No comments about The Dynamics of American Jewish History: Jacob Rader Marcus's Essays on American Jewry (Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture and Life).

5 comments about Alex Building a Life.

1. Of the many published diaries, memoirs and letters I've read this is by far the best that I've read. Not only in the quality of the writing but in the quality of a life that was lived. Mr. Alex Singer showed maturity, introspection and a self-awareness that went well beyond his years. In his letters we read of the genuine warmth he had for his family. We find out that in his short life he accomplished much that would take many of us much longer to accomplish if at all! Read this book not only to enjoy but to learn and also to mourn of a life that was far too short. One wonders what he would have accomplished had he lived. Once again, read this book. You will not regret it. I couldn't put it down!



2. This book is a gem. I had bought it while on a trip in Israel, where we visited Alex's parents, met his brother and also went to his grave to pay our respects. Alex represented the qualities of a hero who fought for what he believed in and in the end paid with his life for Israel, the Jewish state. I loved reading about the many stories that made up his life during the army, especially the story about looking for the Teffilin. You will immediately be placed in Alex's world once you dwelve into this book. I highly recommend it. I couldn't put it down.



3. If this book had been simply about an IDF soldier who made aliyah, it would have been interesting at that. However, this book is that and so much more. It is an opportunity to experience how determined a young soldier can be, how focused and centered on his beliefs a young man can be and how warm and compassionate a young Jewish son, brother and friend can be... in his own words, at the time he was making these decisions and having these experiences. It is an opportunity to experience Alex's Zionism, compassion and strength. Every letter/journal entry written by Alex moved me and I am not often moved by books and by people whom I have never met. I recommend this book as highly as I possibly can.



4. Alex Singer was an American Jew who volunteered to fight in the Army of Israel. He did this because he believed in the Jewish's people's need for , and right to a historical homeland. He during his period of service acted with courage and real human consideration of others. He was not a hater but a person who sought peace, and the human face of the enemy.
   He represents the best of the Jewish people in their struggle to return and build their ancient homeland . He embodied the highest both in humane consideration and dedication to Jewish ideals.
   This volume of his letters collected posthumously by his parents tells of his story and struggle in a deeply moving way.



5. Alex's story is the definitive account of a true lover of Israel. Any one who has had thoughts about their own Zionist, Jewish beliefs must refer to this book for nothing less than spiritual guidance. Live life to the fullest through Alex's shoes, and cry when you realize his last letter was never finished. Alex Singer was a true hero to Israel and the Jewish people all over the world, as he made sure that one more family on the Lebanese border in 1987 could sleep soundly. Am Israel chai.

3 comments about Yom Kippur a Go-Go: A Memoir.

1. 
   Matthue Roth's autobiography is the story of a young man who has decided to become an Orthodox Jew in the way punk rock kids go straight-edge. Like, you're born one way, but then it gets serious.
   
   What's more he decided to move to San Francisco and hang out with a ragtag bunch of, I don't know, San Francisco people that I can only assume would have knocked his rabbi's socks off. Which I don't know much about. I came to this book as a Christian-raised East coaster who lacks a big picture in most of the matters described herein.
   
   Simply put, I was blown away.
   
   Whether these memoirs are half-remembered or utterly fabricated is impossible for me to say - for all I know every word of the novel could be direct from a diary and true as gospel - but I have never encountered such a touching and fascinating insight into the process of being a twenty whatever year old kid and moving somewhere looking for something and finding what might have possibly been what you were looking for, and maybe not.
   
   Fascinating because of the detail. When sometimes, after a few too many drinks, I might think to myself how interesting my life has been and, if events were laid in the proper order, it might actually be interesting, could actually feel like a book. Roth seems to have drunk just enough to remember it all perfectly and beautifully. His descriptions of ennui and hopelessness read like boredom preening its fur with waves of electricity rippling down the novel's spine.
   
   Many could easily compare this to Dave Eggar's blockbuster knock 'em sock 'em of young man memoir a few years back. And the comparison isn't too off; these are two stories of two men moving to SAN FRANCISCO, a city that effectively doesn't exist as there is no place in the world that could independantly serve their very different needs. And yet, while in neither of these tales the city provided the satisfaction which the authors originally saught, both have their endings. And as a reader, it was I that was satisfied.
   
   Matthue Roth is a generational misfit, a man who looks to tradition while riding the waves of the Pacific future. His story is a story of shock, awe and exposure that while different than my own is a part of my generational history. Read this book.



2. Compelling book by a great author. Found another of his books, Nevermind the Goldbergs and fell in love with it. Read this one in a day, and it's a compelling and funny story that I couldn't put down. Defintely recommend it!



3. In Yom Kipppur a go go, the author revels in difference, like so many of us who live here in the San Francisco area. He moves between several sub-cultures and gives plenty of yummy details from both an outsider and a newish insider perspective. This slice-of-life engaged me, made me laugh and made me ponder the integration (or lack of) varying parts of my own life.

2 comments about Dakota Diaspora: Memoirs of a Jewish Homesteader.

1. Having spent 15 years in North Dakota, I was looking forward to some insights into the lives of Jewish migrants to a difficult world. This book describes some aspects of their experience, mainly fascinating domestic incidents well worth preserving. Unfortunately, the book lacks a scene-setting introduction or epilogue to place her story in Eastern European and Midwestern history. What happeened to Sopie and her family after these events? Who are the others mentioned in the acknowledgements? The Rachel Calof memoir, which closely parallels this one, is a model of its kind and can be highly recommended.



2. Dakota Diaspora is a lovely book which tells of the author's experiences as a child growing up Jewish on the prairie. From Russia to "Nordakota" Ms. Trupin attempts to understand her parents and their motivations for leaving the "known" for such a great "unknown." She draws mostly upon her own childhood memories, rather than gathering first-hand accounts from her parents. I found the ending somewhat disappointing because we don't find out if the author was able to maintain her Yiddishkeit, which her mother was so concerned that the children would lose without a strong Jewish community. A great book for those looking for a good biography. As a Torah-seeking Kansan, I appreciated reading about a turn-of-the-century Jewish family who departed from the well trodden paths to New York and Chicago in order to live on the land AND maintain a Torah lifestyle.

3 comments about A Spy in Canaan: My Life As a Jewish-American Businessman Spying for Israel in Arab Lands.

1. This book is a thrilling journey into the life of a volunteer spy into the Mossad. You almost have to read pages twice after reading what happens because it's crazy and funny. Howard Schack lends a very comical tone throughtout especially during the times he gets into scrapes. For example when he gets caught in Saudi Arabia for snapping photos of a military equipment. Mr. Schack, because of his real life construction company, manages to get info into one very big place towards the end. This reads like a real life Alias show with 2 layers of ordinary mundane (Son: Dad, why did you grow a beard? Schack: Because I'm a spy for Israel. Son: Riiight, Dad!) to flying in vintage airplanes w/Arab leaders over military sites. A definite must read!



2. This was one of the most interesting books I ever read. Even though he has changed the names of everyone, certainly all the people mentioned would recognize themselves and what fools have been made of them. I would think that they, and their governments, would all be out for revenge. This is really a tell-all book of spy methods. I am surprised that it isn't classified, and I would think that it might seriously compromise our own spies in the area of national security, unless spy methods have really changed a lot since that time, and all these methods have become obsolete. But I don't think so, as they mostly involve people skills. Nevertheless, I am thinking about writing a novel,a nd a lot of the information I was searching for was found here. An amazing, exciting book. Hard to put down. As it is out of print, I ordered it used through one of the used booksellers in Amazon.com. I recommend you do the smae. The book I received was in excellent condition, and I'm glad I read it.



3. Espionage is commonly defined as "that part of the total intelligence designed for the surreptitious inspection of the activities of foreign countries to ascertain their strength and movements and to communicate such intelligence to the proper authorities. "If only for security purposes, all nations feel the need to discover, by their own concealed methods, the guarded secrets of others. Or as Winston Churchill once wittily remarked: "Sometimes liberty requires a bodyguard of lies." To establish the personality traits of the "ideal" spy central to the anatomy of espionage is obviously far from simple. A fine study of intelligence gathering catalogs, for example, some 10 traits the "good" intelligence agent must necessarily posess, in order to qualify for his precarious , oftimes life-threatening, assignment. Notable among them, an intelligence agent should be "discreet, have a passion for anonymity, and know how to keep his mouth shut, and preserve a secret. The most effective spy, Mr. Schack shows us is neither freak nor pschopath. He is rather, the 'citizenspy' who acts upon the incentive of enlightened patriotism and to whom deceit and intrigue are only temporary expedients that he knows how to keep under strict control. One such "citizen intelligence agent" was Howard Schack, a highly sucessful American engineer and with a worldwide reputation as a master builder of military installations around the globe. In his fascinating memoir, A Spy in Canaan, Mr. Schack explains his stake in the survival of Israel while serving for fifteen years with Israel's CIA, the Mossad.

3 comments about Hiding In Death's Shadow: How I Survived The Holocaust.

1. Once you begin to read Allen's personal story you will not be able to put it down. It is very well written. It truly is a motivational story of triumph and one that I will treasure and share with my children. It provides a unique perspective on a very difficult time period. If you have read "Night" by Elie Wiesell, "The Diary Of Anne Frank" , or "Survival In Auschwitz" by Primo Levi, reading this will provide a very different perspective of life as a Jew in hiding in rural Poland during the early to mid 1940's.



2. I thought this book was terrific. To think that this person went through this horrifying experience just sends chills down my spine. It's so important to keep these stories alive and to pass them on to future generations. We must never forget!



3. I thought this book was a well written, fascinating drama describing what life was like for the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust. Highly recommend it!

1 comments about Revisiting the Shadows: Memoirs from War-Torn Poland to the Statue of Liberty.

1. You should almost ignore the publisher's blurb for this book. This isn't an adventure story of a valiant teenage freedom fighter, nor a chilling recount of Jews in Nazi concentration camps, nor a "Do not forget" shout about the Holocaust.

   Well, to some extent it is these, but that misses the point. This is one woman's very personal tale of her story through this period. The book draws you into her world back then, and flavors it with the present, tracing her own process of revisiting these memories.

   It's almost disconcerting how little time is spent dewlling on the horrors, and how matter-of-factly she can recount them. But this is her life, the life of a young girl, and her life contained many things.

   Come to this book for any of many reasons. You may find yourself staying for others.

No comments about To Deliver Their Souls: The Struggle of a Young Rabbi Druing the Holocaust.

No comments about Remember the Holocaust: A Memoir of Survival.

No comments about Farewell to Fear: The Memoirs of a Holocaust Survivor.