The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

 I have always thought that Winston Churchill was the greatest statesman of the 20 century.  The Splendid and the Vile is just more evidence that Churchill deserves such a title.  Mr. Larson takes the reader through the first year of WWII when Germany attacked England and threatened invasion.  He brings to the fore the different viewpoints and approaches that were coursing through English and German circles during that first tumultuous year of the German Blitz against England virtually standing alone against Hitler's Germany.

This is an epic saga of persuasion, encouragement and courage as each quality is manifested in the personage of Churchill.  

Mr. Churchill knew that England could not win the war without the help of the USA, so he deftly cultivated close relationships with the leadership of America.  First with Harry Hopkins, then with Averill Harriman but ultimately with the one who really counted: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president. Churchill's talent for persuasion and delicate argument is easily seen in his conversations that showed wit and in his correspondences to FDR that exhibited frankness.

Standing alone against Germany meant that Mr. Churchill would have to lead and set an example encouraging his nation that they could overcome the odds and defeat Hitler's Germany.  In his speeches, one is introduced to his great oratory.  He would often visit tragic areas hit hard by Germany bombings, showing the people that he feels the pain and suffering but is resolute in standing up against German aggression.

On the German side one is introduced to the feelings of frustration on the part of Herman Goering and Josef Goebbels. Goering is frustrated that his air force can not subdue the British into submission. Goebbels is frustrated that Germany can not knock the wind out of British morale.  

Churchill would often defy security recommendations and go to the roof and look out at the blitzing of London.  He truly was a fearless foe against Hitler.

Mr. Larson takes the reader beyond the battles and describes the emotional ups and downs of Churchill's inner circle, his family and the upper echelons of the British government.  With Larson's characteristic strong narrative, the book is a fine introduction to WWII and the leadership of Winston Churchill.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer

This 1500 page monumental narrative of one of the darkest periods in the history of world events reads like a Thriller.  From the rise of Adolph Hitler through World War II and the Holocaust, Mr. Shirer thoroughly tells us about a twisted conqueror who persuaded his nation to follow him blindly promising a grand Reich that would last a thousand years.  I am only going to touch on some themes that struct me worth pointing out, because I recommend this book as essential reading for anyone interested in understanding World War I and World War II.  

It is a narrative about the humiliation of a nation and its one leader with a savior mentality who develops a successful political campaign to eventually take over Germany without a majority but because of his emerging political skill is able to successfully take full control of the country legally and democratically.  He swiftly crushes, however, any vestige of democracy so that one understands that this proud nation would become a personality cult, a personality that suffers from such a violent temper that he is called the 'carpet eater' behind his back as a result of the fury of his tantrums. He falls violently to the floor and ferociously bites down on the corner of the carpet to gain the physical control that he lost during his tantrum!

Hitler calculated successfully that the Allies lost their desire to go to war.  World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars, however for Hitler, the war was a complete humiliation that had to be extirpated. In his wilderness years in Vienna he discovered Jew Hatred and became an rabid Anti Semite and successfully developed a theme of scapegoating the Jews and blaming them for every economic ill that plagued Germany as a result of losing first World War. He developed a following initially of misfits and discovered a talent for community organizing and political management.  He practiced his oratory and became a charismatic speaker and was able to spellbind audiences, with women even swooning  during his speeches.

Hitler equated his Jewish boogey man with the Soviet Union - he believed the Soviets were part of an international Jewish conspiracy that needed to be destroyed and ironically he made a pact, a peace treaty with such an arch enemy, the Soviets so that he could maintain a one front war.  His plan was brilliant: offer the Soviets half of Poland so he could unify German speakers in Austria and parts of Poland and the Balkans and then crush the Western Allies of France and England (his nemeses from the first WW) and then turn on the Soviets...

His beginning of the WWII was riddled with success on the battlefield.  His treaty with the Soviets held as he destroyed Poland and maintained a successful irredentism "Living Space" swallowing up Austria and the Sudetenland.  He then turned on France which capitulated surprisingly quickly. The only one who understood early on what Hitler was doing was Winston Churchill.  (Ironically Churchill early in his career equated the Bolsheviks with the Jews like Hitler, however, Churchill learned and was educated being able to differentiate Jews from the Bolsheviks. He had a healthy distain for Communism but became a Zionist sympathizer and good friend to the Jews.) 

Hitler, blundered badly, however and did not accept his Generals' advice.  He turned on the Soviet Union, underestimating its strength and was ultimately pushed back and had a two front war which even he knew could not be won when the USA joined the Allies (as Churchill maintained a close relationship with Franklin Roosevelt.)

Shirer touches on the brutal abuses of the Nazi Concentration and Death camps and highlights some very horrible "medical" experiments.  The sadism of the Nazi medical personnel at these torture chambers defy human behavior.  One experiment records how long one freezes to death and to see if one could be revived. The so called "Freeze dried' experiment means that a person is splashed with very cold water and the timer records how long it takes for a person to lose consciousness and expire.  Ironically, the doctors also become surprised when they attempt at reviving a victim through the warmth of the embrace of the opposite sex.  Occasionally an unusually strong man would warm and be revived.

This long narrative reads quickly.  It is well structured and keeps the reader's attention.  Mr. Shirer even admits in his afterword his surprise at the success of the of such a long book.  And although professional historians don't appreciate a journalist taking on the role of an Historian, the book is not journalism but rather based on original research based on captured documents. The author appreciates the warm reception all over the world to his narrative.  He notes that Germany did not appreciate the book. 

This book is highly recommended.

THE HAUNTED SMILE by Lawrence J. Epstein (the story of Jewish comedians in America)

This scholarly work interweaves the issues of Jewish Identity and the immigrant experience. The author targets Jewish Comedians from Vaudeville to the present.  Jewish comedians basically follow the grand Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe (1892-1924) to the 21st century.  All major Jewish comedians are noticed and analyzed sometimes even psychoanalyzed.  The author puts forth a theme of acceptance and shows the varying values and morays during each decade of comedic development as the comedians develop their own response to their surroundings. 

I would like to point out some highlights: I never realized how successful Jack Benny was until reading this book. I had always known Benny's character as being 'cheap' but never really understood how wildly successful he was in the business.  Experiencing the depression and 'being cheap' in way that was identifiable with the common man of the era coupled with impeccable comedic timing made Jack Benny a household name first on radio and then on Television. His brilliance is marked by the fact that even though "cheap" is Jewish stereotype, Benny never gives away being Jewish in his character! The non Jewish successful comedian, Tom Smothers was surprised to find out that Benny was Jewish!  Moreover, being cheap was only a stage persona; Jack Benny was an amazingly kindhearted generous human being.

The Marx Brothers, according to the author, represents the classic outsider trying to fit in.  Groucho with his classic critiques and put downs is the classic outsider not interested in fitting in.  Chico with his exaggerated Italian accent always hustling something is clearly the immigrant trying to eek out a living and be accepted. Then there is Harpo who does not speak and communicates completely in pantomime with a bicycle horn representing the immigrant that does not speak the language expressing frustration as an outsider.

Mr. Epstein contrasts the humor between Mel Brooks and Woody Allen as being positive vs. negative. Mel Brooks being very positive about being Jewish and puts his humor in a zany environment whereas Woody Allen highlights his Jewish identity in a very dark negative manner and yet both draw huge laughs.

The classic show called "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar is highlighted as a zenith in Comedy writing.  Caesar was a brilliant mimic and was able to imitate the rhythms of any language. As a waiter growing up, Caesar would entertain foreigners in their native 'gibberish'! 

Milton Berle was a proud Jew not afraid to punch out the anti Semite.  He was hugely popular in the early days of television but his popularity waned as more and more households procured tv sets. The theory behind his decline in popularity was the first TV sets were in the urban centers like New York - many immigrants (ie. Jewish) the expanded audiences did not relate to the Yiddishisms.

The cerebral comic, Mort Sahl became popular in 1950's and 60's as a political commentator.  Lenny Bruce fed off of Sahl and pushed the envelope in the use of profanity and drug use of the 60's. The author claims that Bruce was more angry than funny.

By the time Jerry Seinfeld comes on the scene, the Jewish community no longer is the immigrant community needing to be accepted.  Seinfeld represents complete acceptance where the comedian feels no need to hide his Jewish name on the one hand nor publicize one's Jewish identity. Only once during his long running TV show does Seinfeld come out an mention that he is Jewish which ends up being secondary and incidental to the punchline and theme of the episode about one who converts to Judaism just to tell Jewish jokes.

As history of comedy, this volume shows quite clearly that American humor was dominated by Jewish comics in such an obvious way during the 20th century.  The author discusses many more comedians and comediennes. This is also a proof that the Jewish people have been intertwined with American History from way back.

alone (the second volume of Churchill's memoir of WWII)

 Reading Churchill's account of 1939 and 1940 when England was alone in fighting Germany, and trying to discourage them from invading the Island, one realizes that Churchill was not writing a History of WWII.  He was actually enabling historians to appreciate what was going on in the mindset of British leadership.  His statesmanship, courage, defiance and overall role modeling was extraordinary.  He included practically all his memos and correspondences to the various cabinet members and generals and other world leaders.  One understands the close bond that he forged with President Roosevelt who represented a pivotal and indispensable ally in eventually defeating Hitler.

Churchill was fearless in going out and surveying the damage during the constant BLITZ and bombing of London.  People really saw that he cared about his people and country. In reading his memos and speeches one comes away with a character of substance and sensitivity. Churchill was unique in that he was easy to allow tears to flow, a quality that was not common among the British upper-crust.

With the postponing of the invasion, Churchill knew that he could last until other countries would join the fight eg. the USA.  He understood also that it was a matter of time that Hitler would turn against Stalin and violate his pact with Russia. Hitler's hatred of Marxism precluded any long term agreements. Stalin also seemed to understand this but clearly needed more time to develop his armored divisions. Churchill suspected Stalin's integrity and never seemed to trust him even as an ally.  Hitler was bothered by Churchill's lack of fidelity in the "Anglo - Saxon" bond.  He seemed to be hoping to exploit that bond as he did with Chamberlain. Churchill seemed to understand Hitler's hunger for territory all too well. Perhaps, Churchill's defense of the Empire gave insight into his understanding of  Hitler's desires.  Churchill always gave positive spin of his Empire as one with the rule of law, however, he saw the absolutism, despotism and arbitrariness of Hitler as evil.

Unreported Truths about COVID‑19 and Lockdowns: Part 1 and Part 2 by Alex Berenson

Written by a former reporter of the New York Times, these investigative reports shed light on the current situation due to Covid-19.  Mr. Berenson shows that before the pandemic there were actual protocols, policies and recommendations that were reasonable and not as harsh as the present lock-downs have been imposed. He shows that those original recommendations were similar to the way some other countries have reacted to the pandemic like Sweden (no lock downs).  He shows that fear, panic and mostly politics have scrapped the original plan and moved the country to draconian lock downs.

Written with a critical investigative tone, one is reminded of the investigative reporters of old that are rarely seen today. He questions whether the measures of today are really necessary since statistically the lethal nature of Covid-19 is mostly in the aged populations or people who have comprised health conditions.  He argues that had the country prepared models based on those targeted audiences the country would have fared better.   

Since contagion is due to inside close quartering, safeguarding the elderly in Nursing Homes should have been a priority.  Many interesting observations are made in these reports worth considering...

The Gathering Storm by Winston S. Churchill

This account of the years between the First and Second World Wars is riveting told by the one who championed the world against the Nazi threat.  Although today, he often is dismissed as an odious "imperialist" by the progressive Left, Winston Churchill is arguably the greatest statesmen of the 20th Century by the fact that he literally stood alone vigorously sounding the alarm against Hitler. Furthermore, he led England during a time when Hitler boldly stomped over the European continent and stood against him when England had very few allies.

There is a reason that Churchill received the Nobel Prize for Literature.  As he once put it "I absorbed the English Language..." His writing is breathtaking and his vocabulary is profound.  Just to read his style is worth the minutes spent. 

The book is multifaceted: it is a narrative of the politics of 1930's, it is a collection of facts and figures about the different skirmishes between Germany and Italy and Britain etc, it is a robust portrait of the various political leaders of the world at the time.  Although Churchill did not meet Hitler ever, nevertheless he tells of a near meeting that is insightful about the leader of Germany:  during a vacation in Germany, Churchill was offered a chance meeting since he was staying at a common house that was frequented by Hitler.  In striking up conversation with the go between, Churchill asked his host a question that squelched any possible future meeting: 'I am curious why the fury against the Jews? - I can understand a criminal but why hold an accident of birth against him?'  His host immediately comes back and claims that a meeting with Hitler would be impossible...

Churchill paints a sympathetic picture of Neville Chamberlain as one who sincerely believed in the 'Anglo - Saxon bond' that could possibly be the foundation for a serious negotiation with Hitler.  His policies of Appeasement were based on this foundation but Churchill always sees Hitler as one who had an insatiable appetite for Europe.  Appeasement for Churchill means weakness, feeding the Nazi appetite, offering more territory in return for nothing.

This first volume of six covering the Second World War ends with a powerful Churchillian realization that his whole life was nothing more than a preparation for leading his country and the world in the most trying time "...walking with Destiny"

Rav Breuer: his life and his Legacy by Dr. David Kranzler and Rabbi Dovid Landesman

I read this volume again!! Here is a fresh new look and not much different from my review of 2014!!

This is a biography of one of the Torah giants of the 20th century.  The book is a well documented, annotated history of the growth of the German Jewish community of Washington Heights in Manhattan. It serves well also as a contribution to the history of American Jewry and how the philosophy of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Torah Im Derech Eretz successfully warded off assimilation in Rav Breuer's community against all odds of the prevailing trends in American Jewry.

Rav Breuer was a successful Rosh Hayeshiva in Germany and well into his late 50s he wrestled the Nazi beast successfully enough to leave Germany and make his way to New York City. He overcame difficult trials and tribulations such that one could see outward miracles occur on his behalf.

Rav Breuer's strength of personality and absolute integrity is highlighted in this well, smoothly written prose.  'Glatt kosher implies Glatt Yosher' represents his demand for ethical integrity that one must be vigilant in fulfilling the commandments not only between one's maker but also among one's fellow human beings.  One sees his success in his maturity that he was able to make ethical demands on people since he too applied those same standards upon himself.

When the young American born students came home from Yeshivah questioning the standard of the Mechitza, partition in the synagogue, wanting to add a curtain to make the partition opaque, Rav Breuer denied their request.  He argued one can not come in and cast aspersions on complete kosher communities.  When one of the community rabbis who did not help in the construction of the Mikva, ritualarium demand to see how water was collected, Rav Breuer was pained by the notion that one could entertain the possibility of nullifying the Kashruth of the mikvah which would put in doubt a whole community's family purity!

I was interested in the interactions between Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin president of Yeshiva College and Rav Breuer since I am a product of RIETS.  It was Rabbi Dr. Belkin who was able to secure passage for Rav Breuer in offering a position at Yeshiva College.  Rav Breuer was non committal about the offer with the authors claiming that his hesitation was due to the fact that the other Roshei HaYeshiva would have a problem with Rav Breuer joining the staff.  With the untimely death of Rabbi Dr. Belkin the offer was never brought up again!

What makes this a lively read is learning how Rav Breuer was not interested in making a typical American synagogue but rather a traditional 'community' or Kehilah with the corporate structure of the old European communities that maintained a school, a free loan society, a court system, a Kashruth agency and Mikva society.  As Rabbi Breuer aged and became more and more physically frail he asked that the synagogue add another Rav (not assistant) to split the rabbinical duties.  His frailty was only physical, his spiritual strength was nevertheless impressive.

His vision and success is born out of the fact that the success of American Orthodox Judaism now can be traced back to a Torah Im Derech Eretz outlook in almost every American Orthodox community except maybe the Chasidic world.

As a rabbinical student of RIETS, newly married with child I lived in the same building as Cantor Robert Frankel of Blessed Memory and experienced the Kehillah first hand and was able to meet and interact with Rav Shimon Schwab ZTz"L on a regular basis.  The Rav never made me feel uncomfortable knowing that my stay at the congregation would be temporary.  His sharing of his experience, meeting the Chofetz Chaim had a profound impact on me.  Selling my Chometz with Rav Schwab made an indelible mark on me as his radiant smile I can still see!