April 8, 2024
By Robin Jacobson. Near the turn of the 20th Century, the Dreyfus Affair thrust France into turmoil. In 1894, the French army falsely accused and convicted Jewish military captain Alfred …
March 6, 2024
By Robin Jacobson. How can a book full of societal evils like racism, antisemitism, and child abuse manage to be heartwarming and uplifting? This is the magic of The Heaven …
January 29, 2024
By Robin Jacobson. “Pa pleaded. “We can get a hundred and sixty acres out west, just by living on it… If Uncle Sam’s willing to give us a farm… I …
November 30, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. The great German poet-playwright Goethe had a deep fondness for a grand oak tree in the woodlands near Weimar. One autumn morning in 1827, he famously picnicked …
October 24, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. There’s an old Jewish story about two women sitting on a park bench together. One sighs. Her friend reproves her, “I thought we agreed not to talk …
September 28, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. Intimate Strangers: A History of Jews and Catholics in the City of Rome by Frederic Brandfon tells the epic story of Jews in Rome across more than …
August 29, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. The Postcard by French author Anne Berest is a remarkable true story of a Jewish family told in the form of a novel. It opens with the …
August 1, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. Fans of multi-generational tales of Jewish families have three new non-fiction options, each fascinating: The Sassoons: The Great Global Merchants and the Making of an Empire by …
June 6, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. Early in 2020, Julian Künstler receives an unexpected phone call from his 93-year-old grandmother, Salomea (“Mamie”) Künstler. Mamie invites Julian to stay with her in California for a few weeks while …
June 6, 2023
By Robin Jacobson. “The righteous bloom like a date-palm . . .” Psalm 92:13 Among the glories of ancient Israel were its flourishing Judean date palm trees, celebrated for their …