Review by Israel Drazin           New Jewish Feminism Probing the Past, Forging the Future Edited by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein Forward by Anita Diamant Jewish Lights Publishing, 2009, 439 pages   It is outrageous to think that God relegated women to second class citizenship and outlawed them from a real relationship with the [...]

The Sages Character, Context & Creativity Volume 1: The Second Temple Period Translated by Michael Prawer By Rabbi Binyamin Lau Maggid Books, 2010, 383 pages   Reviewed by Israel Drazin   There is a tradition that God commanded the Oral Law at Sinai. Some Jews take the statement literally. Others understand that it says that [...]

Persecution and the Art of writing By Leo Strauss The University of Chicago Press, 1980, 204 pages   Reviewed by Israel Drazin                         This book, first published in 1952, is a classic that is quoted frequently when people ask: do philosophers say what they really believe or do they hide the truth? Strauss explains [...]

Subversive Sequels in the Bible How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other By Judy Klitsner Maggid Books, 2011, 204 pages     Reviewed by Israel Drazin              Judy Klitsner introduces readers to a new, eye-opening, and interesting way of understanding biblical narratives in her book, which won the National Jewish Book Award. She reads the [...]