A Horse Walks into a Bar
A snail is attacked by a couple of tortoises. When later questioned by the police, the bewildered mollusk replies, “It all happened so quickly.” Here’s another: There is this man whose parrot is excessively foul-mouthed.
Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution
In her graphic novel, Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution, Julia Alekseyeva uses grey scale watercolor to bring warmth and individuality to an often-harrowing tale of three generations of a Russian immigrant family.
A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion
Tom Segev’s voluminous biography, A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion, gives new meaning to the Latin phrase – carpe diem – seize the day. That is just what David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) did when he proclaimed the independence of the State of Israel in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948.
Pain: A Novel
In Pain (Other Press) gifted writer Zeruya Shalev explores human pain amid heightened emotional awareness as the protagonist Iris finds herself in a second-chance love affair in middle age.
Stories We Tell: Don't Apologize to Me, Apologize to Him
Stories We Tell: The Scholar and the Merchant
Stories We Tell: Whatever You Do, Don't Bite Off the Pitom
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - T’tzaveh: Protecting Our Planet and Other Sacred Spaces
In the opening of parashat T’tzaveh, the eternal light reminds us that as we construct our places of worship, we must honor our role as stewards of the earth, and offer a hospitality that allows all of us to participate with dignity. What makes our prayer spaces sacred?
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Ki Tisa: Are You My Idol?
If you think about idolatry in the Torah, you might think about Parashat Ki Tisa, where in their restlessness, the Israelites built a golden calf.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Vayak’heil-P’kudei: What Makes a Space Sacred?
In Parashat Vayak’heil-P’kudei, the Israelites build the tabernacle in the middle of the desert, and because it is built from their heart, with their hands, the presence of God comes to dwell in that space.