Confession time: reading novels about young adults, especially those set in modern times, makes me grateful that my teen years are over. That’s because these novels often focus on the teens’ fears about their future. Of course, the main characters of three of these works might feel bette…
When I was a teenager, few books were published for that age group, except for unappealing romance novels, and even fewer of those contained Jewish characters. I quickly moved to adult books that featured more serious themes. As an older adult, I find myself fascinated by the large number of…
Someone once asked me how best to understand the Bible if they were unable to read the original Hebrew. I gave them the advice I’d received years earlier: read two or three different translations and note when they disagree or use a different expression. That signals a problematic word or …
Two friends and I were discussing books during a recent lunch. (I know, you’re all shocked to learn I was talking about books.) When it comes to serious fiction, the three of us have similar tastes. When it comes to novels of other genres, we often disagree. For example, I love fantasy and…
After World War II, the European Jewish community was left in shambles. In addition to their attempt to exterminate the Jewish people, the Nazis sought to destroy Judaism’s heritage: the buildings, books and ritual objects that helped sustain the religion. Fortunately for the future of Jew…
