More than an autobiography of a distinguished Jewish leader, this book mirrors American and Jewish history in the second half of the twentieth century. Mendy Ganchrow, M.D. has met and conferred with American Presidents from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton, with Israeli Prime Ministers from Yitzhak Rabin to Ariel Sharon, with many members of the U.S. Congress and the Knesset, as well as with religious leaders in Israel, the United States, and many other countries around the world. In Journey through the Minefields, he shares his many experiences with those personalities and events that have shaped our contemporary world. The Vietnam War was, perhaps, the seminal moment in Ganchrow's life. As a young doctor and officer, soon promoted to Major in the active battle-zone, he brought his surgical skills to those young American servicemen wounded in combat. As an observant Jew, who became an acting Jewish Chaplain in Long Binh, he brought spiritual comfort to fellow Jews serving with him. While in the midst of a very successful career as a surgeon, it was suggested to Ganchrow that he join AIPAC, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee. His faith, combined with his fervor for the American way of life, pointed him to ever more involved levels of political activism, leading to the creation of a successful pro-Israel political action committee (HUVPAC) and eventually culminating in his election to the presidency of the Orthodox Union in 1994. Even during the most trying times of his presidency, he demonstrated the same outstanding commitment and leadership skills that had been part of his nature throughout his life. His subsequent years of leadership of American Orthodoxy and his critical role in the pro-Israel political community exemplify his dedication to Israel and tikun olam (healing the world). Journey Through the Minefields depicts a life that spells loyalty to principle, leadership, and a living example of how one can be dedicated to the cause of American democracy, Jewish faith, the Torah way of life, and the welfare of all Jews.

Journey Through the Minefields: From Vietnam to Washington, An Orthodox Surgeon’s Odyssey

Biographies & Memoirs

Ganchrow, Mendy

Leaders & Notable People

Eshel Books

In 60-plus years of active public life, Jacob Stein has won the respect and friendship of political and religious leaders from around the world. Admired by friends and opponents for his unfailing integrity and dedication, Stein has stood at the forefront of most of the struggles and triumphs of American and world Jewry throughout the second half of the 20th century. Stein's upbringing gave him profound reverence for Jewish tradition and instilled a desire to reach out to his fellow Jews. This led him to become active with Temple Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Great Neck, New York where Stein rose quickly to become Temple President. In 1969, as a maverick candidate for President of United Synagogue, Conservative Jewry's main body, Stein won a surprise victory. Even though he was a newcomer to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Stein was soon asked to serve as Acting Chairman. Stein participated in meetings with President Richard Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir to negotiate the terms of American aid to Israel. As twice elected Chairman of the Presidents Conference, he suffered bitter criticism when he defended the Nixon Administration's decision to maintain relations with the Soviet government while attempting to free oppressed Soviet Jewry. Stein became ever more embroiled in the challenges of Jewish affairs as an advisor to the Reagan White House staff. His calming influence made him successful in the role of liaison to the Jewish public during battles over the sale of AWACS military aircrafts to Saudi Arabia. Stein spent six weeks in Geneva as a member of the United States delegation to the 1982 United Nations Human Rights Commission. In 1986 he visited Israel with Vice President Bush as a member of the "Gang of Eight," a group of Jewish supporters who encouraged presidential candidate Bush to reach out to Jewish voters as well as the Christian right. Over the next two years of campaigning, Stein offered Vice President Bush insight on gaining Jewish America's support. Their friendship continued throughout Bush's presidency, even when they disagreed. Despite his great success in business and his deep commitment to family, Jacob Stein has devoted untold time and energy to the American Jewish community. His memoirs reveal a life fully and richly lived in service to his people and his country.

Days of Challenge: The Making of a Modern American Jewish Leader

Stein, Jacob

Reflections of a rabbi

Mowshowitz, Israel

The Smoke Screen: Israel, Philanthropy and American Jews

Politics & Social Sciences

Hoffman, Charles

Social Sciences

The Ashen Rainbow plays on the paradox of the Holocaust: that the darkest hour of human depravity influenced an unprecedented array of human creativity's rainbow tinged with ash. The juxtaposition of the terms "arts" and "Holocaust" seems illogical: one pertaining to creation and the other to destruction. Yet Soltes's insightful interpretations embrace this disconnect, as he interweaves multiple disciplines ranging from literature, music, and theater, to visual art and film. The Ashen Rainbow focuses on the diversity of Holocaust art, claiming that the most successful pieces recognize "the essential inaccessible ineffability of such an event." Each of Professor Soltes's essays stand on its own. However, together they offer a comprehensive, multifaceted examination of an event that captures humanity in its brightest and darkest moments

The Ashen Rainbow: Essays on the Arts and the Holocaust

Arts & Photography

Soltes, Ori

History & Criticism

We all suffer the pain of loss when a loved one dies. We search for meaning in their lives and try to comprehend the unknowable. For each of us, understanding is a journey of inestimable length.Rafael Grossman was the successful rabbi of a prominent synagogue, the president of his state's rabbinical council, and the dean of a Hebrew Day School when his teenage daughter Shoshana became ill.Shoshana, vibrant and energetic, a delight to her parents and everyone around her, died at the age of seventeen.After her death, Rabbi Grossman was sure that he would never regain his faith in God or his joy in living. But as the years went by, he began to understand how Jews throughout history managed to sustain hope in the wake of personal and communal calamities. He penned this heartfelt letter to Shoshana as an expression of his love, and his never-ending sorrow, but also of his sense of renewal. And the recognition, that with our memories, no one is truly lost to us. Today, Rabbi Grossman counsels grief-stricken families and survivors of loss. He offers this letter as a "little book of comfort" to grieving readers everywhere.

My Shoshana: A Father’s Journey through Loss

Grossman, Rafael

After many decades of academic secularism, we see that archaeologists and historians are regularly dismissive of Religion and often downright hostile. Few in academia have bothered to read the Bible and even fewer have devoted significant time to its study. Centuries of history are explained away as fabrication, the stories in Scripture merely fables. Excavating the Bible stands in rebellion against the suppression of religion in Western society. Its author, Yitzhak Meitlis, defends the historical accuracy of Scripture and brings the evidence to the general public. The Hebrew language edition has already been widely-read and debated in Israel. Meitlis, an award-winning Professor of Archaeology in Israel brings something rare to the back and forth inquiry about the truth of the Bible. It is a deep love of the land of Israel and intimate knowledge of the Bible itself. Dr. Meitlis has built his argument on academic scholarship, excavations of colleagues and his deep familiarity with the geography of Israel. Biblical archaeology is an imprecise scientific discipline, as the author himself explains, “Tangible finds such as inscriptions, pottery, foundations of buildings, and evidence of destruction must be given life and meaning in order to fit into an historical context.” Were David and Solomon, in fact, powerful rulers of wide renown, for example, as indicated in the Bible or were they merely minor chieftains of insignificant stature as claimed by some modern-day historical scholars? These are not idle questions. In our own day, some in the Arab world are claiming, with the support of archaeological minimalists, that Ancient Israel is a myth, that no Temples ever existed in Jerusalem and that Israeli claims to Jerusalem are historically unfounded. With great skill and meticulous methodology, Meitlis utilizes both the tools of modern archaeological research and his deep understanding of the ancient Near East. He leads the reader on a lively exploration of the ancient cities of the Judean Hills, and the birth of an Israelite nation and the people’s challenge to remaining a people committed to God as described in the Prophets and later Writings. The journey culminates in Jerusalem, where the reader watches the rise and fall of one civilization after another; views the audacious exploits that delivered the city into the hands of David; pictures its glory at the height of its power; and watches in horror as it meets its fiery end. This excursion through the terrain of the Bible that is found in Excavating the Bible is sure to astonish, even shock many of you, excite others and comfort those searching for validation of their beliefs. . It is a thought-provoking and captivating exploration of the Biblical era in all of its majesty.

Excavating the Bible: New Archaeological Evidence for the Historical Reliability of Scripture

History

Meitlis, Yitzhak

Ancient Civilizations

There are thousands of books about wine, but this book is the one authoritative guide to the joys and uses of kosher wine. Whether you are looking for a wine to savor and celebrate a simcha, Shabbos or Yom Tov, you’re sure to find just the right vintage here. Rosenberg makes selecting the perfect wine as easy as tipping your glass. Which vintners are producing the most exciting vintages? Supplying a list of the very best kosher reds, whites and roses, along with his own personal wine list with ratings, Rosenberg advises you what food goes best with what particular wine. With illustrations and helpful sidebars, this book provides delicious ways to cook with wine, wine wisdom and even meaningful toasts. Do you like a big Bordeaux or a crisp Chardonnay? A good wine, Maurie Rosenberg says, is the wine you like. Find your favorite kosher wine in this unprecedented guide.

Fruit of the Vine: The Complete Guide to Kosher Wine

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Rosenberg, Maurie

Beverages & Wine

This highly ambitious volume addresses the idea of "Jewish art and architecture" by posing and responding to a series of questions.First is the unresolved conceptual definition of "Jewish," not just as applied to art, but to literature, music, dance, or thought as well.Then there is the complex matter of historical designation : Abraham was called a Hebrew; Moses and David were Israelites; Ezra was a Judaean. How are these terms related to and different from the terms "Jew" and "Jewish" and where, accordingly, must one place Israelite and Judaean art and architecture within the understanding of Jewish art and architecture?Soltes' narrative further asks: when one uses the phrase "Jewish art and architecture," is it a description of the work of art or the identity of the artist? If the former, is the criterion the subject, style, symbol, or purpose? If the latter, is it the artist's convictions that are being labeled "Jewish"--does he or she need to be consciously trying to make "Jewish" art? Is the artist-based definition affected by birth or conversion: does an artist who converts into or out of Judaism suddenly begin to make Jewish art or cease to make Jewish art?Against the background of these questions, Tradition and Transformation follows a long and wide trajectory that moves from the Israelite period to the present day, and carries us from the Middle East to Europe, Asia, North Africa, South and North America and back to the Middle East, as it searches for answers. But it is the journey, not the arrival that is important. Through the presentation and analysis of over a thousand works of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, collage, architecture, and mixed media--more than 700 of which are depicted--the author continuously addresses the ways in which various works and their makers do and/or do not fit comfortably into the rubric "Jewish art" or "Jewish architecture."We arrive at a necessarily aporetic conclusion: the very criteria of definition continue to shift across time and space, and we embrace the idea that there is no absolute set of terms that will apply comfortably across a vast and lush realm of artistic creativity. Perhaps this is the point. For asking questions without easy answers or without answers at all, in the end, proves to be the consummate Jewish art.

Tradition and Transformation: A Comprehensive Exploration of Three Millenia of Jewish Art and Architecture

Soltes, Ori Z.

The first volume of Rabbi Lopiansky’s teachings on Chumash to be brought to print, Golden Apples offers readers a new, exciting sense of discovery as they follow the author’s journey into the depths of Chazal. Readers of this inspiring sefer will certainly find new clarity and insight into the familiar parshios of Bereishis, where profound messages, as well as practical lessons for a life of spiritual vitality and purpose, are revealed. Binding: HardcoverLanguage: English

Golden Apples: Reflections On The Parsha - Sefer Bereshis

Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky

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