Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza
While Europe in the Middle Ages was characterized by an agrarian feudal economy, in the same period, the mostly Muslim-controlled lands surrounding the Mediterranean thrived on trade—from Spain to North Africa, Palestine, Persia, Yemen, and India.
The Free World: A Novel
David Bezmozgis, winner of the 2004 Reform Judaism Prize for Jewish Fiction for his story collection, Natasha, returns to the theme of Soviet Jewish immigration in his first full-length novel.
Beginnings: Reflections on the Bible’s Intriguing Firsts
Journalist and novelist Meir Shalev approaches the biblical text from the perspective of a secular Israeli with a great appreciation for and familiarity with the Hebrew Bible.
The Eichmann Trial
Many trials of Nazis and their collaborators were held following World War II—in the American and British-occupied zones of postwar Germany, in France (the trial of Vichy prime ministerPierre Lavel), and in Poland (the trials of concentration camp command
Great House: A Novel
Nicole Krauss' novel, a National Book Award finalist, reminds me of Mahler's symphonies—complex, filled with borrowings, emotionally intense—and ultimately rewarding the reader's close attention.
Sage Tales: Wisdom and Wonder from the Rabbis of the Talmud
While Krauss' novel contemplates the meaning of the "Great House," Burt Visotsky, professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, elucidates the "Great Stories"—the legends of the rabbinic sages recorded in the Babylonian Talmud.
Christians And Jews—Faith to Faith: Tragic History, Promising Present, Fragile Future
I remember a Christian colleague, who occupied an office next to mine, once asking me, "Why didn't the Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah?" I started to explain what life was like in Palestine in the first century of the Common Era—the harshness of the Roman occupation, the apocalyptic mood, and th
The Dove Flyer: A Novel
Eli Amir was 13 years old when his family left Baghdad for Israel in 1950. They spent their first seven years in Israel living in tents, and the trauma of that experience led him to devote his career to issues of immigrant absorption.
Jewish Living: A Guide to Contemporary Reform Practice (Revised Edition)
How does Reform Judaism deal with the emerging issues in bioethics? What are the requirements and rituals for conversion? Can same-sex marriages be performed by Reform rabbis? Who can play a role in a Reform congregation and in a Reform worship service?
Simon Wiesenthal: The Life and Legends
Within days of his liberation from Mauthausen, Simon Wiesenthal gathered the names of more than 150 Nazi criminals he knew must be brought to justice.