark.

A contemporary version of the Helm stories.

For ages 7 and up

The magic pomegranate : a Jewish folktale /
Author: Schram, Peninnah.

Three handsome and clever brothers compete to find the world's most unusual gift. Includes a note on doing good deeds, or mitzvot, and discusses the symbolism of the pomegranate in Judaism.

Title: Portraits of Jewish American heroes /
Author: Drucker, Malka.

Profiles of: Haym Salomon -- Levi Strauss -- Emma Lazarus -- Louis Dembitz Brandeis -- Henrietta Szold -- Rachel (Ray) Frank -- Lillian Wald -- Harry Houdini (Ehrich Weiss) -- Albert Einstein -- Golda Meir -- Abraham Joshua Heschel -- Henry Benjamin (Hank) Greenberg -- Leonard Bernstein -- Bella Savitsky Abzug -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- Gloria Steinem -- Michael Schwerner And Andrew Goodman -- Steven Spielberg -- Judith Arlene Resnik -- Daniel Pearl.

BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS! (Ages 12 and up)

Title: Two parties, one tux, and a very short film about the Grapes of wrath /
Author: Goldman, Steven (Member of the temple!)

Children's Literature (Review)
What does any self-respecting high school student do when he hasn't read The Grapes of Wrath for his honors English class and he has to write a five-page paper on the book? If you are Mitchell Wells, you turn in a claymation film project he and another student did for their Digital Animation class, titling it "An Animated Exploration of Biblical Themes in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath." Mitch and his best friend, David, have things all figured out. It's their junior year and they are ready for it all—the classes, parties, girls, prom, sports, trying to just blend in. But all this takes a sharp turn when David comes out to Mitch and when Mitch is called to the principal's office because a parent complained that the video he turned in for his English assignment was offensive. Goldman has written a book that is totally in line with teens and what happens in their personal and school lives. He seems to understand their thinking, their language and their friendships. He has created believable characters in believable situations. Reviewer: Naomi Williamson

Title: The freak
Author: Matas, Carol

Fifteen-year-old Jade is having some strange after-affects following a high fever with meningitis. She sees auras around people’s heads, can read minds, and accurately predicts the future. Where do these abilities come from, and what do they suggest about free will, G-d, and the meaning of life? Can Jade change the future? Jade thinks she’s crazy and a freak, but her mother, father, grandmother, boyfriend, aunt, and a Jewish psychic named Frieda have other ideas. The suspenseful, entertaining, sometimes humorous plot plays out against a backdrop of Judaism, High Holidays, and local anti-Semitic skinheads bent on destroying Jews and immigrants. The Freak is Book One in The Freak series.

Title: The remarkable invention that saves Zion : a tale of TRIZ /
Author: Stupniker, Yehudit.

From the publisher:
The Theory of Invention Problem Solving (TRIZ) forms the scientific basis of this fast-paced adventure story that takes place in Israel's future.
Four Israeli students, along with their visiting American cousin, gain a sneak preview of the Professor's latest invention, only to open a Pandora's box of troubles. The young foursome allow the Professor's top security invention to be stolen by a spy. With this invention he is able to challenge the very foundations of Israeli society. Discovering his identity and uncovering his purpose will hopefully save the country and reawaken the bond that exists between the Land and its People. In order to uncover the spy and get back the invention, the group uses a TRIZ technique that will both amaze the reader and reveal how to unlock the ability to solve any problem with the innate logic of your mind.

BOOKS FOR ADULTS!

POETRY

Title: Flowers of perhaps
Author: Ra'hel

MEMOIRS

Title: The journal of Helene Berr
Author: Berr, Helene

Title: Remember for life Holocaust survivors' stories of faith and hope
Author: Hirschfield, Brad

SPORTS

Title: Time-out sports stories as a game plan for spiritual success
Author: Lipman, Dov Moshe

HUMOR

Title: Don't mind me and other Jewish lies
Author: Cohen, Esther

Title: I feel bad about my neck : and other thoughts on being a woman /
Author: Ephron, Nora.

BIBLE AND OTHER TEXTS

Title: The year of living biblically : one man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible /
Author: Jacobs, A. J.

Title: Sefer Sipure maasiyot.
Author: Nahman of Bratzlav. In Hebrew.

FICTION

Title: The clothes on their backs /
Author: Grant, Linda,

ISRAEL

Title: Zion in the desert : American Jews in Israel's reform kibbutzim /
Author: Miles, William F. S.

Title: Testaments of Israel words of yesterday, images of today
Author: Wagner, John

Title: Making it happen your congregational trip to Israel
Publisher: New York Association of Reform Zionists of America

MUSIC

Title: Atem zokhrim et ha-shirim : You remember the songs.
Author: Yonatan Gefen

ART

Title: Marc Chagall : works from the collections of the Muse'e National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
Author: Chagall, Marc,

CONTEMPORARY EVENTS

Title: Financial crisis sparks anti-Semitism
Author: Anti-Defamation League

Title: What do we do with a difference? France and the debate over headscarves in schools
Author: Facing History and Ourselves Foundation

Title: Stories of identity religion, migration and belonging in a changing world
Author: Facing History Foundation

HOLOCAUST

Title: Totally unofficial Raphael Lemkin and the genocide convention
Author: Facing History and Ourselves Foundation

BOOKS ON CD

Title: Moscow rules
Author: Silva, Daniel,

Title: Indignation
Author: Roth, Philip.

Title: Defending identity : its indispensable role in protecting democracy /
Author: Shcharansky, Anatoly.

Title: The Mercedes coffin(mystery)
Author: Kellerman, Faye.

Title: The burnt house (mystery)
Author: Kellerman, Faye

MUSIC ON CD

Title: Oy vey! Klezmer for kids /
Author: Sruli and Lisa

FILMS ON DVD

Title: Evan almighty
Author: Barber, Gary

Title: Keeping up with the Steins /

BOOK REVIEWS BY AMANDA!

2009-01-23T12:56:00.001-05:00

Amanda, a fourth grader in our Education Program, has written reviews of two children's books! Thanks, Amanda!

Vive La Paris, by Esme Raji Codell

Vive La Paris is about a girl named Paris living in Chicago. Paris is in the 5th grade, and has 4 brothers. She takes piano lessons from a neighbor named Mrs. Rosen. Mrs. Rosen helps her face challenges involving her friends and brothers. What I like best about this book is how brave Paris is, and how much Mrs. Rosen helps her, even though Mrs. Rosen is much older than Paris, is Jewish and has a completely different way of thinking.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Joseph Michtom is a 14 year old Jewish boy living in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1900s. He works at his parents’ store selling Teddy bears that his mother invented. Joseph does not like working in the store. What he really wants to do is go to Coney Island. This book tells about his adventures trying to get there.

This book has another story, one about orphans and badly treated children. These children live under the Brooklyn Bridge with their pet parrot. These two stories make you want to discover how they connect and eventually they do. I would recommend this book to 3rd grade and up. It is good for girls and boys who like realistic and/or historical fiction.

SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

2009-01-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

The 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award, a prize for Jewish Children's and Teen Literature from the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL), has recently been announced. To see the winners, click here:

http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/awards/stba/STBAAwardList2009.pdf

To celebrate and showcase the 2009 gold and silver medalists, there will be a Blog Tour! Here is the schedule:

http://www.sydneytaylorbookaward.blogspot.com

Sydney Taylor was the author of the All of a Kind Family series - chapter books about a family with 5 girls (and eventually, one boy) living with their Mama and Papa in the Lower East Side in the early 1900's. The author's family established this award after she died, under the auspices of the AJL, to encourage and support the writing of wonderful and engaging Jewish books for children and teens. Written in the 1950's, this series is still enjoyed by children today.

HOT READS FOR COLD DAYS!

2009-01-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS

BIOGRAPHIES

Hill, Anne E. Sasha Cohen / biography of the Olympic figure skater.

Drucker, Malka. Portraits of Jewish American heroes

Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Boys of steel : the creators of Superman

FICTION

Hesse, Karen. Brooklyn Bridge

Michelson, Richard. A is for Abraham : a Jewish family Alphabet /

Kimmel, Eric A. A horn for Louis

Schram, Peninnah The hungry clothes and other Jewish folktales

NON-FICTION

Yolen, Jane. Naming Liberty

Michelson, Richard. As good as anybody : Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's amazing march toward freedom

Lehman-Wilzig, Tami. Passover around the world

Kuklin, Susan. Families

YOUNG ADULT

Baskin, Nora Raleigh. The truth about my bat mitzvah /

Schmidt, Gary D. Mara's stories : glimmers in the darkness / tales told within the concentration camps

ADULT NON-FICTION

BIOGRAPHY, MEMOIR

Rose, Ernestine L. Mistress of herself : speeches and letters of Ernestine Rose, early women's rights leader

Sabar, Ariel
My father's paradise : a son's search for his Jewish past in Kurdish Iraq /

Foster, Richard J., Mark Spitz : the extraordinary life
of an Olympic champion /

Spiegelman, Art. Breakdowns : portrait of the artist as a young %@[squiggle][star]! /

Bacon, Ursula. Shanghai diary : a young girl's journey from Hitler's hate to war-torn China /

Greenberg, Murray. Passing game : Benny Friedman and the transformation of football /

FAMILY/PARENTING/RELATIONSHIPS

Family matters : Jewish education in an age of choice /

Nemzoff, Ruth E. Don't bite your tongue : how to foster rewarding relationships with your adult children /

Diamant, Anita. How to raise a Jewish child : a practical handbook for family life /

Meszler, Joseph B. A man's responsibility : a Jewish guide to being a son, a partner in marriage, a father, and a community leader /

PRAYER, SPIRITUALITY, ETHICS

Tefilat nashim. The Jewish woman's prayer book /

Spitz, Elie Kaplan, Healing from despair : choosing wholeness in a broken world /

Borowitz, Eugene B. A touch of the sacred : a theologian's informal guide to Jewish belief /

Jewish stories from heaven and earth : inspiring tales to nourish the heart and soul /

Hirsch, Sherre Z. We plan, God laughs : 10 steps to finding your divine path when life is not turning out like you wanted /

Gillman, Neil Doing Jewish theology : God, Torah & Israel in modern Judaism /
Schulweis, Harold M. Conscience : the duty to obey and the duty to disobey /

HOLOCAUST, HISTORY, ISRAEL, POLITICS,

Ackerman, Diane. The zookeeper's wife /

Kisliuk, Ingrid From trauma to trepidation memories transmitted by hidden children to the second generation

Carvalho, Solomon Nunes Incidents of travel and adventure in the far West.

Goldstein, Elyse. New Jewish feminism : probing the past, forging the future

Sharansky, Natan. Defending identity its indispensable role in protecting democracy

Sarna, Jonathan D. A time to every purpose : letters to a young Jew /

Bronfman, Edgar M. Hope, not fear : a path to Jewish renaissance /

Dershowitz, Alan M. The case against Israel's enemies : exposing Jimmy Carter and others who stand in the way of peace /

Kritzler, Ed. Jewish pirates of the Caribbean : how a generation of swashbuckling Jews carved out an empire in the new world in their quest for treasure, religious freedoms and revenge

Jews and American comics : an illustrated history of an American art form

Weiss, Avraham. Spiritual activism : a Jewish guide to leadership and repairing the world

Brown, Erica. Inspired Jewish leadership : practical approaches to building strong communities

Firestone, Reuven Who are the real chosenpeople? : the
meaning of chosenness in Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam

Salkin, Jeffrey K. Righteous Gentiles in the Hebrew Bible :
ancient role models for sacred relationships

Rubinger, David, Israel through my lens : sixty years as a photojournalist

HEBREW, TORAH, STUDY

Alpert, Rebecca T. Whose Torah? : a concise guide to progressive Judaism

Kravitz, Leonard S.
Eichah : a modern commentary on the Book of Lamentations

Artson, Bradley Shavit. The everyday Torah : weekly reflections and inspirations /

Stavans, Ilan. Resurrecting Hebrew

Elkins, Dov Peretz. The wisdom of Judaism : an introduction to the values of the Talmud

MUSIC

Safam (musical group) Safam the complete collection anthology

FICTION/LITERARY ESSAYS/GRAPHIC NOVELS

Grossman, David Writing in the dark/

Nadelson, Scott. Saving Stanley : the Brickman stories /

Roth, Philip. Indignation /

Sfar, Joann. The rabbi's cat /Graphic novel.

Modan, Rutu Jamilti & other stories/ Graphic novel

Montefiore, Sebag. Sashenka .

Yehoshua, Abraham B. Friendly fire : a duet

Kellerman, Faye The Mercedes coffin (mystery)

Katzir, Judith. Dearest Anne : a tale of impossible love /

Anton, Maggie. Rashi's daughter : secret scholar

Keret, Etgar, The girl on the fridge

Agnon, Shmuel Yosef . To this day

Manseau, Peter. Songs for the butcher's daughter

Brown, Danit Ask for a convertible : stories

Silva, Daniel, Moscow rules (Thriller)

NEW FILMS

Izen, Shulamit Hineini coming out in a Jewish high
school

NEW BOOKS ON CD

Silva, Daniel, Moscow rules

Roth, Philip Indignation

BOOK FAIR EXTENDED!

2008-12-22T12:31:00.000-05:00

The book fair has been extended, through Tuesday December 23, 6 pm. We still have many wonderful books for all ages and interests! Come on by!

Book Fair, Pod Casts, Blogs, Oh My!

2008-12-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

JEWISH BOOK FAIR, SUNDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12 - 21.

The Library’s annual Book fair will take place December 12-21, 2008. Hundreds of Jewish books for adults and children will be on sale on every Jewish topic imaginable, from The Talmud and the Internet to The Torah and Harry Potter (These are actual book titles!) Proceeds go to the library.

BOOKFAIR HOURS
Sunday: 9:30 – 1:30
Monday: Tuesday: 8:30 – 8:30
Thursday: 8:30 – 5:00
Friday December 12: after Qabbalat Shabbat services
Friday December 19: 8:30 – 5:00; and after Qabbalat Shabbat services
Shabbat: 9:00 – 12:00
(CLOSED WEDNESDAY)

We are delighted to have the following Temple members/authors join us, to sign copies of their books!

Edie Aronowitz Mueller, author of The Fat Girl and Other Poems – December 21, 10:00 – 12:00.

Ellen Steinbaum, author of Container Gardening and Afterwords – December 14, 10:00 – 12:30.

Here’s some info about Edie and Ellen, who, recently, were our Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month presenters:

www.tisrael.org/study/library.php?page=17935 ; http://www.ellensteinbaum.com/

Ina Friedman Starobin, whose children and young adult books include:

Escape or die : true stories of young people who survived the Holocaust

The other victims : first-person stories of non-Jews persecuted by the Nazis

Flying against the wind : the story of a young woman who defied the Nazis

How My Parents Learned to Eat

Here’s some info about Ina: http://remember.org/ina

Ina will be at the fair Dec. 12 (after services) Dec. 14 & 21 in the morning.

Steve Goldman, author of the new young adult novel, Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film about The Grapes of Wrath, which you can read about at http://www.stevengoldmanbooks.com/ . Steve will be at the fair December 14, from 10:00 – 12:30.

And, Boston area writer, Ingrid Kisliuk, author of From Trauma to Trepidation: memories transmitted by Hidden Children to the Second Generation. Ingrid will be at the fair December 21, 10:00 - 12:30.

For more info about Ingrid and her book, please visit her website
http://mysite.verizon.net/kisliuk/Trauma_to_Trepidation/Welcome.html

To volunteer, or for more information, please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian, aabrams@tisrael.org 617-566-3960.

CHANUKAH, OH, CHANUKAH!

My colleague, Heidi Estrin, produces a wonderful podcast every month. The
December episode of Heidi's Book of Life podcast is now online. The episode celebrates Chanukah and is called Spin the Dreidel. Interviews include:

- Sylvia Rouss, author of the Sammy Spider books, plus The Littlest Maccabee

- an announcement about Eric Kimmel's new Chanukah audiobooks

- Josh Nelson, a musician who performed in Craig Taubman's "Lights"
Chanukah concert TV special

- Rabbi Ilene Schneider, author of the mystery novel Chanukah Guilt

You can listen to the show now at http://www.bookoflifepodcast.com/

And, another talented colleague of mine, Marie Cloutier, keeps a wonderful book review blog. Visit http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/ for well-written, lively reviews of books of all kinds for all ages, with a large number of books on Jewish themes in the mix.

2008-10-29T09:16:00.000-04:00

THE JOY UNGERLEIDER JEWISH BOOK MONTH PROGRAM PRESENTS

MISHKAN SHIRAH: A SACRED SPACE OF POETRY

Friday Evening, November 7, 2008

featuring
Temple Israel members and poets
Edie Aronowitz Mueller and Ellen Steinbaum

Qabbalat Shabbat Service 5:45pm-6:30pm
Joy Ungerleider Program 6:30pm-7:30pm
Festive Oneg of light dinner food, book signings
and meet the authors 7:30pm-9:00pm

RSVP (not necessary but helpful!) to Ann Abrams, Librarian aabrams@tisrael.org by November 3.

Edie and Ellen will read from their recently published books of poetry, The Fat Girl and Other Poems, and Container Gardening, respectively.

EDIE

Edie Aronowitz Mueller traveled widely, living in Manhattan, San Francisco, Florida, and Israel, working as a secretary, photographer, potato/orange/peach-picker, dishwasher, and chicken egg collector. In Boston, she met Guntram. They were married, bought a house, had a child, Ariadne—in other words: created home. She finished college, and earned a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. In 1979, Edie and Guntram joined Temple Israel to help support its efforts in resettling Vietnamese fleeing their country.

Since then, Edie has studied Judaism, and taught in the Hebrew school and Adult B’nai Mitzvah Program. With the start of the Women's Kallot, she turned her poetic skills toward writing liturgy. Her Havdalah service is included in our new prayerbook, Mishkan T’filah. Widely published and translated, her poems have won numerous awards. The Fat Girl and Other Poems, her first book, was published earlier this year.

ELLEN

Ellen Steinbaum, a poet and journalist, has been a popular
featured reader both nationally and throughout the Boston area.
She writes a literary column for The Boston Globe and is the author of the poetry collection Afterwords and of a one-person play, CenterPiece, which she has performed. Her new book, Container Gardening, speaks of what is perishable and what endures and what makes us who we are. Her work also appears in Mishkan T'filah.

The poet Lloyd Schwartz says, “In Container Gardening the
losses we suffer—private, public, political, natural—are universal. But she knows, with wry certainty, that ‘what is broken can / (never) / be repaired / the pieces can / (not) / be put back.’ Definitely one or the other. ...The contained garden of her poems becomes a conscious strategy to deal with all those
— all our —losses.”

To read samples of Edie and Ellen's poems, please visit:

http://www.tisrael.org/study/library.php?page=17935

To buy their books: we are selling their books at the temple, in advance of the Joy Ungerleider Program. Or, support your local independant book store:

http://www.indiebound.org/

To learn about the history of the Ungerleider Program, please read here:

JOY UNGERLEIDER JEWISH BOOK MONTH PROGRAM:

A HISTORY

Jewish Book Month is an annual event on the American Jewish calendar dedicated to the celebration of Jewish books. It is observed during the month preceding Hanukkah. Here at Temple Israel, this is a time when we showcase our library, the Dr. Arnold L. Segel Library Center, and the authors in our community. For more information, please visit http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/

Joy Ungerleider was a museum curator, philanthropist, visionary, and much, much more. She served as curator (1967-69) and director (1972-1980) of the Jewish Museum in New York, bringing important religious and secular exhibits to the museum and raising substantial funds from philanthropists to make the museum more successful than it had been in decades. She established the Dorot Foundation in 1972 and, through the foundation, she contributed to Jewish Studies in the United States and in Israel. The broad scope of her philanthropy - from giving aid to the Dead Sea Scroll project to programs that allowed Arabs and Israeli Jews to study together - left her permanent mark on Jewish education throughout the world. After she died in 1994, the Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program was established by her family as an endowed lecture series, under the supervision of the Library Committee. The purpose of this series is to bring authors and artists to our congregation in order to help us create more connectedness and community through learning and literature.

We are pleased to be celebrating the fourteenth year of The Joy Ungerleider Jewish Book Month Program!

FOURTEEN YEARS OF SPEAKERS

1995. Neil Asher Silbermann, author of The Hidden Scrolls: Christianity, Judaism and The War for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

1996. Deborah Lipstadt, author of Denying the Holocaust.

1997. Melissa Fay Greene, author of The Temple Bombing.

1998. Bezalel Narkiss, founder and professor of the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, spoke about The Lost Sephardi Ark.

1999. Everett Fox, author of a new translation of The Five Books of Moses.

2000. Amy Dockser Marcus, author of The View from Nebo: how archaeology is rewriting the Bible and reshaping the Middle East.

2001. Mark Novak, Renee Brachfeld. This ain’t your bubbe’s Yiddish theatre.
Cantor and storyteller presented musical storytelling program.

2002. Craig Taubman. Singer/songwriter performed as part of a jointly-sponsored program with our annual Karol Music Service.

2003. Emily Sper, children’s book author and illustrator, presented a program for children in our Education Program about how she creates books.

2004. Twenty one authors, all Temple Israel members, discussed how their Jewish identity affects their writing, as part of the temple’s Sesquicentennial celebration.

2005. Lisa Fagin Davis, Meaghan Dwyer, Susan L. Porter, authors of Becoming
American Jews: Temple Israel of Boston, 1854-2004 (forthcoming) spoke about
the process of writing this book.

2006. Ken Gordon, Editor of http://www.jbooks.com/ spoke about Jewish Literacy and the Internet.

2007. Jerome Groopman, M.D., author of How Doctors Think.

2008. Edie Aronowitz Mueller and Ellen Steinbaum, temple members and poets, Authors of The Fat Girl and other poems, and Container Gardening,
respectively.

For more information about the Ungerleider Program or the library, please contact Ann Abrams, Librarian, aabrams@tisrael.org .

2008-06-06T12:38:00.000-04:00

New Materials Added 6/6/08

Kids Books

Rutka's Notebook by Rutki Laskier
YA Las

Elsie's War: A story of courage in Nazi Germany by Frank Dubba Smith
j. D804.3 .S57

Fiction

Tolstoy lied: A love story by Rachel Kadish
f. Kad

Non-Fiction

Jacob's legacy: A genetic view of Jewish history by David B. Goldstein
GN547 .G6

The Chosen: The history of an idea, and the anatomy of an obsession by Avi Beker
BM613 .B37

God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi by Jamie S. Korngold
BM723 .K68

Shut up, I'm talking: and other dimplomacy lessons I learned in the Israeli government
A memoir by Gregory Levey
X LEVEY

Growing up at Grossinger's by Tania Grossinger
TX941 .G75G7

Audio

The Old Testament Part One taught by Professor Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, from The Great Courses by The Teaching Company
CD BS1192 .L4 v.1

The Old Testament Part Two taught by Professor Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, from The Great Courses by The Teaching Company
CD BS1192 .L4 v.2

Mah chadash l'Pesach! = What's new for Passover!

2008-04-11T15:03:00.000-04:00

The library has a large collection of books, cds, and dvds about Passover, plus haggadot for every sensibility. Here are some brand new materials to spice up your seders! :

BOOKS! (Remember them?)

300 ways to ask the four questions: from Zulu to Abkhaz, by Murray Spiegel & Rickey Stein, with forword by Theodore Bikel, and a cd AND a dvd.

My people's Passover Haggadah: traditional texts, modern commentaries, volumes 1 & 2, ed. by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman.

The JPS Commentary on the haggadah: historical introduction, translation, and commentary, by Joseph Tabory.

Why is this night different from all other nights? : the four questions around the world, by Ilana Kurshan (similar to "300 Ways," but in a much smaller format.) Languages range from Afrikaans to Yiddish.

Make your own Passover seder: a new approach to creating a personal family celebration, by Rabbi Alan Kay and Jo Kay.

The Joyous Haggadah: the illuminated story of Passover, as told by Richard and Liora Codor.

MUSIC! on cds.

The so called seder: a hip hop haggadah, produced by J-Dub records.

ShirLaLa Pesach! with Shira Kline. for kids

Pharoah, Pharoah! Performed by musical group Mah Tovu, produced and arranged by Gordon Lustig. For all ages.

COME SEE THE EXHIBIT OF HAGGADOT IN THE LIBRARY! AND THE EXHIBIT OF PASSOVER BOOKS FOR ADULTS AND KIDS IN THE CASES OUTSIDE OF THE LIBRARY!

CHAG SAMEACH = HAVE A WONDERFUL PASSOVER!

New books, cds, and dvds, Winter, 2008

2008-02-29T13:01:00.000-05:00

BOOKS FOR ADULTS

Mishkan t'filah : a Reform siddur : weekdays and festivals
Edited by Elyse D. Frishman

Mishkan t'filah : a Reform siddur: Shabbat
Edited by Elyse D. Frishman

The Outreach and Membership Idea Book Volume III
URJ Department of Outreach and Synagogue Community
Published by URJ Press, and the URJ-CCAR Commission on Outreach and Membership, which includes Rabbi Jeremy Morrison; and temple member, Paula Brody, is on the Northeast Council’s Staff.

La historia de los judios (The History of the Jews) by Paul Johnson
History of the Jews In Spanish

Passover Seders made simple by Zell Schulman

Investigating Israel : Creating, Developing, and Sustaining a Relationship Student Journal
URJ CHAI School Series
Published by URJ Press

Tikun Olam : To Speak on Behalf of the World by Rabbi Steven Byer
Ktav Publishing House Inc.

Tikun korim hame-for’ar – Tikun for learning to chant the torah

BM155.3.F57 2007
Fishman, Sylvia Barack. The way into the varieties of Jewishness. Woodstock, Vt:
Jewish Lights Pub, [2007].

BM42 .J54 2007
Feinstein, Edward. Jews and Judaism in the 21st century : human responsibility,
the presence of God and the future of the covenant. Woodstock, Vt: Jewish
Lights Pub, [2007].

BM504.3 .H4713 2005
Heschel, Abraham Joshua and Tucker, Gordon. Heavenly Torah : as refracted
through the generations. New York: Continuum, [2007].

BM538.H43 H43 2007
Cutter, William. Healing and the Jewish imagination : spiritual and practical
perspectives on Judaism and health. Woodstock, Vt: Jewish Lights Pub,
[2007].

BM620.S27 2007
Schäfer, Peter. Jesus in the Talmud. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press,
[2007].

BM653 .W65
Wolfson, Ron. The spirituality of welcoming : how to transform your congregation
into a sacred community. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, [2007].

Note: The Synagogue 2000 theory of Synagogue transformation -- Welcoming
ambience -- Welcoming worship -- Welcoming membership.

BM675 .P4256
Zion, Mishael and Zion, Noam. A Night to Remember : The Haggadah of Contemporary
Voices. Jerusalem: Zion Holiday Publications, [2007].

BM695 .P35P5
Piercy, Marge. Pesach for the rest of us : making the Passover seder your own.
New York: Schocken Books, [2007].

BM723 .A18L5
Aaron, David. Living a joyous life : the true spirit of Jewish practice. 1st ed.
Boston, Mass: Trumpeter, [2007].

BM723 .M665
Morinis, E. Alan. Everyday holiness : the Jewish spiritual path of mussar. 1st
ed. Boston, Mass: Trumpeter Books, [2007].

BM723 .S379 2007
Seidman, Lauren. What makes someone a Jew? Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Pub,
[2007].

BM723.C65 2007
Comins, Mike. A wild faith : Jewish ways into wilderness, wilderness ways into
Judaism. Woodstock, Vt: Jewish Lights Pub, [2007].

BM725 .G47
Barden, Doug. The gender gap : a congregational guide for beginning the
conversation about men's involvement in synagogue life. New York: URJ Press,
[2007].

BM725 .S75
Holzman, Michael. The still small voice : reflections on being a Jewish man. New
York, N.Y: URJ Press, [2008].

BP134.B4 B76 2007
Brown, Brian A. Noah's other son : bridging the gap between the Bible and the
Qur'an. New York: Continuum, [2007].

BS1171.3.K84 2007
Kugel, James L. How to read the Bible : a guide to scripture, then and now. New
York: Free Press, [2007].

BS1225 .R6
Seymour Rossel. The Torah Portion by Portion. First edition. Los Angeles, CA:
Torah Aura Productions, [August 1 2007].

How shall we teach the Torah with integrity? How shall we bring the fruits
of modern Bible study to teens and adult beginners? And how can we do this
without losing sight of the traditional approaches that have enriched the
lives of generations of our people? The answers may well be found in this new
commentary.

BS1424 .A48
Bible and Alter, Robert. The book of Psalms : a translation with commentary. 1st
ed. New York: Norton, [2007].

BS580 .E85L47
Lerner, Anne Lapidus. Eternally Eve : images of Eve in the Hebrew Bible,
Midrash, and modern Jewish poetry. Waltham, Mass: Brandeis University Press,
[2007].

BS580 .J6S4
Segal, Jerome M. Joseph's bones : understanding the struggle between God and
mankind in the Bible. New York: Riverhead Books, [2007].

D804.3.F753 2007
Friedländer, Saul. The years of extermination : Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939
-1945. 1st ed. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, [2007].

DS110 .T357L415 2007
LeBor, Adam. City of oranges : an intimage history of Arabs and Jews in Jaffa.
1st American ed. New York: Norton & Company, [2007].

DS113.8.F34 L96 2007
Lyons, Leonard and Ossendryver, Ilan. The Ethiopian Jews of Israel : personal
stories of life in the Promised Land. Woodstock, Vt: Jewish Lights Pub,
[2007].

DS118.W693 2007
Wolfman, Marv and Ruiz, Mario. Homeland : the illustrated history of the state
of Israel. Skokie, IL: Nachshon Press, [2007].

DS119.7 .L3
Azoulay, Ariella. Testimony : photographs by Gillian Laub. 1st ed. New York, NY:
Aperture Foundation, Inc, [2007].
DS119.7 .M2935
Marcus, Amy Dockser. Jerusalem 1913 : the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
New York: Viking, [2007].

DS125.5 .F56
Florence, Ronald. Lawrence and Aaronsohn : T.E. Lawrence, Aaron Aaronsohn, and
the seeds of the Arab-Israeli conflict. New York: Viking, [2007].

DS126.6 .A2T65 2006
Tolan, Sandy. The lemon tree : an Arab, a Jew, and the heart of the Middle East.
Trade paperback. New York: Bloomsbury Pub, [2007].

DS135 .F85L5
Lipton, Eunice. French seduction : an American's encounter with France, her
father, and the Holocaust. 1st Carroll & Graf ed. New York: Carroll & Graf,
[2007].

DS135 .H93
Gur, David. Brothers for resistance and rescue : the underground Zionist youth
movement in Hungary during World War II. Jerusalem: Gefen, [2007].

DS135 .P62W2774
Kassow, Samuel D. Who will write our history? : Emanuel Ringelblum, the Warsaw
Ghetto, and the Oyneg Shabes Archive. Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
[2007].

DS135 .R92U55
Altman, Iya. The unknown black book : the Holocaust in the German-occupied
Soviet territories. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, [2007].

DS135.E43L3
Matalon Lagnado, Lucette. The man in the white sharkskin suit : my family's
exodus from Old Cairo to the New World. 1st ed. New York: Ecco, [2007].

DS140.W57 2007
Wisse, Ruth R. Jews and power. 1st ed. New York: Nextbook, [2007].

DS49.7.C64 2007
Cohen, Jared. Children of Jihad : a young American's travels among the youth of
the Middle East. New York: Gotham Books, [2007].

E184.35 .F565 2007
Finkelstein, Norman H. American Jewish history. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Jewish
Publication Society, [2007].

E184.36 .E84
Shay, Scott A. Getting our groove back : how to energize American Jewry.
Jerusalem: Devora Publishing, [2007].

E184.36 .E84K3
Kaye/Kantrowitz, Melanie. The colors of Jews : racial politics and radical
diasporism. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, [2007].

E184.36 .P64F6
Foxman, Abraham H. The deadliest lies : the Israel lobby and the myth of Jewish
control. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, [2007].

f .Cha
Chabon, Michael. The Yiddish policemen's union : a novel. 1st HarperLuxe ed. New
York: HarperLuxe, [2007].

f. Bro
Brooks, Geraldine. People of the book : a novel. New York, N.Y: Viking, [2008].

f. Cha
Chabon, Michael. Gentlemen of the road. 1st ed. New York: Del Rey/Ballantine
Books, [2007].

f. Elo
If you awaken love : a novel. First English Lanaguage Edition 2007. New Milford,
Conn: Toby Press, [2007; ].

f. Eng
Englander, Nathan. The Ministry of Special Cases. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf, [2007].

f. Etz
Etzioni-Halevy, Eva. The garden of Ruth. New York: Plume, [2007].

f. Gur
Gur, Batya. Murder in Jerusalem : A Michael Ohayon Mystery. Paperback edition.
New York: HarperCollins, [2007].

f. Kat
Kattan, Naïm and Fischman, Sheila. Farewell, Babylon : coming of age in Jewish
Baghdad. Boston: David R. Godine, [2007].

f.Mek
Mekler, Eva. The Polish woman : a novel. 1st ed. Bridgehampton, N.Y: Bridge
Works Pub, [2007].

f.Nem
Némirovsky, Irène and Smith, Sandra. Fire in the blood. Waterville, Me: Wheeler
Pub, [2007].

f.Rag
Ragen, Naomi. The Saturday wife. Detroit: Thorndike Press, [2007].

f.Ree
Rees, Matt. The collaborator of Bethlehem. New York: Soho Crime, [2007].

f.Rot
Roth, Philip. Exit ghost. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, [2007].

f.Seg
Segal, Lore Groszmann. Shakespeare's kitchen : stories. New York: New Press,
[2007].

f.Sha
Shalev, Meir and Fallenberg, Evan. A pigeon and a boy. 1st American ed. New
York: Schocken Books, [2007].

F73.9 T4
Teperow, Alan. One Community, Many Branches : An historical overview of the
Synagogue Council of Massachusetts. Newton, MA: Synagogue Council of
Massachusetts, [2007].
GV1044 .Z49
Around the world on two wheels : Anne Londonberry's extraordinary ride. New
York, NY: Kensington Pub, [2007].

HN40 .J5R5
Klein, Margie. Righteous indignation : a Jewish call for justice. Woodstock, Vt:
Jewish Lights Pub, [2008].

HQ1034.U5 G69 2007
Gozemba, Patricia A and Kahn, Karen. Courting equality : a documentary history
of same-sex marriage in America. Boston: Beacon Press, [2007].

HQ1170 .M4
The struggle for Women's Rights in the Arab and Islamic World. Washington, DC:
MEMRI TV, [2004-2007].

Note: Covers the women's rights movement and struggle, and discusses the state
of women in the Middle East.

HQ1172 .A58
Antler, Joyce. You never call! you never write! : a history of the Jewish
mother. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [2007].

HQ75.6 .U5K8
Kulanu = (All of Us) : A program for congregations implementing gay and lesbian
inclusion; a handbook for UAHC congregations. Revised and Expanded. (New
York): URJ Press, [2007].

HQ769.3 .M4
Mencher, Edythe Held and Howald, Michael. Resilience of the soul : developing
emotional and spiritual resilience in adolescents and their families : a
program and resource guide for congregations based on the kedushat ha guf
program. New York, N.Y: URJ Press, [2007].

HV5822.H4 L68 2007
Lowenthal, Rita. One-way ticket : our son's addiction to heroin. New York:
Beaufort Books, [2007].

M2186 .R8
Eglash, Joel N. Ruach 5765 songbook : New Jewish tunes Israel. New York, NY:
Transcontinental Music Publications, [2007].

Note: Ruach is the Hebrew word for spirit. It is exactly that quality which the
songs of the Ruach series posess. These songs were chose for their ear
-catching melodies, their colorful instrumental support, and for the life
the music breathes into their texts. In short, all this is summed up by one
common trait: ruach.

M2186 .M8
Boxer, Michael and Katzew, Alane. Music for Shabbat Worship : from the 69th URJ
Biennial December 14-15, 2007 San Diego California. New York, New York:
Transcontinental Music Publications, [2007].

Note: Songbook of music from the 69th URJ Biennial December 14-15, 2007 San
Diego California.

M2186 .N4
The Ladino Collection : Arrangements for solo voice and accompaniment by Richard
Neumann. 1st Edition, July 2007. New York, New York: Transcontinental
Publications, [2007].

Note: Discover Ladino- The graceful language spoken by sephardic Jews for
generations- with this volume of settings for solo voice by reknown arranger
Richard Nuemann. This collection of folksong favorites includes an eclectic
variety of accompaniment configurations, including piano, guitar, and flute.
Cultural programmers, voice teachers, and recital participants alike will
get great mileage out of this songbook.

NB237.N43 A4 2007
Nevelson, Louise and Danto, Arthur Coleman. The sculpture of Louise Nevelson :
constructing a legend. New York: Under the auspices of the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America, [2007].

PN6231.D68 W44 2007
Weiner, Ellis and Davilman, Barbara. How to raise a Jewish dog. 1st ed. New
York: Little, Brown, [2007].

RC265 .L5
Kohn, Douglas. Life, faith, and cancer : Jewish journeys through diagnosis,
treatment, and recovery. New York: URJ Press, [2007].

REF BS1223 .W3
Walzer, Abraham B. Tikun Korim ha-mefo'ar. Monsey, NY: Eastern Book Press Inc,
[2007].

Note: Text of the Torah.

TRC DS126.5 .I59
URJ CHAI School Series. Investigating Israel : creating, developing, and
sustaining a relationship. 1st. New York, New York: URJ Press, [July 3
2007].

Note: The first part of the new URJ High School Scholor Series introduces young
people to Israel. In this eight-lesson unit, students explore such concepts
as the historic Jewish connection to Israel, the unique voice of Israeli
poets, The declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, and
tough Jewish issues in the modern state. Through maps, photographs,
discussions, and journal writing, the students, will begin to form a
connection to Isreal, its history and its people. The facilitators guide
includes 8 complete lessons and comes with a DVD entitled "Kotel," which
which is the basis of one of the lessons. The full color student journals
contain all the material needed for the lessons.

TRC PJ4567 .W6
Wolf, Linda Shapiro. Derech tzlecha! : the path to success : a manual for
teachers and parents of special needs students. Oakland, Calif: EKS Pub,
[2007].

TRC D804.3 .S353
Schweber, Simone and Findling, Debbie. Teaching the Holocaust. Los Angeles, CA:
Torah Aura Productions, [2007].

TX724.D88 2007
Dweck, Poopa. Aromas of Aleppo : the legendary cuisine of Syrian Jews. 1st ed.
New York: Regan Books, [2007].

X Auslander
Auslander, Shalom. Foreskin's lament : a memoir. New York: Riverhead Books,
[2007].

X Chagall
Wilson, Jonathan. Marc Chagall. 1st ed. New York: Nextbook-Schocken, [2007].

X EINSTEIN
Isaacson, Walter. Einstein : his life and universe. New York: Simon & Schuster,
[2007].

X FRANKS
Franks, Lucinda. My father's secret war : a memoir. New York: Hyperion, [2007].

X Freud
Freud, Sophie and Freud, Ernestine Drucker. Living in the shadow of the Freud
family. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers, [2007].

X GORDIN
Kaplan, Beth. Finding the Jewish Shakespeare : the life and legacy of Jacob
Gordin. 1st ed. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, [2007].

X GRUBER
Gruber, Ruth. Witness : adventurer and foreign correspondent, friend and
emissary of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, maker of--and witness to--history,
tells her extraordinary story with 200 of her own photographs. New York:
Schocken Books, [2007].

X Jezebel
Hazleton, Lesley. Jezebel : the untold story of the Bible's harlot queen. 1st
ed. New York: Doubleday, [2007].

X Paretsky
Paretsky, Sara. Writing in an age of silence. London: Verso, [2007].

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The Righteous Smuggler by Debbie Spring
A Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers

BIOG CHAGALL
Kimmel, Eric A and Trueman, Matthew. A picture for Marc. 1st ed. New York:
Random House, [2007].

Note: Marc, an imaginative Russian boy, discovers his talent for drawing and,
with the encouragement of a friend and an art teacher, decides to become an
artist. Based loosely on the childhood of Marc Chagall.

BIOG Herron
Herron, Carolivia and Tugeau, Jeremy. Always an Olivia : a remarkable family
history. Minneapolis: Kar-Ben Pub, [2007].

Note: Herron, a Jewish-American of African descent, tells the unique story of
her family's history.

BIOG KORCZAK
Spielman, Gloria. Janusz Korczak's children. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben, [2007].

Note: A biography of Janusz Korczak, who went to his death with the Jewish
orphans in his care during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II.

BIOG LEPMAN
Pearl, Sydelle and Iantorno, Danlyn. Books for children of the world : the story
of Jella Lepman. Gretna, Lou: Pelican Pub. co, [2007].

j DS135.U4 T39 2007
Taylor, Peter Lane and Nicola, Christos. The secret of Priest's Grotto : a
Holocaust survival story. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Pub, [2007].

j. GR98 .R67
Roth, Rita. The power of song : and other Sephardic tales. 1st ed. Philadelphia,
PA: Jewish Publication Society, [2007].

j. BM695 .H3L3
Lamstein, Sarah and Waldman, Neil. Letter on the wind : a Chanukah tale.
Honesdale, Pa: Boyds Mills Press, [2007].

Note: When there is no oil for Chanukah, Hayim, the poorest man in the village,
sends the Almighty a letter, asking for help.

j. BM695 .P3R61
Rouss, Sylvia A and Kahn, Katherine. Sammy Spider's Haggadah. Minneapolis: Kar
-Ben Pub, [2007].

j. BM707 .C6
Cohen, Shari and Gindlin, Marcelo. Alfie's bark mitzvah. Chandler, AZ: Five Star
Publications, Inc, [2007].

Note: In a small synagogue, surrounded by his loving family, Alfie completes the
ceremony that marks his passage from being a puppy to a dog.

j. BS551.2 .H3
Hanft, Joshua E and Chwast, Seymour. Miracles of the Bible. Maplewood, NJ: Blue
Apple Books, [2007].

j. BS580 .A3J8
Jules, Jacqueline and Ugliano, Natascia. Abraham's search for God. Minneapolis,
MN: Kar-Ben Pub, [2007].

j. D804.3 .V3
Vander Zee, Ruth and Farnsworth, Bill. Eli remembers. Grand Rapids, Mich:
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, [2007].

Note: After many years of watching the solemn lighting of seven candles at Rosh
Hashanah, Eli finally learns how those candles represent his family's
connection to the Holocaust in Lithuania.

Y Ioa
Ioannides, Mara W. Cohen. A shout in the sunshine. 1st ed. Philadelphia, PA:
Jewish Publication Society, [2007].

Note: In fifteenth century Greece, an extraordinary friendship develops between
Miguel, a refugee from post-Inquisition Spain, and David, the son of a
wealthy Greek fabric merchant, despite the concerns of both Greek and
Spanish Jews that the other group is not truly Jewish.

Y Oco
O'Connell, Rebecca and Lue Sue, Majella. Penina Levine is a hard-boiled egg. 1st
ed. New Milford, Conn: Roaring Brook Press, [2007].

Note: With only her best friend to lean on, forthright Penina celebrates
Passover while she contends with a bratty younger sister and a seemingly
unsympathetic sixth-grade teacher.

YA Coh
Cohn, Rachel and Levithan, David. Naomi and Ely's no kiss list : a novel. 1st
ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, [2007].

Note: Although they have been friends and neighbors all their lives, straight
Naomi and gay Ely find their relationship severely strained during their
freshman year at New York University.

YA Kon
Konigsburg, E. L. The mysterious edge of the heroic world. 1st ed. New York:
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, [2007].

Note: Amedo moves to a new town with a dream. He wants to discover something and
he wants a friend to share his search.

YA Lev
Levitin, Sonia. Strange relations. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, [2007].

Note: Fifteen-year-old Marne is excited to be able to spend her summer vacation
in Hawaii, not realizing the change in her lifestyle it would bring staying
with her aunt, seven cousins, and uncle who is a Chasidic rabbi.

YA Org
Orgad, Dorit and Silverston, Sondra. The boy from Seville. Minneapolis: Kar-Ben
Pub, [2007].

Note: At age eleven, Manuel has already fled with his family from Portugal to
Spain, because the seventeenth-century persecution of Jews is less severe
there, but passing as Christian becomes more and more difficult as the
Inquisition continues.

YA Rab
Rabb, M. E. Cures for heartbreak. 1st ed. New York: Delacorte Press, [2007].

Note: As she navigates adolescence, ninth-grader Mia must deal with her mother'
s recent death and her father's illness while she searches for friendship
and love in the world around her.

YA Ros
Rosenbloom, Fiona. We are so crashing your Bar Mitzvah! 1st ed. New York:
Hyperion, [2007].

Note: Eighth-grader Stacy Friedman will do anything to be accepted into the cool
clique, even crashing the biggest Bar Mitzvah of the year.

YA Yav
Yavin, T. S. All-Star season. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Pub, [2007].

Note: After competing both in the Jewish school they attend and on the baseball
field, ninth-grader Reuven and his younger brother Avi find that teamwork is
better than competition.

BOOKS ON CD

BOCD DS119.7 .M3
Marcus, Amy Dockser and Bean, Joyce. Jerusalem 1913. [Old Saybrook, CT]: Tantor
Media, [p2007].

Note: Searching for the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict, historians for
years focused on the British Mandate period (1920-1948). The author,
however, demonstrates that the bloody struggle for power actually started
much earlier, when Jerusalem was still part of the Ottoman Empire and the
rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism laid the groundwork for battles that
continue to rage nearly a century later.

BOCD PS3553 .H15Y5
Chabon, Michael. The Yiddish policemen's union : a novel. New York: HarperLuxe,
[2007].

Note: A murder mystery set in the imaginery Jewish homeland that is Alaska. In
a world in which Alaska, rather than Israel, has become the homeland for the
Jews following World War II, Detective Meyer Landsman and his half-Tlingit
partner Berko investigate the death of a heroin-addled chess prodigy.

BOCD PS3553.H15
Chabon, Michael. Gentlemen of the road. 1st ed. Westminster, Md: Books on Tape,
[2007].

Note: A physician and an ex-soldier travel together making their way through the
Caucasus Mountains, circa a.d. 950. They meet a prince of the Khazar Empire
who was usurped by his uncle and he enlists their help to regain his throne.

BOCD PS3555 .N3M5
Englander, Nathan. The Ministry of Special Cases. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf, [2007].

BOCD PS3568 .I5
Roth, Philip. I Married a Communist. Beverly Hills, CA: Phoenix Audio, [2007].

BOCD PS3568 .O855
Roth, Philip. Exit ghost. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, [2007].

Note: After 11 years of isolation in his New England mountain refuge, Zuckerman
returns to New York City and makes three important connections that threaten
his carefully protected sense of isolation.

BOCD PS3601 .U85
Auslander, Shalom. Foreskin's lament : a memoir. New York: Riverhead Books,
[2007].

Note: An account of the author's youth in a strict Orthodox community describes
his dysfunctional family's vengeful personification of God, his exile to
reform school after a childhood misdemeanor, and his efforts to make sense
of his religious beliefs while connecting with the outside world.

DVDS

DVD DS145 .A595
Goldberg, Andrew. Anti-semitism in the 21st century : the resurgence. United
States: Two Cats Productions, [2007].

Note: Through extraordinary and disturbing archival footage, interviews with
leading experts, and bold man-on-the street interviews, The Resurgence
weaves together the past and the present to explore the evolution and
rebirth of an age-old prejudice.

DVD E184 .J57
The Jewish Americans : a series. Widescreen. Hollywood, CA: PBS Home Video,
[2008].

Note: Chronicles the 350 year saga of immigrants who gradually wove themselves
into the fabric of American life without abandoning their cherished
traditions.

DVD FEATURE Tur
Turn left at the end of the world. New York, New York: Sisu Home Entertainment,
[2007].

Note: A tiny Israeli village in the Negev Desert is home to people from both
Morocco and India. They have poverty in common and little else. Two families
will be brought together by the unlikely friendship of daughters. There is
the sultry Moroccan, Nicole, and the thoughtful Indian, Sara. The women's
youth and lust for freedom overcome cultural prejudices. For this community
and these two friends, the road to harmony is full of twists and turns.
Recommended for older teens and adults.

New books, books on cd, dvds in the library August, 2007

2007-08-07T11:09:00.000-04:00

City of oranges : an intimate
LeBor, Adam.

The gravedigger's daughter :
Oates, Joyce Ca

Dry bones rattling : community
Warren, Mark R.

The Septembers of Shiraz /
Sofer, Dalia.

The Ministry of Special Cases
Englander, Nath

The Yiddish policemen's union
Chabon, Michael

O Jerusalem : a Mary Russell novel. Paperback.
King, Laurie R.

Sefer otiyot = The book of letters, 15th anniversary edition.
Kushner, Lawrence.

Folktales of the Jews /European and Sephardic, 2 volumes

When the grey beetles took over Baghdad
Yahia, Mona,

Paper kisses : a true love story
Kaiser, Reinhar

The family flamboyant :
ace politics, queer families, Jewish lives
Brettschneider,

The cave of reconciliation /
Witonsky, Pecki

Hanukkah lights :
stories of the season : from NPR's (National Public Radio) annual holiday special
Melcher Media,

All whom I have loved /
Appelfeld, Aron

The Jewish book of days : a companion for the season
Hammer, Jill.

The Yiddish policeman's union (LARGE PRINT)
Chabon, Michael

The Ethiopian Jews of Israel :
personal stories of life in the Promised Land
Lyons, Leonard.

A tranquil star : unpublished stories
Levi, Primo.

Homeland : the illustrated history of the state of Israel
Wolfman, Marv.

Marc Chagall /
Wilson, Jonatha

The Yiddish policemen's union
Chabon, Michael

Fiorello's sister : Gemma La Guardia Gluck's story.
Gluck, Gemma LaGuardia Gluck

The sculpture of Louise Nevelson
Nevelson, Louis

The collaborator of Bethlehem
Rees, Matt,

The Polish woman : a novel /
Mekler, Eva.

Shakespeare's kitchen : stories
Segal, Lore

American Jewish history / Norman Finkelstein (children's book)

The contemporary Torah :
a gender-sensitive adaptation of the JPS translation

Writing in an age of silence /Memoir
Paretsky, Sara.

1967 : Israel, the war,
and the year that transformed the Middle East
Segev, Tom,

2007-07-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

New materials in the Temple Israel Library. July, 2007.

BM155.3.F57 2007
Fishman, Sylvia Barack. The way into the varieties of Jewishness. Woodstock, Vt:
Jewish Lights Pub, [2007].

BM504.3 .H4713 2005
Heschel, Abraham Joshua and Tucker, Gordon. Heavenly Torah : as refracted
through the generations. New York: Continuum, [2007].

BM653 .W65
Wolfson, Ron. The spirituality of welcoming : how to transform your congregation
into a sacred community. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, [2007].
Note: The Synagogue 2000 theory of Synagogue transformation -- Welcoming
ambience -- Welcoming worship -- Welcoming membership.

BM723 .M665
Morinis, E. Alan. Everyday holiness : the Jewish spiritual path of mussar. 1st
ed. Boston, Mass: Trumpeter Books, [2007].

BS580 .J6S4
Segal, Jerome M. Joseph's bones : understanding the struggle between God and
mankind in the Bible. New York: Riverhead Books, [2007].

DS135 .H93
Gur, David. Brothers for resistance and rescue : the underground Zionist youth
movement in Hungary during World War II. Jerusalem: Gefen, [2007].

E184.36 .E84
Shay, Scott A. Getting our groove back : how to energize American Jewry.
Jerusalem: Devora Publishing, [2007].

f. Etz
Etzioni-Halevy, Eva. The garden of Ruth. New York: Plume, [2007].

f. Ros
Rosnay, Tatiana de. Sarah's key. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, [2007].

HQ1172 .A58
Antler, Joyce. You never call! you never write! : a history of the Jewish
mother. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [2007].

HQ769.3 .D59
Doades, Joanne. Parenting Jewish teens : a guide for the perplexed. Woodstock,
VT: Jewish Lights Pub, [2007].

X DIEN
Coben, Lawrence A. Anna's shtetl. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press,
[2007].

X FRANKS
Franks, Lucinda. My father's secret war : a memoir. New York: Hyperion, [2007].

X GORDIN
Kaplan, Beth. Finding the Jewish Shakespeare : the life and legacy of Jacob
Gordin. 1st ed. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, [2007].

X GRUBER
Gruber, Ruth. Witness : adventurer and foreign correspondent, friend and
emissary of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, maker of--and witness to--history,
tells her extraordinary story with 200 of her own photographs. New York:
Schocken Books, [2007].

Books for kids

Young Adult
YA Ros
Rosenbloom, Fiona. We are so crashing your Bar Mitzvah! 1st ed. New York:
Hyperion, [2007]. Eighth-grader Stacy Friedman will do anything to be accepted into the cool
clique, even crashing the biggest Bar Mitzvah of the year.

j. BM707 .C6
Cohen, Shari and Gindlin, Marcelo. Alfie's bark mitzvah. Chandler, AZ: Five Star
Publications, Inc, [2007]. In a small synagogue, surrounded by his loving family, Alfie completes the ceremony that marks his passage from being a puppy to a dog.

MUSIC - CDS

CD MUSIC Rua
Ruach 5767 : new Jewish tunes. N.Y: Transcontinental Music, [2007].
Note: Jewish folk/rock, in Hebrew and English, sung by singer/songwriters of the
Reform movement.