Before Mazo Publishers could let you know about a newly published book, Overseas Press Club (OPC) member Al Kaff wrote his perspective on "Beyond Politics: Inspirational People of Israel" by Ronda Robinson.
Here's what he said: Examine a nation through its people, not through the headlines. That is what OPC member Ronda Robinson does in "Beyond Politics: Inspirational People of Israel." Her book features 18 Israelis who are making a difference in the lives of others. They range from the first Ethiopian to be a Knesset member to an Iraqi-born pediatric heart surgeon who saves the lives of children who come to Israel from all over the world. Another character is the "Chicken Lady of Jerusalem," Clara Hammer, who in her 70s started a charity fund out of her own pocket to give poor Jews a chicken dinner on the Sabbath. Her mitzva grew until she was feeding 250 families a week, with the support of donors worldwide. "Beyond Politics" shows life in Israel behind the headlines. It offers a balance to the way Israel often is presented in the news. It puts a human face to Israel with stories of people who take a stand for their dreams. These portraits, with photos by David Silverman, a news photographer in Israel for Reuters and Getty Images, capture a variety of secular and religious Israelis of all backgrounds. In the preface, Robinson, an American, writes about her life and the goal of her book. "I have been searching for home all my life. I found it on my first trip to Israel in 1994. My soul immediately felt comfortable there." "It seemed that [American] reporters used tanks, bus explosions, suicide bombers and security walls to convey the world of Israel. My intention is to make a complex land approachable by introducing some of the colorful personalities who inhabit it." Robinson, a former foreign correspondent in Israel, now is a writer/editor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. She has written for national and international publications including American Profile, Hadassah, Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Report, Ms., Rolling Stone, Travel & Leisure, USA Today, The Washingtonian, Woman's World and CNN.com. Imprint: Mazo Publishers www.mazopublishers.com Author: Ronda Robinson ISBN: 978-1-936778-91-1 Pages: 144 Binding: Soft Cover List: $16.95 Available from Baker&Taylor, Ingram, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. --- Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: hasaf...@osu.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org