A Corrupt is a corrupt is a corrupt

When someone is corrupt, it does not compensate that he or she is a good parent or had good grades or has a large family to feed or has a bright strategic mind. The compensation of midot rarely works, meaning if you give a lot of charity, it doesn't absolve you from the fact that you mistreat your employees. Even if he prays three times the day, a thief is a thief and he must pay accordingly.

The news that an Yid is not more in a federal prison and he can return to his family, although he is not pardoned - the decision of being freed does not vacate the conviction and the substatial restitution remains - is a good news for the family and those who love him. But instead of a humble attitude for finally being able to walk free after 8 years - the severity of the punishment is one thing, but the facts are facts regardless what the law said and they happened for a long time without anyone to try to stop it before the police raided the precincts of Agriprocessors - I've watched in shock dvar Torah moments and never ending celebrations and a bit of Gematria explanations. No way that Moshiach is coming any time soon...

Underskin, by Orit Arfa: It is more than the milky challenge

After The Settler, a book which I greatly enjoyed for the inquisitive challenges and painful dilemma raised after the Gush Katif episode, Orit Arfa is back with an equally interesting literary investigation. A Berlin-Tel Aviv love story between Nilly, the 'settler' girl with a Shoah survivor grandmother and Sebastian, the handsome German.

The two of them met accidentaly on a beach but feel 'some twisted way' of being connected 'by our tragic history'. The past, but also the weight of the present and the political views and mishaps are shadowing the relationship and at a certain extent it makes the communication almost impossible, and this is not because the mother tongues are different. However, there are ways to put on hold the non-stop historical buzz: over the food and by developing the physical relationship. Or through music. After all, does it matter to be 'politically aligned with a romantic partner'?

What really matters at the end of the story - at least for now - is that every generation is writting its own story, although the past is always and will always be there. I really loved that this book is creating, for the first time, a framework for discussion about what might really mean a relationship in the everyday life between an Israeli and a German, especially for Jews of European descent. And if the young people themselves are carefree and careless, their parents and relatives are not. For me, it is one of the most noticeable contribution to the discussion about the 'Israeli exodus' to Berlin written in the English language - although, a community of Israeli living in Berlin and in Germany in general exists since the late 1970s in fact, but as far as I know, without a significant literary presence. 

The book also has a noticeable erotic component, and it is labelled accordingly, but I would rather consider that this aspect is just part of the story, but not the story itself. 

A book recommended to anyone looking for some fresh, bold voices and point of views about the human German-Israeli story.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the author in exchange for an honest review

Salomon Herz, the Jew who put Wittenberge on Germany's industrial map

Wittenberge, in the German state of Brandenburg, can be compared, at a different scale, of course, with UK's Manchester, as an example of the advantages of industrialization to a relatively anonymous town. Before the launch of the rail line Berlin-Hamburg, to which Wittenberge was part thereof, this little town was a sleepy place, without a noticeable local identity. However, the efforts of putting it on the big map of the industrialized 19th century Germany are also the merit of a Jew, Salomon Herz, in whose memory, the square in the front of the train station was given his name, since 2007.

Although Herz spent most of his life in Berlin, he saw Wittenberge as an interesting business opportunity. In 1823, he founded here Germany's first oil trading house, which was later inherited by his son. With his money, the modernization of Elbe's harbour in 1835 was possible.

Nowadays, the former oil mill is hosting a hotel complex, with a beach bar area and a climbing wall. The red bricked buildings, a typical material used for both institutional and industrial constructions in the area are a legacy of the past that maybe nowadays doesn't bring too much profit and guarantees jobs, but which represent the basis of what Wittenberge is nowadays. 

Jewish New York - The Remarkable Story of a City and a People

'This volume narrates the history of the New York Jews, with an eye to their distinctive story as well as consciousness of how Jews embedded their particularity within the city's contentious past'. Jewish New York is nowadays a reality of the diasporic Jewish history and present, and this book, based on serious historical and sociological data, might create at least one more topic for a further academic investigation. For instance, the issue of American Zionism, and therefore the ways in which American Jews are positioning themselves in relation with the state of Israel and the everyday political struggles from the country.

The evolution of the Jewish community is analized back in the 17th century, which makes this volume a valuable source of information for recreating a process of creating mentalities and social patterns. It also offers a multi-layered approach, which goes back and forth from the economic, cultural, social and citizens rights perspectives, creating a pretty accurate landscape where people are relocating continously, adapting their habits from the Old Country while maintaining a certain degree of individuality. With more than a million Jews living in New York, the city is considered a symbol of Jewish life in the diaspora but at the same time, at least in the last 2 decades, there are Jewish communities in many other locations in the USA, which increases the diversity of Jewish life. Although the book has the focus on NYC, a short comparison would have even better outline the specificities of the city. Another omission of the book in my opinion is that it ignores the strong Israeli community in the city, which although remains a distinctive group among the various Jewish communities, it has its own dynamic and specific influence on the cultural patterns and habits of the bigger group as such.

The book is a recommended read to anyone looking to become familiar, in an academic way, with the Jewish history of New York, either for academic or pure knowledge purposes. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Live to Tell the Story

5777 was a hard year to cope with. In fact, every year is hard to cope with in its own way, but I think it brings you what you are ready to take. Or, at least, I encourage myself to think after realizing at the end of a very everntful year that, in fact the best lesson is to be able to wake up every single morning grateful for the gift of life, trying to live every moment as the best of my life. 

It seems that I finally made it to the point where I can look at life with a deep smile onto my face, regardless the outcome. 

I went through difficult times in the last year, which involves many ups and downs of any kinds, but being healthy and strong for my son, being surrounded by friends - even people that I never counted as friends - are my most precious diamonds. My emuna wasn't strong enough, my learning went very bad, my observance was wavering, I listened too much to lashon hara and sometimes was even part of it myself. I was too judgemental and too angry to think properly that breathing deep and counting to three is actually better than the outbursts of unhappiness. 

And here goes my 5778 Resolutions:

- I want to wake up every single early morning with a grateful smile on my face;

- I need more consistency to keep up with who I am, not giving up what I am. I want to resume regular tefillah, and Tehillim reading and my weekly challah baking and the peaceful observance of the holidays. 

- Altough the previous 3-hour learning schedule is almost impossible under the current situation, at least one hour the day can be done.

- I am surrounded by wonderful people, and I want to show more my appreciation for their presence into my life. 

- Lashon hara was my biggest enemy the last year and my decision is to stop either hearing or being part of it. I am doing my best to stay away of people spreading and practising it, but also from thinking about people in a way that might lead to it.

- More reading in Hebrew and Yiddish, not only because I need to use more those languages, but because my son will need it too. 

- Living a healthier life and considering more healthy options, like yoga, running or more hiking in the middle of the nature.

- Being happy with my lot and being thankful for everything the day brings on.

- Last but not least, more interesting posts about Jewish history, books and everyday stories.

Shana Tova u' Metuka

Saviors of Jews in Postdam and Griebnitzsee

I am often writing here about the sad Jewish histories of WWII, especially how Jews were left alone or even helped to go on their way to the death. However, there were also exceptions and my travels are opening my mind to new information. Here is a short account of my latest discoveries while traveling to Griebnitzee - near Berlin - and Potsdam.

In Gribnitzee, on Karl-Marx Straße nr. 11, family Anemarie and Dr. Helmuth Sell hid and helped to go out of the country Ezra Ben Gershom, a young Jewish boy who previously was living on the streets for months. The German family, social-democrats and enemies of the Nazi regime, obtained forged documents for the young boy and helped him to escape. Their efforts were postumously recognized in 1981 by the Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem with the prestigious title 'righteous among the nations'.

Carola Müller (born Hammer) risked her own life helping the Jewish couple Louise and Victoria Hagen, who were deprived of livelihood because of their Jewish origin. She was even detained for a couple of days by the Gestapo for her stubborness to give up in the front of the evil. Hagen family was able to leave savely the country sailing direction USA. Müller's efforts were recognized later by Yad Vashem and a public memorial mention can be seen in Potsdam, on Friedrich Ebert Straße where she lived.

Book Review: By Light of Hidden Candles by Daniella Levy

A story of fight and resilience, By Light of Hidden Candles goes back and forth across centuries from the time of the forced conversions of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition to the current hi-tech era of digitalized archives. Alma and Manuel are apparently belonging to two different worlds: She is the observant Jewish daughter of a family of Spanish descent, he is a Catholic boy from Spain considering becoming a priest. Their paths cross accidentally in the Judaica store of Alma's grandmother, and later on, at the NYU, where Alma is getting involved in a genealogy project, where she hoped to find the Spanish roots of her family. 

A couple of centuries earlier, her ancestor is faced with the choice of converting to Christianity or leaving Spain, or marrying a non-Jew or leave to unknown lands. The story has everything: from heavy historical content, to insights into everyday observant Jewish life - although I've found sometimes the observations about kashrut a bit too artificious, as it happens when you are trying to explain some of the concepts to a foreign audience on an easy note - and a little bit of romance too. 

I liked that both Alma and Manuel do have a very complex personality and even more complex family story, but bringing them together as a match and the later discovery of Manuel about his Jewish roots - that I was expecting a bit from the very beginning - sounded a bit stereotypical for me. I also appreciate the idea of dialogue between religions, but it doesn't need to be done whatever the reason and in a way that simplifies at extremis concepts. 

Despite its ups and downs, By Light of Hidden Candles is a book of interest for anyone who loves historical Jewish novels and which shed some light into the complicated histories of Spanish conversos. 

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Traces of Jewish life in Karlsruhe, Germany

I had a very intensive time in Karlsruhe at the beginning of this year, therefore I hardly was able to go off the beaten path and focus exclusively on the Jewish history of this big industrial city in the Western part of Germany. However, as usual fate was on my side and without too much effort was able to notice some fragments of Jewish history just on my way from a meeting with the local history and culture to another.

For instance, on Karlstraße 11, where nowadays there is a restaurant, it used to be the bank L. Homburger, belonging to one of the oldest families in Karlsruhe. The art nouveau influenced building was planned by the architects Robert Curjel and Karl Moser. After 1938, the bank was liquidated and took away by the state.

Another memorial remembers the synagogue destroyed in 1938, together with many other Jewish institutions. The Jews started to establish in Karlsruhe at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1725, here it was a synagogue, a mikve, a cemetery, and infirmary. After the partial emancipation decrees, here was established in 1809 the seat of the Central Council of Jews in Baden. From 1820s on, Jews were allowed to be work in the field of law and medicine. 

Stolpersteine in the memory of murdered Jews are visible all over the city: on Stephaniestraße, Rheinstraße...In October 22, 1940, 893 Jews were deported to Gurs, France. Others were sent to death between 1942-1945 to Izbica, Auschwitz or Theresienstadt. In 1945, there were 90 Jews left in Karlsruhe. Nowadays, there are less than 1,000 Jews here, served by a Chabad House and a synagogue, mostly originary from the former Soviet Union. 

Political Memories of an Enfant Terrible of Israeli Politics

I cannot decide if Yair Lapid is a better journalist than politician or the other way round, but his father, Tommy was for sure a journalist first. Part of the first wave of journalists in Eretz Israel, Lapid brought into the country a Mitteleuropean tradition of unconventional debate and anti-iconoclastic fervor. Such people do rarely have followers unless one grew up in the daily ambiance and ambivalence of addressing politics in that part of the world. 

The Memories After My Death was written in 2009 in Hebrew, by Yair, and recently translated into English. Probably between translations and the writing of the son, original nuances were lost, but someone curious both about Tommy Lapid and his times can still receive satisfactory answers to a large array of questions. 

The story is told chronologically, from the childhood years in Novi Sad and Budapest to the first impressions upon landing to Israel and Lapid's adventures in the world of post-communist businesses mediating media purchases in Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of billionaire Robert Maxwell. Episodes of a life well spent taking wholeheartedly all the possible professional and personal challenges. 

My feeling was that the book was pending between a story based on life facts - which is a good approach, as maybe for many mostly of younger age, the interesting past of Tommy Lapid wasn't always obvious - or a story built around ideas and life philosophy - an approach requesting in-depth elaboration. From the last point of view, I think that many of the political controversies he created, especially in relation with the religious mainstream were diplomatically muzzled by the more experienced sabra politician of a son. 

All the observations being made, this book is worth reading it if interested in some historical insights into the recent genesis of Israeli politics and media history. There are echoed from a different time and moral age, a reminder that times are always changing and it is good that way too.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Traces of Jewish Life in Görlitz, Germany

Call it the traveller's luck: You spontaneously decide to go to Görlitz and this is exactly the day when there is the open day visit of the main historical monuments in the colourful, Hollywood-loved town. This is how I had the chance to visit the Art Nouveau Synagogue on Otto-Müller Straße, that during my previous visit I've only seen from outside. 

From outside, the massive stoned synagogue looks like many others I've seen in Germany and Eastern Europe, typical constructions for the beginning of the 20th century. It looks like a temple, but it is rather a Greek one it reminds of, instead of the Temple from Jerusalem. The synagogue in Görlitz was inaugurated in March 11, 1911, being the few in Germany not damaged during WWII. I particularly loved the metal-lace intricacies near the main door, an interesting Moorish detail. 

Inside, the details are impressive and carefully chosen with golden inserts into black marble. The lightning also plays an important role in creating a special ambiance and amplifying the space. When we arrived, there were preparations for a concert, as the synagogue nowadays is used as a cultural space rather than a religious institution.

The ceiling offers a fascinating combination between the usual decorative elements of Art Nouveau and typical Biblical motives, such as the lions.

It also has a space for the choir, the typical element of a Reform synagogue, but this space can also be used as a women's section. Around me, other visitors were coming and going in a hurry, snapping pictures before heading up to the new open monument. I wanted to stay a bit more, trying to imagine how it was when the synagogue was ready to welcome the guests coming to pray for Shabbat or holidays.

This synagogue in Görlitz, a town where the presence of Jews is documented since the 13th century, is one of the many, and apparently not the most frequented, as shortly after the opening it seems that there were problems to gather the miniyan - the 10 men needed to pray. Most of the Jews living here were merchants, laywers or doctors, and traces of Jewish life still can be seen in many places around the town, including a cemetery, a mikveh - ritual bath - and houses that used to belong to Jews. 

5 Books to Read for Jewish Children this Summer

Summer holidays are here and when the little ones are not running around the parks or the house, enjoying a play date or spending some quality time far away of the parents in a summer camp, books are a perfect companion to fill the long hours of the summer days.

For curious children and smart parents, I made a short selection of recommended books for children, offered by Kar-Ben Publishing House.

With beautiful colourful illustrations, this book offers a 'creative legend' about the father of world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It starts with the story of a little boy who lived in the city of Ur, surrounded by idols, which were not offering him a satisfactory answer to his questions. He starts his own journey of finding something greater than the idols, his search ending with the discovery of something the One how created all. A book recommended to kids at the age of big questions. 

Through the story of a family moving to a new house, this story explains the meaning of the mezuzah. Recommended to children from 3 to 7, it is more than a didactic introduction, but goes far beyond bringing life to a lot of funny characters. It is a story about friendship and sharing common memories, like the mezuzah is supposed to remind, among others.

As a first book for children until 3 years old, Before We Eat. A Thank you Prayer is a perfect introduction to the bracha after food. It teaches that saying 'thank you' for the gifts and blessings we have is not a compulsory act, but an act of gratitude. Easy written with big colourful illustration, it makes it an easy pleasant yet meaningful read for toddlers.

This book is just adorable. Populated with funny and friendly and guests-welcoming characters, it tells a hilarious story of a Seder evening which seems to have a generously open list of guests. Every important moment of the Pesach meal is outlined by the apparition of more and more sheep-guests. Many are bringing in presents, others are just bumping through the door happy to find a place to celebrate the evening, a delight for the children, and a big organisational challege for the parents - where can all of them be seated, after all? A funny children read for the long Pesach Seders or just for the bedtime stories time, thinking about that time of the year. 

Inspired by true stories of Jewish immigrants in America from the 19th century, this beautifully illustrated story has a sparkle of magic. Feivel, a wood-carver, left his family in Europe while landing to New York to make a fortune and start a new life. Luckily, during a weekend trip to Coney Island, he finds a job opening to work for a carousel company. The figures he created and which brought him enough money to pay the passage to America to his beloved one, are inspired by his sons, wife and daughters. It is a story which resonates with immigrant families in general, and creates empathy for similar contemporary stories. 

Disclaimer: Books offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Book Review: The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer

Set in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, the debut roman of Dalia Sofer, The Septembers of Shiraz is a story well-told of rise and fall of a merchant family. Isaac Amin, a precious stones trader is taken away from his office by the Revolutionary Guards and hold for six months without trial under the accusation of being a 'Zionist' spy. 

Although the accusations are not proved, Amin a non-religious Jew is going through the hell of humiliation, while his family is witnessing little by little the disappearance of their old world as well as the escape of relatives out to the free world. In Brooklyn, the oldest son of the family, Parviz, faced with poverty, starts to work for a Chabad hut-maker and get acknowledged with a world where the material goods are less important compared to the goods of the spirit. 

There is something fantastic about how the balance between spiritual and material world is delicately achieved in this book, the inspiration for a motion picture released last year, starring Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek. It seems that the entire existence of the Amin family was set around material possessions: jewelleries, esmerald-coloured cars, expensive silks and tea services. This pampered world was a cocoon to hide from the outside world, but they were so well hidden that they haven't noticed the changes taking place and the risks encountered once the Shah was away. The regime change left them completely over-exposed and made them into easy target for the new politics of revenge. Sometimes, this new situation can be a trigger to the memory bringing back questions of identity. For Parviz, the fervor of the new Chassidim is foreign to him, but their good deeds and celebration of identity, despite the everyday hardships is intriguing and opens its mind to a different (Jewish) reality.

Besides the historical interest for the Iranian Jews - I have more books to review on this topic in the next months - the book is worth reading for its literary qualities. The author has a special art of creating ambiances and describing both environments and emotions. Although I've read the book in a German translation, those features of the book remained highly outlined.

Rating: 4 stars  

Book Review: The Book of Separation

When the Jewish divorce is pronounced, the Biblical term for the get document given to the woman is sefer kritut, in translation, the book of termination or the book of separation. In her memoir, Tova Mirvis retraces her journey from the moment when her separation process started - not only from her husband, but from her Orthodox life - until she climbs her own mountain and tries to set up her free life, the original version of herself. 'After years if trying to silence the voice inside her that she did not agree, did not fit in, did not believe, she strikes out on her own, to discover what she does believe and who she really is'. 

I've previously read and reviewed another book by Tova Mirvis and liked both the approach and the writing. Her memoir to be released in a couple of months, flows beautifully, streaming through the various tensed and even anxious life moments, while trying to put herself and the scattered fragments of her life together. 

After 17 years of marriage and three children, the lines between herself and the community, the path of the tradition and her own path are blurred and where other could easily find comfort and peace she is tormented by questions. Her incessant questioning marks her progressive taking off, starting from getting away from the community pressure - 'we were taught, we were told, we were watched' -, following her voice as a writer, ending up her own struggles with observance and reconciling her old and new ways with her new situation as a divorced woman partly in charge with the education of her children, with a father remaining Orthodox. 

Sometimes, making choices is much easier although painful and difficult, than being accepted for what your choices made of you. 

I loved everything about this book, but especially the honesty and the genuine way she opens her heart. Is that kind of book that I would not have anything against reading twice.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

What is Shalom Zachar?

The traditions and customs associated with the birth of a boy seem to be more numerous and marking his very first moments of life. As usual, there are differences in the Askenazi and Sephardi/Mizrahi tradition, which might create sometimes some specific cultural identifications. 

Take, for instance, shalom zachar - or shulem zucher for the Yiddish speaking folks. It is a gathering supposed to take place the first Friday after the birth of a boy to welcome the new soul into the world. The reunion, which has the status of a teuda mitzva, takes place after the usual dinner, even if the mother and baby are not present, and there is no ceremony or dvar Torah assigned but wise speeches are encourages, but expect a lot of lechaims and mazel tovs. In case it is not possible to meet the first Shabbes after the birth, it can be delayed. 

The mysterious explanation of this custom is that after the baby learnt Torah with an angel during his time in the womb, this gathering is an opportunity to mourn the lost memory of the precious learning. It is said that shortly before birth, the angel slaps the baby boy and he forgets everything he learned for 9 months. Therefore, the ceremony can be considered as a 'mourning', and some serve also a food usually served by shiva - the arbes, for instance, cooked chickpeas with spices, salt or pepper - and any round food aimed to remember the round circle of life.

By the Oriental Jews, the most important event before the brit takes place the night before the event, when the men gather for a sleepless night of reading Tehilim and reciting Shema - 'the Brit Yitzchak'. According to their tradition, the night before the brit mila is 'spiritually dangerous' and therefore prayers should eliminate the dangers. Some Hasidim also do have the same tradition, called in Yiddish 'vach nacht'.

In the last years, a similar ceremony to shalom zachar was introduced, the simchat bat, aimed at celebrating the birth of a girl. 

Traces of Jewish life in Perleberg, Germany

My travels through Germany often bring me near traces of Jewish life. There are so many places now where Jews are no more since the end of the 1930s, but their memory is preserved and the places of memory are symbolically converted into cultural meeting points. Although there is a lot to talk about this issue too, as for now I will focus on the way in which the Jewish memory is introduced into the bigger narrative of a city without Jews.

My latest discovery was into the city of Perleberg, a former Hansa city with an interesting old town architecture.

Perleberg has the best maintained Jüdenhof in Germany. Situated on Parchimerstrasse 6a (previously Jüdenstrasse), close to the city center but on a side street, its entrance is symbolically marked by a big white arch. The Jewish history is introduced to the visitor on a big billboard in German, right at the entrance.

The Jewish community here, attracted by the opportunities of trade, went through different stages. Its first history dates back from the 14th until the 16th century, troubled times when the Jews were often the victims of unjust anti-Semitic trials and pogroms. 

The second episode of Jewish history in Perleberg starts in 1800, when a new Synagogue is built and the community is flourishing, but again, only for a short time. In 1942, all the local Jews are sent to concentration camp and killed. Nowadays, there are no signs of organised Jewish life here and most probably no Jew is living here.

The space that was used before to keep the Jews isolated from the rest of the city is used nowadays for cultural encounters and as a meeting point where topics which include Jewish history and traditions are introduced to the wider public through conferences or art and photo exhibitions. Most events are hosted in a simple modern looking rectangular building on the place of the former synagogue, neighbouring a traditional timbered house.  

Book review: Trail of Miracles, by Smadar Herzfeld

Told in the slow pace of a Hasidic story, Trail of Miracles is the story of Gittel, born in the lands of Ukraine, daughter of a Torah scholar and daughter-in-law of the famous Maggid of Mezeritch. Written as a first person memoir, the story focuses on Gittel's account of a life in shadow, a pioneer of her own kind, married as a 12-year old who decided to follow the dream of her youth and go all by herself to Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem she discovered is a faint copy of her dreams but it is the last step of her ladder towards self-discovery and the litmus test of her ability to take over her destiny. Always living in the shadows of men, not encouraged to learn enough because not a boy, she is there all on herself, anonymous, her past left far behind but strong enough to start over and over again. Because this is life, swimming through hardship. 

The writing is beautiful, the words creating beautiful images, talking in dreams that you need to take a break from the book to decipher. Gittel is sharing her experience from the bottom of her heart and at a great extent it is not easy to see her account as familiar as it resonates with some opinions regarding the women's role in religious communities. Only the individual example can demonstrate that there is room for balancing roles. 

My only disappointment is that the story finishes too early, exactly when I was in the perfect mood to discover new stories. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Land Without Borders, by Nir Baram

When it comes to the political situation in Israel, particularly in regard with the Palestinian population, most of the books are either black or white, up to the ideological affiliation of the writers. If unsure a book is worth, or not, your time and your money, you only have to Google the author and you can easily figure out which orientation he or she has and the main thesis and assumptions are almost crystal clear. 

It is a pityful pathetic intellectual situation, but this is how things are. After all, it is not bad to take sides, but the ideological sides are very narrow and obstruct the real view, particularly when it comes to Israel. Although I have my own view - narrow also - about the 'situation', I realized that I need more understanding and insights from the 'other side' therefore when offered the chance to get an ARC from Nir Baram book, I decided to take the challenge and offer myself the opportunity of a different lecture.

I think that one of the mistakes done in this case, either you are right or ('wrong') left is that we are tempted to ignore arguments and look only for the over-validation of our points of view. But if you are curious by nature, this is not enough, and things may change as people can change too. 

In the tradition of Amos Oz and David Grossman, Nir Baram is visiting Palestinian villages and inquires about what future stays ahead for the relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Unfortunately he doesn't look necessarily to answer his questions with new questions, but there are interesting facts revealed that may help to do your own further research. Like, for instance, how happened that in Betlehem the percentage of Chrisian Arabs decreased, a fact noticed by the author but not worth the effort of a serious journalistic research. The book is less ideological than expected though therefore, especially if you are curious to gather arguments and even get a sociological overview of the profile of the Palestinian leaders and their background there are some good information to take from it, although parsimoniously.

As for the future, is very unclear after so many chances were missed or peace plans were drawn without taking into consideration the local dynamic. Personally, I keep my assumption that in order to build a state you need elites and if there is any serious research that will show me the potential of a Palestinian elite able to take over the state bureaucracy and lead it to the creation of a modern - not terror-based state - I am more than happy to take the challenge. Otherwise, we are not taking about a dream but a scary nightmare.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Catch the Jew!

I was familiar with Tuvia Tenenbom from a previous book where he investigated in a very cynical-humorous way the state-of-the arts of the anti-Semitism in Germany, as well as from his public appearances in the German media. His writing is provocative, clowneresque at the limit, but he suceeds to reveal the ridiculous and the many layers hiding the truth.

Catch the Jew - with the German version Allein unter Juden - is taking over the topic of Israel and presents it on a plate with many mezzes, as any well respected Israeli breakfast should be. Tuvia Tenenbom is the follower of the trustworthy and small sect of the journalists that don't give up asking questions, regardless the circumstances. He needs to know and understand and when people are getting angry because of the boldness of the questions it means that he is a real 'tzaddik', because this is how real journalists used to behave. 

Although many of his trips in Israel have to do with the leftist and pro-Palestinian causes, he is also once in a while also visiting some wonder rabbi or paying his comical respects to some out-of-order strange custom. 

If you want to read a different story about Israel, which doesn't necessarily take any side but that of the inquisitive journalist, I recommend this book. Maybe you will not learn too much new things about this region, but at least will raise some questions about honesty, facts vehiculated in the media and the political realm. A very useful challenge to take once in a while.

The Jewish Wedding Now, by Anita Diamant

Since 1985, The Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant sees a new edition, aimed to include the latest changes and understandings of the Jewish life in the last years, including the acceptance of same sex marriages. 'Jewish weddings are grounded in the past, but they have always been the stuff of the irrepressible present'. 

Written in an accessible way, with many interesting Biblical and tradition-bounded examples, the book offers valuable insights into both the preparation process and the event as such, covering very important elements, such as the content of the ketuba, how to split the costs or dealing with tests for identifying possible genetic diseases. My list is considerably random and reductive but it is up to the reader to find out a lot of other intersting aspects. This is one of the many merits of this book: it is hardly an aspect of the Jewish Wedding left uncovered and I wish there are such valuable resources covering other important moments of the Jewish life circle too. 

It also doesn't matter if you grew up Jewish or not or if you are part of a conservative or more liberal congregation: it creates bridges between different traditions and interpretations of the Jewish law being also a hard work of anthropolotical-like research and inquiry. If you are a person who, regardless of your own background and personal choices, you want to learn, this book will open your mind to a whole range of diverse customs, many of them newly introduced following the new society trends. 

The book is mostly focused on the main checklist, without covering particular traditions and community rules, but such a particular focus would have divert from the main aim which is The Jewish Wedding in general, and not specific Jewish wedding(s).

A book recommended to anyone curious about how the Jewish Wedding are organised or just looking for a complete overview of this important life event. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Looking the everyday evil into the eye

Jordana, granddaughter of Shoah survivors, decides to embark on a one-week trip to Germany, to the city of Lüneburg, to be part of the first week of the legal proceedings against the so-called 'accountant of Auschwitz', Oskar Gröning. 

After taking part to the March of the Living and being involved in various projects related to the Shoah, the idea of taking part at the trial of someone who was close to the Nazi killing machine sounds as a natural outcome. Being able to look into the eye of a war criminal, who for so many decades after the end of WWII was able to live a normal life after being part of the murder of at least 300,000 people was a big opportunity to get a better understanding of events hard to understand. Ambitious and decided to overcome all the obstacles, Jordana will make it to Lüneburg, and this book is the account of her experiences not only of the trial, but also of her encounters with Germans and Germany.

During 4 years and a half of operation, 1,300,000 people were deported to Auschwitz and only 200,000 survived. 6,000 members of the SS served as guards, but only 43 of them were brought to trial, and only 9 received life sentences, it is mentioned in the Introduction. An extremely limited number, given the tragedy inflicted to millions of people, and more than one generation of survivors' relatives.

Gröning's job - at the time of the trial 94 years old - was to record the goods and money stolen from people brought into the camp. After a while, he realized what was happening there and he witnessed himself the murder of an innocent child. The innocent portrait of someone who was just part of the machine, without possibility of decision-making, or because there is no other option, shows in fact the 'banality of evil'. There was the bureaucratic account that the people couldn't challenge the system and they were just pieces into the system. Gröning describes in his deposition the situation of food and drinks supplies when he arrives at the camp while people were there starving and living in conditions hardly described as human. 

The system as such couldn't work without the compliance of so many people. On the other hand, it creates the urge to keep fighting for truth, justice and restoring the chance in humanity. Although Gröningen only received 4 years and spent most of his life enjoying freedom, the lesson of his trial is that if there is a will, anyone guilty of crimes can be taken accountable. However, the reality that so many of them died peacefully in their beds without ever being questioned about their involvement in terrible crimes is hard to be at peace with. 

Jordana's inquisitive spirit is contagious and she can be taken as a good example for many youngsters. She wants to understand with her own eyes and the emotional stages she is going through are more than expectable. One of the signs of growing-up is acknowledging nuances and her own experiences and the observation of other people's reactions at the trial - including of forgiving something only G-d can - is part of this process. Meeting people like Thomas Walter, the German lawyer who challenged and extended the area of war crimes prosecution, is an example that individuals can make a difference.

This book can be easily used in schools for history lessons, but its readership extends to anyone curious in Shoah stories and testimonies.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Exhibition about head - and body covering - at the Jewish Museum Berlin

It starts with shpitzel and ends with burka...

You can approach the issue of women head covering and woman modesty in general in different, more or less controversially. For instance, one can pledge for the way in which women are usually requested to submit to rules mostly elaborated by men or the historical perspective can be chosen, by outlining the religious and traditional reasons that lead to the adoption of a certain custom. 

The newest exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin is dedicated to exactly this topic. I had some mixed feelings about going there, particularly after being very disappointed about the simplistic - to say the least - way in which the fascinating topic of Golem was presented last autumn. 

But it seems disappointment can only go further. It a convenient way close to the multi-kulti concept usually associated to the city of Berlin, the Jewish head covering and modesty approaches are presented together with burqa and nun clothes. Indeed, there are approaches to modesty, but I dare to say that there are many different interpretation of the same concept, but the power of the curious mind is to outline and trace the differences, instead of creating simplistic versions.

In fact, I would have been very curious to explore the eventual similarities and synergies in the case of the attitude towards women in Oriental communities. Or a historical evolution about how the rules in the case of Jewish women head covering became stricter and more elaborated in the last decade. Or, I would have even accepted to see a rebelious approach on head covering, including the moment when women can chose not to cover their head, while adherring to the Orthodox religious principles. Or...or...The list is too long, but none of my curious inquieries were answered. Instead, I was offered an undefinite setting aimed at illustrating the topic, but without properly saying anything. More than being confusing, such a stance is disappointing and I have only to regret that (just) another interesting topic was destroyed willingly by a 'fast-food' like approach. Turning any topic into a popular culture (maybe one of the best exhibitions at this museums I enjoyed in the last years was about super heroes and comics so maybe there is an exclusive knowledge potential for such topics) issue doesn't work for any subjects. 

About the niggun

Recently, I've been told about a kind of project some modern Hasidim have to create instrumental version of niggunim loved by their group. (Yeah, it took me some diplomatic second thinking to create this sentence). Mostly, there are Shabbes and Yom Tov songs that were never translated into the 'rational' language of the scores.

Since the idea of the app with music for Shabbes and Yom Tov - I do have my own NCSY Bencher app, promoted by the Orthodox Union, which I do have too and I love the songs - it seems that we are slowly getting used with the mix between the usual things reserved only for the time of rest and the rest of the week. I don't think it is fine and I am curious enough to want to have or listen to them during the week or before Shabbes. 

But when it comes to niggun, the beauty of it is the sound of human voice, the lack of words which is like a deep cry from the human heart to the heavenly courts. There are no gates left closed after that. Nothing compares for me to the beauty of a Karliner niggun, sung by the innocent voices of children. 

The return to music into the synagogues in the 18th century is the work of the Baal Shem Tov, which considered songs another mystical layer of the prayer. The pace of the music can express various feelings and mystical stages, from meditation, to slow reflection and happiness and the recent-times Kabbalists are praising niggunim as an easier way to reach G-d.

Therefore, do we need instrumental versions of niggunim? One of the things I love more about them is how easy is to create improvisations and to develop some themes spontaneously, the power of the individual voice that can lead and change the pace entirely. Like life, sometimes you go on an unbeaten path and reach new symbols and values and reasons of growth. 

And I know that I will rather prefer that other things are becoming more modernised, while the raw beauty of niggunim is left unaltered.

Tutti's Promise: Jewish fate in The Netherlands

Trying to escape the horrors awaiting for Jews in Germany, a middle-class Jewish family run to Amsterdam shortly before The Netherlands are occupied by the Nazis. In this novel based on a personal story of the Lichtenstern family, the main voice belongs to Ruth Lichtenstern aka Tutti born in 1935 in Cologne, Germany, a little girl at the time of the war.

As many of the kids growing up this time, she grew up faster, learning to cope with human cruelty, discrimination and the urge to find food and give comfort and support to the parents. They are children assuming from a very small age adults' responsibilities. For the parents the pain is even bigger, as they should see how powerless they are to save their children from the daily nightmare.

Through her, we are introduced to the daily life of Jews in the Netherlands during the war, many of them, similarly with Tutti's family, trying to run from the German horrors. Every day is a test of survival and an effort to trick with the destiny.  It is a terrible fight for survival taking place and once in a while, good people - although only a few - are appearing in the life of the characters, including from the top of the establishment. For few months, the Lichtenstern family is able to stay away from the death camps, together with other Jews, by working at the Westerbork camp, trying to sell and buy scrap metal. But this chance is short-lived and they will be transferred to Theresienstadt where they will be liberated. The family starts the journey back, but the scars of those times remain deeply inscribed in the story of everyone's life. But there is also a promise, Tutti's promise, to refuse to give up hope and aim at making the world a better place. It is a promise that the reader too could take it.

The story is well written, accompanied by a dictionary of words in German and Dutch and explaining various terms used in the book, with vivid dialogues and in an attractive way that may keep the reader interested. Documents are inserted in to the text, offering the proof of authenticity of various episodes told in the story. The book can be used in middle schools to teach about Shoah and it offers to the reader the chance to learn something about Jews in Amsterdam and Shoah in The Netherlands and Europe in general. The episodes of life at the Theresienstadt concentration camp are also relevant for documenting this period.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Book review: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Dara Horn

My first literary encounter with Dara Horn was an unforgettable blast, although the other two novels by her I've read were a bit deceiving. However, A Guide for the Perplexed, her fourth, is one of those books which haunts you for a long time, because of the intricated web of symbols and meanings openly expressed or hidding in plain sight. It is the kind of books that stays with you many days and even weeks after you finished it because it seems that regardless how many riddles you solved already, there is still something else left somewhere unanswered. 

Computer prodigy Josie Askenazi created a complicated Internet program called Genizah where memories can be stored and therefore, you can create and preserve a complete life story. Because 'Everything is absurd until one learns to code'. However, busy to save snippets of information, we may be too distracted sometimes to live the moment as it is. When she is invited to the National Library of the post-'revolutionary' Egypt for a presentation of the program, her less brilliant sister Judith encourage her to go. In her last day of the trip she is kidnapped and brought into the Death City of Cairo, where her death is recordeded and aired, although she is still secretly kept to create a home variant of the Genizah and also a virus that can destroy the archives developed by the Egyptian police using the system. As a 2.0 Scheherazade, she is trying to lure her kidnappers and win one more day and one more day of her life by using her strongest asset: her coding wisdom. 

Meanwhile, her sister is having her short-lived moment of glory, moving on with her husband and taking up the role of mother for her daughter. A short message Josie succeeded to send to the mobile of one of her kidnappers to both her husband and sister will change, although a bit later, the entire story and she will finally escape, with her sister killed during the events.

At the same time, there are another two stories taking place in the novel: one of the author of The Guide of the Perplexed, Moses Maimonides, searching for a cure of the asthma in the ancient Egypt, and the adventures of the 19th century Jewish researcher Solomon Schechter who discovered the famous Genizah in Egypt, a deposit of old documents and holy books aimed to be stored for preventing human destruction as they bear the name of Gd. 

The net of the story is so intricated that one feels that it is no details out of place. Horn has a serious Jewish knowledge which permeates the smallest details of the novel, from the details and commentaries of The Guide of the Perplexed until the history of Jews in Egypt or the various interpretation of the story of Yossef and his brothers. I've personally found fascinated the game of the double: The two Askenazi sisters, the twin sisters that brought prof. Solomon Schechter to Egypt, Schechter's relation with his estranged brother, Maimonides' brother who died during one of his oversea trips. This dual relationship applies even to the family names: Jossie Askenazi is married with Mizrahi.

A less clear connection for me was the asthma element: Maimonides wrote a Treaty of Asthma. Jossie suffers of asthma too, and her daughter too, as well as Schechter himself. I've only found a relatively obscure psychoanalitical explanation of this long-term lung condition according to which it is caused by the supressed cry of the child for the mother. 

Another aspect that was probably missed was the fact that after the killing of Josie is announced, her death is relatively easily accepted, and there are no efforts to rescue her body or find more about her whereabouts. 

The entire discussion about memory and how the past can shape the present and the future, including by repeating episodes from the past, although in different combinations and concentrations is worth at least another books. How much we can control our life memories, with the help of technology ? How much we can control our present and future? At what extent those memories saved are accurate and not just another story our minds avid for creating realities are longing for?

A Guide for the Perplexed by Dara Horn is a fascinating Jewish novel of the kind I would love to read more and more.

Rating: 5 stars 

Who was Gerda Taro?

A small square in the German city of Stuttgart bears since November 2008 the name of the forgotten first war photographer woman Gerda Taro. Taro was also the first woman photographer killed in mission, as she died at 27 years old in 1937 while on assignment covering the Spanish Civil War. The square, situated at the intersection of Ecke Hohenheimer and Alexanderstraße has 9 rotten-looking rectangles where the letters of her name are inscribed in metal on one side, with extensive information and photographs about her on the other side.

Gerda Taro was born Gerta Pohorylle in Stuttgart in a family of Galitian (Polish) Jews that emigrated to Germany. She attended boarding school in Switzerland and shortly after the National-Socialists arrived to power, she got involved in anti-establishment protests and was shortly imprisoned in Leipzig. After this incident, she decided to move to Paris leaving Germany for good. Most of her family will perish during Shoah and she will never meet them again. In Paris, she met a Hungarian Jew, Endre Friedmann, who later took the name of Robert Capa (capa means 'shark' in Hungarian), with whom she got sentimentally and professionally involved. She changed her name to Taro, inspired by the Japanese avantgarde sculptor and painter Taro Okamoto.

She soon got involved with the activities of the French Communists and decided to continue her search for authenticity in Spain, fighting with her camera to catch on film the moments of the Spanish Civil War. She became friend with Hemingway, George Orwell and the future post-war German chancellor Willy Brandt. Taro was working as what much later was called 'embedded' member of the media corp, journalists working and traveling together with one of the 'armies' of the conflict. She was wounded while on a car caming back from an assignment and died later, on the day of her 27 years anniversary. 

Her funeral was organised by the French Communist party in the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and a monument for her grave was commissioned to Alberto Giacometti. 

Many of her works were kept by Capa and therefore there are not too many specific works left. Her presence into the world was rarely noticed and mentioned despite her pioneering work and artistic achievements. 

What about kitniyot?

If you are Askenazi, you know that besides chometz, there is something else to be fearful to consume during Pesach: kitniyot. Practically, there is not an English translation of this term, but an approximation could be grains, with a Hebrew general translation as vegetables - which does not make any justice to the term, especially not from the religiously accepted point of view.

According to Rambam, on Pesach there is prohibited to consume the 5 kinds of grains: oats, rye, wheat, barley and spelt. Kitniyot are grains that are similar with the five grains - for instance, rice, millet, peas, lentils, but Rambam do not prohibit their use during Pesach. Therefore even flour ground from rice can be used to prepare different mixture.

The early source for the Askenazi minhag is apparently found at Rabbeinu Peretz (a Baalei Tosafot). According to him, the grains similar to those from the prohibited list, plus beans, if boiled operate similarly with the chometz (produced after more than 18 minutes of co-habitation between flour and water) are forbidden for Pesach. 

For instance, in the case of beans, if you put them in the water and wait for them to boil, the process is problematic chometz-wise, the advice being to just throw them into the boiling water. The beans are a completely different category of discussion anyway. Rabbeinu Yechiel, for instance, also a Baalei Tosafot, is said to have been used to eat white beans on Pesach. However, the beans as a general category and specific examples are a very complicated issues, as many of them - for instance, soy beans - were introduced in the last century only, which opened the way to complicated discussion about their presence on the Pesach menu. The same applies to quinoa, which is a relatively new add to the culinary habits. 

The minhag of refraining from consuming kitniyot, introduced by the Askenazi rabbis, was a gezeira (a decree) based on the fact that the kitniyot are prepared in the kitchen boiling them in a pot of water, therefore similarly with the chometz, therefore should not be consumed on Pesach. It is important to mention that this prohibition is not halachic, but a chumra, a strict standard adopted by the community. In addition to this, it also function the rule that if your parents had a certain Pesach eating custom, you can follow it as well. Last but not least, the minhag hamakom - the custom of the place - operates, meaning that if you are living in a community with stricter standards you should follow them. If the community is lenient and your standards are higher, you keep following your standards.

Rabbi Joseph Caro, the author of Shulchan Aruch, add another information regarding the reason of forbidding kitniyot: sometimes the five grains are mixed with lentils or other priducts, because the fields were near to each other and the wind may bring undeserved seeds. The reason is further outlined by the Taz - Rabbi Levi - in his commentary to Shulchan Aruch. The need to check for cross-contamination is required from the Sephardi communities consuming rice on Pesach. For instance, the rice is checked three times for chometz in a room where there are no children to the room, because their noise might distract from a serious search. 

The discussion about kitniyot is never ending and there are many serious arguments pro and against them. More than any other holiday, on Pesach our many differences as communities and individuals are on display and the positive lesson we should learn is about being tolerant and accepting the food alterity of everyone. The care to respect the prohibition of eating chometz on Pesach is a valuable asset we should respect and transmit further to the next generation. Without hate or permanent complaining and disregard for other people's customs. 

The story of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra told to children

Telling to nowadays children stories about the past, especially about history, is quite a challenging task. You need to find your way smoothly towards their preferences and sensibilities and interests, and when it comes to books, the challenges are even higher. However, a good book telling a good story is always a win, and regardless how much your kid loves playing network games on the computer, he or she will always find some time for listening to a quality narrative.

A Concert in the Sand tells beautifully, both through text and very inspiring images, the story of the first performance of what will later be Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, in 1936. Created by the once child prodigy Bronislaw Huberman, it gathered the best European Jewish artists, and their performance in Israel meant bringing back warm memories from the 'old country'. 

Through a very personal story, between a grand mother and her nephew, an entire world is delicately created, without teaching on purpose or aiming to lecture. The historical details are coming along smoothly and the beautiful images helps to fix it in the long term memory.

This book is recommended to any history lover kids. It brings to life a story less known and unjustly forgotten from the history of Israel, whose European culture remains an important asset through decades. 

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher

Book review: Women's Minyan by Naomi Ragen

I had Naomi Ragen on my to-read list for a long time, but fate wanted that my first real encounter to be not a novel, but a play. Based on a real story of a haredi woman who was blocked from having access to her children, it continues the usual discussion regarding the disregard towards women among some Haredi groups. Although women are celebrated and appreciated for their dedication to bringing children to the world, taking care of the house and most often also working while the men are learning in the yeshivot, the moment when a women is requesting her right to think and decide, the pressure of the community often turns against her.

It is not necessarily the rule, but such things happen and it can be enough to offer inspiration to the writer. I really liked the idea of the physical absence of men in the play, while they continue to be the background noise and the constant reference - both as a source of fear and source of authority - for the women characters assuming that: 'We are just women. There are things we can't understand. We're not on their level'.

The play has a more optimistic note than the reality, as the destitute Chana fights for and wins the chance of being heard, in the front of a 'minyan' of 10 other women, among which her daughters and mother-in-law. The open heart breaks the barriers the men rose for women to keep them weak. 'They enforce marriage and divorce laws that keep us chained like prisoners to men we despise'. 

From the literary point of view, I particularly liked the first part of the play, where tensions and symbolic details are added in order to create a crecendo of expectations. Unfortunately, the closer we are from the end, the slower the pace and the dialogue is less dramatic. 

Although I am fully aware of many of the realities of the daily wife within Orthodox communities presented in the play, I always pledge for nuances and more colours than black and life. However, this play increased my interest to discover more works by Naomi Ragen.

Rating: 3 stars

Traces of Jewish life in Ettlingen, Baden-Würtemberg

Every time I travel somewhere in Germany - and in Europe - I discover traces of Jewish life. In most cases, there are stories about a life that used to be and the past in general. But learning about the past is always a good opportunity to think about the future. 

The last week, I visited the small locality of Ettlingen, situated 5 minutes away by train from Karlsruhe, in the Western part of Germany, close to the border to France.

During WWII, many of the Jews murdered in this part of the country were sent to Gur concentration camp in France. Ettlingen has a relatively small Jewish community, with origins as far as the beginning of the 14th century. The Black Death persecutions and pogroms between 1348-1349 when Jews were accused and killed for an imaginary fault of spreading this epidemics - instead of thinking more logically at the precarious hygienic conditions most part of the population lived in, decimated the community. The Jews returned in Ettlingen in the 17th century, with most of them used to live on Färbergasse - Dyers alley - that was also named Jüdengasse - Jewish alley. With the number increasing, a synagogue was built on Alberstr. in 1849, that was further replaced by a biggest one in Pforzheimstr. According to local statistics, in 1910, there were 75 Jews living in Ettlingen. 

During Kristallnacht, this synagogue was destroyed and the deportation of Jews started. In 1933, there were 48 Jews living here, the number increasing to 79 at the end of the decade. Most of them were sent to death during WWII, Stolpersteine being installed in the recent years to remember the fate of the former Jewish residents. The ones featured in the picture are situated on Rheinstrasse, on the way to the central train station. 

Source of the information: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and after the Holocaust, A-J, ed. by Shmuel Spector, Geoffrey Wigoder