Jewish Book Month 2003/5764

NOTEWORTHY ADULT BOOKS

FICTION

Auerbach, John.  Tales of Grabowski: Transformations, Escapes and Other Stories. Toby Press, 2003.  Jewish David Gordon transforms himself completely into Polish Wladyslaw Grabowski and barely survives the final years of the Holocaust as a stoker in the German merchant marine.

Be’er, Haim.  The Pure Element of Time. Translated by Barbara Harshav.  Brandeis University Press, 2003. A fictionalized memoir of the childhood and literary development of one of Israel’s foremost talents.

Busch, Frederick.  A Memory of War.  Norton, 2003.Explores the crumbling life and psyche of Manhattan psychologist, Alexander Lescziak, the child of Polish refugees who escaped the Holocaust.

Cantor, Jay.  Great Neck.   Knopf, 2003.  Seen through the eyes of young Jewish teens growing up on Long Island during the tumultuous 60s, this novel overlaps the lessons of the Holocaust with the anti-war and civil rights movements. 

Epstein, Joseph.  Fabulous Small Jews.  Houghton Mifflin, 2003.  A collection of short stories that considers universal life experiences from a Jewish context via a unique wry perspective.

Epstein, Leslie.  San Remo Drive: A Novel from Memory.  Handsel Books, 2003. A talented but troubled Hollywood family is portrayed over the last half century in four linked stories and one novella.

King, Ruchama.  Seven Blessings.  St. Martin’s, 2003.  In this novel, set in modern Jerusalem, two ultra-Orthodox matchmakers try to find a husband for their 39-year-old independent American neighbor, and in the meantime bring changes to their own lives.

Liss, David.  The Coffee Trader.  Random House, 2003. Historical thriller set in 17th century Amsterdam. This well-researched study of deception and greed weaves and twists like a spider’s web as a Portuguese Jewish trader attempts to corner the coffee market.

Matalon, Ronit. Bliss. Translated by Jessica Cohen. Metropolitan Books, 2003. One of the protagonists sacrifices her own child’s welfare to care for a Palestinian girl hurt during an uprising.

Miller, Risa.  Welcome to Heavenly Heights.  St. Martin’s, 2003.  Follows several families who have left the comforts of suburbia and, clinging to their ideals, adjust to daily dangers and cultural differences in an Israeli West Bank settlement.

Murphy, Louise.  The True Story of Hansel and Gretel.  Penguin, 2003.  The classic fairy tale is transformed into a haunting novel of the Holocaust in which two children left in the woods by their parents are hidden from the Nazis by a “witch.” 

Sabato, Haim.  Adjusting Sights. Translated by Hillel Halkin. Toby Press, 2003.  Blends personal accounts of the Yom Kippur War with religious faith and the tragedies of war.  Winner of Israel’s prestigious Sapir Prize. 

Stollman, Aryeh Lev.  The Dialogues of Time and Entropy.  Riverhead, 2003.  Weaves together themes of religion, science and love, producing an emotional unity.

Zimler, Richard.  Hunting Midnight.  Delacorte, 2003.  A young man’s life is forever changed by his friendship with Midnight, a freed slave and healer, and the discovery that his father had committed an unthinkable act of treachery.

Zakrzewski, Paul, ed. Lost Tribe: Jewish Ficiton from the Edge. Perennial, 2003. Short stories and excerpts from some of today’s hottest writers.  

NONFICTION

Aizenberg, Edna.  Books and Bombs in Buenos Aires: Borges, Gerchunoff, and Argentine-Jewish Writing.  Brandeis University Press, 2002.

Biale, David, ed.  Cultures of the Jews: A New History. Schocken, 2002.  A collection of essays by prominent scholars from many fields that shows how Judaism was influenced by the historical period and place in which it existed.

Bingham, Emily.  Mordecai: An Early American Family.  Hill & Wang, 2003.  Thoroughly researched and documented story of three generations of a middle class Jewish family in the South during the 19th century.

Faderman, Lillian.  Naked in the Promised Land.  Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Illegitimate child and former stripper earns a Ph. D. and becomes a pioneering scholar in this amazing autobiography and documentary of lesbian life.

Ficowski, Jerzy.  Regions of the Great Heresy: Bruno Schulz, a Biographical Portrait.  Translated and edited by Theodosia Robertson.  Norton, 2003.  The author, a noted Polish poet and essayist, has spent 50 years pursing all traces of the literary genius lost to the Holocaust.

Firestone, Tirzah.  The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women’s Wisdom.  Harper SanFrancisco, 2003.

Fishkoff, Sue.  The Rebbe’s Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch.  Schocken, 2003.  This perceptive and easy-to-read examination focuses on Chabad’s outreach programs and the motivation of the emissaries who are trying to revitalize Judaism.

Gitelman, Zvi, ed.  The Emergence of Modern Jewish Politics: Bundism and Zionism in Eastern Europe. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003.

Goldman, Ari L.  Living a Year of Kaddish.  Schocken, 2003. While observing the ritual requirements following the death of his father, the author explores his relationships with both of his deceased parents.

Green, Arthur.  Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow.  Jewish Lights, 2003.  A contemporary exploration by one of the leading interpreters of Jewish mysticism.

Hoffman, Lawrence A.  The Journey Home: Discovering the Deep Spiritual Wisdom of Jewish Tradition. Beacon, 2003. An important book by a foremost scholar in the field.

Kaplan, Dana Evan.  American Reform Judaism: An Introduction.  Rutgers University Press, 2003.  A comprehensive and up-to-date examination.

Klinghoffer, David.  The Discovery of God: Abraham and the Birth of Monotheism.  Doubleday, 2003.  Commentaries on the topic from a wide variety of traditional and modern sources.

Koen-Sarano, Matilda, ed.  Folktales of Joha, Jewish Trickster.  Translated by David Herman; illustrated by Ezra Masch. The Jewish Publication Society, 2003.  A collection of brief tales about Joha, a character from Sephardic folklore who does foolish and amusing things.

Lee, Carol Ann.  The Hidden Life of Otto Frank. William Morrow, 2003. New documented information provides important clues to the question of who betrayed Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis.

Lev, Rachel.  Shine the Light:  Sexual Abuse and Healing in the Jewish Community. Northeastern University Press, 2003.

Rushkoff, Douglas.  Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism.   Crown, 2003. Contends that contemporary Jews are confronting challenging questions about the role that spirituality, religion and Judaism should play in their lives.

Shtaynbarg, Eliezer.  The Jewish Book of Fables: Selected Works. Translated and edited by Curt Leviant. Syracuse University Press, 2003.

Soltes, Ori Z.  Fixing the World: Jewish American Painters in the Twentieth Century. Brandeis University Press, 2003.  A visual record providing a feast for the eyes, by a former professor at Cleveland’s Siegal College of Judaic Studies.

Israel.  University of California Press, 2002.

VIDEOS

American Lives, Jewish Stories. JCC Association, 2000. 46 minutes.   Explores what being Jewish in America means to a group of teenagers in a camp setting, a twenty-something Jewish woman in love with a Catholic man, and a young woman returning to Judaism.  Each segment can stand alone for discussion purposes.

Behind the Hatred: Mortal Enemies.  Discovery Channel/Cambridge Education, 2002. 47 minutes. Is it possible for Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat to become partners in peace?  This documentary examines their lives and the experiences that have shaped each of them.

The First Israeli in Space: The Story of Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israel’s First Astronaut.  Israel Broadcasting Authority, 2003.  70 minutes.  Follows the footsteps of Ilan Ramon from the beginning of his training until his untimely death in the disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia.

Gaza (Israel & Palestine): Journeys to Heaven and Hell. Chip Taylor Communications, 2002. 25 minutes. A journalist enters Gaza to see first-hand why the Palestinian leadership cannot control the fanatics of Hamas, and to understand what propels ever-greater numbers of Palestinians towards suicide missions. 

The Highest Commandment. Jewish Theological Seminary, 2003. 60 minutes. In this documentary, some of today’s leading rabbis and educators comment on current efforts being made to create, support and advance Jewish learning through a wide range of programs. Included are profiles of several dynamic individuals who are exploring their Judaism in a variety of ways.

Israel in the Time of Terror. Seventh Art, 2003. 26 minutes.  Dennis Prager conducts heart-wrenching interviews with Israelis living through the pervasive terror of Israeli existence under attack.

The Pianist. Universal Studios, 2003. DVD, VHS. 2 1/2 hours.  An Academy award-winning feature film starring Adrian Brody, based on the wartime experiences of Polish pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman.

Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in Israel. HonestReporting, 2003. B&W.  60 minutes.  An uncompromising report on the Israeli – Palestinian situation and the efforts involved in finding a peaceful solution.

Tak for Alt: Survival of a Human Spirit.  Sirena Films, 2002. 60 minutes. The remarkable story of educator Judy Meisel, a Holocaust survivor whose experiences during and after World War II inspired a life-long campaign against bigotry, intolerance and racism in America. Teacher’s guide available.

NOTE: Ergo Media has a selection of recently released Hebrew language videos suitable for high school or ulpan use.  They are comprised of short trigger films on various subjects produced at the Ma’ale School in Jerusalem. 

WEBSITES

www.ellisisland.org  Search for immigration records of your grandmother, view the ship she traveled on, explore the immigration experience or just purchase memorabilia online.

www.nextbook.org   A new gateway to Jewish literature, culture and ideas with fresh links to stories and reviews each day.

http://jewishstudies.virtualave.net/index.shtml    Academic Jewish Studies Internet Directory which is the  gateway to 388 resources for the study of Judaism, including access to library catalogs and to databases like RAMBI - Index of Articles in Jewish Studies.

www.jewishinternetguide.com   Third edition of Diane Romm’s classic, Jewish Guide to the Internet, is now available in print and this electronic format. If you do not own the book, you can still check out the new material by clicking on “Sites by Subject” listed at the left or by using the search engine.

www.myjewishlearning.com   A site for learning about Judaism, content rich and pedagogically sound—to invite and facilitate engagement in ever-deeper levels of learning. For audiences of diverse backgrounds and learning objectives. The 2003 edition of the well-respected book: Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

Compiled by
Joanne Frey, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple
Lee Haas, Temple Emanu El
Merrily F. Hart, Aaron Garber Library, Siegal College of Judaic Studies
Marcia Klein, Beachwood Branch, Cuyahoga County Public Library
Eileen Kollins, Noble Elementary School Library
Jean Lettofsky, Aaron Garber Library, Siegal College of Judaic Studies
Nina Rosner, Beachwood Branch, Cuyahoga County Public Library
Bonnie Shapiro, Jewish Education Center of Cleveland
Maureen Weisblatt, University Heights Branch,Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library

Co-sponsored by
Association of Jewish Libraries Greater Cleveland Chapter 
Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library