Social groups: religious groups and communities Books

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD • A monumental cookbook that gives us the story of the Jewish people told through the story of Jewish cooking—from the bestselling author of A Book of Middle Eastern Food and Claudia Roden's MediterraneanThe Book of Jewish Food traces the development of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish communities and their cuisine over the centuries. The 800 magnificent recipes, many never before documented, represent treasures garnered by Roden through nearly 15 years of traveling around the world. Includes 50 photos & illustrations.

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition showcasing the social health of the least religious nations in the worldReligious conservatives around the world often claim that a society without a strong foundation of faith would necessarily be an immoral one, bereft of ethics, values, and meaning. Indeed, the Christian Right in the United States has argued that a society without God would be hell on earth. In Society without God, Second Edition sociologist Phil Zuckerman challenges these claims. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with more than 150 citizens of Denmark and Sweden, among the least religious countries in the world, he shows that, far from being inhumane, crime-infested, and dysfunctional, highly secular societies are healthier, safer, greener, less violent, and more democratic and egalitarian than highly religious ones. Society without God provides a rich portrait of life in a secular society, exploring how a culture without faith copes with death, grapples with the meaning of life, and remainTrade ReviewZuckerman has been at the forefront of the growing field of Secular Studies for the best part of two decades. From Society Without God, it's easy to see why: beautifully written and engaging, drawing on both deep scholarship and an insightful mind. This is classic Zuckerman. -- Stephen Bullivant, Professor of Theology and the Sociology of Religion, St Mary's University, UK

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Book SynopsisThis work, written towards the end of Al-Ghazali's career as a philosopher, advances the idea that reason can serve as a connection between the devout and God. Exploring the boundary between philosophy and theology, it seeks to understand the role of reality in the perception of the spiritual.

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Book SynopsisWritten in prose but with a verse-like flavor, this book is a collection of maxims by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Very concisely articulated, these maxims expound on the key discussions of the Risale-I Nur collection; thus it is considered in a sense an index to the collection, which was written years later than this book.

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Book Synopsis Ramadan is about to begin. Find out all about the Muslim holy month with Hassan and Aneesa. It is the night before Ramadan and Hassan and Aneesa are excited for it to begin. In Ramadan they will read the Qur''an, give charity, share food with neighbours and try to fast. Follow them on the first day of Ramadan and find out why Hassan and Aneesa love it when the Muslim holy month arrives. Trade ReviewBest Books On Ramadan For Kids For 2018 — www.islamicgiftguides.com

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Book SynopsisPacked full of information, this book offers a unique and indispensable insight into the origins and operations of IS. Atwan, a well-known Arab journalist and expert on extremist groups, had exclusive access to militants close to IS and his findings are based on interviews with jihadists who were in the same cell as Baghdadi.Trade Review'This is a brave and important book. It lifts the lid on how Islamic State combines an ideology of 1,000 years ago with the use of 21st century information technology to spread its messages. If you want to understand what motivates those prepared to behead hostages and post the results on the internet, then this book is a must-read.' Gavin Esler; 'Abdel Bari Atwan is one of the leading analysts in the world on the modern Middle East. In his new book on ISIS he delivers a uniquely informed, crisply argued and excellent account of the world's most powerful terrorist organization.' Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad; 'Thank heavens we have writers such as Atwan - who knew the real Bin Laden better than any other journalist' Robert Fisk, Independent; 'An extraordinarily gifted, experienced and knowledgeable analyst of Arab affairs' Ann Leslie, Daily Mail; 'In this comprehensive and well-researched book, Abdel Bari Atwan, perhaps one of the Arab world's most distinguished commentators, has thrown considerable light on the IS phenomenon, explaining its origins, leadership and organisation ... Atwan's unique contribution is the detail he provides relating to the use of digital technology ... This outstanding book tells us how it all started.' Business Standard; 'Middle East expert Abdel Bari Atwan explains exactly how IS propagandists and recruiters use the necromancy of the "dark web" to overcome our attempts to stop them.' Hugh Prysor-Jones, The TabletTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Masters of the Digital Universe; 2. The Origins - Part One: Iraq; 3. The Origins - Part Two: The Taliban, al-Qa'ida and IS; 4. The Origins - Part Three: Syria; 5. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: A Portrait of 'Caliph Ibrahim'; 6. Consolidation and Expansion; 7. Within Islamic State; 8. The Management of Savagery; 9. The Caliph's Foreign Fighters; 10. A Dangerous Game: The West's Attempts to Exploit Radical Islam; 11. Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism and Islamic State; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; Notes; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book unfolds the recent history of over one hundred million Muslims living in India, details their fears and anxieties, delineates their main currents of thought and examines their responses to the socio-economic processes affecting the country as a whole. Legacy of a Divided Nation begins by describing the specific features of Indian Islam, the reconstruction of a specifically Muslim identity by the British and its legitimisation by the Indian nationalist movement, all of which are crucial in understanding the roots of India's Partition. Issues relating to the identity, integration and 'minority appeasement' of Indian Muslims are analysed within the wider context of Hindu-Muslim relations in the colonial period and in the secular trajectory plotted by lndia since l947. The effect of economic, legal and social change on the Muslim population also features strongly in the work, as do its patterns of political and religious allegiance and responses to the wave of anti-Muslim sentiment unleashed by India's Hindu nationalists, notably the BJP.Table of ContentsColonial and Nationalist Images of Muslims; The Movement for a Separate Nation; The Legacy of Partition; The Secular Experiment; In Search of Adjustment and Accommodation; In Search of Identity and Integration; Religion in Politics: The Ayodhya Tangle; A Minority and its Discontents.

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Book SynopsisThe first book to draw a blueprint for defeating al-Qaeda on ideological rather than military grounds.Trade ReviewMichael W. S. Ryan's illumination of the ideology and strategy of al-Qaeda as seen in the writings of its key theoreticians is unique and valuable. This is an important and insightful book that provides both new information on al-Qaeda and new commentary on its strategy and how to defeat it. -- Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda 'prime' in Pakistan is decimated, and yet the anti-Western jihad continues as extremism erupts in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Algeria, and elsewhere. Unless we can match our tactical successes with strategic progress, we seem condemned to endless war. Thankfully, Ryan shows us a way forward in his thoughtful, non-polemic analysis of this enemy's doctrine and motivation-the essential first step in combating not just its actions but also its ideas. This book is a blueprint for taking our fight to the next level. -- General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA A highly readable account of the evolution of al-Qaeda's strategic thinking. Drawing upon existing scholarship and new primary sources, Ryan offers not only a lucid expose of al-Qaeda's key strategic thinkers and their works but also new insight into the logic and rationale informing al-Qaeda's violent campaigns. -- Brynjar Lia, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, author of Architect of Global Jihad: The Life of Al-Qaeda Strategist Abu Mus'ab Al-Suri Knowledge of the enemy is essential in any conflict, and Ryan delivers. His analysis of al-Qaeda's theology, strategy, tactics, and ability to marshal support even among people who disapprove of its methods is timely, well written,deeply researched, and ultimately reassuring. -- Thomas W. Lippman, author of Saudi Arabia on the Edge An outstanding and unique contribution that examines al-Qaeda's strategy against the US... Highly recommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsNote on Transliteration Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Historical Roots of al-Qaeda's Ideology 2. The Leadership Inspires a New Strategy 3. Jihad as Revolution 4. An Action Plan for Savagery 5. The Jihadist Legacy of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri Conclusion: What It All Means Appendix 1: Translation of "Revolutionary Wars" Appendix 2: Translation of "Fourth-Generation Warfare" Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNot – as often imagined – of a culture apart, but of a Jewish world immersed in and imprinted by the peoples among whom they have dwelled, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, from the Arabs to the Christians.Which makes the story of the Jews everyone’s story, too.Trade ReviewSchama at his best, a labour of love, as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie * The Times *Schama has written a proud and personal story of his people, one that will make a good starting point for those interested in one of history’s most fascinating and tragic tales -- Josh Glancy * Sunday Times *Inspiring… Schama tells it with panache, weaving facts and anecdotes into a vivid history * Observer *Unforgettable…a delicious cacophony of conversations and clamorous arguments echoing across history * Daily Telegraph *A spirited, immensely enjoyable and wide-ranging account… [expresses] both the triumphs and the tragedies with irrepressible enthusiasm and his customary eloquence * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisAn illuminating new biography of the connoisseur who changed the art world and the way we see artTrade Review"A highly sympathetic and graceful portrait of Bernard Berenson, the art connoisseur and dealer who remade himself into a work of art, priced and priceless, which he protected, cultivated, and even at times bartered: Rachel Cohen's Bernard Berenson is an illuminating tale of this self-transformation, its successes and pitfalls, told with stalwart compassion."--Brenda Wineapple, author of Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compromise, 1848-1877 -- Brenda Wineapple"An insightful, richly detailed account of Bernard Berenson’s brilliant transformation from an immigrant Jew and son of a tin peddler into a connoisseur of Italian Renaissance painting and a dealer in secret partnership with Joseph Duveen. With the keen gaze that Berenson brought to a picture, Rachel Cohen analyzes his high-wire act of self-invention against the glittering, aristocratic, anti-Semitic world of art collecting."--Cynthia Saltzman -- Cynthia Saltzman"Cohen draws a psychological portrait of a man guided by passionate aesthetic ideals and tortured by the compromises in the world of commerce that he felt compelled to make. . . . If you live in an American city, there's a good chance that you can go to a museum today and see an exquisite Sienese Madonna, or a Venetian Holy Family, or a Florentine portrait. You have Berenson—and his collector-acolytes—to thank."—Hugh Eakin, Wall Street Journal -- Hugh Eakin * Wall Street Journal *"The most dynamic biography yet of the groundbreaking art historian Bernard Berenson...Cohen investigates Berenson’s contradictions, metamorphoses, and dramatically unconventional life with vivacious authority. . . . Cohen deftly channels the sweeping intensity of Berenson’s aesthetic ecstasy, hard-won expertise, surprising adventures, and vital legacy.”—Booklist, Starred Review * Booklist, Starred Review *"In her remarkable biography, Cohen approaches Berenson's life as a panorama full of artifice and profundity, whose brilliant flashes of color are inextricable from its substrates of shadow. The book leaves an indelible impression, not merely in the way it catalogues Berenson's accomplishments and failings, but also in its dissection of the struggle between desire and alienation that characterizes American art—and life—to this day."—Thomas Micchelli, Bookforum -- Thomas Micchelli * Bookforum *Book of the Week“[As] Rachel Cohen, the author of this elegantly written biography. . . .nicely puts it, Berenson was ‘a person whose capacity for metamorphosis approached that of a moth.’”—Martin Gayford, The Sunday Telegraph -- Martin Gayford * The Sunday Telegraph *“Rachel Cohen’s unobtrusively and thoroughly well written short volume skilfully negotiates the contradictory sides of Berenson’s character – the aesthete and the huckster; the man who lived only for art and the man who very much liked to surround himself with the appurtenances of wealth.”—Sam Leith, The Spectator -- Sam Leith * The Spectator *“Rachel Cohen has written an admirable short life...[and] a touching portrait”—James Stourton, Literary Review -- James Stourton * Literary Review *"Berenson's extraordinary and colorful life—from his humble birth in Lithuania, to Harvard and thence to his august and influential position as a critic and art historian, to the renowned splendor of his Florentine villa I Tatti—makes a rich and compelling subject. Ms. Cohen's remarkable book affords the occasion also for rumination upon self-invention and authenticity, upon the making of the man, and of taste, too."—Claire Messud, Wall Street Journal -- Claire Messud * Wall Street Journal *“Rachel Cohen who has written an extremely thoughtful and readable biography of Berenson”—Charles Saumarez-Smith, Apollo Magazine -- Charles Saumarez-Smith * Apollo Magazine *Chosen as a highly recommended book by the Boston Authors Club in 2014. -- Honorable Mention * Boston Authors Club *"An absorbing new biography."—Jewish Daily Forward * Jewish Daily Forward *‘This book proves to be a remarkably balanced treatment of a profoundly complicated and compelling life.’—Robert Simon, Burlington Magazine -- Robert Simon * Burlington Magazine *"An irresistibly readable and accessible account of this complicated character, who could be by turns brilliant and petty, generous toward others and scornful of himself, an inveterate philanderer and a staunch husband."—Ann Landl, ARTnews -- Ann Landl * ARTnews *Shortlisted for the 2015 Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize 2014 -- Wingate Prize * Jewish Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisEye-opening accounts of heroic resistance to religious extremism.Trade Review"Her [Karima Bennoune's] reporting is diligent, passionate and convincing." -- The Economist"Bennoune offers a compelling, meticulously researched account..." -- Guardian Weekly"Bennoune has written a very necessary book indeed, and it is to be hoped that it will find the widest audience possible." -- Times Higher Education"Should be required reading." -- The Washington Post

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Book SynopsisOn December 18, 1499, the Muslims in Granada revolted against the Christian city government's attempts to suppress their rights to live and worship as followers of Islam. Although the Granada riot was a local phenomenon that was soon contained, subsequent widespread rebellion provided the Christian government with an excuseor justification, as its leaders saw thingsto embark on the systematic elimination of the Islamic presencefrom Spain, as well as from the Iberian Peninsula as a whole, over the next hundred years. Picking up at the end of his earlier classic study, Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500 which described the courageous efforts of the followers of Islam to preserve their secular, as well as sacred, culture in late medieval SpainL. P. Harvey chronicles here the struggles of the Moriscos. These forced converts to Christianity lived clandestinely in the sixteenth century as Muslims, communicating in aljamiado Spanish written in Arabic characters. More broadly, Muslims in Spain, 150

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Book SynopsisBetween Dignity and Despair draws on the extraordinary memoirs, diaries, interviews, and letters of Jewish women and men to give us the first intimate portrait of Jewish life in Nazi Germany. Kaplan tells the story of Jews in Germany not from the hindsight of the Holocaust, nor from the vantage of the persecutors, but from the bewildered and ambiguous perspective of Jews trying to navigate their daily lives in a world that was becoming more and more insane. Answering the charge that Jews should have left earlier, Kaplan shows that far from seeming inevitable, the Holocaust was impossible to foresee precisely because Nazi repression occurred in irregular and unpredictable stepsuntil the massive violence of Novemer 1938. Then the flow of emigration turned into a torrent, only to be stopped by the war. By that time Jews had been evicted from their homes, robbed of their possessions and their livelihoods, shunned by their former friends, persecuted by their neighbors, anddriven inTrade Review"This is a devastatingly powerful book. By vividly illustrating how the Holocaust began with seemingly inconsequential acts of humiliation, Kaplan offers readers a message of contemporary relevance."--The New York Times Book Review "Fascinating....Kaplan works at the intersection of Holocaust history and women's studies."--The Philadelphia Inquirer "An exceptional Holocaust study."--Kirkus Reviews "An innovative and suggestive exploration of a surprisingly neglected piece of Jewish history."--Publishers Weekly "Kaplan's gendered approach is of considerable methodological interest. She distinguishes between the experience of Jewish women and men because, in her words, being male or female mattered. Kaplan makes an interesting distinction between the fate of Jewish men and women."--Review Essays "An excellent description of the life--and death--of Jews in the Third Reich. It is especially compelling for the period after Kristallnacht."--Marvin Schwartz, University of Massachusetts, Amherst "My students got a lot out of this book. They said that it made them understand what it felt like to be Jewish in the 1930s. The 'social history' was easy to digest, and the book is clear in its goals and objectives."--Chet Defonso, Northern Michigan University "Pioneering....Kaplan's book is provoking when she writes about women's perspectives, attitudes and feelings."--Los Angeles Times Book Review "An intimate portrait of Jewish life in Nazi Germany. Relying on a host of memoirs, letters and interviews, she paints a deeply moving picture of German Jewry. She pays particular--though not exclusive--attention to women's voices. Well aware the Holocaust history, by underemphasizing women, has transformed the male experience into the universal experience, Kaplan is intent on telling a more nuanced story....This is a devastatingly powerful book. By vividly illustrating how the Holocaust began with seemingly inconsequential acts of humiliation, Kaplan offers readers a message of contemporary relevance."--The New York Times Book Review "An intimate reconstruction, built from memoirs, letters, and interviews, of endless humiliations, from stupid to atrocious."--The New York Times Book Review, A Notable Book of 1998 "Marion A. Kaplan's Between Dignity and Despair insists on gender as an indispesable category of analysis in understanding the Holocaust....Especially fascinating is Kaplan's chapter on 'The Daily Lives of Jewish Children.' Kaplan also writes well on the pressures applied to 'mixed families,' in which Jews were married to 'Aryans.'"--The Philadelphia Inquirer "This is a significant milestone in Jewish women's history and a substantial contribution to the history of the Third Reich and the Holocaust....Kaplan...writes with enormous sensitivity and many passages...are intensely moving. This study which utilizes many original and neglected sources, fills a gap....[It] will appeal to more than an audience of historians."--Award citation for the Fraenkel Prize of the Wiener Library, London (written by Prof. David Cesarani, Director, Institute of Contemporary History and Wiener Library, London) "A gripping account of the everyday life of Jews under conditions of isolation and persecution, focusing especially on the responses of women, as gathered from memoirs and letters. An empathetic reconstruction of the ambiguities of that ever-darkening life where the end was unimaginable. A work of humane scholarship, nuanced and written with lucid restraint, free of simplistic answers, by a seasoned historian. An essential corrective to so much ignorant misinterpretation about Jewry and Nazism."--Fritz Stern, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University "Of all the descriptions of Jewish life in Germany during the Nazi era, this is probably the most complete as well as the most poignant and sensitive one. Marion Kaplan has written an outstanding book."--Saul Friedlander, Professor of History at Tel Aviv University and UCLA "Writing compassionately from a gender perspective, Kaplan provides us with an intimate account of what it meant to be a Jewish woman, man, or child forced to react to Nazi brutality. Gender roles were often reversed and even children played heroic roles in their families. Thus Kaplan investigates not the perpetrators nor the organized response of German Jewry to Nazi persecution but the inner sanctum Jewish life. In a unique way she gives us the victims eye view of Nazi barbarism, the tormenting personal feelings and the voices of Jews struggling for escape and survival as the noose tightened around them."--Monika Richarz "Exceptional...[A] major addition to Holocaust studies."--Kirkus Reviews "An innovative and suggestive exploration of a surprisingly neglected piece of Jewish history."--Publishers Weekly "In her vivid new book Marion Kaplan takes us inside the German Jewish family as the Hitler regime went about destroying their world. She shows us the surprising dynamics of Jewish life as men and women made different assessments of the urgency of their situation. Her subtle and insightful appraisal gives us a new way of examining the old and vexed question: `Why didn't they leave?' Kaplan then follows the history of those who remained, telling through their own words the bewildering and horrifying events that led to the destruction of the German Jewish community. Her recreation of those last years is unforgettable."--Peter Gay

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Book SynopsisA penetrating study of the Holocaust in UkraineTrade ReviewThe introduction to the volume asks several open questions and makes clear that the intention of the book is to lay the ground for further research on the Shoah in Ukraine within the framework of Holocaust studies. . . This reflects both the circumstance that research on the Shoah in Ukraine as a whole is still only beginning, and the marginalized status of Holocaust remembrance in Ukraine, too. To give the memory of the victims and the acknowledgement of collaboration on Ukrainian soil a future frame, a Ukrainization of the discourse, the aim of the volume being discussed here, is definitely appropriate. * H-Judaic *This book is groundbreaking, but as the co-editors admit in their Introduction, 'a comprehensive history of the Holocaust in the Ukraine as a whole still has not been written'. . . . Thanks to its rich documentation and clearly written, nuanced contributions, The Shoah in Ukraine is an innovative and interdisciplinary contribution that serves as an essential step in that direction by drawing on history, memory studies, and political science. * German Studies Review *[This] volume is a significant contribution to our understanding of the Holocaust as it took place in Ukraine. * Harvard Ukrainian Studies *The Shoah in Ukraine sheds light on the critical themes of perpetration, collaboration, Jewish-Ukrainian relations, testimony, rescue, and Holocaust remembrance in Ukraine. * Shofar *A useful introduction to a very complex topic, but it also highlights the work remaining for scholars in Ukraine and elsewhere and the continuing need for further international scholarly collaboration.Vol. 68.3 July 2009 -- Sean Martin * Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio *Deserving special note are Timothy Snyder's chapter on Volhynian Jewry for its elegant and diligent use of both general and Jewish sources; and Karel C. Berkhoff 's sensitive analysis of the various testimonies of Dina Pronicheva, who survived the nightmarish Babi Yar massacre. Omer Bar-Tov concludes the book with an overview of how the Jewish facets of Eastern Galicia's history are systematically ignored and erased by Ukrainians in whose historical consciousness there is no room for how Jews lived and were murdered in a region that was a center of Jewish culture and religion.Summer 5769/2009 * Jewish Book World *An excellent volume that approaches the Holocaust in Ukraine from a variety of angles. . . . Highlights the complexity of the 'Final Solution' in Ukraine.April 2009 -- Jeff Rutherford * Wheeling Jesuit University *Bitter memories and the specter of the Holocaust continue to haunt Jewish-Ukrainian relations. . . . Only a full admission of the disturbing facts of the past and a full respect for the perpetuation of the memory of the former Jewish communities may at least partly exorcise the guilt and open a new page [in their] mutual relations. Perhaps this book may serve as one of the guiding lights in this direction. * Jerusalem Post *[This] collection contains an interesting mix of general overviews and more specific case studies written by the experts in their field. . . . [I]t is very helpful to have these different approaches in one volume, which represents an excellent introduction to the questions surrounding the Holocaust in Ukraine. Vol. 89, No. 2, April 2011 * Slavonic and East European Review *Written by experts in their fields and accompanied by excellent maps and illustrations, all chapters and the editors' introduction are of very high quality. . . . this volume lays the groundwork for all further study of the Holocaust in Ukraine.Vol. 24.1 2010 -- Helmut Langerbein * University of Texas at Brownsville *This is a really important Holocaust anthology, and essential reading for all scholars and students in serach of the most up-to-date research and interpretation of the Nazi—and indeed subaltern—killing fields in the Ukraine. Vol. 13:3 * Journal of Genocide Research *It represents easily the most detailed and sophisticated survey of the Holocaust in Ukraine that we possess... [A] major contribution to Holocaust historiography.2010, Volume 24 * Jewish History *[This book] . . . represents a major contribution to Holocaust historiography.Jan. 9, 2010 online -- Dan Stone * Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK *Rarely have I read an anthology that is of such consistently high quality. . . . The writing is almost uniformly excellent and the production by Indiana University Press is of the highest quality. . . . The editors have produced a riveting volume that should attract wide scholarly and general audiences.Spring 2010 * Slavic Review *This collection is a worthy enterprise that offers new insights into the Holocaust on the territory of contemporary Ukraine. . . . The investigation of the Holocaust in Ukraine, as well as in Belarus to the north where some 900,000 Jews died, is finally under way.Feb. 2010 -- DAVID R. MARPLES * University of Alberta *Table of ContentsList of MapsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction / Ray Brandon and Wendy Lower1. The Murder of Ukraine's Jews under German Military Administration and in the Reich Commissariat Ukraine / Dieter Pohl2. The Life and Death of Western Volhynian Jewry, 1921-1945 / Timothy Snyder3. Shades of Grey: Reflections on Jewish-Ukrainian and German-Ukrainian Relations in Galicia / Frank Golczewski4. Transnistria and the Romanian Solution to the "Jewish Problem" / Dennis Deletant5. Annihilation and Labor: Jews and Thoroughfare IV in Central Ukraine / Andrej Angrick6. "In him lies the weight of the entire administration": Nazi Civilian Rulers and the Holocaust in Zhytomyr / Wendy Lower7. Soviet Ethnic Germans and the Holocaust in the Reich Commissariat Ukraine, 1941-1944 / Martin Dean8. Jewish Losses in Ukraine, 1941-1944 / Alexander Kruglov9. Dina Pronicheva's Story of Surviving the Babi Yar Massacre: German, Jewish, Soviet, Russian, and Ukrainian Records / Karel C. Berkhoff10. White Spaces and Black Holes: Eastern Galicia's Past and Present / Omer BartovMap SourcesSelected Supplemental BibliographyContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisFocusing on interviews with elders of the Sephardic communities of the former Ottoman Empire, this title illuminates a complex of preventive and curative rituals conducted by women at home - rituals that ensured the well-being of the community and functioned as a counterpart to the public rites conducted by men in the synagogues.Trade Review"[Lévy and Zumwalt] bring a wide perspective to their study." -- Choice"This is an important study on the role of women in the life of the community, the family, and individuals, and on their involvement in ensuring the physical and spiritual health of their acquaintances. ... This is an important contribution to the study of Jewish women, the role of women in the well-being of the community, folk medicine, and folklore." -- Rachel Simon, Religious Studies Review"This well-written book makes a significant contribution to the study of the folklore of the Levantine Sephardim. The authors have a unique vantage point on a Sephardic world that is fast vanishing, if not vanished. They will be among the last scholars to do significant fieldwork in this area, and their testimony will be a useful mine for scholars for many years to come."--David Martin Gitlitz, author of Secrecy and Deceit: The Religion of Crypto-Jew

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Book SynopsisIntroducing the English-language audience to the work of one of France’s leading contemporary dramatists—winner of seven Molières, the Pulitzer Prize of France—these plays offer vivid insights into French Jewish life in post-Holocaust Europe.Trade ReviewAll three plays in this volume are infused by the tragedy of the broken family, and Grumberg masterfully deploys comedy in his dialogue as a way of dealing with tragic memories that defy expression. Grumberg effectively invented the genre of post-war French Jewish theatre, fusing the French language and the Jewish experience in a strange and innovative way, and giving voice to a French Jewish identity that goes beyond the traditional Republican prescription. -- Natasha Lehrer * Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents Acknowledgments Three French Jewish Plays of Jean-Claude Grumberg: A Theatre of Memory and Accommodation Jean-Claude Grumberg: A Timeline of Key Works and Life Events The Plays The Workplace On the Way to the Promised Land: A Dental Tragedy Mama’s Coming Back, Poor Orphan An Interview with Jean-Claude Grumberg Selected Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIntends to ask why the Jews have aroused such hatred for three thousand years. This title considers whatever in the Jewish character might be to blame for antisemitism. It looks outward to those nations among which the Israelites dispersed, examining the different faces of antisemitism from Greco-Roman antiquity to the end of the 19th century.

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Book SynopsisIn non-democratic regimes around the world, non-state organizations provide millions of citizens with medical care, schooling, childrearing, and other critical social services. Why would any authoritarian countenance this type of activism? Under what conditions does the private provision of social services generate political mobilization? And in those cases, what linkage does the provision of social services forge between the provider and recipient?In Winning Hearts and Votes, Steven Brooke argues that authoritarians often seek to manage moments of economic crisis by offloading social welfare responsibilities to non-state providers. But providers who serve poorer citizens, motivated by either charity of clientelism, will be constrained in their ability to mobilize voters because the poor depend on the state for many different goods. Organizations that serve paying customers, in contrast, may produce high quality, consistent, and effective services. This type of provisiTrade Review"Steven Brooke’s book will sit comfortably on the shelf next to several recent classics in the political science literature by Egyptian specialists, and will be discussed alongside those by many." -- Daniel Corstange, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs, Columbia University"Winning Hearts and Votes is a tour de force. Steven T. Brooke’s historical research is sublime, and he makes important and concrete interventions on a number of topics to students and researchers within political science and the field of Egypt studies. This book will be the definitive account on this topic for years to come." -- Joshua Stacher, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kent State University"In his study of the Egyptian Islamic Medical Association, Steven Brooke asks why authoritarian regimes allow non-state actors to provide services and how service delivery builds support for the Islamist opposition. This highly engaging book breaks new ground on a critically important topic." -- Melani Cammett, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University"In this dazzling study of healthcare provision by a religiously conservative party in Egypt, Steven Brooke convinces us that service provision does not buy votes so much as it buys esteem. This is a model of empirical sophistication and precision and brings the Egyptian case into dialogue with broader literature on political parties and clientelism. This is comparative politics of the first rank." -- Tarek Masoud, Harvard University, and author of Counting IslamTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Transliteration 1. Social Services and Political Mobilization in Nondemocratic Regimes 2. Middle-Class Provision, Reputation, and Electoral Success 3. Rebuilding the Brotherhood Brand 4. Inside the Islamist Advantage 5. The Political Geography of Islamist Social Service Provision 6. Electing to Serve 7. Mohammed Morsi's Machine 8. The Politics of Social Service Provision Appendix Notes Works Cited Index

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Book Synopsis"Encourages us to see historic Christianity as but one expression of a universalistic potential in Jewish monotheism... In a fruitful career not yet nearly over, Border Lines, the culmination of many years of work, may well remain Daniel Boyarin's masterpiece."-Jack Miles, CommonwealTrade Review"Encourages us to see historic Christianity as but one expression of a universalistic potential in Jewish monotheism. . . . In a fruitful career not yet nearly over, Border Lines, the culmination of many years of work, may well remain Daniel Boyarin's masterpiece." * Jack Miles, Commonweal *"Boyarin's book challenges the ordinary usage of the terms 'Judaism' and 'Christianity' and juxtaposes the formation of orthodoxy as it is formulated within rabbinic tradition and among Christians of the patristic period. His bold thesis will no doubt prove controversial and important." * Elaine Pagels, author of Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas *"Boyarin proposes that by constructing the categories of religious orthodoxy and heresy, second-century Gentile Christians created the concept of religion which pervades the Western world to this day. The work is intensely provocative and innovative and is destined to take its proper place as a modern classic among Boyarin's previous works." * Shofar *Table of ContentsPreface: Interrogate My Love List of Abbreviations Chapter 1. Introduction PART I. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE HERESIOLOGICAL BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM Chapter 2. Justin's Dialogue with the Jews: The Beginnings of Orthodoxy Chapter 3. Naturalizing the Border: Apostolic Succession in the Mishna PART II. THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE LOGOS: HOW LOGOS THEOLOGY BECAME CHRISTIAN Chapter 4. The Intertextual Birth of the Logos: The Prologue to John as a Jewish Midrash Chapter 5. The Jewish Life of the Logos: Logos Theology in Pre- and Pararabbinic Judaism Chapter 6. The Crucifixion of the Memra: How the Logos Became Christian PART III. SPARKS OF THE LOGOS: HISTORICIZING RABBINIC RELIGION Chapter 7. The Yavneh Legend of the Stammaim: On the Invention of the Rabbis in the Sixth Century Chapter 8. "When the Kingdom Turned to Minut": The Christian Empire and the Rabbinic Refusal of Religion Concluding Political Postscript: A Fragment Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisThe Holocaust in Croatia recounts the history of the Croatian Jewish community during the Second World War, with a focus on the city of Zagreb.

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Book SynopsisIn the middle of the First World War, the British War Cabinet approved and issued a statement in the form of a letter that encouraged the settlement of the Jewish people in Palestine. Signed by the Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, the Balfour Declaration remains one of the most important documents of the last hundred years. Jonathan Schneer explores the story behind the declaration and its unforeseen consequences that have shaped the modern world, placing it in context paying attention to the fascinating characters who conceived, opposed and plotted around it - among them Lloyd George, Lord Rothschild, T.E. Lawrence, Prince Faisal and Aubrey Herbert (the man who was Greenmantle''). The Balfour Declaration brings vividly to life the origins of one of the world''s longest lasting and most damaging conflicts.Trade Review'Splendid ... A marvellously well-researched, balanced, and clear-sighted guide to this hideously controversial territory' * Dominic Sandbrook, Evening Standard *'Jonathan Schneer's lively new account is very much a tale for our times ... his book is interspersed with delightful vignettes' * David Cesarini, Literary Review *‘Why did Britain offer the Jews a home in Palestine? Had they not already offered Palestine to the Arabs, two years earlier? This extraordinarily well-documented and revealing book gives the answers' * Martin Gilbert, Mail on Sunday *‘An excellent and compelling portrait of the intrigues, characters and diplomacy that created the modern Middle East' * Simon Sebag Montefiore *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2016 JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL AWARD FOR CONTEMPORARY JEWISH LIFE AND PRACTICEAn inspiring and accessible guide, drawn from Jewish wisdom, for building the inner qualities necessary to work effectively for social justice.The world needs changing—and you’re just the person to do it!  It’s a matter of cultivating the inner resources you already have. If you are serious about working for social justice and change, this book will help you bring your most compassionate, wise, and courageous self to the job. Bringing positive social change to any system takes deep self-awareness, caring, determination, and long-term commitment. But polarization, the slow pace of change, and internal conflicts among activists and organizations often leads to burnout and discouragement among the very people needed to make a difference. Changing the World from the Inside Out distills centuries of Jewish wisdom about cultivating and refining the inner life into an accessible program for building the qualities necessary to accomplish sustainable change. Through explorations of deep motivation, inner-drive, and traits like trust and anger, this book engages the reader in a journey of self-development and transformation, demonstrating that sustainable activism is indeed a spiritual practice. Jaffe offers accessible and meaningful guidance for this journey—with exercises, contemplations, and discussion points that can be used individually or in a group.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Timely and important. Jerry Coyne expertly exposes the incoherence of the increasingly popular belief that you can have it both ways: that God (or something God-ish, God-like, or God-oid) sort-of exists; that miracles kind-of happen; and that the truthiness of dogma is somewhat-a-little-bit-more-or-less-who’s-to-say-it-isn’t like the truths of science and reason.” —Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; author of The Better Angels of Our Nature “[N]one make the case for the final divorce of religion and science, with permanent restraining orders against harassment and stalking of science by religion, better than Coyne.”—Ray Olson, Booklist (starred review)“An important book that deserves an open-minded readership.”—Kirkus Reviews “Many people are confused about science—about what it is, how it is practiced, and why it is the most powerful method for understanding ourselves and the universe that our species has ever devised. In Faith vs. Fact, Coyne has written a wonderful primer on what it means to think scientifically, showing that the honest doubts of science are better—and more noble—than the false certainties of religion. This is a profound and lovely book. It should be required reading at every college on earth.” —Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, and Waking Up “The distinguished geneticist Jerry Coyne trains his formidable intellectual firepower on religious faith, and it’s hard to see how any reasonable person can resist the conclusions of his superbly argued book. Though religion will live on in the minds of the unlettered, in educated circles faith is entering its death throes. Symptomatic of its terminal desperation are the ‘apophatic’ pretensions of ‘sophisticated theologians,’ for whose empty obscurantism Coyne reserves his most devastating sallies. Read this book and recommend it to two friends.” —Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion Praise for Why Evolution is True “Outstandingly good . . . Coyne’s knowledge of evolutionary biology is prodigious, his deployment of it as masterful as his touch is light.” —Richard Dawkins, The Times Literary Supplement “Coyne is as graceful a stylist and as clear a scientific explainer as Darwin himself (no mean feat) . . . one of the best single-volume introductions to evolutionary theory ever.” —Wired “The joy Coyne takes in his work is evident on every page, whether he’s offering a bone-by-bone analysis of how dinosaurs evolved into birds or describing how docile Japanese honeybees have come up with their particularly incendiary defense against marauding giant hornets.” —San Francisco Chronicle “[Coyne] makes an unassailable case.” —New York Times “In nine crisp chapters . . . the respected evolutionary biologist lays out an airtight case that Earth is unspeakably old and that new species evolve from previous ones.” —Boston Globe “Coyne’s book is the best general explication of evolution that I know of and deserves its success as a best seller.” —R.C. Lewontin, New York Review of Books “I recommend that Mr. Coyne’s insightful and withering assessment of evolutionary studies of human psychology and behavior be taped to the bathroom mirrors of all those (perhaps especially journalists) inclined to be swept into excited announcements of What Evolution Shows About Us.” —Philip Kitcher, The Wall Street Journal “With logic and clarity, Coyne presents the vast trove of scientific evidence that supports Darwin's theory.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer “It’s always a pleasure to tell people about a wonderful book, especially when the subject of the book is of universal and critical importance. Evolutionary geneticist Jerry A. Coyne has given us such a book. . . . A book that may change the way you look at things—if you dare.” —The Huffington Post “In this 200th anniversary year of Darwin’s birth, Why Evolution is True ranks among the best new titles flooding bookstores.” —Christian Science Monitor “Why Evolution is True is the book I was hoping would be written someday: an engaging and accessible account of one of the most important ideas ever conceived by mankind. The book is a stunning achievement, written by one of the world's leading evolutionary biologists. Coyne has produced a classic—whether you are an expert or novice in science, a friend or foe of evolutionary biology, reading Why Evolution is True is bound to be an enlightening experience.” —Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish “Jerry Coyne has long been one of the world's most skillful defenders of evolutionary science in the face of religious obscurantism. In Why Evolution is True, he has produced an indispensable book: the single, accessible volume that makes the case for evolution. But Coyne has delivered much more than the latest volley in our "culture war"; he has given us an utterly fascinating, lucid, and beautifully written account of our place in the natural world. If you want to better understand your kinship with the rest of life, this book is the place to start.” —Sam Harris, founder of the Reason Project and author of the New York Times best sellers The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation “Scientists don't use the word 'true' lightly, but in this lively and engrossing book, Jerry Coyne shows why biologists are happy to use it when it comes to evolution. Evolution is 'true' not because the experts say it is, nor because some worldview demands it, but because the evidence overwhelmingly supports it. There are many superb books on evolution, but this one is superb in a new way — it explains out the latest evidence for evolution lucidly, thoroughly, and with devastating effectiveness.” —Steven Pinker, Harvard University, and author of The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature “For anyone who wishes a clear, well-written explanation of evolution by one of the foremost scientists working on the subject, Why Evolution is True should be your choice.” —E. O. Wilson, author of The Social Conquest of Earth and Letters to a Young Scientist “I once wrote that anybody who didn't believe in evolution must be stupid, insane, or ignorant, and I was then careful to add that ignorance is no crime. I should now update my statement. Anybody who doesn't believe in evolution is stupid, insane, or hasn't read Jerry Coyne. I defy any reasonable person to read this marvellous book and still take seriously the "breathtaking inanity" that is intelligent design "theory" or its country cousin, young earth creationism.” —Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion

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