As an orphaned survivor and witness to Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) became a torchbearer for victims and survivors of the Holocaust at a time when the world preferred to forget. How did this frail, soft-spoken man from a small village in the Carpathians become such an influential presence on the world stage? Using Wiesel’s writings … Read more
As the population of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the United States increases to astonishing proportions, veteran New York Times journalist Joseph Berger takes us inside the ever-fascinating insular world of the Hasidim to explore their origins, beliefs, and struggles—and the social and political implications of their expanding presence in America. Though the Hasidic way of life … Read more
Fifty years ago, New York City had only a handful of ethnic groups. Today, the whole world can be found within the city’s five boroughs–-and Berger sets out to discover that world and take his readers on a delightful, eye-opening tour, bringing alive the sights, smells, tastes, and the people from myriad lands living in … Read more
“Although I may not have been able to articulate it, I already felt these alien streets would be a trial, filled with unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar tongues. How could I make a friend when I didn’t even speak English? How could I understand a teacher or classmate? And how could I rely on my perplexed, … Read more
Every few months, American newspapers publish another dreary statistic about the country’s scientific ignorance. But there are schools in the U.S.– like the Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School in New York and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham–that defy this gloomy picture, that may show the way … Read more