Avraham's One Village - JEWISH & benei Noach's ONE VILLAGE Barukh haba: Books

Goodreads | Les Fêtes juives et leurs festins

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:44:58 GMT

Goodreads | Les Fêtes juives et leurs festins
See your friends' reviews of Les Fêtes juives et leurs festins (Paperback) by Louise Fiszer. Goodreads has 0 reviews from fans.

Barry Rubin, "The Truth About Syria Paperback".

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:34:49 GMT

"A breath of fresh air... relentless and unapologetic." -The New York Post

	Acclaimed Middle East expert Barry Rubin investigates Syria: its support of the Iraq insurgency, ferocious political repression and mix of competing religious and ethnic groups. American policymakers have been wrestling with the Syria question for years, but it has gained particular urgency in light of the country's growing tension and complex position of power in the Middle East. The Truth About Syria looks at how the country has become the powderkeg of the Middle East and offers an insightful analysis of recent developments. Barry Rubin is the author of The Long War for Freedom, Yasir Arafat, The Tragedy of the Middle East, and Hating America. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, and many other publications. He has been a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow and is the editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel and Washington DC, USA.	The Truth About Syria (ISBN: 0-230-60407-2)
	Available Now: Amazon \|\| Barnes & Noble \|\| GLORIA Publication Catalog

Barry Rubin, The Truth About Syria. Please do ad/review and receive free book‏

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:50:14 GMT

Dear friends: Below is an ecard for our new paperback on Syria. I am asking you to help publicize it by running this ad and/or reviewing the book. As with the Israel-Arab Reader, I am offering a free copy to anyone who will do so. Just send me your mailing address.

   If you have not yet taken up my offer of a free copy of the Israel-Arab Reader, there is still time to do so. Send me your address and I will send you the ad and a book.

   Please note! This is only for people who run blogs or lists so please do NOT include this free book offer on your blog or list for all your readers! :) It is for bloggers and list editors only.

   I'm happy to answer your questions or supply more information.

   Best wishes, Barry Rubin

"A breath of fresh air... relentless and unapologetic." —The New York Post

Acclaimed Middle East expert Barry Rubin investigates Syria: its support of the Iraq insurgency, ferocious political repression and mix of competing religious and ethnic groups. American policymakers have been wrestling with the Syria question for years, but it has gained particular urgency in light of the country’s growing tension and complex position of power in the Middle East. The Truth About Syria looks at how the country has become the powderkeg of the Middle East and offers an insightful analysis of recent developments.

Barry Rubin is the author of The Long War for Freedom, Yasir Arafat, The Tragedy of the Middle East, and Hating America. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, and many other publications. He has been a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow and is the editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel and Washington DC, USA.

The Truth About Syria
(ISBN: 0-230-60407-2)

Available Now:    Amazon   ||   Barnes & Noble   ||   GLORIA Publication Catalog

Professor Barry Rubin,
Director, Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center <http://www.gloriacenter.org>
Editor, Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal <http://meria.idc.ac.il>
Editor, Turkish Studies

New books on Modesty, Modern Controversies & the Shidduch Crisis‏

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:15:12 GMT

		Tzniut, Controversies, and Shidduchim


We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of two new books.


		Understanding Tzniut: Modern Controversies in the Jewish Community by Rabbi Yehuda Henkin Hardcover, 141 pages, list price: $21.95 "The topic of modest dress in Jewish law is one that is very dependent on local custom. While there are some issues that are universal, most of the details are location specific. This became glaringly obvious a few years ago when R. Pesach Eliyahu Falk published a book titled Modesty: An Adornment for Life, which consistently presented practices that represent the norm in certain Charedi/Chassidic circles as the unequivocal standard. R. Yehuda Henkin has published a detailed and devastating critique of many of R. Falk's fundamental positions. This long essay originally appeared in the journal Tradition and has now been updated and published in a book appropriately titled Understanding Tzniut: Modern Controversies in the Jewish Community. The essay is published alongside another two related essays and a second section of interesting essays on unrelated topics (e.g., whether one must show respect to a disrespectful Torah scholar and the proper attitude towards the state of Israel post-Disengagement). R. Henkin's essay on modest dress analyzes a number of relevant topics (e.g., women's haircovering, necklines) and shows that R. Falk's positions are extreme. In reaching his conclusions, R. Henkin displays a mastery of both halakhic views on this subject and sound reasoning." -R. Gil Student, Hirhurim


		The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures by Michael J. Salamon, Ph.D. Hardcover, 141 pages, list price: $21.95 "In every generation we, the Jewish people, are faced with new challenges. In this generation, the challenge of singles and appropriate guidelines regarding shadchanut and matchmaking seem to be one of ours. On the one hand, there are many older singles, and we as a community must find opportunities to help those who wish to find their ezer ke-negdo. However, due to this phenomenon parents pressure their children to marry before they reach an age in which it may be perceived that they are “too old” for marriage. The pressure placed upon them by our community can be so damaging that it occasionally causes our children to make wrong decisions that affect their entire lives. Shadchanut often has a materialistic expectation that is prohibitive to many families. The search done in this process can be extremely exhaustive and often focuses on the wrong values. I am reminded of a case where one family checked out another family in such a forensic way that they located a relative thought to have been killed in the Holocaust." -Rabbi Kenneth Brander "Dr. Salamon has written a carefully researched and fact-filled book about the shidduch crisis in the Orthodox community. This book addresses a vacuum in this area by providing objective and common-sense information regarding this anxiety filled process. Dr. Salamon convincingly debunks many of the dangerous misconceptions that often guide the thinking of parents and young men and women in determining whom they will date and how they will decide whom to marry. Using a combination of common sense and solid psychological research, Dr. Salamon’s recommendations regarding what is really predictive of success in marriage are enlightening and invaluable to all who are involved in making what is most likely one of life’s most important decisions. I recommend this book highly to those getting ready to date, their parents and those involved in making shidduchim." -Dr. David Pelcovitz

These and other Urim books are available around the world at your favorite bookstore or bookseller. We offer a 10-15% discount and reduced mailing costs (free mailing to any address in Israel) on all books ordered from our website. All major credit cards are welcome.

For further information about these titles, and other new books from Urim, please visit our secure webstore at www.UrimPublications.com

Sincerely,

Tzvi Mauer
Publisher
Publisher@UrimPublications.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Urim Publications
9 HaUman Street, 2nd floor, P.O. Box 52287, Jerusalem 91521 Israel
tel: 972-2-679-7633, fax: 972-2-679-7634

Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Blvd., Brooklyn, NY 11225 USA
tel: 718-972-5449, fax: 718-972-6307

* If you prefer to be removed from the Urim New Releases email list, simply reply to this email with the word REMOVE in the subject field or click on the link below to unsubscribe directly.

** Feel free to forward this email to anyone you believe may find it of interest (but first delete your individualized footer), or send it via the automated Forward feature in the footer.

*** If you did not receive this email directly and would like to subscribe to future emails of new Urim releases and specials (approximately once a month), please email us at Releases@UrimPublications.com

**** To subscribe to Flashlight Press News and receive a handful of emails a year about new picture books for children, visit www.FlashlightPress.com , or send an email to News@FlashlightPress.com
www.UrimPublications.com

[UrimPublications.com] A New Haggadah for Passover‏ - Sun, Mar/30/08

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:15:19 GMT

		Passover Books to Study and Inspire

In This Issue:

•	Rav Soloveitchik Haggadah * NEW *

•	Rav Kook Haggadah

•	Nechama Leibowitz Haggadah

•	Rejoice in Your Festivals

•	The Holistic Haggadah

•	Rabbi Soloveitchik on Pesach, Sefirat Ha-Omer and Shavu'ot

Rav Soloveitchik Haggadah * NEW *

by Rabbi Yosef Adler
Hardcover, 143 pages

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt”l, known as “The Rav,” exemplified the value of studying in anticipation of Jewish holidays (chagim) through his lectures and study sessions. Every year, several weeks before Pesach, the Rav learned the laws of Pesach and the Haggadah text with his students at Yeshiva University and with the general public at Congregation Moriah in Manhattan.

This Passover Haggadah compiles the Rav’s commentary from those shiurim into an accessible resource for pre-Pesach studies and an insightful accompaniment to the Pesach Seder. Not only does the Rav illuminate the halachic basis of many of the mitzvot of the Seder, but he also expounds on the traditional text with universal and relevant interpretations.

Includes the full Passover Haggadah text in Hebrew with an English translation plus commentary.

Haggadah for Passover with Commentary Based on the Shiurim of Rav Soloveitchik

Nechama Leibowitz Haggadah

by Yitshak Reiner and Shmuel Peerless
Hardcover, 159 pages

Includes the full text of the traditional Passover Haggadah in Hebrew and in English translation.

Includes over 100 questions relating to the Haggadah from Nechama Leibowitz, with suggested answers.

Nechama Leibowitz Haggadah

The Holistic Haggadah

by Michael Kagan
Hardcover, 231 pages

Includes the full text of the traditional Passover Haggadah in Hebrew and a new English translation, with original commentary.

This is the Haggadah for challenging your "self," for reflecting upon our self-imposed "mitzrayim" (Egypt), and for merging "mystical, ethical and literary interpretations into the traditional Haggada text."

Holistic Haggadah: How Will You be Different This Passover Night?

Rav Kook Haggadah

by Rabbi Gideon Weitzman
Hardcover, 159 pages

Includes the full text of the traditional Passover Haggadah in Hebrew and in English translation.

Includes commentary and writings from Rav Kook relevant to Passover and redemption.

Rav Kook Haggadah

Rejoice in Your Festivals

By Rabbi Zvi Dov Kanotopsky
Harcover, 231 pages

"I've gone through the entire book, cover to cover, and it is fantastic. The derashos are beautiful, many brilliant. Someone who appreciates the art of the derashah will enjoy this book even more because the author was an unquestionable master."
-Rabbi Gil Student, Hirhurim

Rejoice in Your Festivals: Penetrating Insights into Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot

Rabbi Soloveitchik on Pesach, Sefirat Ha-Omer and Shavu'ot

By Rabbi David Shapiro
Hardcover, 368 pages

The Rabbi Soloveitchik Library (volume 2)
Series Editor: Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter

Includes shiurim (in-depth lessons) by Rav Soloveitchik on Pesach, Sefirat Ha-Omer and Shavu'ot.

Rabbi Soloveitchik on Pesach

These and other Urim books are available around the world at your favorite bookstore or bookseller. We offer a 10-15% discount and reduced mailing costs (free mailing to any address in Israel) on all books ordered from our website. All major credit cards are welcome.

For further information about these titles, and other new books from Urim, please visit our secure webstore at www.UrimPublications.com

Best wishes for a meaningful and liberating Passover,

Tzvi Mauer
Publisher
Publisher@UrimPublications.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Urim Publications
9 HaUman Street, 2nd floor, P.O. Box 52287, Jerusalem 91521
tel: 972-2-679-7633, fax: 972-2-679-7634

Lambda Publishers
3709 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218
tel: 718-972-5449, fax: 718-972-6307

* If you prefer to be removed from this Urim New Releases email list, simply reply to this email with the word REMOVE in the subject field or click on the link below to unsubscribe directly.

** Feel free to forward this email to whoever may find it of interest (but first delete your individualized footer), or send it via the automated Forward feature in the footer.

*** If you did not receive this email directly and would like to subscribe to future emails of new Urim releases and specials (approximately once a month), please email us at Releases@UrimPublications.com

**** To subscribe to Flashlight Press News and receive a handful of emails a year about new picture books for children, visit www.FlashlightPress.com , or send an email to News@FlashlightPress.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Free review copy of Israel-Arab Reader to say thanks for publicizing it‏

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:19:17 GMT

Dear friends: On May 15, Israel’s 60^th birthday, the seventh edition of the Israel-Arab Reader will be published by Viking-Penguin. I am offering you a free copy in return for your promise to publicize the book on your site or list, link to selling it on Amazon or in some other way, and--if you wish--to review it. If you would like a free review copy please write me and give me your mailing address.

Here is some material on the book which has been in print for 40 years and is now in its seventh edition:

THE ISRAEL-ARAB READER

Seventh edition

Edited by Walter Laqueur and Barry Rubin

Now available from Penguin publishers is this new edition of one of the most highly respected, widely used reference books on the Middle East, documenting the Arab-Israel conflict and peace process from its inception to the present day.

The book provides almost 300 primary texts covering more than a century of history. It documents the British mandate and early attempts to handle the conflict; Israel's independence and the outbreak of wars; international diplomatic efforts to make peace including the 1990s’ peace process and its breakdown. Materials are presented reflecting the positions of Arab leaders and states, Europeans, Israel, Palestinians, the USSR, and the United States. The texts of international resolutions and agreements, as well as accords made during the peace process, are also provided.

The result is a comprehensive work suitable for reading, reference, and teaching.

This new edition is 560 pages long and costs $18.00.

Note: copies will be available starting April 29

Shipping will take longer outside North America as there will be a European distributor handling this.

Professor Barry Rubin,

profbarryrubin@yahoo.com
Director, Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center <http://www.gloriacenter.org>
Editor, Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal <http://meria.idc.ac.il>
Editor, Turkish Studies

New books on Hassidism, Torah commentary, and spirituality‏

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:57:12 GMT

		Hassidism, Commentary, and Spirituality


We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of three new books. In addition, we have printed a fabulous gift item, an illustrated Megillat Esther scroll for children. It is printed on a long roll (scroll) of paper, and includes the full Hebrew megillat Esther text with an accompanying English translation. View a sample of the first column below.


		Quest for Authenticity: The Thought of Reb Simhah Bunim by Rabbi Dr. Michael Rosen Hardcover, 415 pages, list price: $29.95 "If anyone wants to know what has gone wrong with Orthodoxy today you only need to read “The Quest For Authenticity: The Thought of Reb Simcha Bunim” published by Urim. In it he describes the “court” of Peshischa in Poland under its leading eighteenth and nineteenth century charismatic leaders, Yehudi, Simcha Bunim and Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, charismatic, fiercely honest individuals who were opposed to conformity. Sadly the rest of the Hassidic world closed ranks against them. The movement was suppressed by the miracle working, rebbe worshipping, hereditary, reactionary, pseudo mystical Hassidism that now dominates much of Judaism. They didn't much like Simcha Bunim either because he had trained as a chemist, supported himself, had travelled, spoke many languages and, crime of crimes, wore normal western dress...." –Rabbi Jeremy Rosen


		Studies in the Weekly Parashah Based on the Lessons of Nehama Leibowitz by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokolow Hardcover, 284 pages, list price: $24.95 This volume contains studies on the weekly Torah portion (parashah/sidrah) evoking the memorable and influential style of Nehama Leibowitz. Using lesser-known published works by Nehama and notes of her private lessons, Moshe Sokolow elucidates the text and its classic commentaries in a manner that engages readers, making them active participants in Torah study.


		Bread and Fire: Jewish Women Find God in the Everyday edited by Rivkah Slonim Hardcover, 454 pages, list price: $32.95 "Bread and Fire is an eloquent expression of contemporary Jewish women’s spirituality.... Deeply felt and powerfully expressed, these essays should touch the hearts and minds of those who seek the sacred within the mundane." –Dr. Avivah Zornberg


		Megillat Esther Scroll A single long scroll, printed on quality paper, comes rolled up in a secure hard cardboard tube with color cover. scroll includes: full Hebrew vocalized text of Megillat Esther full English translation of Megillat Esther full-color illustrations thoughout the scroll Tube with scroll stands on its own 14.5 inches (36 cm) tall. The complete text of Megillat Esther in a scroll format, with an original translation and illustrations for children. The Whole Megillah – for kids and grown-ups! A scroll version of the complete Megillat Esther in Hebrew, side-by-side with an English translation, and filled with entertaining and illuminating original claymation illustrations.

These and other Urim books are available around the world at your favorite bookstore or bookseller. We offer a 10-15% discount and reduced mailing costs (free mailing to any address in Israel) on all books ordered from our website. All major credit cards are welcome.

For further information about these titles, and other new books from Urim, please visit our secure webstore at www.UrimPublications.com

Sincerely,

Tzvi Mauer
Publisher
Publisher@UrimPublications.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Urim Publications
9 HaUman Street, 2nd floor, P.O. Box 52287, Jerusalem 91521
tel: 972-2-679-7633, fax: 972-2-679-7634

Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Blvd., Brooklyn, NY 11225
tel: 718-972-5449, fax: 718-972-6307

* If you prefer to be removed from the Urim New Releases email list, simply reply to this email with the word REMOVE in the subject field or click on the link below to unsubscribe directly.

** Feel free to forward this email to anyone you believe may find it of interest (but first delete your individualized footer), or send it via the automated Forward feature in the footer.

*** If you did not receive this email directly and would like to subscribe to future emails of new Urim releases and specials (approximately once a month), please email us at Releases@UrimPublications.com

**** To subscribe to Flashlight Press News and receive a handful of emails a year about new picture books for children, visit www.FlashlightPress.com , or send an email to News@FlashlightPress.com
www.UrimPublications.com

New book - One Baby Step at a Time

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:09:07 GMT

		Family & Festival Celebrations


We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of two new books One Baby Step at a Time is a collection of eye-opening personal essays, inspirational readings, and refreshingly honest interviews that will uplift, validate, and provide practical suggestions to improve the life of every Jewish mother. In this sequel to her critically-acclaimed book Expecting Miracles, author Chana (Jenny) Weisberg describes seven ancient Jewish secrets that have enabled Jewish women throughout the millennia to infuse their mothering lives with more happiness, fulfillment, and spirituality. Rejoice in Your Festivals contains thirty-eight previously unpublished derashot of Rabbi Zvi Dov Kanotopsky, zt”l, adding new dimensions to our understanding and enjoyment of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. At once timeless and timely, many of the derashot were written at historic moments such as the end of World War II and the rescue of Holocaust survivors, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the miraculous Israeli victories against the Arab armies. All of the derashot provide valuable insight and inspiration to help us address the complex challenges we face today as a people and as individuals. The derashot show the creativity and passion of Rabbi Kanotopsky, a brilliant disciple of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt”l, and a dynamic orator and communal leader.


		One Baby Step at a Time: Seven Secrets of Jewish Motherhood by Chana Weisberg Hardcover, 302 pages, list price: $25.95 “...the book provides SO many helpful tidbits and ideas to make being a mother easier.... Ms. Weisberg gives us an honest account of Jewish motherhood. In her collection of essays, tidbits and interviews, she shines light onto motherhood and also provides us a book to recommend to friends and family.” –A Simple Jew blog


		Rejoice in Your Festivals: Penetrating Insights into Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot by Rabbi Zvi Dov Kanotopsky edited by David Zomick Hardcover, 231 pages, list price: $23.95 “I've gone through the entire book, cover to cover, and it is fantastic. The derashos are beautiful, many brilliant. Someone who appreciates the art of the derashah will enjoy this book even more because the author was an unquestionable master.... Put this on the must-read list.” –Rabbi Gil Student, Hirhurim Blog

These and other Urim books are available around the world at your favorite bookstore or bookseller. We offer a 10-15% discount and reduced mailing costs (free mailing to any address in Israel) on all books ordered from our website. All major credit cards are welcome.

For further information about these titles, and other new books from Urim, please visit our secure webstore at www.UrimPublications.com

A joyous and enlightening Hanukah to all.

Sincerely,

Tzvi Mauer
Publisher
Publisher@UrimPublications.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Urim Publications
9 HaUman Street, 2nd floor, P.O. Box 52287, Jerusalem 91521
tel: 972-2-679-7633, fax: 972-2-679-7634

Lambda Publishers
3709 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218
tel: 718-972-5449, fax: 718-972-6307

* If you prefer to be removed from the Urim New Releases email list, simply reply to this email with the word REMOVE in the subject field or click on the link below to unsubscribe directly.

** Feel free to forward this email to anyone you believe may find it of interest (but first delete your individualized footer), or send it via the automated Forward feature in the footer.

*** If you did not receive this email directly and would like to subscribe to future emails of new Urim releases and specials (approximately once a month), please email us at Releases@UrimPublications.com

**** To subscribe to Flashlight Press News and receive a handful of emails a year about new picture books for children, visit www.FlashlightPress.com , or send an email to News@FlashlightPress.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Terror in Black September

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:32:01 GMT

Terror in Black September
by David Raab

My story of hijackings, captivity and war.

My captivity for three weeks at the hands of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during Black September 1970 is not simply a harrowing personal story or merely part of a compelling human drama that riveted the world's attention for three weeks. It is the tale of a pivotal moment that changed the course of Middle East history and still informs us today on the motives of Israel's enemies, the roots of Islamist terrorism, and how to confront both.

On September 6, 1970, the PFLP triggered one of the most audacious and spectacular terrorist acts ever with its four attempted airplane hijackings, a record that stood in infamy for 31 years. I was 17 years old with my mother and four younger siblings aboard one of those planes, TWA flight 741 out of Frankfurt, Germany, on our way home to Trenton, New Jersey, after a summer in Israel. Our plane was forced to the desert floor in Jordan, about 35 miles northeast of Amman. As we sat in the eerie darkness once the power was turned off, a hijacked Swissair plane landed right behind us, nearly colliding with our plane. The PFLP threatened to blow us up in 72 hours if its demands for the release of terrorists in Israeli and European jails were not met, and they wired our plane with explosives.

The next day, the non-Jewish women and children were sent to hotels in Amman, and over 100 people lived aboard our plane for almost a week. With the power off, we had neither air conditioning during the blistering hot days, nor heat during the cold desert nights. There were no lights and no functioning toilets. Food and water were scarce. Jewish passengers were interrogated, some threatened at gunpoint. To the Holocaust survivors among us, this was a recurring nightmare.

At 2 AM on Friday morning, 9/11/1970, as I slept soundly for the first time, a flashlight was suddenly shining in my face, waking me. I was wanted up front, for questioning I was told. But I knew that I was being taken off the plane. As I walked up the aisle, I began to quake uncontrollably. My mother, who had been sitting a few rows behind, heard the rustling and quickly came to me, trying to convince my captors not to take me away, that I was but a child. She was threatened with a gun, and I descended the rickety wooden ladder off the plane, sure that I was being taken to be killed.

As it turns out, nine other American men, including eight Jews, were also taken off, and we were driven to a refugee camp abutting Amman. We were put into a small, bare room, our door was locked, and there we sat for two days, in fear, uncertain of our fate. I read Psalms to comfort myself. Our situation eased over the next few days, but only temporarily.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the PFLP blew up three planes in the desert; a BOAC plane had been hijacked and flown in on Wednesday. The PFLP released all but 54 hostages -- 38 Americans (including five women) and 16 Europeans -- whom it divided into various groups. On Wednesday, September 16, the hostages were shuffled, and I found myself with 31 others in a bare three-room apartment in Amman. The next morning, we awoke to the roar of artillery shells and machine gun fire, as full-scale fighting erupted between King Hussein and Yasser Arafat's PLO. Over the prior years, the PLO had sown anarchy in Jordan -- its then-base of operations against Israel. The hijackings proved to be the last straw for King Hussein, who was now determined to reinstate his sovereignty over his country.

Over the next ten days, a bloody war raged in Jordan. We sat under the shelling, situated as we were in a Palestinian stronghold. Water and electricity were cut off, and food and water were once again scarce. The conflict took a dire turn on September 20 as Syria invaded Jordan with over 200 tanks and infantry to come to aid the PLO. Israel massed troops near Beit Shean, both the US and Soviet Union beefed up their forces in the Mediterranean where their ships played cat and mouse, and a broader regional conflict seemed imminent. A desperate King Hussein requested Israeli assistance in saving his throne. The US did the same, as it could not prop up Hussein on its own; the war in Vietnam was stretching thin its forces. After several tense days, Hussein proved able to repulse the Syrians himself. He then returned to fighting the PLO, and on Friday, September 25, Yasser Arafat agreed to a ceasefire.

The next day, as we walked towards freedom through war ravaged Amman, we twice barely escaped being shot by machine gun fire. Finally, we threw ourselves into the Red Cross cars that were sent to pick us up and sped off to a hospital. The next day, after 21 days of captivity, the 32 of us flew out of our Jordanian hell.

By September 29th, all of the hostages had been released unconditionally, but Britain, West Germany, and Switzerland decided nonetheless to release the Palestinian terrorists in their jails, Britain, in doing so, violating its extradition treaty with Israel.

As a direct result of these events, the leadership changed in Egypt and Syria, as Anwar Sadat and Hafez Assad took over the presidencies of their respective countries. Over the next ten months, King Hussein waged a low-intensity war against the PLO until, by July 1971, he had booted the PLO out of his country. It soon re-based itself in Lebanon where it again gradually sowed chaos. The Palestinians, who had incurred about 2,500 dead and several thousand more injured during the fighting, began referring to the month as Black September. In September 1972, a new PLO terror group named after that month perpetrated the Munich Olympics massacre. Israel's willingness to intercede on King Hussein's behalf led to a warm, if still sub rosa, relationship with Jordan and to a strategic relationship with the United States.

One thing is clear from this whole episode: Palestinian terrorism against Israel has been going on a long time -- long before there were checkpoints, house demolitions, and separation fence. Even before the "occupation." Palestinian terrorism was motivated in 1970 by the desire to destroy Israel. Unfortunately, I see no indication that anything has changed.

And perhaps the most important lesson from September 1970 for today in our own fight against terror can be drawn from King Hussein. After years of trying to mollycoddle the PLO, even offering Yasser Arafat the premiership of Jordan at one point, the hijackings made King Hussein finally realize that there is no appeasing terrorists or rationalizing terrorism away. The longer one waits to confront it, the heavier a price one pays. Hussein concluded that terrorism is a "cancer" that needs to be pursued resolutely and relentlessly until eradicated completely. He pursued his war on terrorism with calm conviction and clarity of vision, despite the criticism of other Arab countries and Western media.

We can learn from the way he did it, too: he specifically appointed a prime minister of Palestinian origin to oversee the fighting to send a message: he was not fighting against Palestinians, but for law and order. By extension, our fight against terrorism today is not an attack against the Palestinians, against the Arab World, or against Islam. Rather it is a fight for peace and tranquility, for civilized society, for our way of life. It is directed only against those who design to murder or destroy us. We must not be reticent and need not apologize for our efforts.

Sadly, I don't have a comfort level that the world is confronting terrorism as resolutely as it should be. Thus, unfortunately, I believe that what happened to me 37 years ago, or worse, can happen again.

Click here to purchase David Raab's book Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings

Author Biography:
David Raab is author of Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings (Palgrave Macmillan).

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/societyWork/arts/Terror_in_Black_September.asp

Black September Revisited [Book review submission]

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:45:24 GMT

Black September Revisited

By Jeremy Wimpfheimer

Unable to hold back the tears much longer, I left the plane, slowly descending the ladder from the door of the plane, onto a jeep, and then onto the desert floor. I had a feeling of emptiness--I was being taken away from my family to a place that I didn’t know anything about. I had no one to console me except nine other men who felt the same as I did.

So begins the newly released Terror in Black September (www.terrorinblackseptember.com) published by Palgrave Macmillan, the first eyewitness account of the September 1970 hijackings. It is authored by David Raab , who was held hostage for three weeks amidst a Jordanian civil war and a torrent of high level international diplomacy aimed as securing his and his fellow captives’ release. Raab, who has gone on to become a management consultant and a prominent pro-Israel activist, experienced the events as a seventeen year old high school student returning from a summer vacation in Israel with his mother and four siblings. The flight originating from Tel Aviv that he and his family were aboard was seized along with three other airplanes by the radical Palestinian group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who intended to use their captives to gain the release of Palestinian terrorists in Israeli and European prisons.

Through this book, released on September 6^th to mark the 37^th anniversary of the hijacking, Raab returns readers to an unprecedented drama of turmoil and uncertainty that united the global Jewish community with much of the Western world and opened up a more virulent and deeply troubling era of terrorism. The terror group formed and named after the calamity that befell the Palestinians during Black September’s fighting went on to perpetrate the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. And, while international terrorism has since taken innumerable dark twists and turns, September 1970 still stands as a watershed event in the development of modern terrorism, with its quadruple hijackings mimicked by Al-Qaeda 31 years later on September 11.

The book intertwines excerpts from a diary the author recorded shortly after his release with a thoroughly researched history of the surrounding events. Through this unique lens of storytelling, which allows a historical record to read more like a suspense novel, Raab combines the personal perspectives of an innocent teenager swept up in one of the most tumultuous events of the time with the informed understanding of that period as viewed through the benefit of hindsight and newly-uncovered information.

Accessing thousands of previously classified documents and conversations, the book provides several never-before-published historical findings and describes a saga which, taking place amidst the already tense fabric of the Cold War, originated in the deserts of Jordan but carried over into halls of power from Washington to Moscow, London, and Jerusalem. In so doing, Raab offers a glimpse into the fascinatingly cutthroat yet typically hidden arena of the international diplomacy that kept his life and that of his fellow hostages in the balance as politicians and military leaders debated what measures to take, offensive, defensive, and punitive. For example, he writes:

In addition to hard diplomacy, [U.S. President Richard] Nixon also wanted [Henry] Kissinger to plan “some punishment…because we said we would hold them responsible. And we’ve got to keep our pledge in that respect…I want to have something we can do - not just a big statement. We just go in with a merciless air strike on somebody – even the Syrians.”…

At 7:00PM the Washington Special Actions Group met in the White House Situation Room to develop a final recommendation for the president on whether and how the United States or Israel should intervene, if asked. Within twenty minutes, the group concluded that it would be preferable for Israel to act, with U.S. forces “holding the ring” against Soviet intervention.

As the first book-length offering from Raab, who has previously authored several essays published by Israel-based think tanks as well as numerous editorial pieces featured in North American Jewish weeklies, Terror in Black September is a historical work that will be of benefit to the academic world but is also, at its core, a moving personal drama. Today, a father of three and grandfather of six who splits his time between New Jersey and Raanana, Israel, Raab concludes that his book is not just the story of an individual’s survival but rather is symbolic of a far more consequential triumph.

I think about my experiences in Jordan almost every day. My family and I celebrate a day of thanksgiving every anniversary of my miraculous release from captivity. It bothered me that no book had ever been written fully documenting Black September. I have now written that history. It is said that history is written by the victors.

Mohammed (c. 571-632) [Rabbi Joseph Telushkin]

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:58:24 GMT

Mohammed (c. 571-632)

IN HIS EARLY YEARS, Mohammed had genuine affection for Jews. Later, in the Koran, he cited Moses' name on more than one hundred occasions, and claimed that the Arabs were descendants of the Patriarch Abraham, through his son Ishmael. In the early years of his new religion, Mohammed even prayed in the direction of Jerusalem and observed the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur.

Unfortunately, this deep affection turned to violent fury when the Jews refused to reciprocate Mohammed's goodwill by acknowledging him as a prophet of G-d. As was the case with Christianity, the Jews believed that what was true in Mohammed's message was not new, and what was new was not true. Further, Mohammed's knowledge of the Hebrew Bible was spotty. In Sura (chapter) 28:38, he has Pharaoh (from Exodus) ask Haman (of the Book of Esther) to erect the Tower of Babel, an episode in the beginning of Genesis. In addition, the Jews--and for that matter, Christians--were presumably not impressed by Mohammed's instruction to beat disobedient wives (4:34).

Unfortunately for the Jews, Mohammed's angry response to their rejection of him was recorded in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. In it Mohammed attacked the Jews and Judaism in several ways. For one thing, he made Abraham a Muslim rather than a Jew: "Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian. [He] surrendered himself to Allah. ... Surely the men who are nearest to Allah are those who follow ... this prophet" (3:67-68). Mohammed accused the Jews of delibarately omitting prophecies about him from their Bible (9:32). Most remarkably, he accused the Jews of not being true monotheists, because he claimed they worship the prophet Ezra as a god (9:30). This accusation is particularly shocking to modern Jews, most of whom would be hard to identify who Ezra was.

Unfortunately, the angry words Mohammed hurled at his Jewish opponents have often been assumed by Muslims to be divinely based and applicable to all Jews at all times. In 2:61, for example, Mohammed said: "And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from G-od." In the years before he concluded a peace treaty with Israel, Egyptian Anwar Sadat was fond of quoting this verse to describe the kind of treatment Muslims would impose on Jews when Egypt defeated Israel.

Although Mohammed was furious with the Jews, his ultimate argument was with Judaism. As a rule, any Jew who converted to Islam was fully accpeted into Muslim society.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READINGS: S. D. Goitein, Jews and Arabs: Their Contacts Through the Ages; Bernard Lewis, The Jews of Islam; Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin, Why the Jews? The Reason of Antisemitism, pp. 111-116.

RABBI JOSEPH TELUSHKIN, JEWISH LITERACY, MOHAMMED, pp. 163-164.

New book: The Jewish Woman Next Door

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:45:37 GMT

		Inspiring Kindness and Intellectual Rigor


Discovering role models and appreciating the role of humanity We are very pleased to announce the upcoming release of two new books. * If you enjoy discovering new role models whose mission is motivated by their Judaism and whose lives center on improving the wellbeing of others, then you will be awed by the women profiled in The Jewish Woman Next Door. * The late Leo Adler, who studied at the Mir Yeshiva in Shanghai, went on to become the Rabbi of the Basel community in Switzerland and earned a PhD in philosophy. His writing on Jewish tradition and religous thought reflects his perspective both as an authentic traditional thinker and as an academic. In The Biblical View of Man, R. Adler argues that it is not wisdom and grace that human beings must seek. Rather, they must strive to use their own free will to fulfill the obligations that a loving God has entrusted to them, thus allowing them to prove and improve themselves. The Biblical View of Man is the first of Rabbi Dr. Leo Adler's works to be translated into English.


		The Jewish Woman Next Door: Repairing the World One Step at a Time by Debby Flancbaum Hardcover, 135 pages, list price: $21.95 A collection of absorbing essays about thirty contemporary Jewish women – some known throughout the world, others known only in their own communities – who engage in extraordinary acts of kindness.


		The Biblical View of Man by Leo Adler Hardcover, 141 pages, list price: $21.95 "In The Biblical View of Man, the late Rabbi Dr. Leo Adler produced a rare and moving account of how the Hebrew Bible views the human condition under the sovereignty of God. Erudite, profound and inspiring, it is marvelous that this work is now available to an English readership through the superb translation of Professor Daniel Schwartz. Adler reminds us compellingly that the Bible is not man’s book of God, but God’s book of mankind." -Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks


		Urim authors featured in the Jerusalem Report Chana (Jenny) Weisberg (author of Expecting Miracles and the forthcoming One Baby Step at a Time) was featured on the front cover of the recent Jerusalem Report (July 23, 2007). For the article, Netty Gross interviewed Tzvi Mauer, publisher of "Urim Publications, a 10-year old Jerusalem-based Jewish content publisher," and several of Urim's authors as they discussed the state of women writers of books with Jewish content, "which now accounts for [around] a quarter of all Urim's titles."

These and other Urim books are available around the world at your favorite bookstore or bookseller. We offer a 10-15% discount and reduced mailing costs (free mailing to any address in Israel) on all books ordered from our website. All major credit cards are welcome.

For further information about these titles, and other new books from Urim, please visit our secure webstore at www.UrimPublications.com

Sincerely,

Tzvi Mauer
Publisher
Publisher@UrimPublications.com
www.UrimPublications.com

Urim Publications
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tel: 972-2-679-7633, fax: 972-2-679-7634

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Avraham's One Village - JEWISH & benei Noach's ONE VILLAGE ***Barukh haba***: Books