Book review

'Living Dangerously': A man's journey to business success and religion - review

Irwin Katsof considers that his “journey has been... connecting to my soul and to the Jewish people and to God so that I’m never really alone, and I can deal with anything that happens…”

THE KATSOF FAMILY on Passover 2025, at the winery of one of Katsof’s sons, called Settlers Wine, based in Esh Kodesh.
‘BALAAM AND The Angel,’ 1493 woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle.

Mermaids and a talking donkey: A treasure trove of ‘midrashic’ interpretations - review

CHARLIE KIRK, Turning Point USA founder, greets the crowd at the start of AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, last Dec. After his assassination, Kirk became a worldwide symbol for both those who agreed and disagreed with him, except the haters. He kept Shabbat ‘from Friday evening to Sunday morning.

'Questioning Belief': Torah and tradition today - review

COMMUNITY LEADERS in Israel bear witness to Oct. 7 in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Nov. 2023.

'While Israel Slept': Inside the failures of Oct. 7 - review


'To Be Holy but Human': A look into the life ‘hesder yeshiva’ creator Rabbi Yehuda Amital - review

One of a kind: Rav Amital was that unique and unparalleled leader who lived at a time when he was needed the most.

Israelis carry the body of Rabbi Yehuda Amital during his funeral in Jerusalem, on July 09, 2010

'Life-Tumbled Shards': A journal on family, loss, and search for self-healing - review

We are all part of the trauma-filled family of Israel struggling to cope with a divine-given destiny beyond our comprehension. Sometimes God says “No.”

Loss (illustration)

'Awakening to Radical Islamist Evil': A record of the Israel-Hamas War - review

Monty Penkower’s book is less of a “what went wrong” analysis and more a log book of entries as to what, mostly, went right, and in some cases, wrong.

 PALESTINIANS ATTEND the funeral of senior Hamas deputy military commander Marwan Issa. (illustration)

'The Sunflower House': A Nazi past discovered under the floor - review

The Sunflower House is a well-written story of love amid the harsh reality of the difficult conditions faced by the protagonists.

 A NAMING ceremony conducted by SS members at a Lebensborn home in Rheinhessen, Germany, c. 1936-1944.

'Are We There Yet?' Building and sustaining healthy marriages - review

For couples contemplating, or embarking on, marriage, or who are already navigating its hidden depths, Are We There Yet? is essential and rewarding reading.

Marriage

'The Life of the Soul': A look at Judaism's view on 'gilgul' and reincarnation - review

With such erudite scholarship, The Life of the Soul is a landmark contribution and resource to the study of Jewish mysticism.

 An illustrative image of a young woman by the beach holding hands with a transparent figure.

'The Man Who Would Be King': Saudi crown prince pushes for liberalization of his society - review

Everyone with an interest in the Middle East will welcome this study by Karen Elliott House of a man who is bound to play a vital role in the region’s future.  

 SAUDI CROWN Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at the Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2025.

'Judaism: A love story': The latest book by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin - review

This is a book that will open readers’ hearts and minds to Rabbi Riskin’s vision of Judaism, not just as a religion but as a profound and enduring love story.

 Rabbi Shlomo Riskin (at home with portrait of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik)

'Are We There Yet?': Getting over marital roadblocks - review

Chana Levitan, a couples therapist and educator, presents the stories of 18 couples who overcame specific roadblocks in their relationships and are still driving that car called marriage.

 ‘THE WEDDING REGISTER’ by Edmund Leighton, 1920.

'Ancient Jewish Food': What’s cooking in the Talmuds? - review

A new book by food scholar Susan Weingarten offers a glimpse into what Jews ate almost 2,000 years ago and how the food was prepared.

 An illustrative image of wheat and dairy products next to a Torah scroll.

'Above All, We Are Jews': The life story of a great American Reform rabbi - review

To learn more about this great American Reform rabbi, Jews and non-Jews alike will want to read this well-researched and highly accessible biography.

 Rabbi Alexander Schindler became one of the greatest supporters of the historic peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.