Customer Reviews

Off the Wall

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is one of the funniest books I have ever read. The great thing about it is that the humour is so universal, that it is for everyone, not just Jews. I have bought it as gifts for non-Jewish friends who were roaring with laughter. It is also a great coffee table item in paperback and makes for great dinner conversation! The language is simple and not exclusive to people with an insider's view of the Jewish faith, and the happenings are so colourful, that it is hard to imagine them as real! But of course that only makes it funnier! I think everyone can recongnize themselves and their loved ones in this funny and frequently heartwarming look at the simpler things in life.

I found this book lying on a friend's bookshelf and turned at random to one of the promised humorous anecdotes - within a minute I was laughing out loud! Karzen, an Orthodox Rabbi (with a not-so orthodox sense of humor) has captured the essence of Jewish congregational life ( he spent many years as a Rabbi in the US) as well as the zany and sometimes downright irrational world of the Barmitzvahs that he organises at Jerusalem's Wailing Wall for mainly US visitors. This provides the source material for most of his anecdotes.

Karzen apparently has a natural talent for tackling head-on any kind of problem or mishap that can possibly arise and threaten to throw a spanner in the works of a long awaited "simcha" (happy occasion).

However, after reading this book (in one sitting I might add) it is clear that his true talent is in knowing exactly how to handle difficult and demanding clients in the most tactful and diplomatic way.

Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that he has described himself as "Orthodox, Conservative and Reform" all at once: He is Orthodox because he believes that he is following the "right" (orthos) path; he is Conservative because he believes in conserving the beautiful Jewish heritage; and Reform, because he wants to reform those who have strayed from the path.

One small quibble: there are several typos and missing punctuation marks that could easily have been emilinated with more thorough proofreading.

NOTE: There is a comprehensive glossary and full explanation of all Jewish terminology used thus making it a great read for Jew and Gentile alike!