Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Judaism

O Jerusalem! is the epic drama of 1948, when Arabs and Jews fought for control of the city of Jerusalem. This story traverses centuries and continents, covering the time between WWII and the creation of the independent state of Israel. Based on five years of intensive research and thousands of interviews, this is a story of courage, terrorism, heroism, and ultimately, war.

Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher, spoke directly to the most profound human concerns in all his works. Included in his discussions was Hasidism, a mystical-religious movement founded in Eastern Europe by Israel ben Eliezer, called the “Baal-Shem” (the Master of God's Name).

Simple Kabbalah shows how to bring esoteric knowledge into everyday life. Scholar Kim Zetter presents a brief history of ancient kabbalistic beliefs, explaining key tenets and the main symbol, the Tree of Life. Meditations and exercises help listeners learn to use kabbalah to calm the mind, sharpen awareness, and improve relationships.

A multitude of Biblical stories have been censored, mistranslated, ignored, and even banned by religious authorities due to their erotic, violent, or mysterious content. Here, Jonathan Kirsch recounts some of the most startling and explicit writings from the Old Testament.

Also: The Old Testament: An Introduction, Part 1 and Part 2

Forget Yiddish. Real Jewish is a secret language of complex twists, unexpected nuances, and hidden meanings of Jewish language and culture that draws you into competitions you never knew you entered. Here you will learn all the family secrets. This book will explain everything—The Positive Insult, The Negative Compliment, and The Shrugs, as well as The Buying of the Suit, The Returning of the Suit, and The Basic Psychology of Raising a Jewish Child—and with more guilt.

According to Alan M. Dershowitz, "chutzpah" is "boldness, assertiveness, a willingness to demand what is due, to defy tradition, to challenge authority, to raise eyebrows." Assessing his experiences, he brings to bear all the chutzpah for which he is famous in examining such issues as antisemitism, assimilation, the Holocaust, and Zionism.

After his father died, Leon Wieseltier began to observe the traditional year-long period of mourning, going to the synagogue three times a day to recite the prayer known as the mourner's Kaddish. Struck by the profound, yet unexpected power of this practice and the poverty of his knowledge about it, Leon began to study the history and meaning of this ancient ritual.

Lisa Kron invites her audience on a roller coaster ride through the Kron family album in 2.5 Minute Ride. Rising and falling between high hilarity and deep disquiet, Kron demonstrates with disarming simplicity that humor and horror can share the same human moment. Kron's' performance switches back and forth between her journey to Auschwitz with her septuagenarian father, a Holocaust survivor; her Michigan family's annual pilgrimage to a Sandusky, Ohio amusement park, and more.