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Year's 10 best
by Lawrence J. Epstein
Seven Arts Fealure Syndicate Inc.
5746 was a year for taking stock in
Jewish writing. Many of the best
works of this past year examined
the roots of and influences on the
Jewish present. This mood of intro
spection has, oddly, not produced
a large number of excellent novels
to examine the emotional lands
cape lived in by those seeking cur
rent sense by examining the past.
Such an examination will no
doubt lead to new directions and
new ideas in next year’s crop of
Jewish books.
Here, then, is a list of the 10 best
Jewish books of 5746:
Conflicts and Contradictions, by
Meron Benvenisti. Villard. SI5.95.
The author is a former deputy
mayor of Jerusalem. He has pro
duced a controversial memoir and
commentary on the relationship
between Israeli Jews and Arabs in
the administered territories. He
suggests Israel is very close to
being unable to return any of those
territories.
Judaism, by Nicholas de Lange.
Oxford University Press. SI4.95.
This is a tightly written intro
duction to Judaism which empha
sizes the essential unity that under
lies the range of movements within
the religion. The roots of many
modern aspects of Judaism are
explained with unusual clarity.
The Book of Abraham, by Marek
Halter. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
$19.95.
This, the best Jewish novel of the
year, is the compressed history of a
hundred generations of one Jewish
family ranging from the destruc
tion of the Second Temple to the
Warsaw Ghetto. The characters
are memorable, the scenes often
searing, and the reader receives a
riveting tour through the Jewish
past.
From A Ruined Garden, edited
by Jack Kugelmass and Jonathan
Boyarin. Schocken. $ 18.9Shc/
$8.95p.
After the Holocaust a large num
ber of memorial books were com
piled by emigrants and survivors
from various towns and cities. This
work consists of moving selections
from those books and, as such,
constitutes a living monument to a
vanished world.
Semites And Anti-Semites, by
Bernard Lewis. Norton. $18.95.
The author, an internationally
respected authority on Islam, argues
that the Islamic religion is now
infected with the same sort of anti-
Semitism that has been part of
Christian history. This element, he
argues, is a significant factor in
understanding the Arab-Israeli
conflict.
Beyond Belief, by Deborah Lip-
stadt. Free Press/Macmillan.
$19.95.
The way the American press
reported the emergence of the
Holocaust is detailed in this some
times shocking, always fascinating
study. Particularly vivid is mate
rial on cynical reporters and edi
tors who simply couldn’t believe in
the reality and extent of Nazi evil.
Love And Tradition, by Egon
Mayer. Plenum. $17.95.
This book analyzes intermarriage
as a struggle between the lure of
romantic love and the pull of Jew-
HAPPY NEW YEAR
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books
ish tradition. The numerous stud
ies are given flesh by interesting
interviews. One of Mayer’s key sec
tions deals with the conversion to
Judaism by ever-increasing num
bers, a phenomenon the author
feels is quite beneficial to the Jew
ish community.
Terrorism: How The West Can
Win, edited by Benjamin Netan
yahu. Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
$18.95.
Israel’s ambassador to the Uni
ted Nations has edited a significant
work on a compelling subject. Var
ious experts provide opinions which
are then shaped into what consti
tutes a well-reasoned program for
the West to combat terrorism.
The Siege, by Conor Cruise
O’Brien. Simon & Schuster. $24.95.
This history of the Zionist
movement, emphasizing the siege
under which Israeli Jews forged
their country and still live with, is
an extraordinary work. It is clearly
and well-written, and provocative
without being partisan. It is an
excellent introductory book about
Israel.
Joining The Club, by Dan. A.
Oren. Yale University Press. $29.95.
The college life of J ews at Yale is
examined in this history. Focusing
on prejudice and enrollment res
trictions, the author provides a
fascinating case history of Ameri
can anti-Semitism and how it was
overcome.
Rosh Hashana Greetings
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PAGE 35RH THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 3, 1986