Abstract: " In this award-winning memoir, a mixed-race Jewish woman recounts her journey from adoption and prejudice to helping the family that once shunned her. Marra B. Gad's biological parents were a black man and a white Jewish woman. In 1970, at three days old, she was adopted by a white Jewish family in Chicago. For them, it was love at first sight8212 but the world was not ready for a family like theirs. In black spaces, Marra was considered not black enough and encountered antisemitism. In Jewish spaces, she was mistaken for the help, asked to leave, or worse. She even faced racism within her own family. Marra's family cut ties with relatives who refused to accept her8212 including her once beloved and glamorous Great-Aunt Nette. But after fifteen years of estrangement, Marra discovered that Nette had Alzheimer's, and that she was the only one able to reunite Nette with her family. Instead of revenge, Marra chose love, and watched as the disease erased her aunt's racism, making space for a relationship that was never possible before. The Color of Love explores the idea of yerusha , which means inheritance in Yiddish. At turns heart-wrenching and heartwarming, this is a story about what you inherit from your family8212 identity, disease, melanin, hate, and most powerful of all, love. Winner of the 2020 Midwest Book Award in Autobiography/Memoir "

Abstract: Biographisches: " Marra B. Gad was born in New York and raised in Chicago. She is an independent film and television producer and now calls Los Angeles home. Ms. Gad is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a master's degree in modern Jewish history from Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University."

Abstract: " Named one of Library Journal &rsquo, Best Religion &amp,Spirituality Books of the Year An Unorthodox Guide to160 Everything 160 Jewish Deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent, this unputdownable encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew- ish covers culture, religion, history, habits, language, and more. Readers will refresh their knowledge of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the artistry of Barbra Streisand, the significance of the Oslo Accords, the meaning of words like balaboosta, balagan , bashert , and bageling . Understand all the major and minor holidays. Learn how the Jews invented Hollywood. Remind themselves why they need to read Hannah Arendt, watch Seinfeld , listen to Leonard Cohen. Even discover the secret of happiness (see &ldquo,atkes&rdquo,. Includes hundreds of photos, charts, infographics, and illustrations. It&rsquo, a lot."

Abstract: Biographisches: "〈DIV〉 Stephanie Butnick , Liel Leibovitz , and Mark Oppenheimer are the hosts of Unorthodox , the most popular Jewish podcast on iTunes.160" Rezension(2): "〈a href=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/ target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/libraryjournal_logo.png alt=Library Journal border=0 /〉〈/a〉: Starred review from October 1, 2019 This delightfully irreverent romp through Jewish history and culture is the outgrowth of Tablet magazine's podcast, Unorthodox , and considers itself the updated version of The Jewish Catalog (1973). As with Catalog , podcast hosts and coauthors Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer claim this chronicle is not a comprehensive or exhaustive survey of all things Jewish. To that end, the biblical hero Judah Maccabee is one kickass priest, Jewish Community Centers are places where Gentiles play racquetball, and Long Island is the other Promised Land. Culturally, the authors make a convincing argument for Jews as mediators of black music and even responsible for the beloved Christmas tunes White Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Bernie Madoff finds reference only under the generic moniker, shonde , or one who brings shame to the community, where he keeps company with Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner. On a more serious note in a compilation filled with humor, brevity is the signature mark of that which requires mention, but not glory--Adolf Hitler, Nazis, and Auschwitz's Arbeit Macht Frei (work sets you free) merit a single sentence each. VERDICT A welcome update on Jewish history and culture that is mostly just plain fun. --Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., PittsburghCopyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission. " Rezension(3): "〈a href=https://www.booklistonline.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/booklist_logo.png alt=Booklist border=0 /〉〈/a〉: November 15, 2019 The authors describe this new reference work as a guide to being Jewish,it explores Jewish life, culture, community, family, history, religious practice, and more. No dense, scholarly tome, this volume is pure fun, although serious topics are included. The book includes expected entries: kashrut introduces Jewish dietary laws,Rosh Hashanah describes the holiday, how it is observed, and the foods that are traditionally consumed as part of the celebration. At the other end of the spectrum are the entries Miami Beach (defined as the other other Promised Land) and yachting (no clue). The entry Chinese food and Jews is a must-read. While many entries discuss the importance of food in Jewish life, the lack of an entry for prune Danish is surprising. Biographical entries for important or famous Jews in the arts and other fields are selective: Barbra Streisand is included here but not Beverly Sills. Nonetheless, a reference work is rarely as readable as this one is. Informative and irreverent, welcoming and witty, it is enthusiastically recommended for large public libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.) "

Abstract: " A renowned political speechwriter rediscovers Judaism, finding timeless wisdom and spiritual connection in its age-old practices and traditions. &ldquo,arah Hurwitz was Michelle Obama&rsquo, head speechwriter, and with this book she becomes Judaism&rsquo, speechwriter.&rdquo,mdash,dam Grant,160 New York Times160 bestselling author of160 Give and Take,160 Originals, and co-author of Option B After a decade as a political speechwriter&mdash,erving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign&mdash,arah Hurwitz decided to apply her skills as a communicator to writing a book . about Judaism. And no one is more surprised than she is. Hurwitz was the quintessential lapsed Jew&mdash,ntil, at age thirty-six, after a tough breakup, she happened upon an advertisement for an introductory class on Judaism. She attended on a whim, but was blown away by what she found: beautiful rituals, helpful guidance on living an ethical life, conceptions of God beyond the judgy bearded man in the sky&mdash,one of which she had learned in Hebrew school or during the two synagogue services she grudgingly attended each year. That class led to a years-long journey during which Hurwitz visited the offices of rabbis, attended Jewish meditation retreats, sat at the Shabbat tables of Orthodox families, and read hundreds of books about Judaism&mdash,ll in dogged pursuit of answers to her biggest questions. What she found transformed her life, and she wondered: How could there be such a gap between the richness of what Judaism offers and the way so many Jews like her understand and experience it? Sarah Hurwitz is on a mission to close this gap by sharing the profound insights she discovered on everything from Jewish holidays, ethics, and prayer to Jewish conceptions of God, death, and social justice. In this entertaining and accessible book, she shows us why Judaism matters and how its message is more relevant than ever, and she inspires Jews to do the learning, questioning, and debating required to make this religion their own. &ldquo,earching for meaning in the ancient scripture and traditions of Judaism, Sarah Hurwitz takes us along on160 an enriching journey of discovery. In160 Here All Along, she explores her birthright as a Jew and finds160 timeless and valuable life lessons.&rdquo,mdash,avid Axelrod, director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and former senior advisor to President Barack Obama "

Abstract: Biographisches: "From 2009 to 2017, Sarah Hurwitz worked in the White House, serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama and as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama. Prior to working in government, Hurwitz was the chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 campaign for president and a speechwriter for Senator John Kerry and General Wesley Clark during the 2004 presidential election. Hurwitz is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School." Rezension(2): "〈a href=http://www.publishersweekly.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/pw_logo.png alt=Publisher's Weekly border=0 /〉〈/a〉: July 22, 2019 Hurwitz, a former speechwriter for Michelle Obama, debuts with an entertaining account of how she reengaged with Judaism during her adult life. Raised Jewish, Hurwitz lost her interest in faith during high school. But, at age 36, after dealing with a bad breakup and the stress of work, she began to rediscover Judaism’s allure, diving into the Torah and exploring different traditional practices. Hurwitz portrays Judaism as open to questioning and she recounts her own challenges with believing in God or an afterlife, as well as her struggle to make time for practices such as Sabbath observance. She also explains the traditions of Jewish sects through profiles of well-known rabbis (including an excellent reading of the poetry of Rabbi Menache Mendel of Kotzk). Though her primary audience is “lapsed Jews” like herself who are seeking to reestablish a connection to Jewish traditions, non-Jewish readers will also benefit from the wealth of wisdom Hurwitz provides: “I prefer to appreciate the transcendent and elevate it by calling it God rather than degrade it by defining it by its component parts or scientific basis.” Part memoir, part spiritual meditation, Hurwitz’s look into her Jewish roots will please any reader interested in the overlap of secular life and spiritual calling." Rezension(3): "〈a href=http://www.kirkusreviews.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/kirkus_logo.png alt=Kirkus border=0 /〉〈/a〉: August 15, 2019 One woman's rediscovery of her Jewish roots. Hurwitz, the former head speechwriter for Michelle Obama, describes her journey into Judaism and offers advice for those looking at exploring the faith. Having basically abandoned the practice of Judaism after her bat mitzvah, the author became curious about the faith again later in her adulthood, and her initial inquiries turned into a full-blown quest to understand the religion of her heritage. Though still an infrequent worshiper, Hurwitz has immersed herself in the study of Judaism and the practice of its ethics. In this debut book, she is essentially trying to write the book I wish I'd had five years ago, a basic guide to what Judaism stands for, how believers live out their faith, and what sets the Jewish religion apart. She concentrates primarily on how Jews live moral lives, as opposed to what Jews believe, which she feels is secondary. Her approach is thoroughly modern and questioning, and the author, though recognizing that some Jews take their faith literally, assumes that readers will not believe in every aspect of Jewish tradition or theology. In fact, she admits that in exploring her faith, she often feared being labeled a religious fanatic. In her recollection of a prayer exercise at a retreat, Hurwitz writes, you can take the girl out of Washington, D.C., but Washington, D.C., is still in there, reminding the girl of how weird she's going to look and asking her what the people around her will think. These worries about the opinions of her peers seem to stymie the author's own spiritual journey, a fact apparent in her text if not evident to her personally. Still, Hurwitz provides a good introduction to basic tenets of Judaism, and her book will resonate with other secular Jews looking to regain a sense of their Jewish heritage. A solid guide to Judaism for reluctant believers. COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. " Rezension(4): "〈a href=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/ target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/libraryjournal_logo.png alt=Library Journal border=0 /〉〈/a〉: September 1, 2019 As a child, former White House speechwriter Hurwitz perceived Judaism as something one did, not something one lived. The performative Judaism of her youth felt irrelevant, and she eventually distanced herself from its religious aspects, preferring to think of herself as an ethnic or cultural Jew. However, as an adult, Hurwitz rediscovered the faith and found it to be inclusive, dynamic, complex, flexible, and relevant in a way that was different from the religion of her youth. Here Hurwitz shares her spiritual journey, as well as those of religious thinkers, and investigates the traditions and histories that shaped her renewed relationship with Judaism. She relates some details about the history and customs of the religion but primarily focuses on what she believes it means to be Jewish in the 21st century and the ways in which her beliefs have made her life better and full of meaning. VERDICT Hurwitz identifies her audience as Jews who are seeking a reconnection with Judaism or people looking to convert, though readers who enjoy exploring spiritual memoirs and perspectives on religion from nonclergy will also find this to be an intriguing account. --Amanda Folk, Ohio State Univ. Libs., ColumbusCopyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission. " Rezension(5): "〈a href=https://www.booklistonline.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/booklist_logo.png alt=Booklist border=0 /〉〈/a〉: Starred review from September 15, 2019 Hurwitz, formerly the primary speechwriter for Michelle Obama (she's also written for President Obama and Hillary Clinton), is now writing a more personal story: her spiritual journey back to Judaism. Not that she ever left, exactly, but many American Jews will nod and sigh as she recalls enduring boring Hebrew school classes, attending High Holy Days services she can't follow or care much about, and trying to ignore the growing spiritual hole in a heart that is waiting to be filled with?something. Feeling their own religion doesn't have much to offer, many Jews turn to other spiritual practices, which they often incorporate into their culturally Jewish lives. In language that is fresh, down to earth, and meaningful, Hurwitz shows readers what they've been missing. In the process, she discusses how she came back to Judaism, beginning at an unplanned Jewish retreat that led her to learn more, study more, and practice more, with one result being this book. Never shying away from the difficult parts of Judaism (What's with that vengeful God? Why should a day of rest be such hard work?), and her own struggles, she walks readers through the Bible and other holy books, as well as the various services, prayer, the idea of mitzvot (doing good), and the Jewish holidays. Even though she writes with a light touch, there is incredible depth here, and seekers will find something to think about on every page. Hurwitz herself has done a mitzvah by offering this rich discourse in such a useful and inspiring way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.) "

Abstract: " A memoir of a year spent in the Old City in the heart of today's Jerusalem...a quirky, novelistic tour. 8212 Kirkus Reviews On a night in 1999 when Sarah Tuttle-Singer was barely eighteen, she was stoned by Palestinian kids just outside one of the gates to the Old City of Jerusalem. In the years that followed, she was terrified to explore the ancient city she so loved. But, sick of living in fear, she has now chosen to live within the Old City's walls, living in each of the four quarters: Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish. Jerusalem's Old City is the hottest piece of spiritual real estate in the world. For millennia empires have clashed and crumbled over this place. Today, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians plays out daily in her streets, and the ancient stones run with blood. But it's also an ordinary city, where people buy vegetables and soothe colicky babies, where pipes break, where the pious get high, and young couples sneak away to kiss in the shadows. Sarah has thrown herself into the maelstrom of living in each quarter8212 where time is measured in Sabbath sunsets and morning bells and calls to prayer, in stabbing attacks and checkpoints8212 keeping the holidays in each quarter, buying bread from the same bread seller, making friends with people who were once her enemies, and learning some of the secrets and sharing the stories that make Jerusalem so special, and so exquisitely ordinary. Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered is a book for anyone who's wondered who really lives in Israel, and how they coexist. It's a book that skillfully weaves the personal and political, the heartwarming and the heart-stopping. It's a book that only Sarah Tuttle-Singer can write. The Old City of Jerusalem may be set in stone, but it's always changing8212 and these pages capture that."

Abstract: Biographisches: "Sarah Tuttle-Singer is a widely-read writer for Time, Kveller, and Times of Israel and the new media editor at Times of Israel, the largest online newspaper covering the Jewish world. She is an LA expat currently growing roots in Israel, where she lives with her two children. She speaks internationally and recently received a prestigious ROI fellowship grant from the Schusterman Foundation. She lives in Jerusalem, Israel." Rezension(2): "〈a href=http://www.kirkusreviews.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/kirkus_logo.png alt=Kirkus border=0 /〉〈/a〉: April 15, 2018 A memoir of a year spent in the Old City in the heart of today's Jerusalem.Tuttle-Singer, the new media editor at the Times of Israel, was enraptured with life in Jerusalem ever since her first youthful visit, and she remains in love with the Holy Land as a grown-up Israeli now living again in the ancient city. During the year she chronicles, the author lived part of each week on a communal moshav with her two young children. The rest of the week, she lived in the various quarters of the Old City, where the disparate Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures are encapsulated in one small spot on a map. On the days I'm not with my kids, she writes, I'm in the Old City, because it's one thing to understand this place through the thoroughfares, and it's quite another to go behind the walls and see what's hidden, what doesn't meet the eye. Tuttle-Singer enjoyed views from the city's rooftops, watched Arab elders play backgammon, and danced with bar mitzvah celebrants. She delighted in such things as the amazing chicken-and-rice dish called maklouba and the wide variety of odors wafting through the city. She was friendly with merchants and became a confidante of many candid residents of the walled district. It wasn't all charm and understanding, though. There were the nervous young soldiers carrying rifles and demonstrators throwing rocks. When she was 18, the author was stoned by Palestinian kids. During her youth in Los Angeles, she lost her mother, who now haunts her daughter's impassioned memoir, which tends toward the operatic. Certain descriptive passages of the sounds and sights may be a bit rich for some readers, but Tuttle-Singer's approachable personality will prevail for a good many more.A quirky, novelistic tour as much about the author as Jerusalem. COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "

Abstract: " Food and cooking is at the heart of Jewish life. During their 2000 years of exile, Jews migrated across the world taking their culinary heritage and traditions with them. Acclaimed food writer Paola Gavin takes the reader on a culinary journey through more than twenty countries from Morocco to India uncovering a myriad traditional vegetarian dishes that play such an important part in Jewish cooking. Through 150 recipes Paola leads us from North Africa to Italy, Lithuania, Turkey, Georgia and beyond, examining the subtle differences and genesis of the dishes of these regions. With lavish, colourful food photography and a meticulously researched narrative, Hazana is a classic in cookbook writing."

Abstract: " In the tradition of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs and Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler comes Abigail Pogrebin's My Jewish Year, a lively chronicle of the author's journey into the spiritual heart of Judaism. Although she grew up following some holiday rituals, Pogrebin realized how little she knew about their foundational purpose and contemporary relevance,she wanted to understand what had kept these holidays alive and vibrant, some for thousands of years. Her curiosity led her to embark on an entire year of intensive research, observation, and writing about the milestones on the religious calendar. Whether in search of a roadmap for Jewish life or a challenging probe into the architecture of Jewish tradition, readers will be captivated, educated and inspired by Abigail Pogrebin's My Jewish Year."

Abstract: Rezension(1): "〈a href=http://www.publishersweekly.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/pw_logo.png alt=Publisher's Weekly border=0 /〉〈/a〉: January 9, 2017 Can a 50-something neophyte glean meaning about herself and the world from observing all 18 annual Jewish holidays in a year of personal exploration? Pogrebin (Stars of David) provides a vigorous and moving affirmative answer in this insightful, clever, funny, and compulsively readable volume that will lead newcomers to seek out her other writings. Having grown up with her Jewish identity “a given, not a pursuit,” Pogrebin believed that there was more to “feel than I’d felt, more to understand than I knew.” She is guided by an eclectic group of teachers, including rabbis from all modern denominations, who provide different lenses through which to view ancient, and sometimes obscure, holidays as relevant today. Her exploration begins with Elul, the Hebrew month that precedes the Jewish New Year, that provides an opportunity to gear up for that holy day with daily self-examinations,typically, her account of trying to learn how to blow a shofar every morning, and integrate her experiment in observance with her family routine, is both humorous and inspiring. Even knowledgeable Jews will find wisdom and new perspectives in these pages. " Rezension(2): "〈a href=http://www.kirkusreviews.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/kirkus_logo.png alt=Kirkus border=0 /〉〈/a〉: February 1, 2017 A Jewish writer takes an educational journey through the feasts and fasts of the religious calendar.Former 60 Minutes producer Pogrebin (One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I've Learned About Everyone's Struggle to Be Singular, 2009, etc.) embarked on a rigorous program celebrating, for a full year, the grave holy days and happy holidays her faith prescribes, even those that eschew electronic devices. Living a year by the prayer book, she found personal possibilities and universal implications, beginning her year of learning one autumn with the theological New Year. That was quickly followed by a fast day recognized only by the most observant. Then came a solemn Yom Kippur, a major fast day and the most serious day of reckoning. The author also chronicles days appealing to the senses, days celebrating the reception of the Holy Law, and more minor fasting days. There's a proto-Earth day and a day for masquerading to commemorate an escape from annihilation. For Passover, the author attended a feminist observance. The most important holiday comes not annually but weekly: the day of rest when all manner of work and all mundane concerns are set aside. Regarding the ancient holidays, there are reorchestrated and new ones to commemorate the establishment of the state of Israel, its lost defenders, and the Holocaust. For the book, Pogrebin, a bit of a religious tourist, traveled to various synagogues and consulted scores of rabbis and scholars--though none in the Orthodox right wing of Judaism. She offers homilies, elaborate similes, and other illustrative figures of speech that will engage like-minded readers. The text, however, won't enjoy ready acceptance with those who do not find room in the tradition for touchy-feely sentiments, such as mindful walking or mindful sweating. The graceful value of Pogrebin's tract is the deep faith and rich vitality evident in her up-close and personal Jewish year. A sentimental journey through Judaic practice and thought. COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. " Rezension(3): "〈a href=https://www.booklistonline.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/booklist_logo.png alt=Booklist border=0 /〉〈/a〉: February 1, 2017 Recent years have seen a number of books published in which an author commits to following the oft-neglected tenets of a religionthink A. J. Jacob's The Year of Living Biblically (2007) or Rachel Held Evans' A Year of Biblical Womanhood (2012). Here, putting her own spin on this formula, Pogrebin charts her own successful and illuminating course through a year of Jewish holidays. This personal but also thoroughly researched book chronicles a year of celebrating 18 Jewish holidays deeply and committedly. Each chapter not only features background information about the holiday and conversations with experts but also the author's sometimes funny and sometimes poignant attempts to do them well. The book is a frank reckoning with the author's own heart, but it's also about the myriad ways Jews relate to each other. Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike will appreciate this thoughtful and intimate journey through a very Jewish year.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.) "

Abstract: " Examining a series of El Niño-induced droughts and the famines that they spawned around the globe in the last third of the 19th century, Mike Davis discloses the intimate, baleful relationship between imperial arrogance and natural incident that combined to produce some of the worst tragedies in human history."

Abstract: "If you are a bystander and witness a crime, should intervention to prevent that crime be a legal obligation? Or is moral responsibility enough? In The Crime of Complicity, Amos N. Guiora addresses these profoundly important questions and the bystander-victim relationship from a deeply personal and legal perspective, focusing on the Holocaust and then exploring cases in contemporary society. Sharing the experiences of his parents, who were Holocaust survivors, and his grandparents, who did not survive, and drawing on a wide range of historical material and interviews, Guiora examines the bystander during three distinct events: death marches, the German occupation of Holland, and the German occupation of Hungary. He explains that while the Third Reich created policy, its implementation was dependent on bystander non-intervention. Bringing the issue of intervention into current perspective, he examines sexual assault cases at Vanderbilt and Stanford Universities, as well as other crimes where bystanders chose whether or not to intervene, and the resulting consequences. After examining the intensely personal example of his own parents' survival of the Holocaust, Guiora asserts that a society cannot rely on morals and compassion alone in determining our obligation to help another in danger. It is ultimately, he concludes, a legal issue. Should we make the obligation to intervene the law, and thus non-intervention a crime?"

Abstract: Rezension(1): "Amos N. Guiora is Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, the University of Utah and Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) in the Israel Defense Force. He is actively involved in the effort to legislate Holocaust-Genocide education in Utah public schools. He is the author of several books, including Freedom from Religion: Rights and National Security (2009) and Tolerating Intolerance: The Price of Protecting Extremism (2014)."

Abstract: Figure 9.21 -- Part 3 - Documents -- Document 1 -- Document 2 -- Document 3 -- Document 4 -- Document 5 -- Document 6 -- Document 7 -- Document 8 -- Document 9 -- Document 10 -- Document 11 -- Document 12 -- Document 13 -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2 -- Appendix 3 -- Index

Abstract: " A fascinating and enlightening collection of comics and writings that explore the Yiddish language and the Jewish experience ( The Miami Herald ). We hear words like  nosh ,  schlep , and  schmutz , but how did they come to pepper American English? In  Yiddishkeit , Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle trace the far-reaching influences of Yiddish from medieval Europe to the tenements of New York's Lower East Side. This comics anthology contains original stories by such notable writers and artists as Barry Deutsch, Peter Kuper, Spain Rodriguez, and Sharon Rudahl. Through illustrations, comics art, and a full-length play, four major themes are explored: culture, performance, assimilation, and the revival of the language. The book is about what Neal Gabler in his introduction labels 'Jewish sensibility.'...he writes: 'You really can't define Yiddishkeit neatly in words or pictures. You sort of have to feel it by wading into it.' The book does this with gusto. 8212 The New York Times As colorful, bawdy, and charming as the culture it seeks to represent. 8212 Print  magazine Brimming with the charm and flavor of its subject...a genuinely compelling, scholarly comics experience. 8212 Publishers Weekly A book that truly informs about Jewish culture and, in the process, challenges readers to pick apart their own vocabulary. 8212 Chicago Tribune A postvernacular tour de force. 8212 The Forward With a loving eye Pekar and Buhle extract moments and personalities from Yiddish history. 8212 Hadassah Gorgeous comix-style portraits of Yiddish writers.8211 8211 Tablet   Yiddishkeit has managed to survive, if just barely...because [it] is an essential part of both the Jewish and the human experience. 8212 Neal Gabler, author of  An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood , from his introduction A scrumptious smorgasbord of comics, essays, and illustrations...concentrated tastes, with historical context, of Yiddish theater, literature, characters and culture. 8212 Heeb  magazine"

Abstract: Biographisches: "Paul Buhle, retired from Brown University, has written and edited 42 books, including the award-winning Art of Harvey Kurtzman, Jews and American Comics, and the three-volume Jews and American Popular Culture. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Harvey Pekar (19398211" Rezension(2): "〈a href=http://www.publishersweekly.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/pw_logo.png alt=Publisher's Weekly border=0 /〉〈/a〉: September 12, 2011 The term “Yiddishkeit” is open to several interpretations, including “Yiddish culture” and “Yiddish sensibility,” but the concept is too expansive to be fully conveyed with a mere word. The same can be said of this book itself, which is a fascinating and dense examination—mostly in comics format—of Yiddish as a language and culture and how it became inextricably woven into the tapestry of America when it arrived with Jewish immigrants. While it’s impossible to fully explore the breadth and depth of Yiddish literature, performing arts, humor, and its key creators within the confines of a 240-page book, the contributors succeed in providing the very detailed basics in a visually engaging manner, with much of its written content being the final work of the late indie comics scribe Pekar, himself the scion of a Yiddish-speaking household. The art is provided by a number of notables, including Spain Rodriguez, Peter Kuper, and Sharon Rudahl, every bit of it brimming with the charm and flavor of its subject and seamlessly meshing with the text to create a genuinely compelling, scholarly comics experience. " Rezension(3): "〈a href=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/ target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/libraryjournal_logo.png alt=Library Journal border=0 /〉〈/a〉: November 15, 2011 Yiddish is a Germanic language with infusions from other tongues and written in the Hebrew alphabet. As Jewish culture grew in Europe, a Yiddish literary tradition developed that immigrants brought to the United States. This anthology dramatizes in comics and occasional prose pieces this tradition on both continents: historical overviews broad and narrow, cameos by writers, anecdotes about events and noteworthy figures, and several memoirs. The variety results in lively if sometimes maddeningly brief reading. Sholem Aleichem meets Mark Twain,Paul Robeson sings Yiddish in Russia. We meet Zero Mostel, actress/yenta extraordinaire Molly Picone, MAD cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman, and the Noah-like Aaron Lansky who rescued over a million discarded Yiddish books to found the National Yiddish Book Center. We glimpse the wildly successful Yiddish film Grine Felder (Green Fields) and compare cantors Al Jolson with Moishe Oysher. VERDICT Not a reference or a language textbook, Yiddishkeit works best as a semischolarly introduction to a sprawling yet dense tangle of personalities that should intrigue high schoolers and adults. Serious students can dig further via the bibliography. The art (some color) is lively and compelling, and the publisher notes this is the late Pekar's final fully realized work. --M.C.Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission. " Rezension(4): "〈a href=https://www.booklistonline.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/booklist_logo.png alt=Booklist border=0 /〉〈/a〉: November 15, 2011 The last project neorealist comics creator Pekar completed before his death, in 2010, is a lively museum-in-a-book about Yiddishkeit, the popular culture birthed by Yiddish, the German-Hebrew hybrid that was the lingua franca of East European Jewry. Four big chapters focus, respectively, on literature, drama on stage and screen, Yiddish-indebted American popular culture, and the recent Yiddish cultural revival in America. The contents include single-page biographical sketches, longer real-life and fictional stories, old and new prose-only pieces, and a documentary play on Yiddish theater. As Pekar and coeditor Buhle present it, Yiddishkeit from the beginning was, though steeped in nostalgia, politically radical. Hence, its leading lights were often firebrands of the labor movement and the Left generally, and many fell afoul of HUAC and entertainment-industry blacklists after WWII (those who weren't and didn't, like Irving Berlin, are completely omitted). Despite some inaccuracies by the writers and some failed caricatures by the artists, the volume looks very spiffy, thanks to art-book publisher Abrams and the illustrators' different styles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.) "

Abstract: " More than half a century before the mass executions of the Holocaust, Germany devastated the peoples of southwestern Africa. While colonialism might seem marginal to German history, new scholarship compares these acts to Nazi practices on the Eastern and Western fronts. With some of the most important essays from the past five years exploring the continuity thesis, this anthology debates the links between German colonialist activities and the behavior of Germany during World War II. Some contributors argue the country's domination of southwestern Africa gave rise to perceptions of racial difference and superiority at home, building upon a nascent nationalism that blossomed into National Socialism and the Holocaust. Others remain skeptical and challenge the continuity thesis. The contributors also examine Germany's colonial past with debates over the country's identity and history and compare its colonial crimes with other European ventures. Other issues explored include the denial or marginalization of German genocide and the place of colonialism and the Holocaust within German and Israeli postwar relations."