TBE-W Book Club
Temple Beth El Book Club is congregant run and focuses on books by Jews, books about Jews, or books likely to be of interest to Jews – either in general, or with special reference to a Jewishly diverse congregation in Williamsburg. Each month, the member of book club who recommended the book will lead a discussion in the social hall at the synagogue.
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For more information, please contact the office.
01
January 12
The Jew in the Lotus
by Rodger Kamenetz
While accompanying eight high–spirited Jewish delegates to Dharamsala, India, for a historic Buddhist–Jewish dialogue with the Dalai Lama, poet Rodger Kamenetz comes to understand the convergence of Buddhist and Jewish thought. Along the way he encounters Ram Dass and Richard Gere, and dialogues with leading rabbis and Jewish thinkers, including Zalman Schacter, Yitz and Blue Greenberg, and a host of religious and disaffected Jews and Jewish Buddhists.
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This amazing journey through Tibetan Buddhism and Judaism leads Kamenetz to a renewed appreciation of his living Jewish roots.
02
February 9
Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth
by Noa Tishby
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Through bite-sized chunks of history and deeply personal stories, Tishby chronicles her homeland’s evolution, beginning in Biblical times and moving forward to cover everything from WWI to Israel’s creation to the disputes dividing the country today. Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance of facts, Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear, intimate account of the rich and highly cultured country of Israel. Available in hard copy and electronically through the Williamsburg Regional Library, William & Mary Swem Library, bookstores, and online used book sellers
03
March 13
Kasztner's Train: The True Story of an Unknown Hero of the Holocaust
by Anna Porter
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Reszo (Rudolph) Kasztner was a lawyer and journalist in Budapest who was part of a small group of Jews who in 1944 stood in the way of the mass deportations of Jews undertaken in German-occupied Hungary. As a result of his direct negotiations with Adolph Eichmann and others in the Nazi command, Kasztner initially secured the release of 1,684 Jews on a train to neutral Switzerland. By the war’s end, through his appeal to the Nazi love of loot, he is thought to have saved over 100,000 lives. Kastzner’s story is significant as an example of how resistance to the Nazis and collaboration were not universal definitions. Available in hard copy through William & Mary Swem Library, bookstores, and online used book sellers.
04
April 20
The Book of Lost Names
by Kristen Harmel
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Historical novel of forgers during the Holocaust who saved the true names of children who were given aliases to get them out of France. Available in hard copy and online through the Williamsburg Regional Library, and in hard copy and electronically from bookstores. Suggested by Barbara Kellner.
05
May 11
A Scholar's Odyssey
by Cyrus Gordon
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From a typical reader review: “In a day and age when the fields of epigraphy and archeology are turning out few advancements or challenges to the accepted theories, Cyrus H. Gordon is a giant in scholarship. His career, which is covered in this book, begins in the Mid-East at the end of the Great Egyptian Tomb era in the years before World War II. Gordon's meetings and mentorship by such daunting figures as Flinders Petrie and Sir Leonard Wooley make fascinating reading for any lover of history. In the end, this book holds a great deal for anyone who has an interest in history or the emergence of language.” Used copies are easily available for purchase online. Suggested by Jacob Thiessen, but discussion to be co-led by Sarah Krakauer, the author’s daughter.
06
June 8
As a Driven Leaf
by Milton Steinberg
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“Set in Roman Palestine, As a Driven Leaf draws readers into the dramatic era of Rabbinic Judaism. Watch the great Talmudic sages at work in the Sanhedrin, eavesdrop on their arguments about theology and Torah, and agonize with them as they contemplate rebellion against an oppressive Roman rule. Steinberg's classic novel also transcends its historical setting with its depiction of a timeless, perennial feature of the Jewish experience: the inevitable conflict between the call of tradition and the glamour of the surrounding culture. A literary masterpiece, As a Driven Leaf is still regarded as a major influence on contemporary Jewish life and thought.” Available in hard copy through William and Mary Swem Library, and in hard copy and electronically from bookstores.
07
July 13
The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton
by Andrew Porwancher
The book uncovers a fascinating story about Hamilton’s many and varied Jewish connections—step-father, early education, many later contacts—and makes us re-examine the world of the founding fathers from a (to me) completely unexpected angle. Available in hard copy and electronically through William and Mary Swem Library and from bookstores.
08
August 10
The Mapmakers' Daughter
by Laurel Corona
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On the eve of the Jewish expulsion from Spain, Amalia Riba stands at a crossroads. In a country violently divided by religion, she must either convert to Christianity and stay safe, or remain a Jew and risk everything. It's a choice she's been walking toward her whole life, from the days of her youth when her family lit the Shabbat candles in secret. Back then, she saw the vast possibility of the world, outlined in the beautiful pen and ink maps her father created. But the world has shifted and contracted since then. Available electronically through the Williamsburg Regional Library and bookstores, and in hard copy through online used book sellers.
09
September 14
The Provincials
by Eli Evans
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A personal history of Jews in the South. Evans (1936-2022) was born and raised in Durham, NC where his parents ran a dry goods store and his father—in the 1950s—was Durham’s first Jewish mayor. The book is partly a personal memoir and partly a look at the history and culture of Jews in the South. Evans, a lawyer who served as a speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson, is a perceptive and entertaining writer. Available in hard copy and electronically through William and Mary Swem Library, and used copies are available for purchase online.
10
October 26
They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Lines in Nazi Germany
by Patrick K. McDonnell
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The title says it all. A never-before-told World War II story of Jewish soldiers on a dangerous mission within the Third Reich--a tale of adventure, espionage, love, and revenge. Available in hard copy through the Williamsburg Regional Library, in hard copy and electronically from bookstores, and in hard copy through online used
11
November 9
The Last Nazi
by Andrew Turpin
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“Dark truths uncovered: The buried contents of a Nazi train. An aging SS killer-with a final sting in his tail. And the World War II secrets of a US presidential hopeful's Jewish family, hidden in London for 70 years. In this gripping thriller, war crimes investigator and ex-CIA officer Joe Johnson uncovers links between financing for the presidential campaign, the Nazi train, and a ruthless British blackmail plot. But the mystery becomes bigger and more deeply personal than Johnson expects when it turns out the SS Holocaust killer escaped his net years earlier.” Available in hard copy and electronically from bookstores. **Be careful when purchasing online to use the author's name, as there are several books with this title**
12
December 14
The House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets
by Niall Ferguson
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First of a two-volume history of the Rothschild family. From the jacket: “Ferguson explores the central importance of the family unit and the profound role of Judaism in the lives of the Rothschilds, who themselves rose from the impoverished confines of the Frankfurt ghetto and later used their legendary wealth to assist oppressed Jews throughout Europe.” Available in hard copy through William and Mary Swem Library, and in hard copy and electronically from bookstores.
