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The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

This book delves into the world of Jewish mysticism and the historical backdrop of 17th-century Lisbon, focusing on the protagonist's journey towards understanding the secrets of the Kabbalah. more

Author

Richard Zimler
Richard Zimler

Richard Zimler, born in 1956, is an American author known for his historical novels, particularly for his portrayal of Jewish experiences across different historical periods. His works are characterized by rich historical backgrounds and profound humanistic concerns, which have won him a wide readership. more

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“In a remarkable midrash (commentary) on Proverbs, we read the following: “All of the festivals will be abolished in the future [the Messianic Age], but Purim will never be abolished.” The miracle of Purim is very different from the miracles mentioned in the Torah. While the latter were overt miracles, such as the ten plagues in Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea, the miracle of Purim was covert. No law of nature was violated in the Purim story and the Jews were saved by seemingly normal historical occurrences. Had we lived in those days, we would have noticed nothing unusual. Only retroactively are we astonished that seemingly unrelated and insignificant human acts led to the redemption of the Jews. The discovery that these events concealed a miracle could only be made after the fact. Covert miracles will never cease to exist explains the Torah Temimah. In fact, they take place every day. The midrash on Proverbs is not suggesting that the actual festivals mentioned in the Torah will be nullified in future days. Rather we should read the midrash as follows: Overt miracles, which we celebrate on festivals mentioned in the Torah, no longer occur. But covert miracles such as those celebrated on Purim will never end; they continue to occur every day of the year. Purim, probably rooted in a historical event of many years ago, functions as a constant reminder that the Purim story never ended. We are still living it. The Megillah is open-ended; it was not and will never be completed!”

MiraclesMessiahJewish HistoryMessianic Age
Book:The Revival of the Dead & the Miracle of Return: Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo's Afterword to Returning, by Yael Shahar
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“There were several key American scientists that favorably reported on Nazi eugenics after visiting Hitler's Germany in order to provide it cover.”

ScienceRacismNaziWwiiEugenicsNazismScientistsProgressivismJewish HistoryHolocaust HistoryAdolf HitlerWwii HistoryScientific RacismPeer ReviewEugenicistHitlerism
Book:H.H. Laughlin: American Scientist, American Progressive, Nazi Collaborator
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“War is incidental to ideology, and this was certainly true for the war instigated by Adolf Hitler. Historians have aptly documented that Hitler knew he needed the fog of war and a radicalized population in order to enact the most extreme policies. This was equally true for both Germans and the people of their conquered territories. The war allowed Hitler the cover and justification to radicalize the T4 Euthanasia program against those lives deemed “not worth living” by pointing to the costs of maintaining those “useless eaters” during a time of war. It allowed license for Karl Brandt to “clear hospital beds” in the name of the war effort. The war’s conquered territory also brought conquered populations and increased the number of “unfit” and “undesired” population, including the Jewish population of Eastern Europe. The methods and technology of the T4 Euthanasia program were subsequently transferred from the German hospitals to the extermination camps, doctors, nurses, equipment, and all. This transference and repurposing of resources was all decided in the infamous Wannsee Conference, which we now know was the beginning of the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”:“The aim of all this was to cleanse German living space of Jews in a legal manner.” (From the text of the Wannsee Protocol)”

HolocaustNaziTotalitarianismWwiiEugenicsNazismJewish HistoryHolocaust HistoryAdolf HitlerTotalitarianWwii HistoryNational SocialismScientific RacismFinal SolutionWannsee ConferenceWannsee Protocol
Author:A.E. Samaan
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“I can’t recite the chronology or elaborate on the facts. I can’t explain the reasons or defend how we lived our lives. What I can tell you is how the events of 1933 sowed the seeds that fundamentally changed our future, that there was little hand-wringing or emotion, that circumstances were beyond control, that there was no recourse or appeal. I can tell you that events were incremental, that the unbelievable became the believable and, ultimately, the normal. Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other”

World War IiHolocaustWorld War 2Jewish HistoryShoahNazis Jews
Book:A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other
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“The structures of collective and personal life in Polish shtetls were so exactly defined as to be infinitely replicable — as the structure of a honeycomb is replicable throughout a beehive. Each shtetl was a self-contained world, and each was utterly recognizable as an instance of its kind. This consistency, the patterned predictability of life, was undoubtedly part of the shtetl's strength. But it also meant that the shtetl was a deeply conservative organism, resistant to innovation, individuality, or rebellion. It is hard to think of any analogues to the early shtetl society, for its character was part untouchable and part Brahmin, simultaneously ancient and pioneering, both pragmatically materialistic and sternly religious. It was a peculiar, idiosyncratic form of a rural, populist theocracy.”

StaticJewish HistoryDavid DeutschShtetl
Book:Shtetl: The Life and Death of a Small Town and the World of Polish Jews
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“She rose and bathed, and Parisa helped her to dress in her royal robes. Shirin pulled her hair into a style reminiscent of her first night with the king. Mahin covered her glowing black tresses with a colorful veil. Hettie placed the royal crown on her head and a ring on her finger. Rosana tucked jeweled sandals on her feet. And Jazmin spritzed the faint scent of lavender over her clothes. Peace settled over Esther as Zareen held the golden mirror before her. She was ready. As ready as she was going to be. Olive oil moistened her lips, lest she appear as though she had been in mourning. The king must not know that yet. "Shall we go with you?" Parisa asked, concern etched in her gaze. None of them looked at peace- not like the peace that Esther felt- but none of them had prayed as Esther had prayed, at least not with the knowledge she had. How could they? They had no idea what trials her people had been through. They did not know the history of the Jews had with Haman's people or how the Amalekites had attacked them when they were vulnerable on their journey out of Egypt. Hostility had existed between the Amalekites and the Israelites ever since. She looked at each one, cupped each dear cheek. "You have been a blessing to me to attempt what I did not think I could ever do." She drew in a breath. "If I do not return, please know that I could have chosen no better maids. But do not mourn for me. Mourn for my people, and do what you can to tell your family and friends that we are not your enemies. Perhaps you will make a difference in my place.”

PreparedMaidsEstherJewish HistoryGods Purpose
Book:Star of Persia:
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“Chant de la Nouvelle-France La Nouvelle-France est un art d'amour, pas une tache de haine et d'ignorance. La Nouvelle-France est une terre de promesses, pas une terre d'indifférence. La Nouvelle-France est une France meilleure, on n'a plus soif de sang. Nous travaillons ensemble sans division, pour faire partie intégrante du monde. Le Hijab, l'habit, le turban, tous égaux - Ce qui est inacceptable, c'est l'intolérance. Les mesures primitives sont inutiles, Le caractère triomphe en Nouvelle-France. La Nouvelle-France est un art d'aimer, hors de portée des singes haineux. La Nouvelle-France est célébration de la vie, pas une validation de préjugés ruineux.”

DiversitééGalitéIntoléranceFrançaisDroits De L HommeDroits CiviquesPréjugésCrime De HainePoésie FrançaiseRacisme Systémique
Book:L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale
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