5 comments about A Past in Hiding: Memory and Survival in Nazi Germany.

1. I have read this book over 2 years ago, but to this day, the book still comes to my mind as one of the best books I have read. I never knew that people in the concentration camps could write and receive letters from people outside of the camps. Mark Roseman not only tells you the story of Marianne Strauss Ellenbogen, but he researches outside sources that proof the almost unbelievable things that she says.
   
   This is a must read book for anyone interested in WWII fanatics, and anyone who just wants to know what life was like for a German Jew during the period.



2. The story of Marianne Strauss's life in hiding during WWII is truly amazing, and unlike anything I've read before (and I read a lot of WWII / Holocaust books). I'd rate it higher, except that it's overly detailed in some cases. The book is as much about the author's eforts to uncover the truth behind Marianne's memories (vs. those of others she knew) as it is about Marianne's life. I found the author's very detailed account of getting info out of Marianne and her acquaintances too much information; all I cared about was Marianne's story, not how he found out and verified every detail. I recommend it, as long as you're prepared to skim when your eyes glaze over.



3. Of all the stories I have read about U-boat Jews, this one surprised me the most. A daughter of privilege, Marianne Strauss watched as little by little her family's position--initially protected by Nazi contacts--and fortune diminished until every avenue of escape was closed. When the SS finally came for her, her parents and brother, she managed to escape and began two+ years of hiding in plain sight, successfully aided by an organization called the Bund (no relation to Kulturbund) as well as her own seemingly limitless daring and resoursefulness.

   Having survived the war, one of her first tasks was to help disillusioned, emotionally crushed German youth. Shortly thereafter, she was contacted by a British military physician regarding the location of some of her surviving family--and Captain Dr. Basil Ellenbogen soon asked her to marry him. Marianne eventually settled in England with her husband where they raised a son, who later helped author Mark Roseman complete his research for this book after Marianne died in late 1996, and a daughter, who succumbed to anorexia at 18.

   But what distinguished Marianne from other U-boats was how she came to see herself NOT as a pursued Jew but rather as just another German struggling thru the last days of the war--she never gave herself away because she completely removed the frightened look of the persecuted from her demeanor. She openly did everything forbidden to the Jews--road public transit, ate in restaurants, walked when and where she chose, went to the air raid shelters along with everyone else where she nursed the ill and cared for children, even obtained food rations--all without any official identification papers! Her boldness got her out of some very tight situations when she would laugh and joke with, or confront, as the situation required, Nazis or their citizen sympathizers. She was wary but she never cowered, and thus her "disguise" proved impenetrable. Even after the war and for the rest of her life, she never drew attention to herself as a victim or sought its special status.

   This is the story of an amazing journey, and well worth the time it will take to read it.




4. I don't have alot to add to what has already been said about this gripping work. It is an amazing story that draws you in on several levels: as a case study of Jewish life in germany during the Nazi years; as a touching biographical account of an unique woman; as a reseachers detective story; etc. Genealogists might also be interested in the remarkable ways Roseman ferreted out data.

   Bottom line: a remarkable story, very well told. Roseman is an incredible and tenacious researcher, and a pretty decent writer. It is a work out, and might have been better if condensed by maybe a 100 pages or so.

   One pet point -- Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's small role in teh narrative comes up a few times. He was a brother-in-law to one of the Wehrmacht generals who wanted Hitler dead and tried to rescue Jews. Bonhoeffer's own story has been told many times -- how he escaped Germany to be a professor in New York, but chose to return to fight Hitler and ended up martyred in a concentration camp. Anyway, Bonhoeffer's name appears in the book more often than the index indicates (see also p. 251, for example), and Roseman never mentions the interesting fact that he was a Lutheran pastor and theologian.

   Also, poersonally I was longing for more photos as I tried to visualize the cats of characters.

   Anyway, one of the best things I have read in awhile. Makes Melissa Mueller's bio. of Anne Frank seem dull.




5. A Past in Hiding is the story of Marianne Strauss-Ellenbogen and her extraordinary survival during the Holocaust. Presenting us with one young woman's real life story, Roseman does not paint a picture of a saint but that of a real flesh and blood person who, like us all, had great strengths and also weaknesses. She was, after all, in her teens when she was confronted with events too difficult for her to comprehend. She was only a couple of years older than Anne Frank, but what a different reality! Roseman's investigation into Marianne's history engages us deeply in the day-to-day life of herself, her family and friends. We can follow how and why they misjudged the increasingly dangerous environment they lived in.

   The book has a lot more to offer than that. Given Roseman's extensive knowledge of modern German history, he is able to draw a multi-layered picture of every day life for the Jewish community in Germany during the Nazi period. The investigation into the role of the Abwehr in protecting selected Jewish Germans is pertinent for the recent debate around the complicity of the regular army with the SS and Gestapo. Moving between historical chronology and present day commentary and personal reflection on Marianne, the author pieces together a mosaic like a jigsaw puzzle. For most readers it will shed new light on the complexities of this period in recent history like very few other books I have read.

   Roseman writes in a style that combines the historical with the intimate personal. He conveys his assessment of the characters and situations with empathy for their situation and struggles. At the time he reflects on discrepancies in their statements and recollections of the past. One of the most dramatic documents in the book is the diary of Marianne's fiancé, Ernst. He was able to smuggle it out of the concentration camp Izbica thanks to an unconventional courier. One of the family acquaintances with probable links to the Gestapo, was nevertheless willing to act as courier for parcels from Marianne to Ernst; he also brought back this very rare contemporary account of life in the camp. Roseman digs into historical records to verify and complement the description. As part of his investigation, he interviewed the courier's widow as well as others who could add to the story.

   I started reading A Past in Hiding primarily because, as a child growing up after the war, I knew some of the people connected with Marianne and the "Bund". It was Bund members who provided shelter to Marianne while she was on the run from 1943 to 1945, thus risking their own lives and security. The Bund was a small but committed group of humanitarians and socialists who helped numerous victims of the Holocaust. One of the survivors protected by the Bund, Lisa Jacob, became a friend of my family. She influenced my life more than she ever knew and also much more than even I understood for many years while growing up. However, my interest in this extraordinary book grew with each page that I was reading. It was difficult to put down.

   A Past in Hiding has a lot to offer to the reader. Roseman's research into the life and times of Marianne brought him together with her and her family members as recent as the late 1990s. He also interviewed numerous other "witnesses" of her life and survival during the Nazi period. It was fortuitous that so many family documents as well as official records survived. Roseman studied diaries, correspondence and countless historical documents. His notes and the comprehensive bibliography reflect the thorough research that has gone into the book. As a result, at some level A Past in Hiding reads like a detective story, fully absorbing and dramatic. At another level, it is a very personal and critical account of Marianne and her contemporaries. At a third level, it is a study into the changed memory phenomenon, which can occur as a result of traumatic experiences. Last but not least, Roseman introduces the reader to the almost unknown movement of the "Bund" and their role in supporting victims of the Holocaust. An extraordinary book that should have a place in the mind and heart of many people.

5 comments about Stella: One Woman's True Tale of Evil, Betrayal, and Survival in Hitler's Germany.

1. "Stella" is the fascinating tale of a lovely, young and blond Jewish woman given an incredible "Sophie's Choice." 'Die along with your family or cooperate and save both yourself and your loved ones.' Cooperation, of course, meant cooperation with the Nazis at the lowest level. Stella would have to search out and betray hidden Jews to the Nazi death machine.
   
   Stella made her choice and I do not judge because, never having lived through the horror of arrest and threatened extermination, I don't know what I would have done. I'd like to think I would have chosen "honorable" death over dishonorable life...but...I really don't know. Nobody knows what they would do if faced with a similar fate and a similar choice. Christ said, "Let he who is without guilt throw the first stone." I wouldn't and won't throw that stone.
   
   Stella made her choice and it was a horrific one. She became a griefer and was responsible for hundreds of arrests. Hundreds died who might have survived had Stella never existed. The story implies that Stella may have taken some satisfaction in her skills. I don't doubt it. Once a person gets pointed in a certain direction she usually gains satisfaction from a job well done. Besides, there is the Stockholm Syndrome where the victim identifies with her victimizer.
   
   This story is valuable at seveal levels. It is a study of human nature under remarkable stress. It is also a study of the complexities and inconsistencies of the Nazi extermination system. Stella lived but her family died. Would she have also been killed if the war had gone on longer and her source of victims dried up? Or would she have lived like a lovely butterfly in a bottle? Would she, with her blond good looks and charm, become an honorary Aryan?
   
   I'm reminded of a story told on Heinrich Himmler. He is walking outside the wire of one of his camps one day and spots a goodlooking blond man behind the wire. He called him over so he could talk to him, "Are you a Jew?" "Yes." the clueless man answers. "Are your parents Jewish?" asked Himmler. "Yes." replied the young man. "Are your grandparents Jewish?" "All Jewish." the man replied again. Himmler shook his head, "Then I'm sorry I can't help you."
   
   This story is fascinating because it implies that Himmler may have saved the man had he proved less than completely Jewish. Likewise, Stella might have survived the Holocaust even if Hitler had won the war.
   
   Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God" on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico



2. Stella is my kind of history. First person who was there, through their own eyes. When I majored in American History I wondered what happened to the Jews who were my age during the war. Thinking that I would not have fallen in the Nazi traps which led to the camps. This book helps explain where the 20 year olds went during the war. The author was in Berlin before the war with many school friends and neighbors. The follow-up with his friends and the stories of their lives during and after the war is amazing. Riveting. I couldn't put it down and would recomment this book to anyone interested in Berlin history during the war.



3. Wyden mixes personal reminiscences about his youthful schoolboy infatuation with schoolmate Stella with a history of the persecution of Jews in Berlin and Stella's ever duplicitous role in it. Ultimately, he portrays a pathetic, lonely and isolated woman who refuses to acknowledge any guilt, real or alledged, or personal responsibility in betraying Jews to the Gestapo.
   
   This book is history and personal anecdote while concurrently begging thought provoking questions about guilt and capitulation. One could easily conclude that had Stella been born in a different place at a different time she would have been a totally ordinary person living out an uneventful life. Sometimes it almost seems that Wyden wants to believe this too. For her part, she claims that even had there been any cooperation with the Gestapo it was to spare the lives of her parents. Is she guilty out of concern for her parents (they ultimately perished) and therefore somewhat forgiven by the "I was just obeying orders" defense so frequently echoed throughout World War II and VietNam; or is she guilty because an ordinary person was born into and negatively impacted by the truly bizarre and cruel world of 1940s Berlin?
   
   Stella is ultimately a disturbing portrait of a truly personal human tragedy; her own and those who suffered for it.



4. Few can match the infamous Blond Poison, Stella Goldschlag, who stalked the alleys of Berlin seeking former friends, School Classmates and neighbers as as well as total strangers not out of loneliness but in order to betray them and send them to the Gas Chambers to be murdered in her place during the Holocaust. She well deserves her reputation as a Judas to the Jews of Berlin, the men, women and children whom she betrayed by the score to preserve her own life.
   
   This book is basicly her story. Written by a former classmate.
   
   It details much of her early life to the best of the author's knowledge. It then goes on to describe her career as a Griefer, one of the scores of Jews who openly chose to assist the Gestapo finding the Jews in hiding so to deport them to the death camps in exchange for their own survival.
   
   A career in which Stella Goldschlag was one of the Gestapo's best.
   
   One could compare her to the infamous Blond Irma Grese (who is not mentioned in this book) but Wyden shows her life was a far cry from nightmare that of the infamous Blond Beast's. She was not mistreated. Her mother spoiled her. Her father hardly interfered. She certainly had contact with better men in the beginning. A far cry from the horrors of Irma Grese's nightmare life that ultimately exploded with deadly fury upon the inmates of Auschwitz with all the savagery of a mistreated dog.
   
   When one looks at the infamous Blond Poison and her Domestic Partner Rolf Isaacson one finds no reason to sympathise with them at all. They did what they did as a matter of choice. Wyden even reports the infamous Blond Poison enjoyed her work.
   
   This is the story of one woman's choice in Evil.



5. I do not wish to hurt anyone who has suffered from the holocaust by writing this review, nor do I want dishonor anyone who was destroyed by it. I am only making an observation about what happened to this woman named Stella. Stella was a beautiful blonde girl who reached early maturity during WWII in Berlin. She was Jewish, but with her blue eyes she could easily pass for a gentile. When Hitler started his personal war against Jews, he initiated the most horrible and beastly experience that could happen to human beings. With his henchmen, and their vicious attacks on Jews and other peoples, he pushed people into emotional dungeons, and it is at these dark, these lowest levels, that we discover what we are really capable of doing. In his painful memoir of his experiences of the holocaust, Elie Weisel, shows us in Night, that when the Nazis tossed tiny bits of bread to starving Jews, many of them killed for that one morsel of food, sometimes ending the lives of their loved ones for a chance to put something in their mouths. For me, this book was about survival. No one knows what they are capable of unless they are taken to that horrifying nightmare place of doom, and unless one has been there, there is absolutely no way of knowing what our choices would be. Many would argue that Stella did not get to the extremes that occurred in the death camps. But we do know that she was beaten over and over and over again. And then she was offered a chance to have it all end by being a "catcher" for the Nazis. We know that other Jews committed suicide to avoid the beatings and the offer of becoming a catcher to stay alive. I can only thank God that I have never had to be in such a situation, because I don't know what I would do. How could I know? I do know that I have a very strong instinct to live, and I think that may have been why Stella took the path that she did. I believe, that in making that choice, she did lose her "soul." I think that is the only way that a human being could do what she did. For Stella did not only "catch" Jews for the Nazis, many eyewitnesses said she seemed to enjoy it. I think for anyone to make that "choice" you would have to put your entire being into it in order to perform those horrible crimes. In the end, I think Stella suffered far more than if she had allowed herself to die at the hands of the Nazis. At the age of about 21, she began the life of a person who is hated by virtually everyone she had ever known and anyone she would ever meet. She lives her life constantly attempting to convince herself that she didn't do anything wrong. She lives in total seclusion, with the lights always dim, year after year with no one to love her, no one to hold her, no one to console her. And still she survived into old age. Survival was Stella's strongest urge. It kept her alive to live a lifelong death, the death of her humanity, with the destruction of hundreds, perhaps thousands on her hands. Would I choose survival? In retrospect, had I been a "Stella," I can only pray that I would have had the ability to accept my death at the hands of the Nazis.

2 comments about Haym Salomon Liberty's Son.

1. Haym Salomon Son of Liberty by Howard Fast is a much better book on this subject. The cover says it is written for "young people" but it is so well written that adults would enjoy it also.



2. Haym Salomon, a Jewish refugee from Poland, arrived in New York in the spring of 1775, just weeks after shots were first exchanged between British soldiers and Americans at Lexington and Concord.
   
   He found a job as a distiller and in his free time studied the grievances of the thirteen colonies issued by Congress. Then he joined the Sons of Liberty and became a provisions supplier for American troops at Lake George.
   
   Twice, Salomon was arrested by the British and thrown into Provost Prison by Warden William Cunningham, and twice he escaped. Once, he offered to serve as a German interpreter for the Hessian mercenaries-who he convinced to join liberty's cause. Next, he convinced his Hessian guard to unlock his door, in exchange for a free passage to desert to Washington's side.
   
   His second escape brought Salomon to the Dobbes Ferry landing, where none of the troops owned a complete uniform, new musket or unbent bayonet. The men were thin, dressed in buckskin shirts and coonskin caps, and their shoes were tied with rope. Salomon, at 40, realized he was too old to serve himself, but he proposed to General Alexander McDougall that he could assist the cause by raising money from the Jewish community in Philadelphia, 100 miles away. Though ill, he set off on foot to do his patriotic best.
   
   In Philadelphia, he began trading and his success brought the notice and respect of detractors who had once baited him as the "haggler Jew" or "Jew broker." Before long, he had earned enough to give money to the Continental Congress and its army. His first gestures were to General Casimir Pulaski, who had been authorized by Congress to raise the Pulaski legion.
   
   Robert Morris, the head of Willing and Morris, had reluctantly accepted control of all finances to pay for the Revolution. He was soon at his wits' end in efforts to give the necessary help. He even approached the Quakers, though he reportedly demeaned them. But he could not bring himself to ask for money from Jews.
   
   Finally, the situation grew so bad that General Washington himself appealed to Morris to see Haym Salomon. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Morris at last sought Salomon's help. In fifteen minutes, Salomon raised $20,000 from the congregation of Jewish worshipers, who were anxious to save American soldiers from starvation and cold. As news of Salomon's devotion spread, he was approached by all the famous officers and politicians of the day--including John Paul Jones, General Daniel Morgan, Thomas Jefferson, Thaddeus Kosciusko and General Benjamin Lincoln.
   
   Salomon bankrupted his family with his generosity. But when his wife asked whether there would be any inheritance for their children, he said, "Yes, a country where they'll be free to differ in the way they worship God and still enjoy the friendship of other people." They would have opportunities for happiness equal to that of others, and a feeling of being as important to the new nation as anyone else.
   
   Soon, Salomon was buying French army bills to support the young nation's ally. French minister Chevalier de la Luzerne called on Salomon and said, "[You] in your little office on Front Street are doing for the nation's credit what Washington is doing on the battlefield for the people's independence."
   
   In September 1783 the treaty of peace was formally signed in Paris. Haym Salomon was responsible for the financial success of the Revolutionary War.
   
   This is an important book for children to understand the contribution of minorities to America's founding.
   
   --Alyssa A. Lappen

No comments about The Story of a Life.

5 comments about Turbulent Souls: A Catholic Son's Return To His Jewish Family.

1. Dubner's highly interesting family history frames the tale of his own decision to "return home" to his Jewish roots, after his parents, both raised as traditional Jews, converted to Roman Catholicism in their unmarried days. His parents bring up Stephen Dubner and his siblings as deeply-devout Catholics, and all-but turn their backs on their own heritage after the time of their conversion. Dubner tells of about his life growing up attending Mass and living in suburbia in the 1960's and '70's, and about how he gradually took notice of the deep pull within him that directed him to reunite with the Jewish faith after his return to New York City following his college years in the south and elsewhere. He stresses that his return to Judaism was not a conversion, it was a restoration of who he truly always was. A uniquely interesting tale, told with honesty.



2. Fine price, treasure of a hard cover book in new condition. I could not be more pleased!



3. Turbulent Souls gives a fine account of the many journeys that took place within the Dubner Family Tree. Stephen Dubner traces his family roots which amazingly were rooted in Judaism. Its quite interesting how both of Stephen's parents became Catholics. In the case of Stephen's father, Sol(later Paul)it seemed as if he was rebelling against his overbearing father. Paul's story shows you that you cannot force feed religion into a young soul trying to emerge.

   As for Stephen's mother, Florence(later Veronica) the religious influence was fairly weak at home. Not to mention any sort of guidance as Veronica recalls rarely spending time at home during her teen years. Therefore, Veronica became a willing convert.

   Very compelling is the effects this dual conversion had upon this future couples family. In Judaism very often a period of mourning takes place and surely Paul became lost to his original family. Amazingly Paul and Veronica seemd to become perfect Catholics to the point of almost totally denying any past affiliation with their Jewish roots.

   Stephen's life goes through many turbulent periods. His exposure to the Catholic religion is a lot at first. Whereas he does not reject these teachings, over time Stephen develops other interests most notably the desire to become a musician. Like his parents, he encounters people who encourage him to explore his roots. When he finally does, Stephen becomes enamored with his family history and researches his roots to the point of exploring towns which were touched by the Holocaust.

   In spite of the difference of opinion with his mother's own spiritual path, Stephen is able to keep this relationship positive. Furthermore, he creates strong bonds with other family members both Catholic and Jewish. Whereas Stephen's articles meet with feedback both good and bad, at least our hero can say he was able to evolve spiritually while touching others along the way.

   I highly recommend this biography which interweaves the spiritual journey of a family over the course of this past century.




4. I was raised Catholic and really not happy with the Church so I was a little wary of the book when it came time to read it for my book club. I could not have been more wrong about how this book would affect me! It was absolutely wonderful. The author was able to write with detail without being long-winded. The feelings that he had about his religions/cultures, both Catholic and Jewish I could relate to by the way he wrote. With each step in his spiritual journey I felt like I was cheering him on to find out what his truth was and where he felt he belonged in his religious life. It gave me many things to ponder both from what he wrote and what he quoted from others, Jewish and Catholic. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who is unsure of their faith. It will not answer your questions, but it will help you answer them on your own. It is also a wonderful book for anyone with a strong faith of their own.



5. I have to say the main reason I bought this book was because I too am from the little town The Dubner's lived in and I remember Stephen since he was my youngest brother's age and the thing everyone knew about his family was that they were probably the most devout catholic's in our area so it was very interesting to learn of his families true roots. I had no clue of his lineage since as Steve describes our town was not very diverse for the most part it was an all white community in the middle of nowhere anyone new was noticed right away and everyone knew what everyone else was up to there is the Our Lady of Fatima church and 3 other presbyterian and episcopalian churches in the area but no temples. I had no clue until reading this book that he had such an interesting lineage and I applaud the fact that he chose to find out about and return to his heritage it took alot of courage to defy his mother on this subject!!!! I only hope that now he has found the answers he was looking for and lives a long and happy life!!!!!!

5 comments about I Will Bear Witness, Volume 1: A Diary of the Nazi Years (I Will Bear Witness).

1. A must read for all those who are compelled to understand the insanity of Nazi Germany. The evil is in the details as these journals so devastatingly reveal. Sometimes necessary to read only a few pages at a time as the devastation and slowly increasing helplessness of this man's life is revealed. A critical historical document.



2. As an educated Professor of Philology, Victor Klemperer documents life as a Jew in Nazi Germany. The very act of keeping this diary was grounds for his demise.
   The essence of these incredible documents, is that it records the tightening of control of the Jewish people under Nazism. The progressive pogroms took away simple things such as going to a movie or taking a ride on a tram. The taking of one's own home and living in a communal Jewish home further degraded the Jewish people. The simple fact that each had to wear the yellow star which indeed put all Jews into harms way.
   Mr Klemperer was forced out of his professorship because he was a Jew. Even though he was an honorable World War I Veteran, he was forced to live on a half pension.
   The only thing that saved Victor Klemperer was his Aryan wife Eva. She never abandoned Victor as I'm sure other wives in similar circumstances did. Looking at this, I think is an incredible act of love by Eva. Her subjucation to Nazi Life living with a Jew for 12 years was indeed a severe prison term.
   The diaries are edited to delete repetition. However several things are constantly repeated. Victor was always at death's door with an ailing heart. The other repetition was he and his wife's constant physical hunger.
   This set of diaries should be required reading for anyone who is a serious student of 20th century history.



3. When my son told me a student said the Holocaust was much less gruesome than reported and was exagerated by people over the years, we started to read this together... Not that he needed to be reminded, but how incredible that even today some are still floating this insane rumor!



4. This is a great memoir that any history buff or historian or anyone should read. It ranks right up there with Anne Frank's diary. It offers a unique view since Mr. Klemperer was married to a German woman during the Holocaust. It is this unique view on the Holocaust that makes this memoir so good.



5. Victor Klemperer's diary of pre war Germany provides fascinating insight into what life was like for ordinary citizens in Germany. Interspersed with the mundane aspects of life, e.g., shopping, driving, going to the dentist, etc. are ever increasing examples of the insanity that was Nazi Germany. It was a little difficult to get into, but it soon became a page tuner. The later years are particularly interesting. I couldn't put it down.

4 comments about Jews in American Politics: Introduction by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman.

1. No one interested in American politics could fail to find this an interesting and informative volume. The essays are perceptive, tho some are repetitous. The listing of all the Jewish Senators, Representatives, Federal judges, and governors is valuable. I found it amazing that apparently there was no Jew appointed a Federal judge till Wilson appointed Brandeis to the Supreme Court in 1916 and then thereafter there was no Jew appointed to the Federal judiciary till Hoover appointed Cardozo to the Supreme Court in 1931, and not till FDR was any Jew appointed a lesser Federal judge! An excellent reference book.



2. This book does something extraordinary. It presents a vast array of information while at the same time including a number general essays on Jews in American politics. No person seriously interested in ethnic politics and Jews particularly should be without this book.Clearly edited and turned by the press. There is no political slant--all positions represented.



3. " Jews in American Politics" should be in the the library of every person interested in the Jewish American experience. It contains not only a group of impressive essays but also an amazing assemblage of facts and statistics on things such as The Jewish vote and other political matters. The essays make for great reading and the statistical section make the book a very useful reference work.There really is nothing like the book available to people thinking and writing and teaching about Jews in America.



4. Senator Joseph Lieberman. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Host of Nightline Ted Koppel. Senator Carl Levin. Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin.

   What do these distinguished people have in common?

   All have left an indelible mark on American Politics and all are Jewish. These are just some of the many names that grace the pages of "Jews in American Politics." Editors L. Sandy Maisel and Ira N. Forman have done a masterful job collecting accounts from leading experts on the past, present, and future role of Jews in American politics. Topics range from Jews' role in presidential administrations and Congress to their influence in the media and elections.

   This book does an excellent job pulling together a great deal of information into a fluid narrative that inspires the reader to learn of Jews' valuable role in American politics.

5 comments about The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah.

1. A complete waste of time. There were no original thoughts in this book at all. It is the standard fare from most tree hugging, left-wing, wacked out liberals. A lot of crap about how evil conservatives are etc without backing any of it up. Before you read this pile of refuse, do yourself a favor and buy a gallon of gas and a match. That way when you are finished, you can burn the book and maybe save a few bucks on your home heating bill.



2. The author is a lazy slacker who's never had an original thought in his entire life. Before buying this book do youself a favor(and save some money) take a hammer hold it in front of your face. Swing towards your forehead. Apply ice. This will give the same effect as reading this tripe.



3. I can't stop thinking about this book. I could not put it down. I had tears rolling down my face as I read it. Marc=Good=Sony=Love.



4. I bought this because I think Marc Maron's standup comedy is hilarious. I caught a brief appearance of him on Comedy Central awhile ago and it took me several months to find out the name of the guy who made me laugh so hard. After finally finding out who he was, I found out he has a CD, Not Sold Out, and this book, The Jerusalem Syndrome. The CD is hilarious and I highly recommend it. Since no other CDs or a DVD of his standup is available (yet, anyway - fingers crossed!), I went ahead and got the book because he wrote it, not really knowing what it was about, with pretty high expectations.

   The book is a fragmentary autobiography of some events in Maron's life, very little of which is directly related to his career as a standup comic.

   The brief first chapter foreshadows the events that will occur later in the book during Maron's trip to Israel.

   Chapters two through five cover Maron's life up to high school. I simply didn't find this stuff to be very interesting.

   Chapter six covers Maron's college years, focusing on him adopting the Beat religion. The ideas and events in this chapter are very interesting, they're written about very well, and the chapter is very funny.

   Chapter seven is another highlight of the book, covering the modest beginnings of his career as his comedian and his relationship (friendship is too strong of word) with Sam Kinison. Like the previous chapter the events here are interesting and funny, if not scary.

   In chapter eight Maron recounts his foray into conspiracy theory, and how his credulity for that intellectual junk food led to him making a fool of himself. He does save some face, though, by turning his mind back on before the chapter is through. Maron does make a really good observation about conspiracy theory literature:

   "The thing about conspiracy literature is that it's perfect for stupid people who want to seem smart and ground their hatred in something completely mystical and confusing, and it's good for smart people who are too lazy to do their homework. People can't argue with it without possibly implicating themselves."

   What I don't get is, if this stuff really happened, how is it possible that he didn't learn from this and avoid the whole Jerusalem Syndrome thing, if that stuff really happened, too?

   Chapter nine is hilarious, as Maron tells of his visits to a Philip Morris plant and the Coca-Cola museum. Maron gives great, detailed accounts of these visits and makes many humorous but true, if not obvious, observations.

   Chapter ten provides a mish-mash of professional and personal experiences. I simply didn't think this stuff was very interesting or funny.

   Chapters eleven through thirteen contain the events foreshadowed in the first chapter, including his trip to Israel and his experience with Jerusalem Syndrome. I don't know how much of this is true or exaggerated, but I thought most of this stuff was pretty stupid. Some of it is funny, but not in a very good way. Perhaps a Jewish person could relate to this more and find some value in it, but I could not.

   Chapter fourteen is simply excellent. Maron returns home to do a benefit show for his old synagogue. He sees some friends and acquaintances from his youth and ends up helping out in a pretty big way. This concluding chapter is interesting and touching.

   The Jerusalem Syndrome contains very little about Maron's career as a standup comic. There's a little bit about him getting his foot in the door as a comedian at The Comedy Store and then later a bit as he starts to make a name for himself with appearances on television. If you want more on the life and times of a standup comic, I don't think you can do any better than True Story, Bill Maher's fictional story of several standup comics trying to make careers for themselves during standup's golden years.

   This book has some really good parts, but at least as many not so good parts. Perhaps the good parts make up for the not so good parts, but overall this was pretty disappointing considering how hilarious Maron's standup is. In any event, I'd rather just have more of Maron's standup comedy on CD or DVD.




5. Read this book. I read it in a day. I went back and underlined the good parts. I told a number of friends about it. You don't have to know anything about Judaism or Israel to appreciate Maron's spiritual journey. It's the funniest thing I've ever purchased online.

1 comments about Convoy To Auschwitz: Women of the French Resistance (Women's Life Writings from Around the World).

1. I am so glad that this book was translated to english and published here in the States. Please, don't get me wrong, but it is "nice" to have a book about other victims of the Nazi death camps besides Jewish accounts. It serves to remind us and teach us that others too were sentenced to those Death Camps. Many gypsies, resisters, communists, christians, and lesbians, all from different countries, EVEN GERMANS, were sentenced and died at the camps. This book in particular is a Who's Who, a list of a convoy of resisters (mostly communists) from France (mostly french, but there were other nationalities as well) who lived and died together. Each name has a story, some more than others. Stories from the survivors and from what relatives that could be found after the war.

   It's amazing that this book was first published in 1965 and is only now being published here in the US. But I'm glad I got to read it.

No comments about Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence: A Voegelinian Analysis.