With Rosh Hashanah behind us, we now look to the upcoming solemn observance of Yom Kippur and the joyous commemorations of Sukkos. As with any Jewish observance, literature keyed to the themes … more

Perhaps no other holiday season in the Jewish calendar is as prayer-intensive as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Each of these holidays has a unique prayer and liturgy to the themes and spiritual … more

Perhaps one of the most nefarious myths of World War II was that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was the one who liberated the Jews from the Nazi evil and ended the Holocaust. I call this … more

By Alan Jay Gerber With the passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy the United States has lost one of its most colorful and controversial political figures of this generation. Yet as the nation both … more

A cardiologist’s commentary collection Reviewed by Alan Jay Gerber Issue of August 21, 2009 / 1 Elul 5769 This week’s review will focus on a very interesting anthology of rabbinic … more

Reviewed by Alan Jay Gerber Issue of August 14, 2009 / 24 Av 5769 Were I to survey readers and ask them to identify Benjamin Harrison, I’m certain many would not be able to offer a correct … more

By Alan Jay Gerber Issue of August 7, 2009 / 17 Av 5769 Our review this week is of a book by an author named Gil Student. As unlikely a name as this may be, the material contained in his … more

How to respond to grief with chesed and Torah learning By Alan Jay Gerber Issue of July 31, 2009 / 10 Av 5769 Two recent books deal with the untimely death of a close one, each in a … more

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769 By Alan Jay Gerber The upcoming Fast of Tisha b’Av gives us an opportunity to re-learn and relive past tragedies of our people in a depth of scholarship … more

The Legacy of Irving Bunim By Alan Jay Gerber Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769 While the popular jingle goes, “Summertime and the living is easy,” for the Jewish people, the … more