Jewish Biographies for Children: H-N |
If you wish to purchase any of these books, click on either the title or the book cover to be directed to Amazon.com. As a warning, I have put up pictures of the book covers to give you somewhat an idea of the style of each book (I know, I know. "Don't judge a book by its cover") so the pages may load slowly, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
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 Lillian Hellman, Rebel Playwright By Ruth Turk |
Young people may seek information on Hellman for many reasons--because
of their interest in her as a distinguished writer for stage and screen
or because of her autobiographical memoirs. And for students interested
in American history, Hellman's critical voice during the years when the
House Un-American Activities Committee was operative and during the 1960s
can provide insight into several turbulent periods. Turk presents some
details about Hellman's childhood, and she handles the controversial
aspects of Hellman's personal and professional adult life (for example,
her association with Dashiell Hammett and allegations that she lied in
her memoirs) straight on. Without overwhelming readers with details,
she forcefully draws the disparate strands of Hellman's story into a
coherent portrait, at the same time deepening the impression of the
writer's lifelong energies.
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 Theodor Herzl : Architect of a Nation |
Characterizing Herzl as a driven visionary who gave his life to his dream of a
Jewish homeland, Finkelstein presents young readers with a portrait of a man
they won't soon forget. The author shows how this young and talented journalist
and playwright, raised by assimilated Hungarian-Jewish parents, became a fervent
Zionist as he witnessed savage Russian pogroms, pervasive Austrian anti-Semitism,
and the Dreyfuss Affair in France. Finkelstein clearly documents Herzl's arduous
up-and-down struggle to convince the world of the need for a Jewish state and the
toll exacted on his family and his own energies. Relying on primary sources and an
acute sense of the historical forces which influenced Herzl, the author focuses on
the ideas that he gave to the Zionist movement and on the grand diplomacy and
political maneuvering to which he devoted his life. Herzl's unfulfilled family life is
only sketchily drawn, although valuable black-and-white photographs of his
childhood and family fill in some of the gaps. The book sheds valuable light on a
man whose short, eventful life set into motion forces which helped create and
shape the state of Israel.
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 Abraham Joshua Heschel: Man of Spirit, Man of Action By Or Rose |
Abraham Joshua Heschel -- theologian, teacher, author, beloved rabbi, civil rights activist, and modern prophet of social conscience -- was one of the most influential religious leaders of the 20th century.
Perhaps best known by most Americans for his headline-making participation in the 1965 Selma, Alabama demonstration alongside the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Heschel was also an extraordinary Jewish educator and the author of nearly two dozen books. He inspired millions of Jews and non-Jews alike throughout the world with his writings and his campaigns for social causes. "In a free society, some are guilty, all are responsible." With amazing quotes from Heschel's own speeches and writings, this direct, very readable biography of the influential Jewish rabbi, educator, and civil rights activist moves from his strict Hasidic education through his escape from the Holocaust and his emigration to the U.S., before focusing on his inspiring role as religious leader, writer, teacher, and, especially, passionate supporter of the African American civil rights movement. The many photos include the famous picture of him marching with Martin Luther King. Unfortunately, no source notes are included, not even a bibliography of Heschel's own writings; and there's occasional fictionalization. But in accessible language, Rose celebrates a leader who connected his own experience with his scholarship, religion, and politics to show that "the evil of prejudice is indivisible." |
 The Great Houdini (Step into Reading. Step 3 Book.) By Monica Kulling |
Harry Houdini was the stage name of Ehrich Weiss, a Hungarian Jewish
immigrant who became world famous for his showmanship as an escape
artist. It wasn't easy. Harry practiced thousands of hours and read thousands
of books about magic and illusion. His tricks--such as the disappearing
elephant, and escaping from handcuffs, ropes, and straight jackets--amazed
audiences in Europe and America. His success was due to hard work,
perseverance, and skill, which serve as a good example today. This early
reader will also appeal to older kids who are having difficulty developing
their reading skills.
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 The Great Houdini, Daring Escape Artist By Louis Sabin |
Follows the life and exploits of the renowned magician and escape artist.
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 Frontier Merchants : Lionel & Barron Jacobs and the Jewish Pioneers How Settled the West By Jerry Stanley |
Alongside the cowboys, miners, railroad builders, and soldiers whose
role in the settlement of the American West is well known there was
another, equally important figure: the pioneer merchant who supplied
the rapidly growing towns of the West with manufactured goods. In Taming
the West, Jerry Stanley tells the story of Lionel and Barron Jacobs,
who in 1867 set out from California for Tucson with a wagonload of
canned goods. After a two month trek across the desert, they arrived in
Tucson--then a lawless one-street Wild West town--and set up shop.
Within a week they were sold out; within two years, they had established
a prosperous mercantile business. As Tucson grew, so did Lionel and
Barron's business, expanding first to money exchange and loans and
finally into the Arizona Territory's first formal bank.
From their gritty beginnings in an open wagon to their eventual role among Tucson's wealthiest and most influential citizens, Jerry Stanley tells Lionel and Barron's story with vigor and an eye for colorful period detail. Weaving threads of Jewish history and immigrant history, and the settlement of the frontier, Taming the West is a rich and fascinating look behind the scenes of the American West. In this impressive biography, Stanley illustrates two aspects seldom highlighted in histories of the U.S.: business development in pioneer communities and the role of Jewish immigrants in building the economic foundation of the American West. Sons of a Polish merchant who went to California with the gold rush, the Jacobs brothers grew up in San Diego and soon joined the family firm. While still in their 20s, they departed for Tucson, Arizona Territory, in 1867, driving a 12-mule freight wagon loaded with goods to stock a new venture in the unfamiliar desert frontier. Their struggles, adventures, and eventual successes are interspersed with information about the Jewish-American experience, 19th-century business practices, and the relationship of the Jacobs' lives to larger events occurring throughout the "Wild West." As related in Stanley's well-wrought chapters, it all makes fascinating reading. |
 Albert Kahn: Architect of Detroit By Roger Matuz |
A biography of the German-born Jewish architect who, from the 1880s through the early 1940s, designed elegant homes, factories for Henry Ford, and industrial plants to support the United States' war effort.
Albert Kahn was an architect at the dawn of the automobile age, when the Motor City came into its own. This biography tells young readers how he overcame numerous disadvantages to make that indelible mark. Raised in a poor family, Kahn's formal education ended when he was 12. He was colorblind and was fired from his first architectural job for "lack of talent." Yet through skill, determination, and self-confidence he turned hardship to advantage and realized his dream of becoming an architect. Although Kahn attributed much of his success to the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time, he exemplified hard work and perseverance. Matuz's account conveys that example for young readers who can see the results of Kahn's determination in their own world. |
Ezra Jack Keats: A Biography With Illustrations By Dean Engel & Florence B. Freedman |
Based on conversations with Keats and on his autobiographical writings, this tells the story of the artist's life. It concentrates on his childhood and youth but includes his winning of the Caldecott Medal in 1963 for The Snowy Day and his death in 1983.
Born Jack Ezra Katz, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, Keats loved to draw and paint as a child. Encouraged by his mother and discouraged by his father, who feared that his son would never earn his living, Keats followed his dream to become an artist. Anecdotes and conversations make his story quite readable. The use of artwork from Keats' books works very well visually, but since the connection between the pictures in his books and incidents in his life aren't always made in the text, it's often hard to know how closely an illustration reflects an actual experience--and using a detail from Clementina's Cactus, set in the desert of the Southwest, to illustrate Keats' trip to Appalachia seems absurd. Scenes from the picture books are bright, attractive additions, but more intriguing are reproductions of the artist's early paintings. A large-format book with big type, this would be a good resource for classroom units on authors. Engel and Freedman, both friends of the deceased artist, have produced a simply and lovingly written biography, said to be based on their conversations with Keats and on his autobiographical essays. They trace his beginnings in Brooklyn, NY, as Jack Ezra Katz, and describe his early years during the Depression and the obstacles he had to overcome to realize his dream of becoming an artist. Appropriately, the text is accompanied by his paintings, sketches, and illustrations from some of his more than 20 children's books. Readers are treated to beautiful full-color reproductions from such titles as The Snowy Day, Goggles!, The Trip, Louie's Search, and Apt. 3. Unfortunately, the book has neither a bibliography nor endnotes. Nonetheless, this attractive, oversized volume is a must read for Keats's many fans and a marvelous way to introduce (or reintroduce) children to his work. |
 Teddy Kollek, Builder of Jerusalem |
After only one year in office, Teddy Kollek was growing bored being mayor of Jerusalem;
then the 1967 Six Day War brought him monumental challenges. The war resulted in the
reunification of the ancient city, and Kollek became mayor not only of the newer, Jewish
portion of Jerusalem but also of the old city with its Arab residents and Christian, Muslem,
and Jewish holy places. Rabinovich conveys the persuasive and personal leadership style
and the unwavering dedication that earned Kollek respect as he oversaw Jerusalem's
reconstruction. Renowned for his 28-year tenure as Jerusalem's mayor, he led a productive
and full life prior to taking office. How he came to be a pioneer in Palestine, his work as a
secret agent for the Jewish Agency--the unofficial government of the Jewish people in Palestine --
helping European Jews escape Nazi clutches, and his job procuring weapons for the new
state of Israel make fast and fascinating reading. With generously, if sometimes disjointedly,
interspersed anecdotes of behind-the-scenes incidents and insights into Kollek's personality
and character, this biography will fill a gap in contemporary Israeli history collections.
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 A Hero and the Holocaust: The Story of Janusz Korczak and His Children By David A. Adler |
A brief biography of the Polish doctor, author, founder of orphanages, and promoter of children's rights, who lost his life trying to protect his orphans from the Nazis.
A biography of the Polish doctor and children’s author who became director of a Jewish orphanage in Warsaw, in which capacity he comforted hundreds of children during the Holocaust. Korczak, himself Jewish (born Henryk Goldzsmit), took up his pen name as a child to appeal to a Gentile audience; as an adult, he dispensed homely advice over the radio, still downplaying his Jewish identity. In his capacity as director of the orphanage, he offered resistance to the Nazis and succor to the children. Korczak emerges as a virtual saint who, as the children were forced into the ghetto, led them in a parade so they would not be frightened. Farnsworth (Great Stone Face) delivers somber and atmospheric watercolors, painting a genial yet dignified Korczak. (Although, frustratingly, he declines to illustrate the green flag of Korczak’s character King Matt, mentioned in the text twice, which the children carried on the way to the ghetto and then to the trains to give them heart.) Adler (A Picture Book of Dwight David Eisenhower) does a creditable job of placing Korczak in history, describing simply the looming anti-Semitism of pre-war Poland and leading Korczak, children, and reader into the Warsaw Ghetto together. However, this work must be read or taught in concert with others on the same subject. The author sidesteps the actual nature of the concentration camp to which Korczak and his children were taken, writing only that the "train took [the Jews] to Treblinka. . . . There were signs for trains to other cities. But for Jews, there were no trains out of Treblinka. Janusz Korczak died there with his children." Introducing the horrors of the Holocaust to youngchildren is no easy feat, but surely treating them honestly is better than such disingenuousness. Reading in isolation, children will wonder what is heroic about a man who calmly led children he loved to these mysterious deaths. Worthy, but needs supplementation. |
 Estee Lauder : Beauty Business Success (Book Report Biographies) By Rachel Epstein |
The name Estee Lauder has become synonymous with glamour, wealth, and beauty. As a high
school student named Esther from Queens, New York, she helped her chemist uncle promote
skin creams and cosmetic potions. As a young wife and mother, she launched the Lauder
family business--even her young son helped make the lipsticks. Her rise to the top of the
cosmetic industry was the result of belief in herself and in her products, as well as her
ability to connect with people and help them feel positive about themselves. Her keen
business sense led to her company's growth and diversity into other best selling lines,
such as Clinique and M - A - C.
This story chronicles the life of Esteé Lauder, the namesake of the noted beauty products line. Ms. Lauder was born Esther Mentzer around the turn of the century in Queens, New York, and as a young girl worked in her father's clothing store. Throughout her childhood, Ms. Lauder was fascinated by beautiful clothes and all the routines that women performed to make themselves look more beautiful. When her uncle came to America and started a laboratory that created creams for women's skin, Ms. Lauder began selling the creams door to door in her neighborhood. During the 1930s and 40s, Ms. Lauder continued to sell her uncle's creams and lotions to ladies through clubs, card parties and luncheons. Her real career began when she began selling the products at a beauty salon and later at a boutique. As her creams became more popular, Ms. Lauder approached a wellknown department store and requested counter space. By now, she had changed her name from Lauter to Lauder and changed her first name to the more dramatic Esteé. The rest is history. Esteé Lauder cosmetics are now seen in nearly every department store in the world. This often overdramatized story relates the sheer grit and determination of one woman who had a dream, and who realized that dream through hard work. The book includes a chronology of the Esteé Lauder Corporation, a glossary of terms, an indeX and resources for finding further information about the cosmetics industry. Occasional blackandwhite photos accompany the text. Part of the series, "Book Biography Reports." |
 Joseph Lieberman: Keeping the Faith By Barbara Silberdick Feinberg |
Joseph Lieberman Has A Solid Record As Senator From Connecticut. This Moderate Democrat Is The First Jew Ever Nominated For Vice President Of The United States, Running On A Ticket With Al Gore. This Biography Explores His Life, His Career, And The 2000 Presidential Race
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 Story of Reb Baruch Ber Lebowitz: The Kamenitzer Rosh Yeshiba - Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz and His Successor, Rabbi Reuven Grozovsky By Tzvi Zev Arem |
Recounts the story of Baruch Ber Leibowitz and his son-in-law
Reuven Grozovsky, rabbis and Torah scholars from Eastern Europe
who kept their vision alive both there and in the United States.
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 Our Golda : The Story of Golda Meir (Women of Our Time) By David A. Adler |
When she was a schoolgirl, Golda Meir stood on a box on a street corner
and made speeches about the need for a Jewish homeland. Golda devoted
her life to the land that would become Israel, moving rocks and planting
trees, arguing with workers, soldiers, and kings. From her childhood in
Russia and America to her years as Israel's Prime Minister, Golda worked
for her dream of shalom, peace.
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 Golda Meir (The Importance of Series) By Deborah Hitzeroth |
Following the successful format used for other biographies in this series --
reliance on quotes from primary and secondary sources, relevant sidebars,
chronologies, well-chosen black-and-white photos, bibliographies, and
endnotes -- this clearly written narrative recounts the eventful life of Israel's
most famous female political leader. Hitzeroth begins with a description of
Meir's fearful and perilous childhood in Czarist Russia and an account of
how her family fled pogroms and persecution, eventually settling in
Milwaukee, WI. The author follows Meir's unsettled family life through
adolescence, after which the woman became involved with the Zionist
movement, married, moved to pre-Israeli Palestine, and raised a family.
Hitzeroth highlights the conflict Meir had to face as she tried to balance her
family responsibilities against her increasing involvement in Israel's political
life and documents the triumphs and failures of her political leadership. This
admiring and informative portrait emphasizes Meir's lasting contributions to
the development of the state of Israel and communicates to young readers
the heroic dimensions of her rich and full life.
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 A Sister in White: The Story of Schvester Selma By Miriam Zakon |
Selma Meir left the pristine cleanliness and order of life in Germany to become the head
nurse at Sha'arei Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, braving epidemic, filth, and war. Schvester
Selma, as she was affectionately known, stayed on from what was meant to be a three-year
stay, for seventy years, treating the ill, adopting the orphaned, and transforming a primitive,
disorganized hospital into a clean, well-functioning one. Here we meet Dr. Wallach, the
fiery founder of the hospital; Dudu, the sharp-tongued washerwoman; and, of course,
Schvester Selma, tiny, yet determined, devoting her life to helping others.
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 Myriam Mendilow: Mother of Jerusalem Do Not Forsake Me when I Grow Old |
An inspiring book whose subject can be a role model for us all. Educated in
Palestine and France, Mendilow taught in the Alliance Schools for many
years. After her marriage, she learned English and eventually taught it in the
Hebrew University where her husband was a professor and administrator.
Upon returning to Jerusalem, she became aware of the poor, elderly Jews
from Eastern countries who sat idly around the marketplace, and decided to
open a club/workshop where they could regain their dignity and earn some
money. She later tackled other problems of the elderly poor, fighting for
health, dental, and foot-care clinics. She also originated the "Meals on
Wheels'' program. What is particularly appealing about this book is that it
shows what can be done through dedication and devotion at a grassroots
level to change a disastrous social situation. There are also interesting
descriptions of life in pre-state Israel. The writing is conversational and
anecdotal. Abundant, good-quality black-and-white photographs appear
throughout.
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 Story of Reb Nachum'ke The Nineteen Century Tzaddik - a Legend in His Time By Shimon Finkelman |
Examines the life of the nineteenth-century Lithuanian rabbi who
embraced the cause of the downtrodden and the poor and is still
remembered by his people for his scholarship and holiness.
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 Yoni Netanyahu : Commando at Entebbe (JPS Young Biography Series.) |
Few rescue missions have succeeded like "Operation Thunderbolt," the
Israeli plan led by Yoni Netanyahu on July 4, 1976, to rescue 105
hijacked Jewish passengers held captive in Uganda's Entebbe Airport.
In this gripping biography, Devra Newberger Speregen introduces
young readers to one of Israel's bravest soldiers, offering a dramatic
portrait of the young man who came to embody Judaism's highest
values through his commitment to Israel and the Jewish people.
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