Film Review: The Matchmaker (2010) by Avi Nesher (Director)

Film Review: The Matchmaker (2010) by Avi Nesher (Director) (Hebrew with English Subtitles)

Reviewed by Avraham Azrieli*

This is a wonderful movie that recreates a time capsule–Haifa, Israel in the late sixties. Having grown up in Haifa during that time, I found the story and its setting incredibly authentic and moving. The plot is deep, sweet, and multi-layered. The characters are totally believable and captivating. The setting is not only historically accurate, but rich with the natural beauty of Haifa’s stunning bay, unique architecture, and long stone stairways that tie together the city’s staggered neighborhoods up and down the steep hills, dotted with apartment building that perch on gravity-defying slopes. The superb acting enriches the interweaving threads of colorful ethnic conflicts and tender social fragility in a society where almost everyone was an immigrant, and where many were scarred survivors of the Nazi horror. In summary, a film of high quality, broad perspective, and deep feelings – should not be missed! --Avraham Azrieli, The Columbia Review

www.TheColumbiaReview.com

* Avraham Azrieli's latest novel is "Deborah Rising" (HarperCollins 2016), the story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.azrieibooks.com

Book Review: “Oracles” by Mario Brooks

Book Review: “Oracles” by Mario Brooks

Reviewed by Avraham Azrieli*

“Oracles” by Mario Brooks is a work that straddles the line connecting spirituality and philosophy. It is an interconnected collection of concise essays of reflection and insight, as well as poems and vignettes, arranged in an ideal assembly for the busy modern reader’s preference for succinct communications.

Perhaps fitting this prudent book’s direct approach to stimulating the reader’s mind and heart, the first piece in the collection, “The Heart’s Residence,” ends with the following words: “Our entrance door need not be adorned, only solid, sound, and hinged upon prudence, discernment, and kindness.”

A later piece, “Poetic Secrets,” utilizes prose in creating a very short story in which a poet encourages an admirer to try his hand in writing poetry. They converse intently, culminating in this frank and insightful exchange: “So poets are unhappy people?” he asked. [And the poet replies:] “No, quite the contrary. True poets have an inner peace saturated in love and regard sorrow as more of a distant relative.”

Touching on a related issue in “A Lesson in Creativity,” a student bemoaning her shortage of creativity is taught through the spinning of a coin. “Heads is the inspired thought. This you have.” But, says the teacher, “Your tail must be disciplined and sit long enough to nurture, develop, and bring your ideas into physical reality.”

The author’s creative approach to deep reflection in this volume includes not only words, but images that prompt contemplation of the elements of matter, life, and our world. Further explorations cover aspects of faith, trust, intelligence, good and evil, conformity (“kidnaps the soul and demands its silence”), and even death (“It is only the beginning of a new form, a new power, and a new beauty. It is a gateway to transformation.”)

In summary, “Oracles” by Mario Brooks is a wonderful journey through ideas and reflections. In the words of its concluding paragraph, as we read each short section of this book, “our bodies come into clearer form, our colors more vibrant, and the image beyond our reach, sharper.” This worthwhile transformative literary collection is highly recommended! --Avraham Azrieli, The Columbia Review

www.TheColumbiaReview.com

* Avraham Azrieli's latest novel is "Deborah Rising" (HarperCollins 2016), the story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.azrieibooks.com

Book Review: Discovering Your Optimum “Happiness Index” (OHI)

Book Review: Discovering Your Optimum “Happiness Index” (OHI) by Errol A. Gibbs and Marjorie G. Gibbs

Reviewed by Avraham Azrieli*

Discovering Your Optimum “Happiness Index” (OHI) by Errol A. Gibbs and Marjorie G. Gibbs is a rare flash of brilliant originality in the overlapping genres of Self Help and Spirituality. Successfully fusing personal narratives, academic investigations, original creative concepts, therapeutic process and methodology, and practical ‘takeaways’ for the fortunate reader, this is a must-read not only for the happiness-seeking person, but for anyone interested in the betterment of human society. Perhaps risking an oxymoron, we dare to say that Discovering Your Optimum “Happiness Index” (OHI) is the most serious examination of happiness in recent times.

The desire for happiness seems to permeate modern life, but it is too often confused with the obsessive acquisition of material possessions and social status. Authors Errol A. Gibbs and Marjorie G. Gibbs set out to explore a basic yet multifaceted and complex question: What is happiness? Not only its origins, its secrets, and its enhancement, but on a personal as well as global level (in their words): “This book introduces a revolutionary new perspective on “Optimum Happiness” (OH), for human survival as a viable species, which is a “higher value” proposition than mere “Happiness.” In our opinion, the authors succeeded in delivering on that goal.

Discovering Your Optimum “Happiness Index” (OHI) investigates happiness on many levels, connecting it to major life events (the common milestones in a person’s life—childhood, schooling, marriage, family, career, as well as social interplay and social class), as well as examining the effects of wealth and status. But perhaps the ultimate contribution of this cardinal work is the development of the idea that each person has a unique, optimal bundle of happiness, collating the oddly shaped pieces of the puzzle that makes each person’s singular life—spiritual, moral, social, intellectual, financial, and physical—which together combine into a ‘full picture’ of happiness.

Notably, while Discovering Your Optimum “Happiness Index” (OHI) explores the most fundamental questions of human life, the text is highly readable and easily accessible to the everyday reader. The authors share relevant experiences from their lives and personal journeys, while also leading the reader on a journey of discovery and exploration. The work draws from rich and varied sources, and provides some of the most potent (and beautiful) quotes from history’s best thinkers. Our favorite: “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” ― Socrates (469-399 BCE).

Compounding the benefits of this book’s wonderful examination of happiness in all its stunning human colors, the authors do not shy away from providing the reader with well-founded pathways to self-improvement that would be unquestionably beneficial—truly a multi-tiered gift that can change one’s quality of existence with a healthier and happier life. There are personal examples of what makes the authors happy, self-assessment and improvement opportunities, and breathtakingly broad discussions, quotations, citations, and sources, as well as practical tools, questionnaires, lists and exercises. In summary, this is a brave, deep, and exemplary detailed work that investigates happiness in all its aspects, charts new grounds in understanding happiness, both individually and socially, and provides a wealth of solid resources for readers seeking real, substantive, and lasting personal happiness. Truly indispensable and highly recommended! --Avraham Azrieli, The Columbia Review

www.TheColumbiaReview.com

* Avraham Azrieli's latest novel is "Deborah Rising" (HarperCollins 2016), the story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.azrieibooks.com

Book Review: WHO WAS THE BIBLICAL PROPHET SAMUEL? by Rabbi Israel Drazin, PhD.

Book Review: WHO WAS THE BIBLICAL PROPHET SAMUEL? by Rabbi Israel Drazin, PhD.

More than any other figure in Jewish history, the prophet Samuel singlehandedly changed the course of the nation’s governance from a loose tribal association, rife with bitter conflicts, to a centralized monarchy–and Samuel did it not once (with his instigation of the Saul’s kingdom, the first-ever Israelite monarchy) but twice (with his ‘unseating’ of Saul and anointing the shepherd-boy David). Considering the outsized impact of this religious leader on the political, national and religious events of his time, as well as his lasting impact on Jewish history and the longing for the restoration of the ‘House of David’ to its former glory, one has to wonder “Who Was the Biblical Prophet Samuel?” Prolific author Israel Drazin’s new book answers this question with penetrating insight, refreshing clarity, and the same erudite originality that runs through all of Dr. Drazin’s books. This is a must-read for readers interested in Jewish history and its fascinating mysteries! --Avraham Azrieli, The Columbia Review
www.TheColumbiaReview.com
*Avraham Azrieli's latest novel is "Deborah Rising" (HarperCollins 2016), the story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.azrieibooks.com

Book Review: UNUSUAL BIBLE INTERPRETATIONS: HOSEA by Rabbi Israel Drazin, PhD.

Book Review: UNUSUAL BIBLE INTERPRETATIONS: HOSEA by Rabbi Israel Drazin, PhD.

Repentance – as the primary vehicle for restoring one’s standing in divine grace – has become the central tenet of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and their respective sub-denominations, but few remember today that Talmud gives the prophet Hosea credit for developing this fundamental idea of repentance. In that sense, Hosea serves as an under-appreciated forefather for countless religious philosophers and theologians, while his ideas continue to drive the way most of humanity worships God today in churches, mosques and synagogues. With this in mind, Dr. Israel Drazin’s new book, “Unusual Bible Interpretations: Hosea,” offers invaluable new insights–not only with respect to Hosea as a man and as a thinker, but also in helping us understand the book that bears Hosea’s name. As with his many other wonderful books, Dr. Drazin offers original interpretations while sharing his vast knowledge and deep understanding of the history and literary background of the Bible and its intriguing figures. Highly recommended! --Avraham Azrieli, The Columbia Review
www.TheColumbiaReview.com
*Avraham Azrieli's latest novel is "Deborah Rising" (HarperCollins 2016), the story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history. www.azrieibooks.com