Books

'The Arab Case for Israel': Explaining the conflict between Jews and Arabs - review

The Arab Case for Israel is the book that I would recommend above all others for anyone who sincerely wants to understand the entrenched conflict between Jews and Arabs in Israel.

FEDAYEEN OF the PFLP in mountains east of the Jordan River, early 1969. They carry Soviet and Egyptian weapons.
Jewish book lovers gather at the Jewish Book Council's offices in Manhattan, July 19, 2023.

Jewish authors slam Jewish Book Council for ‘bias toward centering Israeli, Zionist voices’

Don’t Feed the Lion.

Novel on antisemitism by Yonit Levi and Bianna Golodryga sells well, but New York Times ignores it

Esther Kreitman (nee Singer), born in 1891 in Biłgoraj, Poland, to a rabbinic family, became a Yiddish-language novelist and short story writer.

There was always a third Singer: Yiddish literary diamonds revealed - review


The power of telling the whole story: Honoring truth and complexity - opinion

To make space for a truth that isn’t ours. And to carry it with the same weight we ask for our own.

 Books (illustrative)

Educational Bookshop and the cultural institutions of east Jerusalem

Notwithstanding the current toxic political climate, some arguably naïve and ever-hopeful Jerusalemites haven’t lost faith in the dream of coexistence.

 Ahmad Muna of the Educational Bookshop.

'Jewish & Israel Trivia': The perfect trivia challenge for the Passover Seder - review

If you haven’t picked up a copy before the Seder, I strongly suggest you grab one as soon as you can. This trivia booklet is bound to sell like hotcakes. 

 ALL-IMPORTANT: Children take part in a practice Seder.

'It Takes Chutzpah': Jewish senator's memoir hopes to raise next generation of activists - review

It Takes Chutzpah is crisply and clearly written, intended to raise a new generation of can-do activists with the ability to build bridges and widen constituencies in order to achieve their goals.

 US Senator Ron Wyden is seen at a demonstration outside the US Treasury.

Rescued from the archives and wrestled into print: Behind Chaim Grade's last Yiddish novel

Finished or not, “Sons and Daughters” is a vivid, Tolstoyan examination of what Kirsch calls “a family struggling with the meaning of Jewishness in the twentieth century.”

Chaim Grade’s "Sons and Daughters" was originally serialized in the 1960s and '70s, in New York–based Yiddish newspapers.

'Find your Fight': Jay Ruderman's guide to effective activism and social change

Ruderman's book arrives at a crucial moment when many Americans feel simultaneously motivated to address societal challenges but uncertain about how to create meaningful impact.

 'Find Your Fight,' by Jay Ruderman.

'Cardozo on the Parashah': The magic of the Torah’s most ambiguous book - review

Snippets from Rabbi Nathan Cardozo’s commentary on the ‘Book of Leviticus’

After a year of trial-and-error, the Hebrews built a Tabernacle – so that God could dwell within them

'The Battle for the Jewish State': The ties that bind the US and Israel - review

Readers can assume that the author believes that her prescription for success in that struggle – an iron-clad US-Israel alliance – has a far greater chance with Trump as president.

 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, US, February 4, 2025; illustrative.

'Affairs of the Heart': Memoirs of renowned Israeli cardiologist Mervyn S. Gotsman

I have been privileged to know the Professor for many years, and when he published Affairs of the Heart, I felt that his memories and story needed to be told.

 The Professor, Mervyn S. Gotsman, at home in front of his extensive library.

Rare 'Book of the Dead' Manuscript from Hatshepsut's Reign Found in Trento

The papyrus of Senemnetjer is among the earliest known examples of this funerary text, which was used to guide the soul of the deceased on its journey to the afterlife.

 The Egyptian Book of the Dead.