Customer Reviews

Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism

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Every generation of children needs heroes: people to look up to, admire, respect and emulate as one is growing up. At a time when intermarriage rates are rising and assimilation is a growing phenomenon, it is important to instill in our youth a strong sense of Jewish pride in the Jewish men and women who have overcome adversity to become legends in their own time. Seymour Brody has provided a wonderful biographical tool to teach Jewish and non-Jewish children about the important contributions American Jews have made in various ways in this wonderful update to his Jewish Heroes of America. Brody has made this edition more egalitarian by adding biographical profiles of an additional fifty women (including Jenny Maas Flexner).

Brody's brief (2 pages), but informative, biographical sketches highlight where the heroes have lived and worked, what awards they have won, what professions they have worked in and what accomplishments have brought them fame and the respect of both Jews and non-Jews in America. When known, he also mentions whether they are Ashkenazi or Sephardi and their religious affiliation. Brody's book covers the whole span of American history from the prerevolutionary years to the present. Examples of Jewish soldiers are given for every war that the U.S. has fought. Among the people that are represented are lawyers, rabbis, politicians, businessmen, entertainers, athletes and health care workers. Each entry is accompanied by an illustration by award-winner Art Seiden.

An improvement over the previous edition is the inclusion of a name index, although a subject index and bibliography / reading list are still lacking. At times, the entries read less like narratives and more like resumes. Sometimes, Brody is too vague, using phrases like "played an important role" instead of telling what the specific accomplishments were. It would have been better if Brody has chosen a greater number of stronger role models (he includes Jews who rarely acknowledged their faith and Jews who intermarried).

Overall, the book does an excellent job of paying tribute to Jews from most of the states who have left their mark on America. By including first-generation Americans, Brody also demonstrates that what has made America thrive for centuries is its willingness to accept people from every nation and from every culture, letting them live in a home of freedom where they can fulfill their every dream. This book is very highly reccommended for public, school, synagogue and general Judaica collections for both young adult and children's collections

I found this book during a Web search on astronaut Judith Resnik, who was the first Jew in space and the second woman in space. (Sadly, she perished in the Challenger explosion -- may she rest in peace.) Judith Resnik is included in this book, along with 149 other American Jews who, in many different ways, are real heroes that we can all look up to. The biographies are well-written and easy reading, suitable for classroom or home. A wonderful resource that should be in every Jewish library.

Last year when Mr. Brody was a guest speaker at a B'nai Brith meeting here in Century Village, Boca Raton, I purchased a copy of JEWISH HEROES & HEROINES OF AMERICA. After reading it from cover to cover, I realized that this book should be in every "JEWISH" home. I highly recommend it as the perfect gift for HANUKAH. Since I write a monthly column in our community newspaper I would like permission to review it.In my last column
I reviewed JUDAISM & VEGETARIANISM by PROF. RICHARD SCHWARTZ.

Also if possible I would appreciate 2 or 3 complimentary copies to pass around at our Living Room Learning Club, and at our next B'nai Brith meeting.THANK YOU.

Judy Lipman -3031 Wolverton B - Boca Raton, Fl. 33434 (Phone (561) 487- 4281

One- hundred and fifty Jewish heroes are chosen as having made significant contributions to American life. The author Brody who is of a military background himself devotes more than the usual space to Jewish military heroes and participants in all of America's wars. He does the commendable work of making known to a larger public many quiet heroes whose deeds have been far greater than their public names.
The book is excellent, but far, in my opinion, from perfect. It does not include enough of the cultural heroes , the scientists, writers, and other creators who have so enriched American life. It does not in my opinion always include the best examples from a particular area of endeavor.
Nonetheless it is a wonderful compilation which can only deepen the appreciation of the Jewish contribution to American life.

And one of the stories in the book, one of the 150 illustrated true stories of American heroism included in "Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America : 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism", which was published in 1996, is now the main focus of an entire book by Oregon newspaper columnist Bob Welch, who has written the story of Lieutenant Frances Slanger of the U.S. Army Nurses Corps during WWII. She was a nurse who died in Normandy while serving as an army nurse there. The book by Welch is titled "American Nightingale: The Story of Frances Slanger" and is also available via amzon.com