Page 18-THE NEWS-January, 1986
JLUB
Jewish Books in Review
is 3 service of the IWB lewish Book Council.
15 East 26th St.. New York, N.Y. 10010
Now that winter is here it is
the time for special reading
projects. How nice it is to curl
up on the couch or a comfort
able chair while the fireplace is
aglow. Whatever your need or
desire, there is something in
this list of books of Jewish
content to please all types of
readers.
By Irene S. Levin
Reading Birthright by
Joseph Amiel (Atheneum,
1985, $17.95) is a memorable
experience. The heroine,
Deborah de Kronengold, is
red-haired and blue-eyed in a
family where both parents and
an older brother have dark
hair and eyes. When she is six,
she is told that she was
brought to the family from a
convent orphanage in Italy
and adopted. Grandfather
Samuel, Uncle Pierre, and
cousin Nathan appear to know
more about her parentage
than they are willing to tell. It
is a well-kept secret which
Deborah is determined to
unlock.
At eighteen years of age, she
is told by her father that in the
absence of any will she is liv
ing on his charity. The family
business, an investment bank
ing empire, will not admit a
woman. Without a name or
financial support she is alone.
Deborah elects to leave Lon
don for New York City and a
new life with her meager sav
ings. She is determined to
build a financial empire which
will eventually engulf that of
the de Kronengolds.
It takes seventeen years,
working at more than one job,
attending school at night, sav
ing and investing carefully.
Then, using the knowledge
gained through years of wat
ching and learning from
grandfather Samuel, Deborah
moves into gold speculation
with the help of old Mends and
begins her financial empire.
The reader is behind the
scenes in the money markets
of the world, the golf courses,
offices, and restaurants where
deals are made and strategy
planned. Deborah discovers
her roots, achieves her goals,
and realizes what is important
in her life. You won’t want
Deborah’s story to end.
Gloria Goldreich’s Leah’s
Children (MacMillan, 1985,
$16.95) continues where Leah’s
Journey ended. Set in a
panorama of world history in
the fifties, sixties, and seven
ties, is a tale of youngsters
grown into mature men and
women with a commitment to
making this a better world.
Leah’s life is increasingly
delineated by the needs and
accomplishments of her
children. Aaron is a lawyer
specializing in immigration
law, which leads to his involve
ment in the Hungarian Re
volution of 1956. Rebecca is an
internationally known painter
Spanish
nbcTOR
A NOVEL
MATt COHEN
who must come to terms with
her fears for her Israeli fami
ly. Michael discovers his own
capacities and needs when he
becomes involved in the Civil
Rights movement in Missis
sippi. Goldreich has managed
to so involve the reader in the
lives of her characters that we
c£ui think of no better way to
spend an evening than in
savoring every word.
Subtitled “Tales From A
Woman’s Heart,” Faye
Moskowitz’s A Leak in the
Heart (David R. Godine, 1985,
$14.95) is notable both for its
content and slim size.
It reminds one of Tillie
Olsen's Tell Me A Riddle. Faye
has chosen the short essay
method to tell the story of her
life in an Orthodox Jewish
family during the^'thirties,
when one was expected to
marry after high school, raise
a family, and be happy. Faye
did this, then went to college
and made another life for
herself as a teacher when her
children were grown. There is
an inner beauty in these pieces
which provide insights to a
maturing mind and the thread
of a life which changes as
needs must be met.
If you like historical fiction.
Matt Cohen’s The Spanish
Doctor (Beaufort Books, Inc.,
1984, $16.95) is a discovery.
With a swashbuckling hero,
Avram Halevi and the beauti
ful Jewess of Toledo, Gabriela,
this story of the Jews of Spain
in the years 1369 to 1409 is
historically accurate and re
plete with little-known details
of life at the time. We follow
our physician hero from
Toledo in Spain to Montpelier
in France where he teaches
and studies at the Medical
Academy. A portion of the
story takes place in Bologna,
Italy and ends in Kiev, Russia.
The inquisition, the Catholic
Church and the plight of the
Jews are all part of the story.
A wonderful way to study
history.
Irene S. Levin is the editor
of the Association of Jewish
Libraries Newsletter and
works as a Reference and
Young Adult Librarian at the
Henry Waldinger Memorial
Library in Valley Stream, N.Y.
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What*s Coming Up On WTVl
Two very special programs will air on WTVI (Channel 42) this
month. Jews of Moscow: An Inside Story Special Edition will be
on Saturday, January 18 at 3 p.m. The lives of Jews living in
Miscow and trying to maintain their religious and cultural iden
tity in the face of Soviet state control are depicted in this film.
The film also discusses future prospects for Jewish emigration
from USSR.
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews which aired last year and
met with much acclaim has been brought back again. It is a 9-part
series of 60-minute programs. Its first episode is on Saturday,
January 25 at 3:30 p.m. The subsequent programs will air on
Saturdays at 3 p.m.
It is a monumental production chronicling over 3,000 years of
Jewish history in the context of other Western civilizations. Film
ed and researched over four years in more than 18 nations on
four continents, HERITAGE, hosted and narrated by Abba
Eban, uses art and artifacts, historical sites, and primary literary
sources to tell its story. The series investigates the origin and
evolution of attitudes and practices that have become the
heritage of all Jewish men and women today. The series won three
Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and a CINE Golden Eagle
Certificate, among other awards. This is a college television
course licensed by the PBS Adult Learning Service.
The order of presentation is as follows:
1. “A People Is Born” (13th Century B.C.E. to 6th Century
B.C.E.)
2. “The Power of the Word” (6th Century B.C.E. to 2nd Cen
tury C.E.)
3. “The Shaping of Traditions” (1st to 9th Centuries)
4. “The Crucible of Europe” (9th to 15th Centuries)
5. “The Search for Deliverance” (1492-1789)
6. “Roads from the Ghetto” (1789-1917)
7. “The Golden Land” (1654-1932)
8. “Out of the Ashes” (1917-1945)
9. “Into the Future” (1945-Present)
WHEN ONLY THE BEST
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1985
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