Jew Wishes…Peace and Tolerance

The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) has a current exhibit on display. “American Jewish Chaplains and the Survivors 1945-1953?, looks to be an excellent exhibit that is on display through January 4, 2009, at the Center for Jewish History.

There were 311 Rabbis selected for service during World War II. From burying the dead, comforting the wounded military, bringing food to Jewish personnel, to bringing prayer to Jewish military personnel, the Chaplains helped keep the spiritual faith of all troops strong, “without regard to race, ethnicity or religion”.

If you can’t physically make it to the AJHS’s “American Jewish Chaplains and Survivors 1945-1953? exhibit, you can view their online exhibit here. It is educational, and contains some excellent photographs.

For more information on visiting the AJHS and hours of operation, visit them, here.
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The Righteous - The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust is a compelling book by Martin Gilbert. His research took him over 25 years, and the individual stories, within the story, are an amazing testament to the personal acts of desire to save another.

Jewish tradition tells us that “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire world.” In The Righteous Along with the 32 pages of photographs and the 20 maps, Gilbert writes about hundreds, if not thousands, of non-Jews who helped to save Jews, some of them at the risk and cost of their own lives. Whether they saved one Jew, or helped one Jew, for one day, each person played a role in the scheme of things.

From married couples who took in children, caring for them as if they were their own; to the churches and the farmers in the countryside, each person mentioned in The Righteous has been honored as ” Righteous Among the Nations”, in Israel. Each person that Gilbert wrote about, did what they felt had to be done, and their actions were humane ones, and were not done for any monetary gain, or for praise.

An excerpt from The Righteous:

“What were the motives of those who tried to save Jews from deportation and death?” This question is raised with every account of rescue, as the reader, like the historian, wonders whether they would have behaved in such a courageous manner. First and foremost, the Righteous of this book chose to act; theirs was a deliberate decision to behave in a civilized, humane manner, rather than to do nothing, or to refuse to be involved, or to take the route of barbarism.”

This is a must read book, and one that has had a lasting effect on me. I personally own and have read The Righteous - The Unsung heroes of the Holocaust. Martin Gilbert should be applauded for his endeavors to bring these stories to the forefront, and for his avid and continuing research into the individuals and events of the Holocaust. I have the utmost admiration for him, and what he strived to do in order to document the history of not only the Holocaust atrocities, but also the goodness of the non-Jews, of humankind.
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

The Jewish High Holy days are a little over one month away. It is the ten day period beginning on Rosh Hashanah and ending on Yom Kippur. A time for reflection and repentance and going within, in order to soul-search, has already begun for many of us. Through that process, books can be a great spiritual and emotional comfort, and an educational aide. Books can help us to journey towards the road of forgiving others for acts directed at us, and can help others to forgive us for perceived acts against them, by us. Books are illuminating towards spiritual healing and reflection, during this time of year when we must go inward.

I am posting a list of books that I personally own, and find to be a great aide to help us on the journey, before the Jewish High Holy Days begin. I’ve also included other links in the list that I find invaluable.

The Book of Customs, by Scott-Martin Kosofsky is a must have.

Yom Kippur Readings: Inspiration, Information and Contemplation, by Dov Peretz Elkins

Days of Awe: A Treasury of Jewish Wisdom for Reflection, Repentance, and Renewal on the High Holy Days, by Shmuel Yosef Agnon

Rosh Hashanah Readings - Inspiration, Information, Contemplation, by Dov Peretz Elkins

Entering Jewish Prayer: A Guide to Personal Devotion and the Worship Service, by Reuven Hammer

Seyder Tkhines, by Devra Kay

Entering the High Holy Days - Complete Guide to History, Prayers, and Theme, by Reuven Hammer

A Guide to jewish Prayer, by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

Preparing Your Heart for the High Holy Days, by Kerry M. Olitzky

The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events, by Nina Beth Cardin

Kaddish, by Leon Wieseltier

Jewish Holiday Traditions, by Linda Burghardt

Some of my favorite cookbooks:

1000 Jewish Recipes, by Faye Levy

Healthy Jewish Cooking, by Steven Raichlen

Seasoned With Love, Treasures From the Breman

The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook, by Gloria Kaufer Greene

Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook, by Joan Nathan

The Book of Jewish Food - An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York, by Claudia Roden

This is an excellent link with a listing of Jewish books for children for the Autumn Holy Days.

High Holy Days on the Net website is an informative place to visit.

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Jew Wishes…Peace to All!

If you are a fan of Avner Gold, then you will be delighted to learn that “the long awaited continuation” of his historical novel series “Rauch Ami”, “The Long Road to Freedom“, has been published. As in previous books of the series, “The Long Road to Freedom” is a novel whose journey brings into focus the plight of European Jews during 17th century.

You can read an excerpt of “The Long Road to Freedom“, here. It is the “immediate sequel to “The Marrano Prince“, which was the eighth book in the “Rauch Ami” series.

The table of contents to “The Long Road to Freedom“” can be seen here.

The new release has been a long time in coming, and is an exciting event.
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.