Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps

Book Description

"Think of it as a game, Jack.
Play the game right and you might outlast the Nazis."

Caught up in Hitler's Final Solution to annihilate Europe's Jews, fifteen-year-old Jack Mandelbaum is torn from his family and thrown into the nightmarish world of the concentration camps. Here, simple existence is a constant struggle, and Jack must learn to live hour to hour, day to day. Despite intolerable conditions, he resolves not to hate his captors and vows to see his family again. But even with his strong will to survive, how long can Jack continue to play this life-and-death game?

Award-winning author Andrea Warren has crafted an unforgettable true story of a boy becoming a man in the shadow of the Third Reich.

Customer Reviews:

Concerns about pre-teens.......2007-09-13

I haven't read the book, but my 11 year old checked it out at school. He was hooked on the story from the beginning.
However, I was surprised when he asked me "Mom, what is a homosexual?" He said that homosexuals were singled out to be victimized. He also
was upset about how children, especially those with disabilities were tortured and murdered.
I appreciate all the positive reviews here, but it really opened up a lot of issues for my son. Might be better suited to older children.

NO MENTION OF 3 MILLION POLISH CATHOLICS KILLED .......2007-06-28

The author makes a good effort to be objective, but drops the ball here and there. The biggest blunder seems to be in the summary of holocaust casualties. The author left out the fact that 3 Million Polish-Catholics were butchered by Hitler. This fact is often forgotten, and very hurtful, especially to the Poles who lost someone in the Polish holocaust or "Forgotten Holocaust.". A great book to read is Richard Lukas' "The Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles Under nazi Occupation."

Surviving Hitler.......2007-01-31

I recently read the book Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren. I not only thought it was one of the most fascinating books I thought it was very well written. I had been to the holocaust museum in Washing DC and I was mortified looking at everything, but this book really put me in the perspective of the boy who was close to my age. The book got better and better as it went on, and I am usually not very fond of non-fiction books. This book really makes you realize how you can survive anything that comes at you as long as you believe in yourself. You are automatically hooked and as soon as the book is over you wish there was still more to read. I would definitely recommend this book to any person, young or old, it's truly unbelievable.

I'm a Holocaust freak and I loved this book.......2006-12-19

This book is an awsome book i read the first chapter and i was hooked it is awsome.It is about a boy named jack who gets sent to a concetration camp and gets his arm tattoed witha number on it and he still has it on this arm he and his got seperatered at the train station and they died it is a very sad book but the ending makes up for the sadness. I was 9 when i read this book and loved it. THIS BOOK IS AWSOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surviving Hitler.......2006-12-14

Imagine urinating in the same cup you eat in. Imagine feeling fleas crawling all over you and sick people coughing on you. It doesn't exactly sound pleasant but that is the lifestyle the concentration camp prisoners had to go through. The book, Surviving Hitler, is a memorable and sad memoir that focuses on The Holocaust during World War 2. The book has a moving story, and a powerful message that has truly put a different perspective in my eyes on how crule people can be and how understanding people have to be.

This book is about a boy named Jack, who is a very fortunate Jewish boy living in Europe. Jack and his family move in with his uncle who lives in a nearby town. Jack's father stayed behind to get organized and then he would meet up with them after. He had to close up his shop, sell his place, and pack up the big furniture. Unfortunately, before he could meet his family he was put into a concentration camp. Three years later Jack is working and supporting his mom and little brother while his sister, Jadiza, goes to their Aunt and Uncles house to help them with aetheir new baby. Hitler's soldiers invade the town they are living in and later group all the Jewish families into the town square to send them to concentration camps. Jack gets separated from his family and starts a whole different life in the concentration camps. He learns to survive on his own and take what he can get. It is a very rough experience for him, and you have to read the book to see the outcome.

I really enjoyed how the author put black and white photographs in this sad but true story because it really helps you imaging the living conditions back then. The structure of the book is not terribly long, making it an easy read. What I truly love about this book is that the author is always keeping you on your toes and never drags on about one topic. This book sends out a powerful message that I never truly understood until I finished he novel. It taught me to never take anything for granted and to enjoy every moment possible. Of course I forget this message a lot and I do take a lot for granted but when in doubt I always try to remember this book. Jack also gets a message out of his experience in the concentration camps. He learns to live life to its fullest and try to help as many people as he can but still be cautious of his own well being. "Three years as a teenager in the death camps he survived through courage, luck, help from others, and sheer will. Like all survivors, he has much to teach us about bravery and self reliance, and about history and the lessons of the Holocaust." Surviving Hitler is a very moving book that can really make people change some of their views of the world.

In my opinion Surviving Hitler is one of the best books I've ever read. Not only has it intrigued me to know more about the Holocaust, it has actually interested me a little more in history in general. I would defiantly recommend this book and hope that the next person who reads it loves it as much as I have.

Average customer rating:

Eye opening and educating!
New Boy
Educatory and Interesting
curiously un-moving

New Boy
Julian Houston
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618432531

Book Description

Fifteen-year-old Rob Garrett wants nothing more than to escape the segregated South and prove himself. But in late 1950s Virginia, opportunity doesn't come easily to an African American. So Rob's parents take the unusual step of enrolling their son in a Connecticut boarding school, where he will have the best education available. He will also be the first student of color in the school's history. No matterRob Garrett is on his way. But times are changing. While Rob is experiencing the privilege and isolation of private school, a movement is rising back home. Men and women are organizing, demanding an end to segregation, and in Rob's hometown, his friends are on the verge of taking action. There is even talk about sitting in at a lunch counter that refuses to serve black people. How can Rob hope to make a difference when he's a world away?

Customer Reviews:

Eye opening and educating!.......2007-09-05

This was a good book. It opened my eyes to things I never knew or thought about and I am now more knowledgeable.

New Boy.......2007-01-04

In New Boy, sixteen-year-old Rob Garrett leaves his segregated town in Virginia to become the first student of color at an elite Connecticut boarding school. While Rob encounters mainly ignorance and indifference toward the situation of African-Americans, he witnesses outright persecution as well when a classmate is mercilessly bullied for his Italian origins and acne. Another student, Gordie Burns, endures insults for his Jewish heritage. Rob's middle-class parents have shielded him from the humiliating effects of segregation, driving him everywhere so he wouldn't have to sit in the back of the bus. But times are changing. In March of that watershed academic year, Rob returns home for a long weekend to join his friends for a sit-in at the lunch counter of the local Woolworth's department store, which refuses to serve African-Americans. Based on the author information, the novel has a strong autobiographical element. While the characterization is sometimes thin, the novel is absorbing and ultimately very moving, vividly teaching young readers about the early Civil Rights era. Readers will have to look elsewhere for depictions of Jews' participation in the Civil Rights movement (such as Heeding the Call by Norman Finkelstein and Speed of Light by Sybil Rosen). But the novel compelling shows how prejudice came in many forms in the 1950s -- and it encourages readers to consider how this is still the case. Gordie Burns is wealthy and white, yet he and Rob seem to connect over their different experiences of prejudice, which have caused them to reject the narrow values of their WASP schoolmates. Rob Garrett learns that the Burns changed their last name to sound less Jewish; and when Gordie takes Rob to a jazz club in Harlem, he runs into his family's black chauffeur, who has become a follower of Malcolm X and calls Rob a "Jew-lover." Written in deceptively straightforward prose, this powerful novel does not shy away from showing historical hardship and complexity. For ages 12 to 18.
Reviewed by Phoebe Spanier

Educatory and Interesting.......2006-07-21

Set in the early 1960s, teenager Rob Garrett becomes the first black student to be admitted to Draper, a prestigious prep school in Connecticut. Although Rob, coming from Virginia, is no stranger to intense racism and segregation, he experiences few or no such problems at Draper.

He does, however, encounter anti-Semitism of the most viscious kind, and watches as events unfold that are eerily reminiscent of whites' treatment of blacks in the South. Against this background, Rob does a lot of soul-searching about civil rights and his place in bringing about social change and justice.

Houston deals very well with helping readers imagine what it was like to be young and black in that time and place. He frames history wonderfully, bringing in bits about jazz, New York City, black celebrities, and so on. Some of Houston's dialogue is a bit monologue-ish and not quite real, and there are a few cameo appearances that are rather unrealistic, though educatory.

Still, "New Boy" is an engaging story with plenty to discuss and mull over. Through it, readers will see segregation from multiple viewpoints, learn about the Civil Rights movement, and watch as Rob finds and defines himself in the midst of both personal and social change.

curiously un-moving.......2006-02-18

"It won't be easy," the narrator's cousin tells him referring to his attending a posh New England prep school, and it isn't. Rob, who has previously attended the public schools of his Southern hometown, struggles with issues of class and race at his new school. The odd thing, though, is that three quarters of these growth experiences take place OUT of school. The narrator is barely back at school before he's bouncing off again on vacation. So it is not really a story about the prep school life.

Most of the racism and classism Rob encounters and struggles with occurs away from the school. Through his friendship with a Jewish student and their experiences in Harlem, he becomes aware of Malcolm X and the civil rights movement. Eventually, he and his friends back home form a sit-in, however the action is over in just a few pages, while the reader is reasonably expecting it to be the climax of the book.

The narrator is smart and likeable, but the reader feels a distance; although the events that occur are by turns painful, exhilirating and disturbing, it is as if the author is holding us at arm's length.

A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw

Average customer rating:

The Best Autobiography by Far! by Sammy K. 4th Grade
The childhood of a master story- teller
I read this for a 6th grade book report and loved it!
Grandfather telling stories...

A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0374416966

Book Description

An ALA Notable Book.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Autobiography by Far! by Sammy K. 4th Grade.......2006-04-20

I am Jewish, and I learned a lot from this book. I learned about life in Warsaw, and about the time period around World War I. It shows how that time compares to this, and how much more we have now than back then. Lots of people take electric lights for granted. This book shows what it was like to live through freezing weather, hunger, and stress about war.

I don't exactly like autobiographies, but this one really, really hit the spot!

The childhood of a master story- teller .......2005-01-12

Singer just has it. These vignettes of his childhood do not have the emotional power of his greatest stories but they are rich with life, insight and humor. And somehow he tells stories even when he is making simple descriptions of his early life. This work too tells the pain and poverty of his childhood and the difficulty of his parents' lives. It is too a tribute to a world - gone .

I read this for a 6th grade book report and loved it!.......2004-09-14

This book is a very good read for anyone and everyone that likes to read about foreign culture-- or even if you don't! I usually detest biographies and book reports, but reading this book made it FUN!

Grandfather telling stories..........2000-05-09

To enjoy listening to stories told by grandfather, you don't necessarily have to be a child! As a matter of fact, it is a life virtue to enjoy these stories told by Isaac Bashevis Singer, regardless of age. They are set in the now vanished Hassidic community of pre-II World War, but their moral content transcends time and space, and although they are soaked in Jewishness they equally appeal to the open-minded reader. Beware that out of the seventeen tales in this editon, 14 are included in "My Father's Court," by the same author.

Average customer rating:

Ghettos, War, Angels, Jackboots, and a Boy named Stopthief.
Perfect
superbook!
Milkweed was a Great Book!
Milkweed

Milkweed (Golden Kite Awards (Awards))
Jerry Spinelli
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375813748
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Amazon.com

Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Spinelli (Maniac McGee, Stargirl) paints a vivid picture of the streets of the Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II, as seen through the eyes of a curious, kind, heartbreakingly naïve orphan with many names. His name is Stopthief when people shout "Stop! Thief!" as he flees with stolen bread. Or it's Jew, "filthy son of Abraham," depending on who's talking to him. Or, maybe he's a Gypsy, because his eyes are black, his skin is dark, and he wears a mysterious yellow stone around his neck. His new friend and protector Uri forces him to take the name Misha Pilsudski and to memorize a made-up story about his Gypsy background so that no one will mistake him for a Jew and kill him. Misha, a very young boy, is slow to understand what's happening around him. When he sees people running, he thinks it's a race. Nazis (Jackboots, as the children call them) marching through the streets appear to him as a delightful parade of magnificent boots. He wants to be a Jackboot! (Uri smacks him for saying this.) He compares bombs to sauerkraut kettles, machine guns to praying mantises, and tanks to "colossal gray long-snouted beetles." The story of Misha and his band of orphans trying to survive on their own would have a deliciously Dickensian quality, if it weren't for the devastation around them--people hurrying to dig trenches to stop Nazi tanks, shops exploding in flames, the wailing of sirens, buzzing airplanes, bombs, and human torture. Spinelli has written a powerfully moving story of survival--readers will love Misha the dreamer and his wonderfully poetic observations of the world around him, his instinct to befriend a Jewish girl and her family, his impulse to steal food for a local orphanage and his friends in the ghetto, and his ability to delight in small things even surrounded by the horror of the Holocaust. A remarkable achievement. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

He’s a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham.

He’s a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He’s a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. He’s a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels. He’s a boy who wants to be a Nazi some day, with tall shiny jackboots and a gleaming Eagle hat of his own. Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he’s a boy who realizes it’s safest of all to be nobody.

Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable—Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II—and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan.

Download Description

He's a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham.

He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels. He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi some day, with tall shiny jackboots and a gleaming Eagle hat of his own. Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he's a boy who realizes it's safest of all to be nobody.

Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable -- Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II -- and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan.

Customer Reviews:

Ghettos, War, Angels, Jackboots, and a Boy named Stopthief........2007-08-27

Call him whatever you'd like. Everyone else does.

Stopthief. Jew. Gypsy. Fast. Happy. Runt. Filthy son of Abraham. Misha Pilsudski is the name that Uri, the leader of the street orphans, finally gives him, along with a made-up story about his past and his family history. It's the name that sticks. For a while.

This orphan boy from Warsaw, U.S.S.R., figures if someone calls him a name, it just might mean that it's true. Take "Fast," a name Uri calls him. If it wasn't true about him, how else would he explain how good he is at stealing bread from women walking on the street? Bread which he faithfully shares half with Doctor Korczak's orphans at the group home. He wouldn't be able to outrun the venders, the police, or the Jackboots. That's his name for the Nazi soldiers that can be seen marching around town. Someday, he'd like to be a Jackboot.

Then a Jewish girl named Janina from a poor neighborhood befriends him. With Janina, Misha feels he has a real family, a place he can belong. When families all over the city, Jewish families at first, start getting relocated into the walled-off ghettos, Misha moves in with her. Spinelli's sings the despair of the ghettos with a raw and tragic melody of characters. Outside the ghetto walls they call Heaven. Food is rotten and scarce. New bodies lie covered in the streets each day. And angels are everywhere, if you know how to look.

They call him Stopthief. Catch him if you can.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

Perfect.......2007-06-19

Jerry Spinelli does a perfect job portraying the hardships and struggles of the Jewish people during the most unfortunate of times, the Holocaust, in a manner in which younger readers can relate. Appropriate for almost all ages [I wouldn't read it as a bedtime story], this book had me hooked. It entails the struggles of Misha Pilsudski [later Misha Milgrom, and finally Jack Milgrom] through the Nazi invasion of Warszawa [Warsaw] Poland. I recommend anyone looking for a good, quick read to buy this book. I read it for a book report assignment back in 7th, and it was definitly well worth it.

superbook!.......2007-04-18

Milkweed was the best! I didn't really like it for any particular reason. it was just a great book. It was very exciting! Milkweed was cool because it felt like I was in the book itself! If you don't like books that are sad, then I suggest that you don't read this book. Milkweed is a book about a boy who lives on the streets. He spends his days stealing food because that's the only way he could get it. He is an orphan and he doesn't have a name, but his friend gives him one. Misha. It was one of the best books I ever read!

Milkweed was a Great Book!.......2007-03-16

He had been called many things - Jew, stopthief, happy, runt, fast, filthy son of Abraham. He lived on the streets and steals food to survive. He believes in bread, mothers, and angels. He wanted to be a Nazi someday , with tall jackboots and an eagle cap - that is, until the day that suddenly made him change his mind. When the trains came to empty the ghetto, he's a boy who realized it is safest of all to be a nobody.

A young, swift orphan arrived on the streets of Warsaw with no recollection of his past - not so much as his name. He began living with another orphan in an abandoned barbershop, and together they stole everything they needed. The other orphan, who went by the name Uri, named the nameless child by the name of Misha Pilsudski. Misha and Uri had a decent life - they were never hungry, they hung out with other orphan folk, and Misha even had a rich friend (Janina) - until the day the jackboots came. The men in "jackboots" were actually Nazis, and they came to raid Warsaw. Soon the town was in shambles and they began to round up all the Jews to send to the ghetto. Misha claimed he was a Gypsy (although he had no idea whatsoever what he was), but went to the ghetto anyway because he thought it looked fun. He visited Janina's family many times while the wall was in the process of being built, because he could just step over it. However, once the wall was finished, Uri stayed out while Misha lived there full time. In the ghetto, the conditions rapidly degraded and soon, everyone was starving. Misha found a two-brick hole in the wall he could fit through, so every night he slipped through this miniature escape route and get food for Janina and her family. This system worked pretty well, and soon Janina would even come with him on his adventures. One night, at a hotel in Warsaw where Misha was trying to steal rations, he saw Uri for the first time in a long time, who worked for the Nazis. Uri warned Misha about the plan to send the Jews to the ovens, so he would have a heads up. Sure enough, the next day the soldiers began loading the Jews onto trains to the ovens. Janina's father warned Misha and Janina to get out and stay out, so the two left and ran towards the countryside. Janina, who was in an unstable mental state after the two years or so in the ghetto, ran away. Misha tried to follow her, but a farmer stopped him. The farmer kept Misha for three years, and at night, they would have to tie him up so he would not run away to the ovens, where he desperately wanted to see his friend. Then the war ended, and Misha came to America, where he married and then divorced. Misha kept a quiet life and did not meet his daughter, Katherine, until she had a child of her own. Katherine left her daughter Wendy's middle name blank for Misha to name. He chose Janina.

Milkweed was an excellent story. It had happiness, but some sad parts too. In addition, it's filled with historical references, even though it was a fictional book.

A few examples of happiness in Milkweed include the time when Misha has to play on the carousel, when Janina gave Misha a piece of his favorite candy, and when Misha saw Uri again. One time, before the jackboots came, a carousel with beautiful painted horses was built in Warsaw. Uri advised Misha to stay away, as "street filth" such as Misha was unwanted at places like that. However, one day, the temptation was just too much for Misha, so after hours (they kept the carousel running all the time) he climbed on and had the time of his life. Another example of happiness included the time when Janina snuck out of the ghetto using the petite hole in the wall and looked all over town for buttermilk creams with hazelnut hearts, Misha's favorite candy. She came back and gave a single piece to him, as that was all she could find, and Misha was delighted to taste that luscious candy after eating ghetto food for so long. The last good example of happiness was when Misha saw Uri in the fancy hotel. Misha ran up to him and asked if it was really Uri, with joy glittering in his eyes. Uri was not as happy as Misha was - he could have gotten in serious trouble if caught talking to him. Misha was even happier later when Uri's tip about the ovens saved his life.

Milkweed had its fair share of sadness, however. The saddest part was when Janina ran towards the ovens and Misha never saw him again. In fact, he wanted to see her so badly that the farmers he stayed with tied him to the barn every night for three years to prevent him from running to find her. Another sad part was when Misha's wife in America, Vivian, divorced him after a few short months because he was going crazy. The last significant sad part of the story was when Misha had to say goodbye to Janina's father before running away from the ghetto and the ovens.

Although Milkweed is a fictional book, it still has many examples of history tied into it. The whole time era was World War II, when the Nazis tried to win power and superiority. The book specifically mentioned the times when the Nazis marched into Poland and the bombing of Warsaw. Another historical reference were the Jewish ghettos, which were not uncommon in Europe at the time. The last major historical reference were the ovens where everyone in the ghetto was sent to die, which were a fixture in death camps at the time.

Milkweed was a really well written book and is perfect for anyone who like to read but does not mind a little grief. It had happiness, but there was some sadness as well, and it even mentioned some major points of history.

-Elizabeth H =]

Milkweed.......2007-03-15

Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli, is book is the best book I have read all year. When I sat down to read milkweed I thought it was going to be another boring WWII story . Man was I wrong. Within the first 30 pages I realized Spinelli's book was going to be different. Milkweed tells the life of a young Gypsy boy, Misha, who is taken in by a Jewish family and lives with them in the ghetto created for them by the Nazis. As the story progresses Misha grows older and more knowledgeable of the world around him. He learns that the Nazis don't like him, that the people under the news paper are NOT sleeping, and that Mothers, Angels, and Oranges really do exist. The story of the life of Jewish people living during WWII are not uncommon, but none have captured it quite like Milkweed has. Having grown up as an orphan, Misha is ignorant to the world, but that is one of his wonderful qualities. When he learned what "Happy" was, during Hanukah, He tried to fill Janina's with the "Happy" that he had. My favorite part of Milkweed was when anyone would ever call Misha Jewish, he would turn around and angrily shout, " I'M NOT JEWISH! I'M A GYPSY!". In the end , After he was adopted by the Milgroms, when someone called him Jewish he just ran. At the end of the book, after WWII had ended, it told how Misha moved to America, was named Jack, and married and met his great granddaughter , Janina.
I believe anyone who is looking for a good read should read Milkweed, its like a Butter Milk chocolate in a box of chocolates.

Rose M.

The Matzo Ball Boy (Picture Puffin Books)

Average customer rating:

a great book for reading out loud
Great for all ages
A tongue-in-cheek hoot!
Let all who are hungry... come and read

The Matzo Ball Boy (Picture Puffin Books)
Lisa Shulman
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142407690

Book Description

On the morning of the Passover seder, a lonely bubbe decides to make a matzo ball boy to keep her company. Soon delicious smells waft from the bubbling pot, and when she lifts the lid to see if the matzo ball boy is done, out he jumps. “Oy!” she cries. “And where do you think you're going?” “I'm off to see the world, bubbe,” he replies. Before long, a yenta and her children, a rabbi, and a fox are all on a mad chase to catch the matzo ball boy!

Customer Reviews:

a great book for reading out loud.......2007-03-29

If you like using character voices when reading to your children, this is the book for you-- it even tells you how to pronounce the words if you're unfamiliar with them. Good illustrations, a fun twist on the old story, and I loved the ending.

Great for all ages.......2007-01-07

What a clever twist on an old classic. I was given this book as a gift and all three of my children (ages 4-13) thought it was great. We are not Jewish and really enjoyed the yiddish mixed in to the tale, very educational. This is a wonderful gift idea.

A tongue-in-cheek hoot!.......2005-04-14

This modern Jewish American take on the classic "Gingerbread Man" fairy tale is filled with funny plot twists, clever Yiddish-isms, and beautiful illustrations. The ultimate "thanks-for-inviting-us-to-your-Seder" gift!

Let all who are hungry... come and read.......2005-03-14

One day, the author, Lisa Shulman (author and a former classroom teacher), was making soup while her daughters read the Gingerbrad Man story. OY! BING! Inspiration. The Matzo Ball Boy was born. With lovely deep reds and oranges, chicken soup yellows, and forest greens, we read the story of a childless bube, who is preparing for a lonely Passover meal. A shanda. When, oy, her matzo ball comes alive. A Matzo Boy Boy is born. Boy, Shmoy he tells her. He is a man, and off to make his way in the world and not in a soup bowl. He runs and she gives chase. As do the tailor, the rabbi, the yenta, and a wolf that is not as smart as he thought. In the forest, the matzo ball boy gets tired and hungry; he meets up with a poor man who isn't interested in giving chase. Let all who are hungry come and eat, so the boy comes to the poor man's cottage. When the matzo ball boy leans over to check out the poor family's soup... This humorous tale is a must have for your seder table or bookcase. Includes not a "glass tea" but something better, a glossary of 14 Jewish words

The "Bergson Boys" And the Origins of Contemporary Zionist Militancy (Modern Jewish History)

Average customer rating:

The "Bergson Boys" And the Origins of Contemporary Zionist Militancy (Modern Jewish History)
Judith Tydor Baumel
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Israel | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

The Jewish Radical Right: Revisionist Zionism and Its Ideological Legacy (Studies on Israel)
Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews

ASIN: 0815630638

Book Description

Tells the remarkable story of six young men and the organizations they founded between 1939 and 1948 that would set the stage for the militant Zionist activism of today.

During and shortly after the Second World War, six young men-emissaries of the revisionist-Zionist "Irgun" military movement in Palestine - revolutionized the American - Jewish and Zionist scene. Judith Tydor Baumel provides the complete story of the role the Bergson group played in raising American public consciousness of Jewish and Zionist concerns. After founding a series of pro-Zionist and rescue organizations, they initiated a new form of fundraising that used the media to turn the spotlight on their activities, gaining adherents and supporters from both ends of the political and social spectrum. Long before the protest movements of the 1950s and 1960s, members of this group learned the art of courting the media in order to bring word of their existence to every part of the United States.

Amazon.com

Few stories offer more warmth, wisdom, or generosity than this tale of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. Though on the surface it explores religious faith--the intellectually committed as well as the passionately observant--the struggles addressed in The Chosen are familiar to families of all faiths and in all nations.

In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love. (This is not a conventional children's book, although it will move any wise child age 12 or older, and often appears on summer reading lists for high school students.)

Book Description

"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....

Customer Reviews:

He reads very slowly.......2007-07-19

I like the guy's voice, but he reads slowly, and my students preferred to read aloud so they could "get done."

Better with re-reading.......2007-07-12

I first read this book as a teenager, and have re-read it numerous times since. I'm now in my mid-40's. As a teen, it opened my eyes to a world most of us never encounter - Jewish Brooklyn, the sphere of the Hasids, Talmudic study. As I've aged my enjoyment of the book has matured. These days, it's particularly interesting in light of Mid East politics and the controversy surrounding the founding of the State of Israel. Through all these years, though, the relationships between the boys and their fathers remains as touching, as profound as they were upon first reading. I cried the first few times I read this book. I still re-read certain passages just for the emotional "oomph".

A tremendous, powerful book that bears up well for a lifetime's enjoyment.

Love it.......2007-05-12

I remember having to read this in High School for a 6 weeks book report. I loved it so much I read it at least 4 times cover to cover, but I think it was actually 6 times. I can't wait to get hold of it now, almost 20 years later and read it again.

The Chosen By Chaim Potok.......2007-04-13

This book was sensational it was a book that made you laugh and cry. it was the kind of book that made you wish you were there and stop all the wrong doing. Anyone who likes baseball or Softball should like this book

So boring..........2007-03-23

I have heard for years how good this book is. It never looked particularly interesting to me personally, so I put it off and put it off. I finally got around to picking up a copy, and was pleasantly surprised for the first 75 pages or so. It did engage me. And then...what I expected: the author began to describe the tedious nuances of the slightly-different faiths in excruciating detail. I just didn't care. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs hoping to get back to the storyline. Eventually, I just threw in the towel. Judging from all the positive reviews here on Amazon, and from friends and coworkers, I trust that there is something worthwhile here. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. So, take the advice that makes sense for you. You know yourself better than most, right? I should have trusted my own instincts. But, sometimes we're wrong, right? Might be worth picking up at the library first. If you can make it to the end, more power to you...

The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust

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The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust

The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust
Rachel Hausfater
Manufacturer: Milk & Cookies Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story
Star of Fear, Star of Hope
Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust
The Number on My Grandfather's Arm
Erika's Story

ASIN: 1596871725

Book Description

A young Jewish boy is given a star to wear. At first he is proud of the decoration, but soon finds the star overshadowing him — no one sees the boy, only the star. Lonely, frightened, and helpless, he watches as other star-wearers are led away into the night. This affecting allegory, rich with symbolism, educates children about the events of the Holocaust in a way that young minds can easily grasp. Told in simple, poetic language, the book offers a tender message of tolerance and inner strength.

Little Boy Star includes an introduction by David A. Adler, author of A Picture Book of Anne Frank and other critically acclaimed children's books on the Holocaust. Olivier Latyk’s haunting illustrations underscore the poignant theme.

Customer Reviews:

The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust.......2007-04-11

This book was a wonderful way to introduce my students to the Holocaust. I would recommend it for anyone that wants to learn more about this subject.

Surviving in Silence: A Deaf Boy in the Holocaust, The Harry I. Dunai Story

Average customer rating:

Slightly long-winded bio stretching entire life...

Surviving in Silence: A Deaf Boy in the Holocaust, The Harry I. Dunai Story
Eleanor C. Dunai
Manufacturer: Gallaudet University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Holocaust | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Special Needs | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Family & Childhood | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Jewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Hungary | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Disability | Specialties | Law | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1563681196

Customer Reviews:

Slightly long-winded bio stretching entire life..........2004-06-21

I'm sorry, but this book just was not what I expected it to be. Though Harry Dunai did experience the Holocaust as a Jew, his deafness barely entered into it, except to maybe save his life. His typical experience of being sent away to residential schooling in Budapest probably saved his life, since his parents and brothers were collected and sent to the gas chambers.

Dunai's life was not easy by any measure, but he had many protectors and many people who cared for him and did so much for him in the way of providing homes and jobs. I don't know if it is the translating of Dunai's own words through his daughter and ghostwriter, but Dunai comes across as a very self-centered human being, who often does not show either the gratefulness for his blessings and for those who do things for him, nor does he express much concern for others.

Since I've read so many histories and biographies about those who did care on all sides, this one was very disappointing. The section on the war is short...mainly about how hungry he was. A lot of people starved to death...a lot of other people never had the people caring for them nor the opportunities for escaping a horrific existence that Dunai had.

If you are looking for a good book on the Medical Holocaust as it affected the Deaf, read 'Crying Hands' about the Deaf in Germany who were targeted before and during WWII. This book is okay as a demonstration of deaf life during the war and afterwards in Europe, I guess. (...)

Christians & Jews in Dialogue: Learning in the Presence of the Other
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Christians & Jews in Dialogue: Learning in the Presence of the Other
Mary C. Boys , and Sara S. Lee
Manufacturer: Skylight Paths Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Comparative Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Has God Only One Blessing?: Judaism As a Source of Christian Self-Understanding (Stimulus Book)

The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus

Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity's Sacred Obligation

The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims

Abraham's Promise: Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations (Radical Traditions)

ASIN: 1594731446

Book Description

How can members of different faith traditions approach each other with openness and respect? How can they confront the painful conflicts in their history and overcome theological misconceptions? For more than twenty years, Professors Mary C. Boys and Sara S. Lee have explored ways that Catholics and Jews might overcome mistrust and misunderstandings in order to promote commitment to religious pluralism.

At its best, interreligious dialogue entails not simply learning about the other from the safety of one's own faith community, but rather engaging in specific learning activities with members of the other faith--learning in the presence of the other. Drawing upon examples from their own experience, Boys and Lee lay out a framework for engaging the religious other in depth. With vision and insight, they discuss ways of fostering relationships among participants and with key texts, beliefs and practices of the other's tradition.

In this groundbreaking resource, they offer a guide for members of any faith tradition who want to move beyond the rhetoric of interfaith dialogue and into the demanding yet richly rewarding work of developing new understandings of the religious other--and of one's own tradition.

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"Think of it as a game, Jack. Play the game right and you might outlast the Nazis."

"Think of it as a game, Jack.
Play the game right and you might outlast the Nazis."