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. Read the rest of this entry »
Review of Torah Mysteries Illuminated
August 21, 2015This 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. Read the rest of this entry »
Review of Encyclopedia of Jewish Values
August 19, 2015A 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. Read the rest of this entry »
Review of Pioneers of Religious Zionism
August 4, 2015By Rabbi Ari Enkin
Pioneers of Religious Zionism explores the life of the six most prominent leaders of religious Zionism in the 19th and early 20thcentury. 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. Read the rest of this entry »
Review of The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures
August 2, 2015By 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. Read the rest of this entry »