Richard cohens book is part reportage, part memoiran intimate journey through the history of europes jews, culminating in the establishment of israel. Yes, but is it good for the jews a beginners guide, vol 1. Night by elie wiesel, the chosen by chaim potok, the yiddish policemens union by michael chabon, the amazing adventures of kava. A good example is the way jewish tradition understood one of the most traumatic and consequential events in jewish history. I want to learn about judaism, and i know almost nothing. It also sums up the different worldviews of two generations. List of books and articles about jewish history online. Good for the jews the university of michigan press. It reveals to the outside world yes, non jews are allowed to buy this book the mathematical formula that determines whether something is good for the jews. The jewish book of why, the result of several years of intensive research, makes an important contribution towards dispelling many of the prevalent misunderstandings and misconceptions that surround jewish observance, jews and non jews alike will find this volume enlightening. Last week, philip roth received an honorary degree from the jewish theological seminary. The jewish holiday of purim arises from a story of jews in ancient persia, as told in the biblical book of esther.
The liberal satanic evil jew is a racist stereotype that paints jews as being a racial hivemind, greedily controlling the worlds capital and politics, and having sneaky secret agendas. Though i am not a member of any union, there were moments while reading richard cohens book when i was. The only question more popular among the jewish pe. Like esther, debra sparks characters deal with antisemitism and the way that powerful menand the women who love. David greenglass march 2, 1922 july 1, 2014 was an atomic spy for the soviet union who worked on the manhattan project. Finally, there is a method by which to evaluate this burning question. What the best jewish jokes say about the jews english edition.
The laws and teachings of judaism come from the torah, the first five books of the hebrew. There is a lot of good material here, covering all movements of judaism. Judaism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The completed scroll is known as a sefer torah from sefer which is the hebrew for book. Part mystery and part strangercomesto town story, good for the jews is loosely based on the biblical book of esther. In simon schamas book the story of the jews, he writes that jewish history has survived, thanks to its peoples intense literacy.
The term itself was first used by hellenized jews to describe their religious practice, but it is of predominantly modern usage. Apr 11, 2017 kirschs title is a play on the qurans name for christians and jews, people of the book, but as he deftly demonstrates, even orthodox judaism relies on multiple texts. One of the offenbach books ended up at the yivo institute for jewish research in new york. Yes, but is it good for the jews a beginners guide, volume 1. The main characters ellen instead of esther, mose instead of mordachai,alex instead of aucharaus, hyman instead of haman, and valerie in place of vashtiare all based on the biblical characters.
Jews are known as the people of the book for good reason. Again, the book of life concept appears in tablets from the neoassyrian period, and there seems to be a hint of the same idea in an ancient sumerian poem. Flavius josephus was a famous jewish historian, priest, and scholar. Apr 16, 2020 when asked if jews are white, even white racialist jared taylor at american renaissance stated, jews look white to me. The title of debra sparks novel uses a familiar expression for putting jewish security at the center of every issue. Before we explain what the list is, we should tell you what its not. I am reading a new book titled rescue board about the war refugee board and how it was set up in 1944. A very personal journey through jewish history and. Good for the jews is set in madison, wisconsin, during the bush administration.
May 20, 2001 saul friedlnder is the author of numerous books, including pius xii and the third reich, when memory comes, and most recently, nazi germany and the jews. Their materials are suitable for readers at all levels, because they are designed for baalei tshuvot, jews who were not raised observant but became observant later in life. Petersburg in 1887, it is a cultural, social, and political history of the jewish people. Envy accounts for a good deal of modern antisemitism, especially its economic variety, but it cannot provide an answer to the first question in his books title. Good for the jews is a smart, funny, sexy novel set in madison, wisconsin, during the bush administration. Mose sheinbaum, the 60something hero of the book, judges all events by this litmus test. Richard cohen explores the rise of zionism, the creation of israel, and the nations currentday challenges. From memoir to biography, thriller to kooky caper, see what the tribe has scribed for poolside perusal. Jews have long evaluated everything from current events to dinner menus through the prism of yes but is it good for the jews. The torah is the most important holy book of judaism.
A sefer torah is so sacred to jews it is said that if one is. This question calls out for a comparative analysis of german antisemitism with that of other european countries that aly does not provide. According to the jewish year book 1901, the global jewish population in 1900 was around 11 million. Revealing the secrets of the ancient art of judology, this book measures whether a variety of subjects are, in fact, good for the jews. This short book is designed to help both christians and whole churches understand more about the variety of jewish people we might work with, meet or know, and to reach out to them with the good news of the gospel. But there were also those, beginning in the enlightenment, for whom the good jews were the ones who had emancipated themselves. His complete writings, books, and antiquities were translated by william whiston. Jewish stories, writes adam biro, resemble every peoples stories. At the core of the story of right and wrong are young, attractive ellen hirschorn and her older cousin mose, a high school teacher who thinks he knows, in fact, what. Its not a list of the greatest jewish books of all time, an undertaking that would involve. Fabulous historical characters walk the hallways of this book and together they tell an engrossing and inspiring story.
The biblical book of esther, in my opinion, can also be included for this category. This collection of learned essays helps to clarify the extent to which we can speak of the parting of the ways between christianity and judaism in the period spanned by two jewish revolts against rome. Why jewish history is so hard to write the new yorker. Yes, but is it good for the jews a beginners guide, volume. Yes, but is it good for the jews a beginners guide. Michael berenbaum, director, the sigi ziering institute. In the following pages, youll traverse a time continuum spanning more than 4,000 years as you learn about the history of the jewish people. The political behavior of american jews has long been puzzling to political scientists, historians, and sociologists.
Why diaspora is good for the jews, alan wolfe, professor and director of the boisi center for religion and american public life at boston college, asks a. Simon schamas the story of the jews the new york times. A postwar survey of displaced jews, he notes, found only out of 18,000 who wished to remain in europe. Engaging with jewish people randy newman the good book. The war of the jewsbook i wikisource, the free online library. The bad jews were, in his mind, the irreligiousthe cosmopolitan. Cohen, the author of jews in christian america, is a useful corrective to this mistaken idea. Penguin book of hebrew verse, edited and translated by t.
Because of these writings, some modern jewish scholars believe that the sefer hayyim book of life was adopted into jewish tradition as a result of the babylonian influence. Good for the jews is loosely based on the biblical book of esther. Yes, but is it good for the jews a beginners guide, volume 1 jonny geller on. How the myth of the good jew hurts us all the forward. For some jews, the name alone is nearly synonymous with pogroms and crusades, charges of deicide and centuries of christian antisemitism. Including 1 the ethiopian book of enoch, 2 the slavonic secrets and 3 the hebrew book of enoch paul c. Fasts story of a people reads more like the story of his people, a fascinating, at times emotional story of his people who are bookish, nonviolent, and resilient against all odds. I consider it the first book of jewish historical fiction, but that is a discussion for another time and another article. Jews have no right to point the finger at anyone else for bigotry while they humiliate, mutilate and assassinate the palestinians, and while the jews hold as holy a book the talmud that denigrates all nonjews as beasts. It is action, not character, that is the most important. Which is why my mother would be greatly disturbed by much of the rebellious rhetoric in alan wolfes compelling new book at home in exile. From prepare yourself for an extraordinary adventure. His 25yearold niece, ellen, refuses to view the world through his unidimensional lens.
Good for the jews michigan literary fiction awards. Thats why i delight in the rich variety of book recommendations you will find on the following pages. Part mystery and part strangercomestotown story, the novel is loosely based on the biblical book of esther. Yet at the same time there is no better way to understand the soul, history, millennial suffering, or, crucially, the joys of the jewish people than through such talestheres nothing, writes biro, more revelatory of the jewish being with is it good for the jews. Jism, that the german carmaker is emphatically not good for the jews. The jews, story of a people, is not exactly a history, even though it tries to cover all major jewish historical events. From the taking of jerusalem by antiochus epiphanes, to the death of herod the great.
Like esther, debra sparks characters deal with antisemitism and the way. Spark is at her sly, funny, and cutting best in her third novel, a clever and affecting variation on the biblical story of esther. As a result of this mindset, jews are commonly blamed for various financial crises, terrorist events e. And thats the naive and undiscriminating opinion that jews love to hear from the sleeping goyim. Good news about god telling the truth and exposing lies. A paradox of parenting is that if we love our children for their own sake rather than for their achievements, its more likely that they will reach their true potential. A veteran, syndicated columnist for the washington post, cohen began this journey as a skeptic, wondering in a national column whether the creation of a jewish state was a mistake. From the celebrated syndicated columnist for the washington post, comes a pa. Other jews, recently, have come to regard him as a jewish teacher. New book admits that jews make great spies because they can. How the city jerusalem was taken, and the temple pillaged by antiochus epiphanes. The sages advise us to study torah lishmafor its own sake rather than to impress others with our scholarship. Feldheim publishers one of the oldest publishers of jewish books in the u. Containing the interval of one hundred and sixtyseven years.
This book is packed with fascinating history and cogent, provocative arguments against the more absurd charges now leveled at israel, but readers hoping to. The good friday prayer for the jews is an annual prayer in the christian, particularly roman catholic, liturgy. Help us create the kind of literary community youve always dreamed of. It is one of several petitions, known in the catholic church as the solemn intercessions and in the episcopal church united states as the solemn collects, that are made in the good friday service for various classes and stations of peoples. Cohens stylish writing and smart analysis makes reading it a pleasure. This is a purty good used book, and a great readin copy. It consists of an encyclopediastyle collection of entries of those elements that the author has rated as being good or bad for jews. The torah, otherwise known as the hebrew bible, has inspired debate and sparked imaginations for thousands of years, and the talmud is itself an imaginative compendium of jewish legal debate. What five books should you read to be an educated jew.
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