Shadow Strike
The U.S. and Israel, allies for more than 70 years, are sometimes at odds on specific policies and actions. Yaakov Katz’s new book Shadow Strike: Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power (St. Martin’s Press) details one such disagreement involving a high-stakes threat to Israel in 2007.
Anna and Tranquillo: Catholic Anxiety and Jewish Protest in the Age of Revolutions
This books tells the story of the Papal State’s 300-year effort to forcibly convert the Jews of Rome to Catholicism. The officially sanctioned campaign included kidnapping youngsters, harsh incarceration, and mind manipulation.
The Guest Book
Sarah Blake’s The Guest Book (Flatiron Books) spans three generations of an old-line Protestant family, the Miltons, whose manners and way of life represent what they believe to be the established and correct way of doing things.
Karl Marx: Philosophy and Revolution
Karl Marx! The name conjures up an intimidating bearded revolutionary intent on violently overthrowing society. Shlomo Avineri, professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University, shatters that conception in his superb new biography.
Defending Israel: The Story of My Relationship with My Most Challenging Client
In his new book, Defending Israel: The Story of My Relationship with My Most Challenging Client, Alan Dershowitz underscores his love affair with and his passionate defense of the world’s only Jewish state: “There was never a time that Israel was not part of my consciousness.”
Stories We Tell: My Grandfather's Kittel
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Reaching the Promised Land
This week, as we move into the book of Exodus, we transition from learning about Joseph to learning about another Jewish leader: Moses.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: The Sacred Pursuit for Reparations - Parshat Bo
This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs takes a look at Parashat Bo and the behaviors of the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - B'shalach: Lifting Hands and Sharing Power
This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Parashat B'shalach and the powerful image of Aaron and Hur lifting Moses' hands as he grew weary.