Books

The first comprehensive history of American Jewish philanthropy and its influence on democracy and capitalism

For years, American Jewish philanthropy has been celebrated as the proudest product of Jewish endeavors in the United States, its virtues extending from the local to the global, the Jewish to the non-Jewish, and modest donations to vast endowments. Yet, as Lila Corwin Berman illuminates in The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex, the history of American Jewish philanthropy reveals the far more complicated reality of changing and uneasy relationships among philanthropy, democracy, and capitalism.

With a fresh eye and lucid prose, and relying on previously untapped sources, Berman shows that from its nineteenth-century roots to its apex in the late twentieth century, the American Jewish philanthropic complex tied Jewish institutions to the American state. The government's regulatory efforts--most importantly, tax policies--situated philanthropy at the core of its experiments to maintain the public good without trammeling on the private freedoms of individuals. Jewish philanthropic institutions and leaders gained financial strength, political influence, and state protections within this framework. However, over time, the vast inequalities in resource distribution that marked American state policy became inseparable from philanthropic practice. By the turn of the millennium, Jewish philanthropic institutions reflected the state's growing investment in capitalism against democratic interests. But well before that, Jewish philanthropy had already entered into a tight relationship with the governing forces of American life, reinforcing and even transforming the nation's laws and policies.

The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex uncovers how capitalism and private interests came to command authority over the public good, in Jewish life and beyond.

In this novel and innovative work, Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman traces the medical understanding of anatomy, physiology, and therapeutics across time and genres of rabbinic literature. The accumulated literature of centuries of Jewish legal discourse on medical topics serves as the foundation for contemporary Jewish bioethics. As these writings span the chronological gamut of scientific and medical discovery, it is essential to view each source in its proper historical context. Marshalling a vast array of sources from multiple disciplines, Reichman demonstrates the importance of the historical dimension not only for medical halakhic research, but to better understand the unique relationship of Judaism and medicine throughout the centuries.

"Virtuosic ... The lightness of Matalon's tale belies its heft. In prose that is both abrupt and tender, she skewers the hydraulics of family and the insensitivities of those who think themselves exquisitely sensitive ... Matalon ... indicts us all."
--The New York Times Book Review

A young bride shuts herself up in a bedroom on her wedding day, refusing to get married. In this moving and humorous look at contemporary Israel and the chaotic ups and downs of love everywhere, her family gathers outside the locked door, not knowing what to do. The bride's mother has lost a younger daughter in unclear circumstances. Her grandmother is hard of hearing, yet seems to understand her better than anyone. A male cousin who likes to wear women's clothes and jewelry clings to his grandmother like a little boy. The family tries an array of unusual tactics to ensure the wedding goes ahead, including calling in a psychologist specializing in brides who change their mind and a ladder truck from the Palestinian Authority electrical company. The only communication they receive from behind the door are scribbled notes, one of them a cryptic poem about a prodigal daughter returning home. The harder they try to reach the defiant woman, the more the despairing groom is convinced her refusal should be respected. But what, exactly, ought to be respected? Is this merely a case of cold feet? A feminist statement? Or a mourning ritual for a lost sister? This provocative and highly entertaining novel lingers long after its final page.

In troubled times and joyous times, this beautiful anthology will help you express your heartfelt prayers. This personal prayer companion, with facing Hebrew text and English translation, contains prayers for one's children, spouse, health and livelihood, as well as prayers to be said at the graves of tzaddikim. Its convenient, compact size and elegant design make it the perfect gift for every occasion. Includes birkas hamazon (Grace After Meals), and Sheva Berachos. A beautifully hardbound, leatherette edition with silver stamping and embossing. Features space for personalizing on both the front and back cover, and a ribbon bookmark to save your place.

In 1948, when the newly founded nation of Israel came under siege from a coalition of Arab states, a band of volunteer airmen from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, and South Africa arrived to help. They were a small group, fewer than 150. Many were World War II veterans; most of them knowingly violated their nations' embargoes on the shipment of arms and aircraft to Israel. The airmen risked everything--their careers, citizenship, and lives--to fight for Israel. The saga of the volunteer airmen in Israel's war of independence stands as one of the most stirring--and little-known--war stories of the past century.

For two centuries the academic study of the Bible has confronted the believing Jew with the most challenging of questions: Are the accounts of the Tanakh historically accurate? Was there an Exodus? Why does the Torah provide multiple versions of its law and its stories? What are the warrants for believing the Torah is a divine text? Can a Jew seeking intellectual honesty maintain fidelity to the Thirteen Principles of Faith? The credentials Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman brings to address these issues are unparalleled. An internationally acclaimed speaker, writer and educator, Rabbi Berman is also a professor of Tanakh at Bar-Ilan University and the author of two books published by Oxford University Press on the five books of the Torah. This landmark work is the first full-length treatment of these charged issues by an Orthodox thinker, offering the believing Jew an academically and traditionally based approach of spiritual and intellectual integrity.

Birchos Ha’Shachar is the foundation of our daily prayers.

We say them every morning, but have you ever wondered…

…why we thank Hashem for the rooster’s intelligence every morning?

…why we thank Hashem for being Jewish every day?

…why there are separate brachos for men and women?

…why we have two different brachos to appreciate our eyes?

These questions and so many more are addressed in Arise & Aspire, a clear and thought-provoking book written by Mrs. Shira Smiles — a highly sought-after international lecturer who invites you to join her as she presents each brachah of the Birchas ha’Shachar with deeper meaning, showing us how they apply to our daily lives. Uncovering and internalizing the depth and wisdom of these brachos will not only lead the reader to a more inspired prayer, but a more inspired life.

"[This] small book ... will certainly foster greater appreciation of the beauty and profundity of the brachos and more importantly will increase our awareness of the Chasdei Hashem that surround us every second of the day."

Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz

"This work will greatly increase one's appreciation and understanding of these blessings and thus enhance one's recital of them daily to be not only lip service but true service of the heart."

Rabbi Zev Leff

"Starting our day with [these defining] brachos will define our lives with the majesty and magic so inherent to our inner world and the universe that Hashem recreates each morning."

Mrs. Chani Juravel

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Mrs. Shira Smiles is a world-renowned lecturer and a popular seminary teacher. She is well-known for her unique teaching style which seeks to bring understanding of Torah texts through analysis of relevant sources while making the lessons learned from every verse relevant to her students' lives.

A book on prayer any other--refreshing, relevant, exciting, deep, and invigorating. Each down-to-earth page is filled with stimulating that make prayer come alive, that transform it into the most relevant of human activities, that make it what it should and can be--moments of strength and power, the miracle of man's ability to talk the God and know that God is actually listening.