Wednesday, May 14, 2014

New Reactions to the Book


“Courage Of The Spirit is a stirring journey of survival, a chronicle of a son’s fealty to his father and a remarkable refection on Modern Jewish History.”
- Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles
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New Book Journal Review  Rabbi Dr. William Weinberg survives Nazi and communist tyranny to become the first State Rabbi of the community of Holocaust survivors in the German State of Hesse in “Courage of the Spirit” by Norbert Weinberg.
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  "  Congratulation on getting the first volume of your trilogy published! It´s great that the book is finally available for researchers. I will definitely recommend the book for the Jewish Museum´s library, other institutions and some Czech historians/researchers who are interested, especially in the aftermath of the Shoah and the postwar time."
Mgr. Monika Hanková
Archiv Židovského muzea v Praze / The Archives of the Jewish Museum in Prague
Židovské muzeum v Praze / The Jewish Museum in Prague
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 "Saul Austerlitz, author of 'Sitcom: A History in 24 Episodes from I Love 

Lucy to Community."  

"In Rabbi Norbert Weinberg’s reckoning of his father’s tumultuous, tragic past, history is no arid enterprise, no bloodless recording of facts and figures.  Interspersing personal reminiscence with detailed historical rendering, Courage of the Spirit brings the horrific twentieth century to life through the story of Rabbi Wilhelm Weinberg, and his journey through Nazi camps and Soviet terror."
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The author will speak on lessons from "Courage of the Spirit" in a guest appearance on ADVOCACY HEALS U with show hosts Joni Aldrich (www.jonialdrich.com) and Chris Jerry ( http://lnkd.in/bkfx7ZV) on Tuesday, June 10th, 2:00-2:50 p.m. EST www.W4WN.com (Women 4 Women Network) and www.W4CS.com(Cancer Support Network). No downloads or Apps needed to listen. (If you miss it, catch the rebroadcast on the Sat. after the show at 3:00 p.m. EST on both networks.)
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Courage of the Spirit now featured in the June 2014 edition of Library Journal
IBPA member titles featured in the June 2014 edition of Library Journal magazine. Page 4 of 5.

 Courage of the Spirit was recently featured on “Advocacy Heals You”, with Joni Aldrich on W4CS.com, the Cancer Support Network, as themes from the book offered moral and spiritual courage in life’s struggles; the interview can be heard at: http://www.iheart.com/talk/show/Joni-Aldrich-SOS-Supporter-of/?episode_id=26932481
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New Book Journal Review  Rabbi Dr. William Weinberg survives Nazi and communist tyranny to become the first State Rabbi of the community of Holocaust survivors in the German State of Hesse in “Courage of the Spirit” by Norbert Weinberg.



This review is by my colleague of the same name, Rabbi Norbert Weinberg, Rabbi of the Adams Street Shul and author of A Time to Tell: Stories and Recollections of a Rabbi from Kristalnacht to the Present , ''and When The Rabbi Laughs'': A Delightful Compendium Of Contemporary Rabbinic Humor,and numerous other books.
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 “Courage of the Spirit” by Rabbi Norbert Weinberg is a major contribution to the literature of the Shoah by transcending the cold facts of those dark days into a personal account of the experiences of the author’s father.
            Rabbi Weinberg meticulously traces his father’s arrest by the Nazis in 1939 and brings us full circle to his being named the first State rabbi of Hesse. Throughout those terror-filled days, the rabbi retained his faith and determination to survive.
The book is a must reading to all those who want to capture and be inspired by the inner strength and resilience of the Jewish people as reflected in the life of Rabbi William Weinberg.
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The story of Rabbi Dr Wilhelm Weinberg's life is so intimately linked  to the political events of the 20th century that the book feels like a  history book with a very personal touch. This personal touch makes it a riveting read.

 What strikes me is the relevance of Dr Wilhelm Weinberg's PhD thesis  in Political Science to our present period. Now, as then, democracy is  in crisis and people feel that they are no longer represented by the  politicians they elect. One can just hope that this will not lead to  the same catastrophe as then.

I was impressed by how he rooted an analysis of contemporary issues in  Talmudic lore in the chapter 'Civil Rights were undone in a Moment'.  Here he refers to the commentary on Exodus 8:12 by Rabbi Elazar ben  Azariah:  "There was one frog who croaked, and the rest came after  him". Refusing to follow the croaking frog is ever more relevant in our time of mass communication.
Shulamit Spain
Genealogist, Scotland