Review of The Jewish Dog

By Barbara M. Bibel

Caleb, a remarkable dog, was born in Germany in 1935. He lived with his loving Jewish family until the Nazis forbade them to have a dog. A Nazi family adopts him and gives him to the SS, where he is trained to be a guard dog at a concentration camp. Caleb performs his duties admirably while acting as a keen observer of history and human nature. He sees the cruelty of the Nazis and the suffering that it caused, but he also witnesses the courage, loyalty, and friendship of the prisoners and those who aided them. He never forgets his original family.

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Review of Torah Mysteries Illuminated

By Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins 

This book is a collection of fascinating discussions related to Jewish thought. From holidays to daily commandments, Thomas Furst articulates an original approach in understanding fundamental questions and lessons in Judaism, including the implications of Shabbat and the importance of learning Torah in Israel. The essays provide clear answers for broad questions that focus on laws and traditions which stem from the Hebrew Bible.

Review of Encyclopedia of Jewish Values

By Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins 

A follow-up to his widely acclaimed The Jewish Encyclopedia of Moral and Ethical Issues, this is a comprehensive reference book on Jewish ethics for contemporary times. The topics addressed in this work include Jewish attitudes toward homosexuality, stem cell medical procedures, the environment, Internet piracy, and more. Gleaning from the Bible and classic Jewish texts, as well as later authorities such as Maimonides, Nachmanides, Rashi, and the Code of Jewish Law, this work is accessible to readers of all backgrounds.

Rabbi Herbert Cohen speaks about his book

On August 3, 2015, Rabbi Hebert J. Cohen, author of Kosher Movies: A Film Critic Discovers Life Lessons at the Cinema, was interviewed about his book on the talk show The Rabbi and the Reverend. Rabbi Cohen spoke about the Natural, the hustler, I am Sam and more. He also shared some of his favorite movies, their messages, and the challenge and opportunities for redemptive value in modern culture.

You can listen to the interview here.

Review of Pioneers of Religious Zionism

By Rabbi Ari Enkin

Pioneers of Religious Zionism explores the life of the six most prominent leaders of religious Zionism in the 19^th and early 20^thcentury. These are Rabbis Yehuda Alkali, Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, Samuel Mohliver, Jacob Reines, Abraham Isaac Kook, and Judah Leib (Fishman) Maimon.

There is roughly thirty pages devoted to each of these rabbis, where we learn about their early years and education, political opinions, and their relationship and influence within the Zionist movement.  A central feature of all these rabbis’ lives is that that by collaborating with the secular Zionist movement, they were victim to fierce opposition, condemnations, and defamations from their colleagues in Europe and the Land of Israel.

Review of The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures

By Rabbi Ari Enkin

That the shidduch world has gone mad is not news to anyone, but that there are competent and credible individuals within the frum world who don’t fear tackling the issue, might just be. Dr. Michael J. Salamon’s “The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures” takes a frank look at what young religious ‘daters’ are going through. From the nauseating questions that parents and shadchanim have no shame asking, to the real life shidduch experiences, this book is full of shidduch stories that should have been written in a fiction novel or a book of Jewish humor. Sadly, however, they are the true stories that so many young men and women are experiencing.