Category Archives: Book Club

November 4, 2013 · 6:00 am

November Book Review & Give-Away: The Karaite Jews of Egypt

I don’t believe I’d ever met Mourad El-Kodsi (at least not when I was old enough to remember), but everyone says he had a special spirit. Despite his failing health, he worked tirelessly to finish the Second Edition of his magnum opus, The Karaite Jews of Egypt (1882-1986). He passed away just a few months after the book went to print, and today his work is a must have.

The Karaite Jews of America has generously donated 18 copies of the book’s Second Edition for A Blue Thread’s November 2013 give-away.

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Filed under Book Club, Karaite Jews of America, Karaite Rabbanite Relations, Karaite Synagogues

October 2, 2013 · 6:00 am

October “Book Review” and Give-Away: As it is Written: A Brief Case For Karaism

I guess I can’t exactly do an objective book review here, since I am a co-author of As it is Written: A Brief Case for Karaism. As I mentioned previously, I tend to follow the Israeli saying that roughly translates to, “A baker should not comment on his own work.”

So instead of my telling you how awesome As it is Written is, I’ll let this Amazon review do all the talking for me: “Not very well written, short, and does not go in depth into explaining Karaite Judaism. It is a short, basic review.”

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Filed under Book Club, Books, What is Karaite Judaism

September 9, 2013 · 6:00 am

September Book Review & Give-Away: An Introduction to Karaite Judaism

Several months ago on the American Karaite Judaism Facebook group, people commented that Hakham Avraham Qanai’s An Introduction to Karaite Judaism: History, Theology, Practice, and Custom is the best book of its type. The support for An Introduction to Karaite Judaism is so widespread that I’d be a fool not to make it our book of the month.

I’ve never met Avraham in person, but he and I have been in several of the same online Karaite groups across the years. And seeing how we are in the midst of the feasts of the Seventh Month, this is a perfect time to read the book.

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Filed under Book Club, Books

August 1, 2013 · 6:00 am

August Book Review, Interview & Giveaway: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence

Today, A Blue Thread launches our Fall 2013 Book Club – yes, I know it’s still summer –and I thought the perfect place to start was with a book review, interview and free giveaway of 10 signed copies of Nehemia Gordon’s latest book, Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence: The Hebrew Power of the Priestly Blessing Unleashed.

I first met Nehemia in person some 20+ years ago at a camp hosted by the Karaite Jews of America, and I spent a few years with him in the Karaites Yahoo Groups forum in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I credit that forum with re-awakening my Karaite passion, so it is particularly fun for me to catch up with Nehemia about Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence.

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Filed under Book Club, Books, Daniel al-Kumisi, Divine Name