As Jews, we are supposed to study Torah and find meaning in our interpretation of it. This book is a unique piece of midrash. Aaron Freeman, a comedian and NPR commentator, and his wife Sharon Rosenzweig, an artist, have created a series of 54 cartoon panels, one for each weekly parashah. They tell the stories as no one has ever told them. Some readers may find them irreverent, but the approach is both humorous and thought-provoking. The portrayal of God as a woman and the use of celebrity caricatures for biblical characters (Cheech and Chong as Nadav and Abihu, Elliot Spitzer as Laban) are original. Telling the story of the Jewish people as a romantic relationship between Moses and God with elements of Family Feud added puts a different spin on it. The authors encourage readers to la’asok b’divrei Torah (immerse oneself in Torah), depicting themselves diving into a Torah scroll on the title page. This is a true invitation to study because, as the celebrity Joshua character says, “Yes we Can-aan.” This will be a great source for discussion in Torah study groups and book clubs in non-Orthodox congregations.

"Moses, tell Israel to be like ME," God says. "Blood thirsty and genocidal?" Moses asks. "No. Holy, special, unique," God responds. "YHWH says, 'Absolutely no worshiping Molech," Moses informs the assembled multitudes. "Not us, Moses!" one declares. "We wouldn't even think of it!" says another, as he hides a golden statuette of the ancient near eastern horned god behind his back.

If this doesn't sound like the Leviticus 19 narrative you grew up with, you are probably not alone, particularly since the YHWH in the story is a woman with green skin and a 'YHWH'-inscribed t-shirt.

But that's how husband-and-wife-duo Aaron Freeman and Sharon Rosenzweig imagine the scriptures in their new book, The Comic Torah: Reimagining the Very Good Book (Ben Yehuda Press: October 15, 2010).

From the very first page, the origin myth of Comic Torah sets up what kind of creative and contemporary imagination of the biblical narratives Freeman and Rosenzweig have created. Standing waist-deep in a pink-ochre pool (which turns out to be a surrealist depiction of a Torah scroll), the authors draw themselves creating YHWH.

"Hey! I'm GOD! Why am I a woman?!" wonders YHWH, who is perched on Rosenzweig's hand. "The 'Divine Presence' is widely recognized as female," says Freeman, referring, perhaps, to the Kabbalistic traditions of a female shekhina. "Guess I'm widely recognized as green too, huh?" God says. Rosenzweig replies, "It was an artistic choice. Why did you make the sky blue?" God crosses her arms, "I had my reasons."

Rosenzweig and Freeman than discuss naming God YHWH ("I know my own name, and I don't answer to 'Sally,'" God says) and why they have drawn other gods like Molech.

"The Torah mentions at least three other gods by name, and refers indirectly to many," Rosenzweig says. "I know there are others, why are you drawing them?" God asks. "As foils, to show your greatness," Freeman responds. God turns to Rosenzweig and tells her that her husband sure knows how to suck up. "He studies with the best," she responds.

This kind of informal conversation -- not to mention the explicit, pictorial depiction of the authors/illustrators creating God -- is surely irreverent. Some would even call it blasphemous, though it's not the edgiest part of the book, which is arranged according to each weekly synagogue reading, or parsha.

When God tells Abraham to circumcise himself in the parsha of Lech Lecha ("go for you"), Abraham, sweating and staring with trepidation at the knife, wonders, "Couldn't I just pinky swear?" "It's called foreskin, because it's 'for' me," God says, before wearing the bloody skin as a ring in the next panel, as Abraham hunches over in pain in the distance with the bloody knife at his feet.

The book also touches on race (in Shemot, "Exodus," God tells Moses, who is black, that the sign of leprosy on his hand will make the Egyptians think he is "turning into a white guy") and religious controversy (in Acharei Mot, "after the death, God says she will "sic the Muslims" on the Jews if they stop offering the Yom Kippur sacrifices).

One hopes the latter refers to the historical oppression of Jews in Muslim countries, and not to current events where the oppressors masquerade as Muslims. (Though a reference in Bechukotai, "in my laws," to "Your enemies will rule over you!" which shows a man -- perhaps Hassan Nasrallah -- with a keffiyeh around his neck riding on Moses' back and waving a banner that states, "Mission accomplished," is decidedly contemporary).

"Move over R. Crumb, here's the Comic Torah," wrote Chris Mautner on the site Comic Book Resources.

I'm not sure Freeman and Rosenzweig have much of a shot outselling (or eclipsing the publicity surrounding) Crumb -- nor would it be fair to expect them to -- but it is worth noting that their project involves a unique sort of meditation upon the texts, which even Crumb has not rivaled.

Anyone who has spent time cutting their teeth on the original Hebrew will soon recognize that beneath the surface of the irreverence, informality and seemingly random interpretations lies a serious, personal and very contemporary struggle with the meaning of the texts.

It is my hunch that anyone who takes a copy of Comic Torah to synagogue as a companion to the bible for following along during the weekly Sabbath Torah readings will not only not be disappointed, but might just also end up having some rare insights to share with their colleagues after the service.

From Roslyn Bresnick-Perry's childhood in the shtetl to her immigration to New York and life into adulthood with a career in the fashion industry, this book cannot simply be considered a collection of short autobiographical stories, or even a transcript of the dynamic family history she has been relating orally to audiences for decades. Written mostly in the first person, which gives the reader a feeling like she is right there in your living room, a few major themes of Bresnick-Perry's stories include adventures in adjusting to Jewish life in America and ups and downs in her relationship with her mother (as illustrated in the book's title). As the captivated reader will discover once the author admits it to herself, the author's life is storytelling, which she eventually decides to make into her real career, and a very successful one it is. Recommended for all types of Jewish libraries. ]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2010/07/shoshana_hurwit.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2010/07/shoshana_hurwit.html I Loved My Mother on Saturdays Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:49:58 -0500
These essays come from a conference, Yemei Iyun, sponsored by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. They preserve the oral tone of the presentations—a bonus for the reader. The articles teach about the Book of Samuel, but they also stand as models of how master teachers tackle sophisticated topics. The essays are clear and engaging. The authors guide the readers through difficult material with deceptive ease.

The essays include the biblical text under discussion (in both Hebrew and English) which makes this an easy book for reading or study. This volume claims to present "Bible study in the spirit of modern and open Orthodox Judaism" and is envisioned as the first offering in a series. If they are all this good, I can hardly wait.

—Rabbi Louis A. Rieser

(Congregational Libraries Today, November/December 2007, p.14)
]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2010/04/congregational_3.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2010/04/congregational_3.html Reviews Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:46:56 -0500 Probably Not Coming to A Shul Near You…"

Excellent news! Ben Yehudah Press has raised the funds it needed to publish Aaron Freeman and Sharon Rosenzweig’s The Comic Torah, which means those of us who pre-ordered this fabulous and colorful piece of holy heresy can expect our copies … soon?

By Passover, me hopes, ’cause it’d be super fun to spice up the seder with its hubba-hubba characters and manaically hilarious — yet sincere — interpretations of the Good Book. (Yes! Would the authors consider a comic hagaddah as their next project? It might keep El Yenta Man from falling asleep after the third cup of wine…)

Check out this week’s parsha, Shmot, featuring a dark Moses encountering the purple-haired goblin who lives in the burning bush. Good gawsh, I do love these people’s dark sense of humor. Charming as The Comic Torah might be, however, even I in my newly-amped blash-feemous glory can tell it isn’t appropriate material for the Shalom School kinders. But b’nai mitvot kids will loooooove it!

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2010/01/yo_yenta_previe.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2010/01/yo_yenta_previe.html Reviews Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:31:00 -0500 Elle Mikulincer-Weiss reviews The Comic Torah and interviews creators Aaron Freeman and Sharon Rosenzweig for New Voices, the national Jewish student magazine and decides: "Torah classes will never be the same."

Bottom line: "The book could be the perfect bar or bat mitzvah gift to inspire the birthday kid to keep reading the Torah in a new and innovative way."
Full article:

Book Review: Aaron Freeman and Sharon Rosenzweig's "The Comic Torah"

December 31, 2009   |   Elle Mikulincer-Weiss

Redrawing the Very Good Book

The final commandment in the Torah is to write a torah scroll for oneself, but few expect to take it literally.

While the Good Book has always been a best seller, it’s not exactly a page-turner or a beach read.  Half of the joy of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah is an end to the tedium of reading an endless line of who begat whom.

But “The Comic Torah,” created by husband and wife Sharon Rosenzweig and Aaron Freeman, is far from boring. In the book the authors present what they call “the cutting edge of the lunatic fringe,” as they wrote in an email to New Voices. Torah classes will never be the same.

In the beginning

Rosenzweig, who was trained as a painter, discovered her husband’s cartoons of Torah scenes in their house one day. Freeman been using the comics as a way to connect with the Jewish world: the comics would be a memorable way of showing that he “was down with the program of parsha and midrash,” he wrote.

But Freeman is a standup comedian, not an artist. And while the work showed promise, Rosenzweig could not let it remain as it was.

“I wasn’t planning to take his work over, but I had to do something,” she said.
 
So, like Adam and Eve, they started work on the fruit of their labor, pushing the boundaries of biblical discussion with their own unique twist:

God as a Woman.

I am YHWH, hear me roar

Feminism aside, it takes a lot of guts to show the Almighty as a curvy, beautiful young woman.

“At first, we avoided depicting the deity, or used bearded white men,” Rosenzweig said but “later, when God appeared in the burning bush, a flirtation developed in the drawing, which was completely unexpected."

Having based Moses on her husband Aaron, “It seemed logical that I play YHWH,” she said.

Perhaps more daring than the feminine divine is the character of  “Honey,” based on the Bollywood starlet  Shilpa Sheti, who is the personification of the land of Israel, a sultry temptress of a land giving new meaning to the phrase Jewish geography.
The love triangle between God, Moses and the land comes across poignantly. It recalls the Song of Solomon, with the scorching subtext that allows the viewer to see the intimacy of the situation while keeping her interest.

It’s hard not to feel a flutter in your chest at the revelation at Mt. Sinai, where, the authors wrote, readers see “Ya and Moses on their 40 night tryst by the light of a flaming volcano.”  Yeshiva never made it sound quite so interesting.

Strangely enough, despite what most rabbis say, God as a woman may not be so radical a concept.

“God is neither woman nor man,” said Sharona Segal, who teaches Jewish women’s classes in Boston. “Reading references to God as 'He' is very disturbing, but I imagine it's due to the lack of a neutral pronoun in both English and Hebrew.”

In fact, in Judaism, “God is as much woman as man,” says Segal, and that is why when teaching students, she has “tried not to use 'He' to describe God, because it's very inaccurate. God encompasses both genders, and should be shown as such.”

Segal noted that at the beginning of the Friday night service, God appears in the text in a feminine form. 

She added that the “Comic Torah” may serve a vital need in the community, since “the image of the fierce, paternal God is not, I think, a healthy one where it comes to observance.” 

The celebrity bible

One of the most enjoyable parts of the comic is how contemporary and hip it is. The couple drew the biblical characters after celebrities, with the intention that readers will connect with the characters as people they know from the news.

Still, some of the character choices seem a bit unusual, such as Cheech and Chong as Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s rebellious sons. In fact, this may alienate some viewers, who find that the fast and loose approach a little tongue in cheek. The Bible is not Saturday Night Live.

Rosenzweig and Freeman acknowledge that their approach may be risqué and may push buttons, but see that as an asset rather than a flaw. As time goes on, certain cameos (“Yes, we Canaan”) will date the work and force a constant updating every few years as old celebrities fade from the public radar and new ones replace them.

The book may also struggle to find an audience. The comics require a high level of Jewish knowledge for the jokes to work, such as Elliot Spitzer playing the biblical character Laban, “The White Guy.” The pun works only if the reader understands that Laban means “white” in Hebrew.

Rosenzweig and Freeman, however, succeed with brilliant illustrations and the book could be the perfect bar or bat mitzvah gift to inspire the birthday kid to keep reading the Torah in a new and innovative way.

As for those who find the work too controversial, the creators acknowledge that it won’t fit every single household, but sees that as an asset.

“We don’t mind if others disapprove," they wrote. “Hopefully, it will inspire them to write a Torah of their own.”

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/12/new_voices_revi.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/12/new_voices_revi.html Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:23:00 -0500
Our judges have picked the winning entries, who will receive copies of Shefa Gold's new book, In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs.

1. @velveteenrabbi :  My love plans built-in bookshelves, buys paint for the nursery, shapes where our child will dwell. We find home in each other. #15av
   
2. @vegdem : to my true love, the one who completes me: Thank you for pursuing me relentlessly. Relentlessly! #15av
   
3. @KatiBlack : chickpea & wilted spinach salad for lunch. thx @n_q_mainstream for being my #vegan meal pimp. u know how to keep ur girl happy #15av

And to keep the fever of love alive as the month of Av winds down, here is the first chapter of In the Fever of Love featuring the love poetry of The Song of Songs (in bold) and Shefa Gold's intimate, poetic response.

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/08/we_have_winners.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/08/we_have_winners.html In the Fever of Love Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:18:51 -0500 The date
Tu b'Av -- The 15th day of the Hebrew month of Av -- the full moon at the height of summer -- this year, Tuesday night August 4 and Wednesday August 5 -- is the Jewish Valentine's Day.

In ancient times, "There were no better [i.e. happier] days for the people of Israel than the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, since on these days the daughters of Israel/Jerusalem go out dressed in white and dance in the vineyards. What were they saying: Young man, consider whom you choose [to be your wife]..." (Mishna Taanit, Chapter 4)." (Learn more about Tu b'Av at MyJewishLearning.com.

Our celebration

Ben Yehuda Press and MyJewishLearning.com are sponsoring a twitter-wide celebration of love on Tu b'av. Go to Twitter.com. Join if you aren't already a member. And then post a note to or about your true love. Add #15av to the end of your note (that's hash-one-five-ay-vee) so we'll know that it's an entry.

The contest begins Tuesday night and continuing until Wednesday night. You can follow the entries in real time on the Ben Yehuda Press home page.

The prizes

The three best tweets with the #15av label -- best as defined arbitrarily by the heart of each individual judge -- will receive a free copy of  In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs by Shefa Gold.

(Here's how poet Alice Ostriker described In the Fever of Love:

"For Shefa Gold, the Song of Songs is--as Rabbi Akiba said--a Holy of Holies. It is at once God's word to us, ours to God, and the loving words of human lovers to each other. Readers of In the Fever of Love will be inspired and led deeper into their own souls by her shimmering interpretations.")

The judges

Matthue Roth wrote the novel Losers and the memoir Yom Kippur a Go-Go. He's a slam poet, an Internet filmmaker, and the associate editor of MyJewishLearning.com. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, who doesn't have Twitter, so he's disqualified from entering.

Sharon Rosenzweig and Aaron Freeman are authors of How To Say I Love You in Thirty Languages and creators of The Comic Torah.

Another judge is yet to be named. Stay tuned.

The fine print.

Prizes will be awarded to U.S. addresses only. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Decision of the judges is final. Void where prohibited by law.

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/08/contest_tweet_t.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/08/contest_tweet_t.html Events Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:02:10 -0500 Oy! Where to begin? FROM THE COFFEE HOUSE OF JEWISH DREAMERS is so rich, so full of life and has so much ta'am, tastiness, that it is almost daunting to review. Even the author's name seems significant (indeed, we find out his real name is Irving Centor) for these poems, in which the religious and the secular vie with each other, seem particularly suited to the last century and the current one.

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/07/nikki_stiller_r.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/07/nikki_stiller_r.html Isidore Century Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:53:16 -0500 LeonardMaltin.com:

Virtually the last man standing from the era of vaudeville, radio comedy, and the Marx Brothers' heyday, the screenwriter of Meet Me in St. Louis, and the creator of The Life of Riley, Irving Brecher had a long, amazing career, but he never gave serious thought to writing an autobiography. Then an ardent admirer named Hank Rosenfeld insinuated himself into the nonagenarian's life, becoming a friend and confidant and wisely taking a tape recorder along every time he spoke to Brecher or accompanied him to an event. The result is an unconventional but entertaining book, full of great stories, wonderful show business memories, rants and salty opinions. (Told by Rosenfeld that I don't credit writers in my Movie Guide--which is not entirely true--Brecher hurls a profanity in my direction.) It also offers a bittersweet portrait of old age, although Brecher refuses to surrender to sentiment. In one of their last conversations, Rosenfeld asks the 94-year-old what he would like as an epitaph. He replies, "Here lies Irv Brecher, who doesn't recommend it."

Brecher sold his first jokes to young, up-and-coming vaudevillian Milton Berle in the early 1930s, never dreaming that he could make a living as a writer. By the end of that decade he was under contract to MGM, where he crafted the scripts for two Marx Brothers movies, At the Circus and Go West, and formed a close, long-term friendship with Groucho. One of the joys of this book is its illustrations; there aren't many but what's there is cherce. Script pages from the Marx Brothers films show how Groucho's dialogue was written and revised. Pictures bear witness to Brecher's claim that he stood in at a hurried photo session for a stage tour of Go West--only to discover that his picture, in Groucho makeup, was reprinted for years to come as if it were the real Julius Marx. Another anecdote involving the writer and Jack Benny pulling a practical joke on director Mervyn LeRoy might seem like a tall tale if there weren't photographic evidence to back it up.

If you love vintage show business, this book is a must-read. Prepare yourself for conversational detours, trips to the local deli, and a lot of anger over George W. Bush. And be ready to appreciate a man who never got the attention he deserved. (Irving Brecher died just as this book was going to press, late last year. He couldn't have asked for a better testament to a life well lived.)

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/06/leonard_maltin.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/06/leonard_maltin.html Wicked Wit of the West Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:49:54 -0500 Jack Neworth reviews The Wicked Wit of the West for the Santa Monica Daily Press

To historians of American comedy, the name Irving Brecher, ought to be included among the legends. At 24 Brecher was the only writer to get sole credit on Marx Brothers' films, "At the Circus" (1939) and "Go West" (1940.) He also worked on "The Wizard of Oz," created,"The Life of Riley" as a radio show, wrote and directed it as a movie and then as the first television sitcom (Starring a young, and relatively slim, Jackie Gleason).

Brecher's remarkable life is chronicled in this hilarious memoir, "The Wicked Wit of the West" (as Groucho dubbed him) as told to L.A. Times folk-journalist, and Santa Monica resident, Hank Rosenfeld.

Drawing on his early days of writing for Vaudeville and radio, the book is brimming with Irv's juicy tales about Hollywood icons, including Benny, Berle, Gleason, Burns, and of course, the Marx Brothers. It's the product of seven years of Rosenfeld's tagging along with Irv, splitting pastrami sandwiches, and recording Irv's every word of rapid-fire banter and acid wit.

Like "Tuesday with Morrie" only with laughs, the beauty of this book is the deep friendship that develops between Rosenfeld and the oft-crotchety Brecher. It began in 2001, when Turner Classic Movie channel interviewed Golden Age Hollywood participants. "I'm afraid I'm the last living MGM writer," Irv said. "And frankly I just hope I get through this interview."

In attendance, Rosenfeld was struck how much Irv sounded like Groucho, "That distinctively edgy launching of an expertly aimed zinger." Suddenly there was a beeping sound. "Unless there's a canary in here, my hearing aid just died."

"How long do those batteries last," asked the interviewer. "About two weeks," Irv replied. "Longer if you don't do any listening."

Brecher didn't want to be part of a typical, self-absorbed Hollywood biography. He agreed to do the book on one condition, "That I don't have to read it." Hank insisted on using a tape recorder to "get everything accurately." Irv quipped, "You're going to have trouble being a journalist if you insist on being accurate."

The book begins in 1931 in New York city. Irv was 17 and a ticket-take/usher at his cousin's movie house on 57th Street. He worked six, 10 hour days for $18 a week and was glad to have it as he was the only support of his parents and siblings in Depression-era Bronx.

In his spare time, Irv would occasionally send newspaper columnists Walter Winchell and Ed Sullivan topical gags and one-liners for the pure joy of seeing his name in papers with circulation of over one million. He never for a moment dreamed it would eventually lead to a career in glamorous, far-off Hollywood.

One day a reviewer for Variety, Wolf Kaufman, came into the theatre. He had recognized one of Irv's jokes in a Vaudeville act of Bob Hope! He convinced Irv to run an ad in Variety advertising his joke-writing talents. Irv didn't have the $15 for the ad, as it was almost a week's salary. Kaufman arranged for Irv to temporarily owe Variety, a publication he would wind up subscribing to for the next 70 years!

One of those responding to the Variety ad was a brash, young Vaudeville comedian named Milton Berle who was notorious for stealing other comics' material. (The chapter on Berle is entitled, "The Thief of Bad Gags."). After reviewing pages of Irv's jokes, Berle paid him the princely sum of $50. Soon Irv would quit his usher's job and would forever jokingly blame Hope and Berle for his life in show business.

Among the great Groucho stories details his and Irv's vacation at a hotel in the south that didn't accept Jews. Groucho sat on his suitcase and accused the hotel of being one in a chain of brothels. "Is it true that you're your brothel's keeper?" he asked the perplexed hotel manager.

In a scene from "Go West," a western, Groucho's knocked down a flight of stairs in a saloon by the villain. Harpo and Chico rush over to give him water. "Forget the water," Groucho says, "force brandy down my throat." That line became famous in bars all across the country. Pretty heady stuff for the 24-year-old screenwriter who wrote it.

"The Wicked Wit of the West" is a funny, charming, and ultimately touching, reminiscence. For those over 60, it may bring back fond memories of radio and early television. For those under, it represents an essential piece of American comedy history.

Irv's glaucoma made it impossible to review the book's galleys. He hired an actor to read it to him over four days. Shortly thereafter he passed away but even on his deathbed, he was cracking one-liners. Irv missed the publication but he had "read" the book, something he joked he'd never do. I'm definitely glad that I did.

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/06/wicked_wit_like.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/06/wicked_wit_like.html Wicked Wit of the West Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:18:41 -0500 Tommy Garrett reviews Wicked Wit for The Canyon News of Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA--From the publisher's own words, you know that this book is something that has to be read and absorbed: "Irv Brecher convinced Judy Garland to star in Meet Me in St. Louis, wrote Bye Bye Birdie and gave Jackie Gleason his first TV series and a new set of teeth. 'The Wicked Wit of the West' (as Groucho Marx dubbed him) tells juicy tales about Hollywood legends John Wayne, Louis B. Mayer, Jack Benny, George Burns, Ann-Margaret, Ernie Kovacs, Cleo the basset hound and of course, Grouch, Harpo and Chico. At the age of 94, Irving Brecher was still making us laugh. Though Brecher died last year before this book was published, author Hank Rosenfeld who lives in Santa Monica managed to get this wonderful tome published and is making fans and readers laugh at book signings all over Southern California." But don't just take the publisher's word for this book. Pick up a copy of this entertaining yet informative book that is filled with photographs, once private memos and even the Brecher's own notes on some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

But all that hype is not without just cause. The book chronicles what made Brecher such an icon, not just at MGM but throughout his career in Hollywood. Brecher is best known for creating "The Life of Riley," on radio, in the movies and as the very first sitcom for television. There is no surprise to the reader how much Hank Rosenfeld admired his subject, but what you find out in this book is how he continued to press Brecher and questioned him extensively in order to complete this tome.

When you read "The Wicked Wit of the West," be prepared for a handkerchief and plenty of laughs. Crying was something I hadn't done a lot of lately, but crying tears of joy and laughter was synonymous with reading this hilarious yet affectionate book. Brecher was the last of the great funnymen who made fun of himself as much as he did others. Never mean spirited, he was however from a distant era of our nation. When times were tough and people had to either laugh or cry. Brecher felt both were necessary but that tears from laughter rather than sorrow would be more positive for our world. His brand of humor has never been duplicated since.

What I found amazing about this story is all of us Hollywood historians knew of the wonderful infectious wit and humor of Irv Brecher, but we now can add Hank Rosenfeld to the list of great scribes who never cease to humor us with great detail. This book is not like most chronicles of "As Told To" stories. It's filled with the wisdom, talent and humor of two great men in Hollywood, Irv Brecher is a given. Hank Rosenfeld should be added to the list of Hollywood historians who contribute great literature in our industry.

This book is a must read and should be in every film class across America.

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/05/the_wicked_wit_1.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/05/the_wicked_wit_1.html Reviews Sat, 16 May 2009 12:28:00 -0500 Novelist Matthue Roth reviews The Cabalist's Daughter on MyJewishLearning.com's Mixed Multitude blog. Bottom line: He gets it.

The Cabalist's Daughter is a bipolar sort of book. On one hand, it's a crazy, unhinged vision of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, starting with a wild supposition and growing steadily wilder from the first page onwards-what if the Lubavitcher Rebbe had a clone? On the other, it's a pretty serious book that touches upon messianism, rape, global warming, peace in the Mideast, and those perpetually-impending nuclear crises that the news people are so fond of reporting about.

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/04/myjewishlearnin.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/04/myjewishlearnin.html The Cabalist's Daughter Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:52:22 -0500 Book event to be followed by Havdalah service
7 pm Saturday night, May 16th
at
THE DENNIS AND PHILLIP RATNER MUSEUM
10001 OLD GEORGETOWN ROAD, BETHESDA

Light refreshments will follow.
The museum will remain open for your enjoyment until 10pm
RSVP: Eve Yudelson 201-833-5145, eve@benyehudapress.com

Can we connect to God through love? Can we connect to love through God?

Those are the questions that underlie Rabbi Shefa Gold's new book, In the Fever of love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs.

Rabbi Gold is a leader of the Jewish Renewal movement and composer of six albums of Jewish liturgical music. Her new book is an intimate erotic elaboration of the Song of Songs in which she speaks directly and passionately to God, The Beloved.

The May 16th event at the Ratner Museum is the official publication party for In the Fever of Love. In the Fever of Love is illustrated with artist Phillip Ratner's drawings which are on display at the museum.

The event will feature chant and song from the Song of Songs and readings from her book.

(High-res jpg of book cover)

]]> http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/04/new_book_on_son.html http://www.BenYehudaPress.com/blog/archives/2009/04/new_book_on_son.html Shefa Gold Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:33:56 -0500