Sifrei Chachmei Artzos HaBris

Writings of North American Rabbis Published Between 1890 and 1965 (CD-ROM)

The migration of Jews from Europe to the United States brought with it an influx of great rabbis. Contrary to the popular perception, not all these rabbis settled in large northeast cities. Some found a job in rather obscure towns.

Those who assumed pulpit positions faced the challenge of reacting to the unfamiliar American milieu of intellectual and personal freedom. Tradition was being worn down by modernity, and these rabbis had to respond. In the tradition, they wrote books and responsa, some of which are increasingly hard to find.

The Society for the Preservation of Hebrew Books, founded and run by Chaim Rosenberg, of Brooklyn, is bent on saving these scholarly works. On this first of a planned series of CD-ROM’s, sixty books and responsa are included. The CD divides the works by type, including Jewish law and homiletics.

The breadth of the subject matter is enormous. Included is a responsum concerning the marital status of a woman whose husband sailed on the Titanic and whose body was never found. A fascinating early kashrus question concerns Coca-Cola, the author dealing with the status of a minute amount of animal ingredient in the drink’s formulation at the time.

While a work of this nature could reasonably fetch a substantial price, the society makes the CD available at only five dollars. Next in the series is a double CD, which will be available around Rosh Hashanah and will include 300 works. The price for the double CD will also be five dollars. (At this writing, 285 works are available for download on the web.) You can find the CD in a local Judaica store, or on the Internet at www.hebrewbooks.org. If you possess an out-of-print Jewish book that you would like to post on the web, call Chaim Rosenberg at 347-203-1397 or 718-930-3402, or e-mail: addsefer@hebrewbooks.org.

Dr. Josef Mengele’s 301st
A Memoir of Darkness, Faith and Survival, by Miriam Fastag

Holocaust memoirs are plentiful these days, and each is important in its own right, testifying to the darkest chapter in Jewish history. In this genre, Miriam Fastag’s work is remarkable for her unrelenting faith in G-d and for her ability to see the A-mighty’s hand even in the darkest days of concentration camp captivity. Miraculously escaping death on several occasions, she was finally selected by the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele, an event that actually precipitated her freedom.

After the war, Fastag worked to help other survivors regain their health and sense of worth. Among her activities today, she volunteers weekday evenings to assist residents at the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center in Brooklyn.

Dr. Josef Mengele’s 301st: A Memoir of Darkness, Faith and Survival is available at Judaica bookstores.

The Thank You Book for Kids
By Ali Lauren Spizman (Longstreet Press, 148 pp., $12.95)

A popular novel of the 1960’s became famous for the line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” The notion that one need not relate appropriately with other human beings is part of our culture of self-satisfaction, but it is certainly not in consonance with Jewish tradition.

Showing appreciation to our fellow human beings is vital, which is the point of this charming book. Written by fourteen-year-old Ali Lauren Spizman, a student at an Atlanta Jewish day school, The Thank You Book for Kids is a wonderful, worthwhile manual on gratitude.

Ali is not a stranger to the public arena, having appeared on children’s television and in print ads. Since the age of four, she has promoted the value of saying thank you. She doubtless learned this from her mother, Robyn, author of the adult-oriented The Thank You Book.

The Thank You Book for Kids lays out a specific program to ease the thank-you letter process. The book includes excellent examples of thank-you letters, which readers can personalize. An added bonus: adults will benefit from the book too!

Ali is obviously a very positive person, and she writes with a contagious effervescence. The Thank You Book for Kids is available at bookstores nationwide. Or you may order through Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. On the Internet, Ali’s address is www.thankyoukids.com.

—Avraham M. Goldstein