Reviews (5)

A Fascinating and Well-Documented History
It took the government of Israel nearly three decades to take significant steps to bring the Jews of Ethiopia to Israel, as Mitchell G. Bard of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise wrote, but when it did finally make a commitment to do so in the late 1970s, it carried out daring and dramatic operations. The story of Operation Solomon--how Israel evacuated more than 14,000 Jews in less than thirty-six hours--is the subject of Spector's fascinating and well-documented history.
A great book about a great event in Jewish history
Over 14,000 black Ethiopian Jews were airlifted from Addis Ababa to Israel within a day and a half in 1991.It is an outstanding event in Jewish history, an outstanding achievement for Israel and its helpers among the Jews of the world.
A powerful and inspirational account of some recent history
Israel has been making good on its task of being a refuge for Jews.In the decade prior to 1948, hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of Jewish lives would have been saved had Israel existed.They would have moved to Israel much as Jews actually did in 1948 and the next few years.In those days, Jews reached Israel from Europe, Yemen and elsewhere.But not too many showed up from Ethiopia.And this book begins by explaining why.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Africa - East    3. Africa - East - Ethiopia    4. Ethiopia    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Jewish - General    9. Jews    10. Judaism - History    11. Middle East - Israel    12. Operation Solomon, 1991    13. African history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. History / Israel    15. Jewish studies    16. Religion & Theology | Judaism    17. c 1980 to c 1990   

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    3. Bible.    4. Criticism, Narrative    5. Interior Design - General    6. Jonah    7. Judaism - History    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Religion    11. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    12. Religion & Beliefs    13. Religion: general   

Reviews (1)

wow
the best and most poinant book i have ever read. ever jew should own it, and everyone else too ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Femininity of God    2. Holocaust    3. Holocaust (Jewish theology)    4. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    5. Jewish women in the Holocaust    6. Judaism - History    7. Judaism - Theology    8. Modern - 20th Century    9. Presence of God    10. Religion    11. Religion - Judaism    12. Spirituality - Women's    13. Women's Studies - General    14. Europe    15. European history: Second World War    16. Feminism    17. Judaism    18. Religion / Judaism / History    19. Social history    20. The Holocaust    21. Theology   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    4. History    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jewish Christians    8. Jews    9. Judaism    10. Relations    11. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    12. Russkaia pravoslavnaia t    13. Russkaëiìa pravoslavnaëiìa ëtìserkov§    14. Soviet Union    15. Christian conversion    16. European history: from c 1900 -    17. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    18. Orthodox Churches    19. Religion / Judaism / History    20. Russia   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History Of Judaism    4. Interior Design - General    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - History    7. Religion    8. World - General    9. Judaism    10. Theology   

Reviews (1)

astonishing conclusions with wide impact to come
Sperling's new book is certain to have a powerful impact both on Jewish and Christian society, a good impact, but a deeply radical one.No Moses?No Egyptian enslavement?No Abraham?No Exodus?It's all allegory?Once the theory is explained, it becomes painfully evident: the beautiful purposes of the writers of the Torah were to form the hearts and minds of the Jewish people into a community that believed in itself, believed in its God, and took on a mission to become "a light to the Gentiles" as well as a spiritually empowered nation.The Torah seems to have been just an invention, but an inspired one at that: a god who spoke up for the oppressed, a god who would never abandon you (provided you never lose faith), and a religion with promise of blessings for all the world.This is what the author has convincingly given us, and the effect of widespread discovery of this information will make us all more authentically religious but released from the boxes of belief that is Judaism and Christianity.We can at last join the rest of the world in its awe-filled and necessarily mysterious life, living in the only kind of spirituality that is possible now: an open-minded, open-hearted acceptance of the way things are, ready with Job to cover our mouths with our hands, ready with Jesus to hope for an eternal life somehow or other. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - Old Testament    2. Judaism - General    3. Judaism - History    4. Judaism - Sacred Writings    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Spirituality - General    8. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    9. Criticism & exegesis of sacred texts    10. Judaism    11. Religion / Judaism / Sacred Writings    12. TORAH SCROLLS   

Reviews (4)

Recommendation of Liberal Nationalism in Israel
Joseph Agassi is a thoughtful philosopher, whose recent book, Liberal Nationalism in Israel, presents a profound analysis of national identity, political processes, and the relation between religion and the state. Hemakes a passionate plea for the separation of religion from government inIsrael, arguing that the result will be greater security for the nation, amore open political life, and a healthier religious life. It should be readby every one concerned with fundamental questions in political philosophyand with the special case of Israeli society.

Recommendation of Liberal Nationalism in Israel
Joseph Agassi is a thoughtful philosopher, whose recent book, Liberal Nationalism in Israel, presents a profound analysis of national identity, political processes, and the relation between religion and the state. Hemakes a passionate plea for the separation of religion from government inIsrael, arguing that the result will be greater security for the nation, amore open political life, and a healthier religious life. It should be readby every one concerned with fundamental questions in political philosophyand with the special case of Israeli society.

Israeli National Identity:A Dilemma
This is a brilliant book by a leading Israeli public intellectual on the vexing question of Israeli national identity and the relationship between church and state, religion and nation in Israel.Agassi provides a briefsynopsis of the history of nationalism and Zionism from the perspective of"liberal nationalism" and develops a program for radical revisionof Zionist goals and Israel's "constitution" in light ofprogressive enlightenment ideals.He demonstrates that"normalization" in accordance with the Western model ofnation-state would have beneficial effects for Israel, the Jewish Diaspora,and the Palestinians.When the book first appeared in 1983 in Hebrew, itevoked a lively discussion, but few were willing to consider seriouslyAgassi's vision of a secular Israeli identity.Since then a second editionhas been published, and the number of Israelis willing to follow the book'sinexorable logic is constantly on the rise.An excellent translation andwonderful design enhance the pleasure of reading.A must read for anyonewishing to understand Israel's abiding dilemma. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History & Theory - General    3. History Of Zionist Movement    4. History: World    5. Identity    6. Israel    7. Jewish - General    8. Jews    9. Judaism - History    10. Middle East - Israel    11. Politics - Current Events    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Religion and state    14. Zionism    15. Nationalism   

Subjects:  1. Apocryphal books    2. Bible - Apocrypha    3. Bibles    4. Christian literature, Early    5. Criticism, interpretation, etc    6. Dead Sea scrolls    7. History and criticism    8. Interior Design - General    9. Judaism - History    10. Literary Criticism    11. Religion   

Subjects:  1. Bible - Stories - Old Testament    2. Bible - Study - Old Testament    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - General    5. Judaism - History    6. Judaism - Sacred Writings    7. Old Testament    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Jewish studies    11. Myths & mythology    12. Science / Environmental Science   

Reviews (2)

Outstanding retelling of modern Jewish history
Rabbi Wein is one of the great teachers of Judaism living today. He is unique in his deep interest in and understanding of Jewish history. In this monumental work he surveys Jewish history from 1650 to 1990. Much of his focus is on Jewish religious life, and the story of the greats of Torah through the generations. He writes with clarity and with a deep faith in Hashgachah G-d's Providential Guidance of Jewish history. His understanding of the significance of the Jewish return to the land of Israel is also profound.
Great history
It is a dramatic, but truthful history. Makes you proud of being Jewish, without pulling punches. I definitely recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History - General History    2. History: World    3. Jewish - General    4. Judaism - History   

Reviews (8)

Interesting review of the New Testament by a Jewish author
First, let me state that I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Galambush and I find her to be delightful with an intelligent yet approachable personality.This comes through clearly in her writing.Her scolarship is outstanding, but she is not pedantic.
Oddly out of it
The author says the book is for Jewish readership, but I can’t imagine why anyone Jewish or otherwise would be much interested in it.It’s not based on historical or biblical scholarship, but more like a long sermon in conjunction with a retelling of the books of New Testament (I guess for people who don’t want to read them for themselves.)No footnotes or endnotes, (only references to Scripture) so no sources for her information or explanation of conclusions. She seems completely oblivious to the tremendous amount of scholarship and research done in this area over the last decade. There’s no reason to believe she’s ever heard of Earl Doherty, Alvar Elleg?rd, Richard Carrier or several hundred other scholars who have published on this topic. Two major sects, the Essenes and Gnostics are each mentioned exactly once (pages 10 and 275 respectively.) This is like describing events leading up to the world wars and overlooking Germany and England. No mention of Tacitus, one of Pliny (she means The Younger, but may not know there were two.) one of Suetonius (p.185.) Josephus who wrote a 21-volume history of the Jews gets only four mentions, while G.W. Bowersock, the modern historian of late antiquity, gets none. The author doesn’t appear to be especially knowledgeable or have any real sense for the age, but apparently felt a need to write about it. I admit the one-star is harsh, but the book both misleads the reader and pretends to an authority it simply doesn’t have.
Interesting and Informative
According to the author "The Reluctant Parting seeks to reconstruct the ways in which the early Christians saw themselves and their movement in relation to the rest of the Jewish world (p. xx)." This objective Galambush achieves, largely through an excellent first chapter that traces the subtle transition from Jewish to Jesus/Jewish to Jesus/Jewish/Christian to Christian and the many permutations thereof.
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Commentaries - New Testament    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - New Testament    3. Bible.    4. Criticism    5. Criticism, interpretation, etc    6. Judaism (Christian theology)    7. Judaism - History    8. Judaism And Christianity    9. N.T.    10. New Testament Commentary    11. Religion    12. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    13. Religion / Bible / Criticism, Interpretation / New Testament   

Reviews (4)

A short scholarly introduction to 'Kabbalah'
Joseph Dan is one of the world's great academic experts on 'Kabbalah'. As he explains in the opening of the book , the word 'Kabbalah' has many meanings in everyday life. It can mean ' the reception' of a hotel, or a 'receipt' for a bill paid. But its meaning in religious terms is 'the reception of religious teaching' of the Torah in its entirety, including the Oral Torah, the Mishna, Gemara and also subsequent mystical texts such as 'The Zohar' and 'The Bahir.'
Excellent;concise, yet covers a lot of ground.
This is perhaps the best short introduction to the Kabbalah that I've seen.Unlike many popular introductions to the subject, this book does not pretend to make you a Kabbalist or teach you supposedly Kabbalistic techniques and practices.And, unlike many scholarly treatises, it gets right to the point and makes the subject accessible to the average reader.
Good, concise, informative introduction
Years ago when I tried to find information on Kabala I was met with mostly blank stares. The times have certainly changed and I wouldn't be surprised to see a Kabala commercial for Coke. In this concise introduction Grimes argues that the Kabala has represented so many things throughout history that it's hard to think of it as a single concept.
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Subjects:  1. Cabala    2. Judaism - History    3. Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism    4. Judaism - Sacred Writings    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Judaism    8. Mysticism    9. Religion & Theology | Judaism    10. Religion / Judaism / Kabbalah & Mysticism   

Reviews (1)

My father....
is great. If you even found this web page, you're either a member of my family or you're obviously interested in this kind of material. Please buy his book. (So he can buy more Gilbert and Sullivan memorabilia on EBay)Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Study - General    3. Bible - Study - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Criticism, interpretation, etc    6. History    7. Interior Design - General    8. Jews    9. Josiah,    10. Judaism - History    11. King of Judah    12. Kings, 2nd, XXIII, 4-20    13. O.T    14. O.T.    15. Religion    16. Religion - Biblical Studies    17. To 586 B.C    18. Old Testament   

Subjects:  1. Dead Sea Scrolls    2. Interior Design - General    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - History    5. Judaism - Sacred Writings    6. Qumran community    7. Religion    8. Religion - Judaism    9. Religious aspects    10. Wealth    11. Early Church   

Subjects:  1. Balkan Peninsula    2. Civilization    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jews    8. Judaism    9. Judaism - History    10. Religion - Judaism    11. Sephardim    12. Ethnography    13. History / Jewish    14. Religion / Judaism / History   

Reviews (8)

A deep and important book
It's among the 10 books that most affected my life and my thinking. Holocaust Couldn't Have Happened if Not for 2000 Yrs of Hate
Professor Nicholls' detailed work traces the theological and historical development of Christianity over the last 2000 yrs. The former Anglican minister begins with Jesus' life, living as an observant Jew.The book continues with the Early Believers (not yet termed 'Christians'), into the 2nd Century when the movement ceased being a Jewish movement at all, and traces every era to modern times. A milestone in Jewish-Christian relations
Despite a somewhat inflammatory title, this volume is an extremely well-researched and thorough examination of the history of Christian attitudes toward Judaism and Jews.Read more

Subjects:  1. Judaism - History    2. Religion    3. Religion - Judaism    4. Christian theology    5. Jewish studies    6. The Holocaust   

Reviews (2)

Update of a basic work on the Prophets
Blenkinsopp's book is a classical introduction to the prophetic books of the Old Testament. This revised and enlarged edition keeps available an important work on the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. He leans heavily upon source analysis, especially P and D/Dtr, for his understanding of the development of the prophets. For Blenkinsopp critical scholarship is "unanimous" about the late authorship and collection of Deuteronomy, 116. There is less emphasis in the book on the original prophet or logia and more on what is from the Deuteronomic editors. Blenkinsopp still sees the prophets as real historical figures although well hidden by a later developed literature.The location of any unit as from the original prophet is then a product of scholarly argumentation.
Critical introduction to OT prophecy from a leading scholar
Measured by his own narrow objectives and admitted limitations the book of the author is a success. The entire time span of prophecy is covered in one book and he develops convincing arguments for a tradition of prophecy in Israel. Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Study - General    3. Bible.    4. History    5. Judaism - History    6. O.T    7. O.T.    8. Old Testament Commentary    9. Prophecies    10. Prophets    11. Religion    12. Religion - Biblical Studies    13. History of religion    14. Israel    15. Judaism   

Reviews (3)

Don't go to shul without it!
Whether you are a Jew-from-birth who wants to deepen your experience of the High Holy Days or a convert going through the Days of Awe for the first time, or a interested bystander who wants to know more of what the holiest days of the year are all about, Reuven Hammer's Entering the High Holy Days is an excellent resource.
A useful guide written with a contemporary audience firmly in mind
Now in a new paperback edition, Entering The High Holy Days: A Complete Guide To The History, Prayers, And Themes is a classic guide to Jewish religious holidays. Written by Reuven Hammer, head of the Rabbinical Court of the Masorti Movement, Entering The High Holy Days has earned the National Jewish Book Award for its scholarly yet straightforward presentation of the liturgy, necessary preparations, ceremonies, historical background and more as connected to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur especially. A useful guide written with a contemporary audience firmly in mind.
Understanding Prayer
This is an excellent book explaining the context of the High Holidays. The thinking worshiper will certainly benefit from reading and studying this small volume. It should be read with machzor in hand and deserves serious contemplation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History Of Judaism    2. Holidays - Jewish    3. Jewish Theology    4. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Christian rites & ceremonies    8. History of religion    9. Judaism   

Reviews (2)

a response to Theologicalresearcher's review
"Theologicalresearcher" gave a fairly good review. However, his review itself is VERY misleading in the area of Protestant Orthodoxy.His review notes p.224 as evidence that Gathercole denies imputation of Christ's righteousness. This is bogus. Gathercole, as far as I can tell, is simply referring to the meaning of a particular passage!! He is not denying Christ's imputation in justification!!In contrast, note p.243 n79 where Gathercole says "Paul retains a theology of `simul iustus et peccator.'" Clearly one cannot hold to that doctrine and deny imputation of Christ's righteousness.Again, on p.251 Gathercole says "[J]ustification can be seen to be... an act .. where righteousness is positively counted to the one who believes, but also an act of forgiveness, where sin is not reckoned, but covered."
Very Interesting
This work by Simon J. Gathercole is another attempt to question the merits of the so-called New Perspective on Paul. There are two major parts to this work. In the first half (pp. 37-194), Gathercole examines Jewish soteriology in the pre and post 70 A.D. situation. He notes that in all the strands of Judaism and its major literature (Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.), there is a heavy emphasis (contrary to Sanders) on the necessity of obedience/works to vindicate/justify oneself before God at the last judgment. Gathercole's main point is that contrary to Sanders and his followers early Judaism was a works-righteousness religion (though grace was not absent in Jewish soteriology). One thing I found quite interesting about this section is his discussion of Jewish soteriology in the New Testament (pp. 112-135). He argues that Jewish works-righteousness soteriology was adopted in some form by Christians in the first century as evidenced in such writings as James 2 and Revelation 20:11-15. According to Gathercole, these passages do not say that good works are merely the fruits of having received God's grace (i.e., saved) but that these good works actually DETERMINE one's eternal destiny at the last judgment (p. 135).
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Subjects:  1. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - New Testament    2. Biblical teaching    3. History    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - History    6. Justification (Christian theol    7. Justification (Christian theology)    8. Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-2    9. Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D    10. Religion    11. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    12. Salvation    13. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis   

Subjects:  1. Criticism, interpretation, etc    2. Judaism - History    3. Mishnah    4. Religion    5. Tosefta