Jewish Book Blog

The Jewish Forum is growing

2009-10-11T21:18:00.003-04:00

The Jewish Forum is growing rapidly, with more members and new, thoughtful discussions on issues of Judaism and Israel. It's also a great place to post free Jewish classifieds and Jewish organizations' press releases.

Jewish jobs

2009-05-25T21:13:00.001-04:00

Looking for a Jewish job, or a job in a Jewish organization? Jewish Jobs is the place to look. You can also post jobs there if you are looking to hire a Jewish professional.

Techwritingjobs.com - a leading job site for technical writers - is for sale!

2009-03-12T22:00:00.001-04:00

For sale: Perfect job site for a tech writing agency or a tech job site! See here for details.

Techwritingjobs.com - Job listings, advice, and information for technical writers (also known as technical authors in the UK). Steady revenue stream.

Google PageRank 3.
#2 result on Google for: tech writing jobs
#6 result on Google for: technical writing jobs
#10 result on Google for: technical writer jobs
#3 result on Google for: tech writer jobs

Included: domain name and developed content.
Not included: any third-party licensed software.
Post-sale consulting/support, if desired, is available at extra cost.

See here for details.

Jewish (News) Feeds gets a minor facelift

2008-12-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

Jewish Feeds has been redesigned a bit. It's a great way to quickly see up-to-the-minute Jewish and Israel news collected from various sites.

Hanukkah toys

2007-12-03T15:51:00.000-05:00

It's Hanukkah/Chanuka/however you spell it in English/ time again. The Jewish Book Mall now has a sister site for toys of all kinds, Toys and Reviews. If you're looking for a holiday gift for the kiddies, give it a try.

The Jewish Book Blog is moving...sort of

2007-08-08T14:55:00.000-04:00

We've decided to start posting our Jewish book reviews on the main Jewish Book Mall site and to make it possible for authors of Jewish books and reviewers to post reviews and comments, too.

The new address for Jewish book reviews is Jewish Book Reviews.

We'll probably keep posting non-review news here.

Books Received: "The Optimistic Jew"

2007-07-11T18:00:00.000-04:00

Newly received, waiting for a review: The Optimistic Jew: A Positive Vision for the Jewish People in the 21st Century by Tsvi Bisk. The publisher is Maxanna Press.

Publication date is August 1.

Stay tuned...

Shavuot books

2007-05-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

Shavuot, perhaps the least ritually enriched holiday of the three festivals. But fear not: there are books and CDs about Shavuot. See Shavuot books at - where else? the Jewish Book Mall.

Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim)

2007-05-16T10:34:00.000-04:00

Today is Jerusalem Day. Celebrate with a book, music, movie, game, magazine, software, Judaica item, or even clothing related to Jerusalem.

Operation Solomon reviewed

2007-05-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

Few in the Western world are aware of the story: in a day and a half in May, 1991, Israel airlifted 14,310 black Jews from Ethiopia to safety in the Jewish state.

Stephen Spector has written a thoughtful account of this rescue, titled Operation Solomon: The Daring Rescue of the Ethiopian Jews (Oxford, 2005) with in-depth analysis of all the people and organizations involved. It's now available in both hard and soft covers, and should be required reading for anyone who has ever heard (false) charges of racism thrown at Israel and Zionism. Really, how many countries would have done the same?

Divahn is delightful

2007-05-03T20:21:00.000-04:00

Not long ago, we had the pleasure of attending a benefit concert for the people of Darfur. One of the two acts perfroming was the delightful Divahn, a musical mix of Persian and other Middle Eastern Jewish rhythms with...believe it or not, instruments that include a banjo.

The vocals are powerful. The instrumentation is cool. You never heard Dror Yikra at double time before? Give Divahn a listen.

Jewish conspiracies?

2007-04-27T19:03:00.000-04:00

It's far from the best selling Jewish book at Amazon...but if you search for "jewish", it's the first result. One reviewer says anti-Semites should read it. But we wonder if they'd get the joke. Yes, it's a humor book.

Jewish Posters

2007-04-26T16:27:00.000-04:00

In the blogosphere, there are Jewish posters, and then there are Jewish posters.

The former are those who post in Jewish blogs; um, like this one.

The latter are the kind with pictures of Israeli desert landscapes or Marc Chagall prints. These can be found at the Jewish Book Mall's Jewish Posters page.

Capital Punishment in the Talmud - Book Wins Award

2007-04-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

From a JTS press release:
Dr. Beth Berkowitz, Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary, has been awarded the 2006 Baron Book Prize for her book Execution and Invention: Death Penalty Discourse in Early Rabbinic and Christian Cultures (Oxford University Press 2006).

Presented by the American Academy for Jewish Research, the Baron Book Prize recognizes the author of an outstanding first book in Jewish studies that makes a significant contribution to the field. All winners must have received their doctorates within the past seven years.

Execution and Invention argues that the ancient Rabbis augment their own authority through their laws of capital punishment. This argument runs counter to the commonly held position that the Rabbis opposed capital punishment and did everything they could to abolish it.

Dr. Berkowitz specializes in rabbinic literature, Judaism and Christianity in late antiquity, ritual studies, theories and methods in the study of religion, and cultural criticism. Dr. Berkowitz received a bachelor of arts, master of philosophy, and doctorate in religious studies from Columbia University. In addition, she holds a master of arts from University of Chicago Divinity School. She was a post-doctoral fellow in the Program of Judaic Studies in the Religious Studies Department at Yale University from 2001 to 2003. Dr. Berkowitz has taught at Columbia University and Yale University. Currently, she is working on a book titled Anxieties of Identity in Jewish Reading: Leviticus 18:3 and the Laws of the Gentiles.

Available via the Jewish Book Mall at http://www.jewishbookmall.com/shop/asinsearch_0195179196/Execution+and+Invention:+Death+Penalty+Discourse+in+Early+Rabbinic+and+Christian+Cultures.html

Happy Yom Ha'atzmaut!

2007-04-23T22:27:00.000-04:00

It's Israel's Independence Day. Why not celebrate with products from Israel, a book on Israel, or a CD of Israeli music?

New look for the Jewish Book Mall

2007-04-23T18:18:00.001-04:00

Nothing earthshaking, but it had been several years since we'd updated the look of the Jewish Book Mall site. How many? Well, it hadn't actually changed much since we got on the web in 2002.

Sure, the contents change all the time. But we decided the yellowish parchment look was getting tired. Now there's a plain white background and a somewhat more modern-looking font.

Comments welcome. We won't be offended if you tell us we're wearing a plaid jacket over a striped shirt. The Jewish Book Mall recognizes that it must pay some semblance of homage to design taste. It's just that we'd rather focus on Jewish books.

New look for the Jewish Book Mall

2007-04-23T18:18:00.000-04:00

What to get the kinder for Hanuka

2006-12-13T18:20:00.000-05:00

By us, there shouldn't be presents at Hanuka, because how can something material compare with freedom (i.e. what the holiday is about)?

But if you (or those around you) insist, a brand-new site called Toys and Reviews offers prices and reviews from other customers.

The Jewish Forum

2006-11-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

There is a new discussion site out there for all issues related to Jews, Judaism, Israel, and Jewish life: The Jewish Forum.

Encyclopedia Judaica - A new edition!!

2006-09-10T19:56:00.000-04:00

Wow! A new edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica is coming out!

This is a major event in the world of Jewish scholarship, and in fact of Jewish culture.

The ISBN is 0028659287.

Arnold Eisen Books

2006-04-09T19:44:00.000-04:00

The Jewish Forward says that Arnold Eisen, professor of Jewish Culture and Religion at Stanford University, has been nominated by the search committee to be the next chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Here are some books by Arnold Eisen.

Mikraot Gedolot in English! The Commentator's Bible: The Jps Miqra'ot Gedolot: Exodus

2006-04-02T18:52:00.000-04:00

Torah fans, there is now a wonderful (partial) edition of Mikraot Gedolot - in English! The first volume, The Commentator's Bible: The JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Exodus has been published by the Jewish Publication Society, and now you can find Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, and the other commentators speaking, as it were, colloquial English. And yes, it is colloquial, not literal. Translator Michael Carasik purposely renders the medieval Torah scholars as if they were speaking modern American English, and they relate in their commentaries to the Torah text as translated by JPS. What an idea - to render authors who lived centuries ago so as to make them sensible to readers today.

A pleasure to read, and a wonderful tool for English readers to listen in on the conversations among the commentators across the centuries, all relating to the same text, and to each other. Official Jewish Book Mall rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Add this one to your Judaica library!

Jewish Book Mall - Over 100 Haggadot/Haggadahs for Passover/Pesach including Artscroll Haggadahs

2006-03-24T00:09:00.000-05:00

Like the title says: Jewish Book Mall - Over 100 Haggadot/Haggadahs for Passover/Pesach including Artscroll Haggadahs. You can buy individual haggadahs, or complete sets.

The Rebbe's Army : Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch - jewishbookmall.com Info and Reviews

2006-02-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

We just read The Rebbe's Army : Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch - jewishbookmall.com Info and Reviews. If you would like to understand Chabad and the powerful drive of Chabadniks in their outreach to other Jews, you will do well to read this beautifully-written, sympathetic yet objective, highly readable book.

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Jewish Book Mall - Books on and by Elie Wiesel, Jewish Nobel Laureate

2006-01-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

Jewish Book Mall - Books on and by Elie Wiesel, Jewish Nobel Laureate

Oprah fans, you can find Elie Wiesel's Night and many other works here.