Welcome to Temple Emanu-El
New in Library
GI Jews : how World War II changed a generation
Bombshell
It happened in Italy : untold stories of how the people of Italy defied the horrors of the Holocaust
Dark mirror : the medieval origins of anti-Jewish iconography"In Dark Mirror, Sara Lipton offers a fascinating examination of the emergence of anti-Semitic iconography in the Middle AgesThe straggly beard, the hooked nose, the bag of coins, and gaudy apparel--the religious artists of medieval Christendom had no shortage of virulent symbols for identifying Jews. Yet, hateful as these depictions were, the story they tell is not as simple as it first appears.Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, Lipton argues that these visual stereotypes were neither an inevitable outgrowth of Christian theology nor a simple reflection of medieval prejudices. Instead, she maps out the complex relationship between medieval Christians' religious ideas, social experience, and developing artistic practices that drove their depiction of Jews from benign, if exoticized, figures connoting ancient wisdom to increasingly vicious portrayals inspired by (and designed to provoke) fear and hostility.At the heart of this lushly illustrated and meticulously researched work are questions that have occupied scholars for ages--why did Jews becomes such powerful and poisonous symbols in medieval art? Why were Jews associated with certain objects, symbols, actions, and deficiencies? And what were the effects of such portrayals--not only in medieval society, but throughout Western history? What we find is that the image of the Jew in medieval art was not a portrait of actual neighbors or even imagined others, but a cloudy glass into which Christendom gazed to find a distorted, phantasmagoric rendering of itself"--
Modigliani : a life
Badenheim 1939- Underground in Berlin : a young woman's extraordinary tale of survival in the heart of Nazi Germany
Follows the true story of a young Jewish woman who vanished into the city and lived under an assumed identity, relying on safe houses, foreign workers, and communists in order to survive in World War II Berlin.
Bloodlands : Europe between Hitler and Stalin- Backfield boys
When best friends Tom and Jason leave New York City for an elite, sports-focused boarding school in Virginia to play football, they find some coaches and teammates to be steeped in racism.
Ponary diary, 1941-1943 : a bystander's account of a mass murder
Popular Titles
- (((Semitism))) : being Jewish in America in the age of Trump
"A short, literary, powerful contemplation on how Jews are viewed in America since the election of Donald J. Trump, and how we can move forward to fight anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has always been present in American culture, but with the rise of the Alt Right and an uptick of threats to Jewish communities since Trump took office, New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman has produced a book that could not be more important or timely. When Weisman was attacked on Twitter by a wave of neo-Nazis and anti-Semites, witnessing tropes such as the Jew as a leftist anarchist; as a rapacious, Wall Street profiteer; and as a money-bags financier orchestrating war for Israel, he stopped to wonder: How has the Jewish experience changed, especially under a leader like Donald Trump? In (((Semitism))), Weisman will explore the disconnect between his own sense of Jewish identity and the expectations of his detractors and supporters. He will delve into the rise of the Alt Right, their roots in older anti-Semitic organizations, the odd ancientness of their grievances--cloaked as they are in contemporary, techy hipsterism--and their aims--to spread hate in a palatable way through a political structure that has so suddenly become tolerant of their views. He will conclude with what we should do next, realizing that vicious as it is, anti-Semitism must be seen through the lens of more pressing threats. He proposes a unification of American Judaism around the defense of self and of others even more vulnerable: the undocumented immigrants, refugees, Muslim Americans, and black activists who have been directly targeted, not just by the tolerated Alt Right, but by the Trump White House itself"--
- The Talmud : a biography
- Eternal life : a novel
- It's all relative : adventures up and down the world's family tree
- The People Vs. Fritz Bauer (DVD)
Germany, 1957. Attorney General Fritz Bauer receives crucial evidence on the whereabouts of SS-Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann. The lieutenant colonel, responsible for the mass deportation of the Jews, is allegedly hiding in Buenos Aires. Bauer, himself Jewish, has been trying to take crimes from the Third Reich to court ever since his return from Danish exile. However, there is little success so far due to the fierce German determination to repress its sinister past.
Pumpkinflowers : a soldier's story of a forgotten war- The green prince (DVD)
Based upon the true story of the son of a Hamas leader who emerged as one of Israel's prized informants, and the Shin Bet agent who risked his career to protect him.
- Bombshell
Knish : in search of the Jewish soul food- The jewish cardinal (DVD)
The amazing true story of Jean-Marie Lustiger, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, who maintained his Jewish identity even after converting to Catholicism, and joining the priesthood. Quickly rising up the Church ranks, Lustiger was appointed Archbishop of Paris and found a new platform to celebrate his dual identity as a Catholic Jew. When nuns set to build a convent within the cursed walls of Auschwitz, Lustiger finds himself a mediator, and may be forced at last to choose his side.
