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Website maintenance April 24 10pm ET
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On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 1 - 20 of 25 items
By Mark Borovitz. 2004
Gangster-turned-rabbi whose "weapon of choice was a checkbook" divulges twenty-five years of crime that began when his father died and…
in financial desperation he turned to a mobster to fence goods and buy friendships. Recounts a lifesaving prison term during which he found spirituality, redemption, and rehabilitation. Strong language. 2004By Claire Rudolf Murphy. 2003
Tales of mothers, daughters, believers, and seekers, based on verses from the Bible and Qur'an. In "Return to Hadassah" Esther…
draws courage from her Jewish faith to reveal her true identity and ask her husband the king to save her people. For junior and senior high readers. 2003By Sherwin B Nuland. 2005
Award-winning author of How We Die (BR 9461) offers an introductory portrait of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (1135-1204), Spanish-born Jewish…
philosopher and physician. Explores Maimonides' life and work in religious and medical fields, including his treatise The Guide for the Perplexed, which attempted to reconcile science and faith. 2005By Barry Denenberg. 2005
A biography of Anne Frank's Jewish family before, during, and after World War II. Through a combination of narrative facts,…
fictional reconstruction, and oral history, the author depicts the European world in which Frank wrote her diary. Violence. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2005By Robert Pinsky. 2005
Former poet laureate of the United States recounts the life of another poet, King David, generally considered author of the…
Psalms. Portrays David's life, reign, accomplishments, and failings through biblical depictions of his relationships with Goliath, Bathsheba, Saul, Jonathan, Abigail, Absalom, and Solomon. 2005By Adin Steinsaltz. 2006
Rabbi presents an overview of the beliefs, attitudes, and customs associated with the Talmud, the sacred Jewish text that he…
calls "a book of holy intellectualism." Presents the Talmud's history, methodology, and structure and content, including Jewish law regarding diet, crime, marriage, divorce, prayers, and festivals. 2006By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. 2005
Traces the Hitler Youth movement's development during the period 1926 to 1945, when it indoctrinated German children and teens in…
Nazi ideology and loyalty to Hitler. Features personal accounts of members such as Elisabeth Vetter, who betrayed her own parents for objecting to Hitler. Violence. For grades 6-9. 2005By Douglas Century. 2006
Biography of Chicago-born boxer Barney Ross (1909-1967), who once claimed to work for Al Capone and had a lifelong friendship…
with Jack Ruby. Highlights Ross's professional sports career, his heroism in World War II, and his struggles with morphine addiction. Some violence and some strong language. 2006By Viktor E. Frankl. 2006
Viennese psychiatrist Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) recounts his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, where he developed his doctrine…
of logotherapy. Argues that individuals can overcome suffering not through pleasure but through the discovery and pursuit of meaningful purpose. First published in German in 1946. 2006By Deborah Bodin Cohen. 2006
Stories of young Jewish women from the Torah. Includes the story of Eve, the first woman named in the holy…
book, and of Sarah and Rebekah, the first and second matriarchs. Discusses the challenges they faced, including love, spirituality, and growing up. For senior high readers. 2006By Jill Bloomfield. 2008
Discusses eleven Jewish holidays, each accompanied by recipes for the ancient and modern dishes traditionally served. Covers foods from challah…
bread for Shabbat dinner to potato pancakes for Hanukkah and stuffed cabbage rolls for Sukkot. Includes instructions for keeping kosher. For grades 4-7. 2008By David Hillel Gelernter. 2009
Yale professor examines four philosophical questions from the perspective of Orthodox Judaism: How do we understand our place in the…
universe? Is physical creation all there is? How do I order my life? Does life have a goal? Seeks a "common Judaism" whose principles appeal to all Jews. 2009By Joseph Dov Soloveitchik. 2006
Essay originally published in the journal Tradition discusses the loneliness of a person of faith in a utilitarian world. References…
scripture, including contradictory accounts of Adam's creation, to explain the human dilemma of opposing needs--transcendental solitude and existential togetherness--and the turmoil that results. Foreword, 2006, by David Shatz. 1965By Adina Hoffman. 2011
Chronicles the recovery of Hebrew manuscripts dating as far back as the second century BCE from a synagogue in Old…
Cairo. Describes the research conducted by different scholars, including Cambridge University professor Solomon Schecter, who learned about the cache from Scottish twins Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson in 1896. 2011By Doreen Rappaport. 2012
Personal accounts from members of the Jewish resistance throughout German-occupied Europe during the Holocaust. Details the actions of individuals like…
Georges Loinger, who smuggled Jewish children out of occupied France, and Youra Livchitz, who ambushed a train bound for a death camp. Violence. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2012By Amos Oz. 2012
Oz and his daughter, both secular Israeli Jews, explain why they believe the strength of Jewish culture is in its…
texts, not its faith or its bloodlines. They discuss the significance of Jewish family structure, women of the Bible, and the transcendence of time. 2012By Leo Schaya, Roger Gaetani. 2014
By Abigail Pogrebin. 2017
Journalist presents her immersive exploration of the faith she identifies with, despite not having strong family traditions in the celebration…
of it. Follows the Jewish calendar year from Rosh Hashanah to Tisha B'Av. Includes commentary from prominent rabbis on the history and observance of the holidays. 2017By Steven R Weisman. 2018
Journalist presents a history of Judaism in America since the colonial settlement of New Amsterdam. Discusses the adaptations of religious…
expression to fit immigrant life in a nascent country, theological divisions, and development of the American Jewish identity. 2018By Karen Berg. 2005