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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New Book Review: A Man's Responsibility
A Man’s Responsibility: A Jewish Guide to Being a Son, a Partner in Marriage, a Father and a Community Leader by Joseph Meszler
An exploration of what it means to be a Jewish man in today’s society, A Man’s Responsibility uses real-life stories to talk about the history of male roles in Judaism, and the stereotypes that go with them. Discussing the vast changes that have taken place for the typical Jewish male in the past generation or two, Rabbi Meszler goes on to examine the sources that define the ideal Jewish man throughout life as a son, husband, and father, and what his place is in the modern community. Questions at the end of each chapter are ideal to be used as a stepping-stone for men’s discussion groups as well as providing food for thought in individual study. Although slanted more towards a Reform/Conservative audience, this book is highly recommended to Jewish men of all affiliations.
An exploration of what it means to be a Jewish man in today’s society, A Man’s Responsibility uses real-life stories to talk about the history of male roles in Judaism, and the stereotypes that go with them. Discussing the vast changes that have taken place for the typical Jewish male in the past generation or two, Rabbi Meszler goes on to examine the sources that define the ideal Jewish man throughout life as a son, husband, and father, and what his place is in the modern community. Questions at the end of each chapter are ideal to be used as a stepping-stone for men’s discussion groups as well as providing food for thought in individual study. Although slanted more towards a Reform/Conservative audience, this book is highly recommended to Jewish men of all affiliations.
New Book Review: Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories
Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories by Rachel Shukert
Have You No Shame? is a hilarious, shockingly honest look at a Jewish girl’s life as she grows up in Omaha, Nebraska—not exactly a place filled with Jews, or anything remotely resembling shock value, for that matter. More comfortable in her own little world than in reality and always feeling like an outcast, as a child Rachel worries about which non-Jewish friends will hide her in the next Holocaust and dreams of an imaginary boyfriend, Chris McPresbyterian. Her teenage years find her free from the confines of a Jewish school; she joins a youth group at the insistence of her mother, but at times ends up indulging in less-than-holy activities as a result. As an adult, Rachel takes her wild imagination to New York City trying to make her mark on the world, though along the way, life is not always for the better. Morbid yet witty, a collection of coming-of-age autobiographical stories that will have readers falling on the floor laughing, and is even complete with cross-shaped footnotes with explanations for non-Jewish readers and N-shaped foonotes for non-Midwesterners. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart!
Have You No Shame? is a hilarious, shockingly honest look at a Jewish girl’s life as she grows up in Omaha, Nebraska—not exactly a place filled with Jews, or anything remotely resembling shock value, for that matter. More comfortable in her own little world than in reality and always feeling like an outcast, as a child Rachel worries about which non-Jewish friends will hide her in the next Holocaust and dreams of an imaginary boyfriend, Chris McPresbyterian. Her teenage years find her free from the confines of a Jewish school; she joins a youth group at the insistence of her mother, but at times ends up indulging in less-than-holy activities as a result. As an adult, Rachel takes her wild imagination to New York City trying to make her mark on the world, though along the way, life is not always for the better. Morbid yet witty, a collection of coming-of-age autobiographical stories that will have readers falling on the floor laughing, and is even complete with cross-shaped footnotes with explanations for non-Jewish readers and N-shaped foonotes for non-Midwesterners. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart!
New Book Review: The Day My Mother Changed Her Name and Other Stories
The Day My Mother Changed Her Name and Other Stories by William Kaufman
A master storyteller, ninety-three-year-old William Kaufman has eloquently transformed tales based on his childhood and that of his immigrant parents into his own, captivating audiences wherever he can find them and now making their way into print. With sharp wit, detail and a colorful life to draw experiences from, Kaufman has written a winner that epitomizes the oddities found in Jewish life. Recommended for all types of libraries.
A master storyteller, ninety-three-year-old William Kaufman has eloquently transformed tales based on his childhood and that of his immigrant parents into his own, captivating audiences wherever he can find them and now making their way into print. With sharp wit, detail and a colorful life to draw experiences from, Kaufman has written a winner that epitomizes the oddities found in Jewish life. Recommended for all types of libraries.
New Book Review: Jewish Stories From Heaven and Earth
Jewish Stories from Heaven and Earth by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, ed.
Jews love telling stories, and Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, co-editor of Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul, has compiled an amazing collection of stories from all walks of Jewish life that are truly inspirational. Authors range from famous—Hanoch Teller, Elie Weisel, and Yitzchak Rabin to name a few—to your ordinary Jew wanting to share their out-of-the-ordinary tales of passion, devotion, faith, courage and achievement that eloquently personify Judaism’s core values, yet are universal enough that they can be enjoyed by anyone. Sections are included on the Holocaust and the state of Israel. A read that is impossible to put down and highly recommended for all types of libraries.
Jews love telling stories, and Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, co-editor of Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul, has compiled an amazing collection of stories from all walks of Jewish life that are truly inspirational. Authors range from famous—Hanoch Teller, Elie Weisel, and Yitzchak Rabin to name a few—to your ordinary Jew wanting to share their out-of-the-ordinary tales of passion, devotion, faith, courage and achievement that eloquently personify Judaism’s core values, yet are universal enough that they can be enjoyed by anyone. Sections are included on the Holocaust and the state of Israel. A read that is impossible to put down and highly recommended for all types of libraries.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
New Book Release: Pirkei Avot
Pirkei Avot by Rabbi Yossi Marcus
The Talmud states “One who wishes to be a chasid, should practice the words of Avot (Ethics of the Fathers).”
Now, with the release of Pirkei Avot: With a New Commentary, Anthologized from the works of the Classic Commentators and the Chasidic Masters, that daunting task has become that much easier.
Compiled by well-known author and translator Rabbi Yosef Marcus, and published by the Lubavitch publishing house, Kehot Publication Society, the volume gives the reader a comprehensive and fundamental understanding of Pirkei Avot. Anthologized from hundreds of commentators, classic to obscure, the commentary is crowned with the insights culled from the voluminous works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his predecessors.
The publishers hope that this volume will contribute to the appreciation of the wisdom of Ethics of the Fathers and its application to modern, daily life.
The Talmud states “One who wishes to be a chasid, should practice the words of Avot (Ethics of the Fathers).”
Now, with the release of Pirkei Avot: With a New Commentary, Anthologized from the works of the Classic Commentators and the Chasidic Masters, that daunting task has become that much easier.
Compiled by well-known author and translator Rabbi Yosef Marcus, and published by the Lubavitch publishing house, Kehot Publication Society, the volume gives the reader a comprehensive and fundamental understanding of Pirkei Avot. Anthologized from hundreds of commentators, classic to obscure, the commentary is crowned with the insights culled from the voluminous works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his predecessors.
The publishers hope that this volume will contribute to the appreciation of the wisdom of Ethics of the Fathers and its application to modern, daily life.
New Book Release: Learning and Community
Learning and Community by Jack Wertheimer
At a time of heightened interest in Jewish supplementary schooling, this volume offers a path-breaking examination of how ten diverse schools have remade themselves to face the new challenges of the twenty-first century. Each written by an academic observer with the help of an experienced educator, the chapters bring these schools vividly to life by giving voice to students, parents, teachers, school directors, lay leaders, local rabbis and other key participants.
The goal of the book is to uncover the building blocks each school put into place to improve its delivery of a Jewish education. Employing qualitative research, Learning and Community is filled with moving and inspiring human-interest stories. Collectively, these portraits offer models of how schools of different sizes and configurations can maximize their impact, and in the process revitalize the form of religious and cultural education that engages the majority of Jewish children in the United States.
At a time of heightened interest in Jewish supplementary schooling, this volume offers a path-breaking examination of how ten diverse schools have remade themselves to face the new challenges of the twenty-first century. Each written by an academic observer with the help of an experienced educator, the chapters bring these schools vividly to life by giving voice to students, parents, teachers, school directors, lay leaders, local rabbis and other key participants.
The goal of the book is to uncover the building blocks each school put into place to improve its delivery of a Jewish education. Employing qualitative research, Learning and Community is filled with moving and inspiring human-interest stories. Collectively, these portraits offer models of how schools of different sizes and configurations can maximize their impact, and in the process revitalize the form of religious and cultural education that engages the majority of Jewish children in the United States.
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