Tracing their origins to medieval Portugal and Spain; the Sephardic Jews consider themselves ‘the nobility of Jewry;’ in contrast to their pushier and more aggressive German counterparts. They were also the first Jews to inhabit the new world—first exiled from Spain and Portugal; and then forced out of Brazil; a ship bearing 23 Sephardic Jews was blown off its course to Holland; beset by pirates; and then captured by a French captain before being ransomed for the ‘payment of their freight’ in the City of New Amsterdam. And so the American Sephardic Jewish story begins.Here Stephen Birmingham tells the rich and varied history of this insular group of bewilderingly interrelated families; spiced with gossip and the gentle rattling of family skeletons. We find tales of fortunes made in the fur trade long before the Astors; revolutionary heroes and heroines; and poetic spinster Rebecca Gratz; thought to be Scott’s model for Rebecca in Ivanhoe. Through it all emerges a picture of a proud haughty people; who have chosen to remain aloof from the later-arriving Jews from Europe; and have staunchly refused to be swept up in the movement of Reform Judaism; preferring to adhere to their Orthodox rituals. Stephen Birmingham weaves a vibrant tapestry of the Sephardic experience in America; working in threads of their history in medieval Europe as he depicts the lives of these extraordinary Americans.
#11985798 in Books Annie Besant C W Leadbeater 2013-05-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .23 x 6.00l; .31 #File Name: 148487529X96 pagesThought Forms
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Thought are thingsBy Eye4oneLeadbeater had a special gift that enabled him to see beyond the realms of ordinary experiences. Every human being is capable of those same insights; however we must develop ourselves to reach inward and unlock our awareness of these things he calls; Thought Forms. We are entering into a period where science is finding these same understandings about consciousness in quantum theory. In a nutshell; the weight of our 5 senses puts a fog over our conscious awareness of those spiritual sights that he and others have written about for centuries. His doctrine is taken away from the philosophy of Theosophy. The doctrines of many religions are themselves aiming to understand our human nature similarly. Yet; clergy will not precisely say; fearing that they might reveal secret powers that lie dormant within each of us. Religions fear what would happen if the masses who live outside their particular institutional system of control would use this kind of knowledge to accomplish. Good or evil deeds might be carried with these insights.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. CreateSpace printed version is a waste of treesBy SFThis printed edition by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 6; 2014) contains no illustrations. The illustrations are referenced on nearly every page and are necessary to understand the text. If you just want the text; download the free Kindle version. Illustrations are available online for free if you search. This printed 72 page book is not worth anything in my opinion. I returned my copy as "defective" and got a refund.25 of 25 people found the following review helpful. don't purchase for kindleBy rose marshgreat book. Although it was written many decades ago the information is relevant and fresh. If you purchase it for a kindle; none of the illustrations are downloaded which makes it impossible to read.
