Tag Archives: Judaism

Davita’s Harp

Posted on March 21, 2021 by smellincoffee

Davita’s Harp© 1985 Chaim Potok384 pages Are you a Jew?  Ilana Davita Chandel  gets that question a lot. It’s lobbed at her from Irish and Italian street toughs, and from inquisitive neighbors who see  her swimming on the Sabbath.  Is … Continue reading →

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Antiquity

Posted on September 10, 2018 by smellincoffee

Antiquity: The Civilization of the Ancient World© 2003 Norman F. Cantor256 pages Perhaps western history is all Greek to you. In that case, Norman Cantor’s Antiquity may shed a little light on the subject. It is a brief work, scarcely over … Continue reading →

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Fear No Evil

Posted on February 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

Fear No Evil: © 1988 Natan Sharansky437  pages Fear No Evil chronicles one man’s psychological war against the KGB and the entire Gulag system. Born a Jewish subject of the Soviet Union, Natan Sharansky wanted nothing more than to emigrate peacefully … Continue reading →

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The Promise

Posted on April 22, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Promise © 1969 Chaim Potok 336 pages Growing up is never easy, but for Orthodox boys in the mid-20th century, it’s especially hard. The Jewish people are in turmoil after the horrors of the Holocaust, some pinning their hopes … Continue reading →

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All Other Nights

Posted on March 9, 2016 by smellincoffee

All Other Nights© 2009 Dara Horn400 pages Why is this night different than all other nights?  Well, for starters, Joseph Rappaport is going to poison his uncle, on suspicion that he is plotting to kill Abraham Lincoln.   That move … Continue reading →

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Tevye’s Daughters

Posted on August 23, 2015 by smellincoffee

Tevye and his Seven Daughters© 1894 Sholom Aleichem300 pages Consider the question: is it possible to enjoy a book while having music from a movie it inspired playing incessantly in your head every time a page is turned? Well, more … Continue reading →

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Vanished World

Posted on August 13, 2015 by smellincoffee

A Vanished World: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval Spain© 2005 Chris Lowney320 pages Vanished World sets medieval  Spain before the reader with the warning; we may be blessed or cursed by emulating its example. The Iberian peninsula is the very perimeter of … Continue reading →

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I Am Forbidden

Posted on July 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

I Am Forbidden© 2012 Anouk Markovits302 pages Darkness grips Eastern Europe in the 1940s as war devours millions and the hopes of generations. Jewish residents of Romania are especially hard-pressed; already viewing themselves as a people in exile, they are … Continue reading →

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A Year of Living Prayerfully

Posted on June 29, 2015 by smellincoffee

A Year of Living Prayerfully© 2015 Jared Brock352 pages Emotionally weary from his fight against human trafficking, Jared Brock and his wife sought refreshment in prayer. A yearlong traveling retreat would immerse them in the prayer traditions of Orthodox Judaism, … Continue reading →

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The Chosen

Posted on April 1, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Chosen © 1967 Chaim Potok 288 pages Danny and Reuven are two Orthodox Jewish boys who take one thing very seriously: baseball.  When their rival schools meet on the baseball diamond, religious passion turns play to war, and an … Continue reading →

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