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Washington Hebrew Congregation
The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel - This lyrical and poetic fictional book is set in the Polish town of Blaszka. The religious life, social interactions, and daily life in this shtetl are described through the lives-including their struggles and disappointments- of four women. The author writes, "The barley was high, the potatoes flowering white, and the small green apples were thick in the summer trees. Hershel had given the money he got from Yarush to the Rabbi, who had given it to Faygela, who brought Misha what a woman needs and rarely gets when she's going to have a baby-eggs, milk, soft rolls, a hen now and then for roasting, and lotion for her swollen feet."
The Jewish Body by Melvin Konner - The book presents a fascinating account of views of the Jewish body by both Jews and non-Jews throughout Jewish history and in sacred text. Konner, who is both an anthropologist and medical doctor, deals with such varied subjects as circumcision, pregnancy, burial, plastic surgery and physical strength. He contrasts Jewish ideas about the body with the Greeks. In the chapter, "Race and Destiny," he describes how the Germans perpetuated anti-Semitic beliefs by focusing on the physical appearance of the Jews. The book gives you a view of Jewish history from a unique perspective.
Golda by Elinor Burkett - This biography, of the extraordinary woman who became Prime Minister of Israel, describes her life's journey, her political achievements, her disappointments and triumphs, and her impact on Israeli society. Burkett does not shy away from the controversy surrounding Golda Meir and her handling of the Yom Kippur War. Her conduct and the consequences of this war reverberated with Golda for the rest of her life and will long be debated by historians.
The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel - This lyrical and poetic fictional book is set in the Polish town of Blaszka. The religious life, social interactions, and daily life in this shtetl are described through the lives-including their struggles and disappointments- of four women. The author writes, "The barley was high, the potatoes flowering white, and the small green apples were thick in the summer trees. Hershel had given the money he got from Yarush to the Rabbi, who had given it to Faygela, who brought Misha what a woman needs and rarely gets when she's going to have a baby-eggs, milk, soft rolls, a hen now and then for roasting, and lotion for her swollen feet."
The Jewish Body by Melvin Konner - The book presents a fascinating account of views of the Jewish body by both Jews and non-Jews throughout Jewish history and in sacred text. Konner, who is both an anthropologist and medical doctor, deals with such varied subjects as circumcision, pregnancy, burial, plastic surgery and physical strength. He contrasts Jewish ideas about the body with the Greeks. In the chapter, "Race and Destiny," he describes how the Germans perpetuated anti-Semitic beliefs by focusing on the physical appearance of the Jews. The book gives you a view of Jewish history from a unique perspective.
Golda by Elinor Burkett - This biography, of the extraordinary woman who became Prime Minister of Israel, describes her life's journey, her political achievements, her disappointments and triumphs, and her impact on Israeli society. Burkett does not shy away from the controversy surrounding Golda Meir and her handling of the Yom Kippur War. Her conduct and the consequences of this war reverberated with Golda for the rest of her life and will long be debated by historians.