Twenty-five fascinating, revealing interviews with the mothers of twenty-five high-achieving Jewish people, including the mothers of Stephen Spielberg, ex-convict Abbie Hoffman, Nobel Medalist Rosalyn Yalow, and more.Like other mothers in the book, Clara, who died recently, exemplified a life of hard work and sacrifice, as well as worry about her child when a teacher told her Rosalyn was a genius. ("I never met the man Einstein but I heard he was a little peculiar....

A grasshopper walked into a bar and ordered a drink.The bartender looked at him and said, “You know we have a drink named after you?”The grasshopper replied, “You have a drink named Stanley?”Schtick happens. For five thousand years, God’s chosen people have cornered the market on knee-slappers, zingers, and knock-knock jokes. Now Old Jews Telling Jokes mines mothers, fathers, bubbies, and zaydes for comic gelt. What we get are jokes that are funnier t...

An uproarious irreverent unauthorized parody of the Christian bestseller Heaven Is A Deal tells the story of an unscrupulous Iowa couple's bungling attempts to send a preschooler to Heaven to meet Jesus—then use the kid's memories to gain fame and fortune. The perfect antidote to fundamentalist claptrap for believers and non-believers alike. You don't have to be rational to love this spoof...but it helps!

Why is this Haggadah different from all other Haggadahs? "Three comic writers have some fun with Passover. Seders may never be the same." — USA TodayIf you've ever suffered through a Seder, you're well aware that the entire evening can last as long as the exodus from Egypt itself. There are countless stories, dozens of blessings, and far too many hand-washings while the meal turns cold. Now prepare to be entertained by another version of the book that's res...

"When they arrived at the place which God had indicated to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son..." --The Book of GenesisThe story of Abraham's acceptance of God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac is one of the most disturbing of all biblical stories. Isaac is spared only at the last moment, when an angel stops Abraham's hand. T...

This new spiritual approach to physical health introduces us to a spiritual tradition that affirms the body and enables us to reconceive our bodies in a more positive light. Using Kabbalistic teachings and other Jewish traditions, it shows us how to be more responsible for our own spiritual and physical health.Each chapter explores the meaning of traditional Jewish prayers, providing a framework for new thinking about body, mind, and soul. Simple exercises and movements help our bo...

"I'm not alone. I am part of a generation of fragmented Jews. We're in a kind of limbo. We're suspended between young adulthood and middle age, between Judaism and atheism, between a desire to believe in religion and a personal history of skepticism. Call us a bunch of searchers. Call us post-Holocaust Jews. Call us Generation J."Generation J is the ambivalent generation: unaffiliated seekers, men and women who have grown up questioning the bounds of organized religion. Lisa Schiff...

Before the Nazis sent members of the Filar family to Treblinka, these were the last words Marian Filar's mother said to him: "I bless you. You'll survive this horror. You'll become a great pianist, and I'll be very proud of you."Born in 1917 into a musical Jewish family in Warsaw, Filar began playing the piano when he was four. He performed his first public concert at the age of six. At twelve he played with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and went on to study with the great Poli...

The search for spiritual meaning drives great leaders in all religions. This classic work explores the personality and religious quest of Nahman of Bratslav (17721810), one of Hasidisms major figures. In this major biography, Dr. Arthur Green—teacher, scholar, and spiritual seeker—explores the great personal conflicts and inner torments that lay at the source of Nahmans teachings. Greens analysis of this troubled personality provides an important key to Nahmans famous tales, making his tea...

We are travellers on a quest to meet the angels of Go. We are human and mortal, they are spirits and immortal. We are here on earth, they are and can be anywhere in the galaxy. Our journey so far has brought us to the path of Vau, the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabets, which has a numerical value of five.We have learned that the number three which is the letter Daleth, has a geometric symbol of a triangle and the element of air, and it is also associated with the sphere of Binah...

The essential handbook for managing your morals the modern wayYou don’t have to be Catholic to feel a twinge of concern when your love life gets too lively—but it helps. Melinda Anderson and Kathleen Murray to the rescue! They provide guidance from your first impure thoughts to the day you cash in your V-card; from the moment you realize with alarm that your numbers sure are adding up, until the blessed morning you wake in the (almost) safe haven of marital sex. This saucy little c...

The Renascence of Hebrew Literature (1743-1885) by the Russian-born Israeli writer, translator and archaeologist, Nahum Slouschz.He was known for his studies of the "secret" Jews of Portugal and Jews of Africa.He earned a livelihood as correspondent of several newspapers, among them Ha-Melitz and Ha-Tsefirah. In 1902, he worked as a teacher in Auteuil. He completed his doctorate at the University of Paris in 1903 on the subject of the renaissance of Hebrew literature.His thesis was publish...