Hitler’s True Believers: How Ordinary People Became Nazis
A widely believed myth is that Adolf Hitler was a unique personal aberration in history and his Nazi movement with its reign of terror was a one and done occurrence that lacked any real foundational ideology.
Stan Lee: A Life in Comics
Stan Lee: A Life in Comics (Yale Press) examines Lee’s work from a Jewish perspective.
Married to the Rabbi: Sixty Spouses of Retired Reform Rabbis in their Own Words
In 60 essays collected throughout a five-year period by the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis, rabbis’ spouses share memories and insights about their lives. The pieces vary in length, tone, and writing style, even including poetry – but all add to the fascinating discussion.
Exile Music
The story is narrated by Orly Zingel, who, at age 11, journeys with her parents from Vienna to Genoa to Chile and finally to La Paz, leaving behind her older brother, Willi.
Radiance: Creative Mitzvah Living
In his introduction to Radiance: Creative Mitzvah Living, Rabbi Neal Gold writes that Danny Siegel’s teachings have profoundly shaped American Jewry – and he’s right.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Three United Faiths, One Divine Presence - parashat Vayak’heil-P’kudei
In Vayak’heil-P’kudei, we see that God was so pleased with the Israelites’ sacred space (the Tabernacle) that God’s own presence descended upon them as they wandered through the desert.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Slowing Ourselves to Anger - parashat Ki Tisa
What is the Jewish approach to anger? How do we deal with it in a way that’s healthy? This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs explores Parashah Ki Tisa and explores God’s anger toward the Israelites for their idolatry as well as the impact that our own anger can have on ourselves.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Using Our Words to Heal, Not Hurt - Parashiyot Tazria and M’tzora
For many Jews, Parashiyot Tazria and M’tzora are perhaps the most nerve-inducing of all the Torah portions.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: Go Ahead, Be an Innovator - Parashat Sh'mini
Parashat Sh'mini tells of the deaths of two men who are though to have been punished for the sin was innovation - but today, don't we look at innovation as a positive thing?