A balanced biography of Golda Meir, who was both adored and abhorred, from award-winning author Deborah E. Lipstadt  Golda Meir (1898–1978) was the first and only woman to serve as prime minister of Israel. She was born in Kiev into a childhood of poverty, hunger, and antisemitism. When she was five, her father left to find work in America, and a year later the family settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a teenager she became devoted to Labor Zionism, giving street-corner speeches, and her family’s home became a destination for Zionist emissaries. Her love for Labor Zionism was so fervent ..read more

An intimate look at Elie Wiesel, author of the seminal Holocaust memoir Night and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize   As an orphaned survivor and witness to the horrors of Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) compelled the world to confront the Holocaust with his searing memoir Night. How did this soft-spoken man from a small Carpathian town become such an influential figure on the world stage? Drawing on Wiesel’s prodigious literary output and interviews with his family, friends, scholars, and critics, Joseph Berger seeks to answer this question.   Berger explores Wiesel’s Hasidic ch ..read more

An exploration of Maimonides, the medieval philosopher, physician, and religious thinker, author of The Guide of the Perplexed, from one of the world’s foremost bibliophiles   Moses ben Maimon, or Maimonides (1138–1204), was born in Córdoba, Spain. The gifted son of a judge and mathematician, Maimonides fled Córdoba with his family when he was thirteen due to Almohad persecution of all non-Islamic faiths. Forced into a long exile, the family spent a decade in Spain before settling in Morocco. From there, Maimonides traveled to Palestine and Egypt, where he died at Saladin’s court.   ..read more

Casting a great shadow during his lifetime, David Ben-Gurion's legacy continues as one of the most important Zionist icons and the founder of modern Israel. As we prepare to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary of statehood, explore the story of Ben-Gurion's life anew with master historian Anita Shapira and gain new insights into his experience leading the new state of Israel through its early years, focusing on the personal qualities that defined his political leadership. This program was hosted by Park Avenue Synagogue and the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning.   Ben-Gurion: Father ..read more

“New Yorker critic Lahr shines in this searching account of the life of playwright Arthur Miller. . . . It’s a great introduction to a giant of American letters.” —Publishers Weekly “No one writes about playwrights and the theater the way John Lahr does. In this probing, brilliantly insightful, and also deeply readable and entertaining book, he offers unique insight into how Miller’s mind works, and how the details of his biography impacted his body of work.” —Sarah Ruhl, MacArthur Prizewinning playwright Distinguished theater critic John Lahr brings unique perspective to the life of Arthur M ..read more

Announcing the latest Jewish Lives Collections Perfect for 2022 Holiday Gifts The Limited Edition Art Collection $135.00 Quantity: Add To Cart The Limited Edition Antiquity Collection $110.00 Quantity: Add To Cart The Limited Edition Origins of Israel Collection $195.00 Quantity: Add To Cart The Limited Edition Thinkers Collection $110.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Gorgeous gift collections for your 2022 Holiday / Hanukkah Shopping List! The Art Collection The Antiquity Collection The Thinkers Collection The Origins of Israel Collection Celebrate Jewish heritage with limited edition gift coll ..read more

A wide-ranging exploration of the story of Ruth, a foreigner who became the founding mother of the Davidic dynasty The biblical Ruth has inspired numerous readers from diverse cultural backgrounds across many centuries. In this insightful volume, Ilana Pardes invites us to marvel at the ever-changing perspectives on Ruth’s foreignness. She explores the rabbis’ lauding of Ruth as an exemplary convert, and the Zohar’s insistence that Ruth’s Moabite background is vital to her redemptive powers. In moving to early modern French art, she looks at pastoral paintings in which Ruth becomes a local gle ..read more

In the Bible, Elijah is a zealous prophet, attacking idolatry and injustice, championing God. He performs miracles, restoring life and calling down fire. When his earthly life ends, he vanishes in a whirlwind, carried off to heaven in a fiery chariot. Though residing in heaven, Elijah revisits earth—to help, rescue, enlighten, and eventually herald the Messiah. How did this zealot turn into a compassionate hero, the most popular figure in Jewish folklore, invited into every Jewish home during the Passover Seder? In Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation, his new biography in the Jewish Liv ..read more

Watch a 1-hour exploration of the life and legacy of dance world legend Jerome Robbins. Jerome Robbins, born in New Jersey to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, declined to join the family business and instead pursued a life in the theater, where he went on to become a renowned dancer, choreographer, writer, producer, and director. His work in ballet, Broadway, and film on such projects such as West Side Story, Peter Pan, and Fiddler on the Roof leave a legacy of artistry for generations to come. This event took place on March 14, 2022 at Park Avenue Synagogue as part of the Reading Jewish Live ..read more

Discover the stage and silver screen with Jewish Lives Barbra Streisand: Redefining Beauty, Femininity, and Power $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Warner Bros: The Making of an American Movie Studio $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Stan Lee: A Life in Comics $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Groucho Marx: The Comedy of Existence $26.00 Quantity: Add To Cart Warner Bros: The Making of an American Movie ..read more