By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
If I had to summarize Roxane Van Iperen’s “The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Sisters’ Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory” (Harper) in three words they would be resistance, betrayal and survival. Janny and Lien Brilleslijper did the unth…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
One fascinating section of Laura Arnold Leibman’s “The Art of the Jewish Family: A History of Women in Early New York in Five Objects” discussed an ivory miniature portrait, and the life, of Sarah Brandon Moses. (See The Reporter’s review of the book here.)…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
A novel for adults
Why would two Jews who escaped from Germany before the World War II want to return? That question underlies Ellen Feldman’s excellent “The Living and the Lost” (St. Martin’s Griffin). The answer for David Mosbach is simple: he joined the…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
There is a debate about whether reviewers should discuss an author’s nationality when writing about their work. When reviewing novels and memoirs about Soviet Jewish immigrants to the U.S., it makes sense to compare and contrast their experiences, especially if th…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Are motion pictures merely entertainment, or are they worthy of serious, academic study? It’s clear that Helene Meyers believes that movies have made an important contribution to American culture: she explores the way Jewish films have influenced Jews and Gentiles…
