Fairfield Books

One should read this book only after the first volume covering the years 1933-41. The story of Victor & Eva's survival of detention in the Jews' house, the Dresden bombing and subsequent wanderings stunned me. But Victor's courage in continuing his secret diary for 12 years comes through - as does his humanity ad personal growth.

The diary jotting sryle means you pick it up and read a section at a time, but you will most likely be drawn into finishing it within a short time.

Because my friends all know what a book-hound I am, people often ask me what my all-time favorite book is. Admittedly the answer to this would change over time, but, at present, "I Will Bear Witness" is the one that first pops into my mind.

I found this very personal account of the days and nights of a German Jewish man--an inoffensive and formerly rather conservative German nationalist academic married to a Gentile--during the Nazi terror regime to be absolutely breathtaking. Indeed, I was so caught up in his account that I took an unexpected day of vacation from work just to not interrupt my reading once I had started.

Further, I found myself sprawled on my bed, as is sometimes customary with me, surrounded by ancillary books, atlases, and maps --a behavior that signifies I'm reading a book that has utterly gripped me and a book that is expanding my horizons.

Klemperer was (just barely) saved from being sent to a concentration camp due to his marriage to a non-Jew. However, he lived every day under the threat of torture and deportation to a camp and his journal tells of the years of grinding anxiety over his fate and the fate of his wife, friends, and relatives-many of whom were taken. It also speaks to the minutiae of life under the Nazi's--such things as their penchant for legalisms to justify their treatment of the Jews embodied in his incessant embroilment in Nazi demands that he take part in the legalisms of their confiscation of his property. Moreover, as the war draws to a close, he draws a stunning portrait of life as a war refugee--a picture that applies to war refugees the world over throughout time.

Kudos to those who elevated this book to number one among the history choices-it deserves it and in my mind deserves even more.

And I will get the other years of this author's diary. This is not a fast paced WWII battle book; this is the diary of a poor soul who had to live through every moment of a terrible regime, to endure even more when he thought he'd reached his limit. If you're interested in what it was like to live day to day in Hitler's Germany (as a Jew or a gentile)--to understand what it was like to watch it begin and grow and eventually implode--this is an excellent read. I would say it is for those deeply interested in the psychology of the times; not a passing interest. I'll get the other books and read them in order of the years they cover. I really want to understand how the Third Reich could ever BE.

This is actually the second volume of Klemperer's diaries, published in two volumes. I highly recommend that you buy both volumes as a set and read from the beginning how a bureaucratic mindset advanced towards ultimate evil.

In the end, Klemperer's diary doesn't fully answer the haunting question, "How could it have happened?" But you will find some definitive answers here to questions that Holocaust scholars have debated over the years.

For example, Klemperer's experience answers the charge that virtually all Aryan Germans knew from the beginning exactly what the Third Reich's intentions were towards the Jews. Klemperer's actual interactions stand as refutation of this blanket indictment. Often when he visited Aryan acquaintances to conduct business - he would then jovially be invited to come back that evening for schnapps. Klemperer had to explain that he couldn't come back later for schnapps - that as a Jew, he was prohibited from boarding any vehicle of public transportation after 6:00 PM, that he had a general curfew, and that of course, he had long since been banned from owning his own car.

Klemperer was always circumspect in recounting these laws he labored under to his "Semitophile" acquaintances. (That's an awkward translation of the German phrase Klemperer probably used to refer to Aryans who were sympathetic to Jews. But it is perhaps the only word that was available to Martin Chalmers, who otherwise has produced a generally fluid translation of Klemperer's journals.) At any rate, Klemperer was careful never to appear too whining or too critical of the restrictions placed on him. He didn't want to alienate these Aryan allies. Nevertheless, he repeatedly found himself in the position of having to enlighten them about the government's latest round of restrictions. And his listeners were almost always genuinely surprised to hear about these laws. Their ignorance in the face of all the anti-Semitic propaganda blared daily from radios, blazoned from the newspapers, seemed to be more a function of people's tendency towards plodding self-preoccupation than an indication of any active complicity with the advancing evil.

I think you'll find that Klemperer's account also carries a very relevant warning to us in our current pursuit of terrorists at all costs. Klemperer survived the early rounds of call-ups for the concentration camps because he was a decorated World War I hero, and because he was married to an Aryan. For these reasons, he was given some initial grudging dispensation from the worst Nazi reprisals. However as the War progressed, his past service to Germany and his Aryan affiliation came to count for less and less. Finally his number was up and he, along with the last handful of Jews remaining around Dresden, were scheduled for transport. The only thing that saved him was the Allied bombing of Dresden. Most local Nazi records were destroyed in this notorious bombardment. So Klemperer and his wife, having survived the bombing, were also able to survive those last most brutal months of the Nazi regime by assuming new identities and wandering through the German countryside from town to town, passing themselves off as a typical displaced Aryan couple. If the Nazis' meticulous records (documenting family lineages and confirming who was where) had remained intact, Klemperer would certainly have been deported to the gas chambers.

So if you don't already have doubts about the increasing surveillance measures being taken in the U.S., presumably to guard against terrorists and other "evildoers" - reading these journals will give you pause. One of the lessons of Klemperer's journal is how tyranny proceeds by little increments of paperwork. Its power is in keeping tabs.

Klemperer risked his life to write the entries in these journals, because it eventually became a capital crime for a Jew to possess paper or any pen/pencil. So it feels almost sacrilegious to make any criticism of this supremely brave and literate account. However I do have one small criticism. And that is Klemperer's common masculine tendency to put his wife in the background of his life. Eva Klemperer comes off in the diary as a shadowy adjunct to the importance of Victor's work producing these pages.

She is mentioned, more frequently in the first volume of the diaries, but this mention is usually limited to reports of the fact that she had another hysterical fit that day, or that she engaged Victor in another round of angry lamentation, or that she suffered some physical malady. He does acknowledge her collaborative bravery. She also risked her life every time she smuggled the pages of his work out of their small assigned apartment into the hands of friends for safekeeping. But we never directly hear Eva's voice in all this. The reader is only left to guess at the actual substance of her outbursts.

You will probably feel impelled to read between the lines to flesh her out. Perhaps Eva wasn't the prettiest girl in school, so she took the one marriage proposal that came her way. She married the intellectually accomplished Victor. Victor was available because Aryan prejudice, even in those early years, already limited him socially. We can imagine her outbursts of recrimination as the Nazi noose grew tighter around their yoked necks. Why did you have to be Jewish? Why have you dragged me down with you? I could have led such a happy life. And instead, look at me - scrounging for rotten potatoes, under constant threat of beatings and death - and all because of you!

If only Eva had written her own diary, we might have had some additional fascinating insights into why and how a couple stays together under such trying circumstances. We might have gained a greater understanding of the ties of love and the chains of having nowhere else to go. As it is, we have only Victor's side of the story. But that is a powerful, must-read insight into how tyranny grows, brick-by-brick, petty edict by petty edict.

Victor Klemperer's diary of the years of the Hitler dictatorship and his recording of the day-to-day lives of the Jews of Dresden, his thoughtful and insightful commentary on the methods (particularly the language of the propaganda) of the Third Reich, the heart-wrenching stories of those who were taken away never to be seen again, his experience in the firebombing of Dresden in 1945 and his miraculous journey home should be required reading for everyone about the horrors of tyranny and war. It is also a tribute to the true human spirit and the power of the intellect. Klemperer never lost his determination to live, despite all the blows of terror that were aimed at him, his family, and his friends. That he believed there was something to live for--in the midst of utter barbarity--should inspire all of us to work for a better world. It did me.

A remarkable record of a dark time. Reading it gives one the courage to carry on in the dark times that have come again.

This is a very important book in my opinion, because it analyzes certain utopian ideas that produced chaos during the 20th Century, but remain popular today despite their horrible track record. Basically, this outstanding work of historical scholarship is about a group of Russian intellectuals who believed if they rid Russia of the monarchy, capitalism, and Russian Orthodox Church, life would be wonderful. So the Tsar and his family were killed, capitalism was wiped out, and the Russian Orthodox Church was suppressed. As we all know, paradise didn't ensue. Instead Russia ended up with the Gulag Archipeligo. How could so many brilliant intellectuals be wrong? Well, perhaps brilliant intellectuals aren't as brilliant as they imagine. If you want to understand the modern world, and the pitfalls of seemingly wonderful utopian ideas, this is the book to read. The author is a highly-respected historian, not a journalist slanting the facts in an effort to convince you to vote for his or her favorite candidate.

All essays in this collection are remarkable but 'The Hedgehog and the Fox' is one of those essays that will take you on a trip to the relativity of truth and have you question both the physical and metaphysical through Berlin's eyes. There are many philosophical angles from which one can interpret Berlin's analysis of the Russian intelligentsia, the one that stands out the most is the question that defined nineteenth Russia, as well as Europe:'What is to be done?'

There are two strains of thought in the Russian intellectual circles of this time, the Slavophil movement and the Western-oriented intellectuals. Berlin notes that these were not organized political camps engaged in constant debates of any sort (as there was no political movement to speak of at this time in Russia) but rather unsystematic frames of thinking with which Russian intellectuals of the time identified.

The advocates of the Slavophil idea maintained that the salvation of Russia was to be found within Russia; that Russian lifestyle, Russian simplicity and modesty was superior to Western complex theories for the advancement of society. Berlin penetrates Tolstoy's consciousness and deciphers the characters and plots of War and Peace for what they represent i.e. the clash between Western scientific thought and the fundamentally Russian way of life. He argues that Tolstoy would have us believe that, in the end, it is the wise Russian General Kutuzov who wins, not because power or strategy had any significant consequence in the battle itself, but because he has not been infiltrated with Western military tactics and in part because he used his, to use Berlin's words "...Russian, untutored instinct..." and it is this Russian untutored instincts that Tolstoy wants to triumph over scientific rationality.

Western oriented intellectuals on the other hand, most of whom were in exile throughout Europe at this time, believed that the solution to Russia's problems could only come through the kind of reform being introduced in Western Europe, not necessarily the revolutionary kind, for Chadaaev the most ardent Western oriented mind in Russia at the time was by and far an ardent conservative who believed in aristocratic virtues, but a representational government like that of Britain.

Berlin engages Tolstoy in the center of nineteenth century European philosophical discourse on account of his views on simplicity (the hedgehog) and complexity (the fox) of both his work and personality (if we come to understand the simplicity to represent the adeptly Russian and the complexity to represent the ineptly Western European.) Tolstoy had managed or rather convinced himself that scientific theories are all assumptions and that if one is not exposed to these theories he/she has a better chance of knowing the truth, in Berlin's words "He [Tolstoy] believed that only by patient empirical observation could any knowledge be obtained; that this knowledge is always inadequate, that simple people often know the truth better than learned man, because their observations of men and nature are less clouded by empty theories, and not because they are inspired vehicles of the divine afflatus."

Berlin was a mastermind in interpreting and deciphering the Russian intellect, because his knowledge of Russia was unparalleled for his time, which is why this collection of essays is one of the best anthologies on the evolution of the Russian thought. Reading Berlin can sometimes be a frustrating experience because one feels that the interpretation of literature can only stretch to a certain limit and you wonder if indeed the author was trying to get to where Berlin is taking you or if is what Berlin wants to find in the subliminal nature of the author (in this case Tolstoy) and perhaps that's what attracts one to Berlin's brilliant mind.

Berlin is an interesting and I agree knowing commentator, but one gets the feeling that he understands there is something awry in Communism, but he's not quite sure what. His ideas of freedom are on the mark, but in the post-Communist world they don't quite get to the point. I highly reccomend papal biographer and political pholosopher George Weigel's recent commentaties, (available online). Liberalism was not and is not a sufficient answer to utopian ideology, which Berlin nevertheless correctly asserts will inevitably degenerate into totalitatianism. Even more, in the post-cold war world, relativism has usurped "true" freedom, which presents perhaps an even more dangerous problem than the Soviet one.

This book provides an excellent introduction to the history of Russian thought. I supplemented it with the pertinent chapters of Billington's "The Icon and the Axe" to piece together a general outline of the evolution of Russian political philosophy. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention to Berlin's own philosophizing, but then that wasn't my objective. I found one of his general observations about Russian thought to be particularly useful, i.e. the tendency to follow an idea through to its fullest consequences, no matter how extreme or objectionable. The book nicely sets the stage for how Marxism was able to take hold, showing that it was in some ways an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, intellectual development. The problem is, now that the book has allowed me to cobble together a general framework of Russian thought, the only possible next step is to start directly reading Hegel and Marx! And who wouldn't try to put off a daunting task like that?

This study of Russian thinkers is profound and moving. Isaiah Berlin was capable of writing about 'ideas' and their ' development' in a constantly fascinating way. His most well- known essay ' The Hedgehog and the Fox' is in this volume and it seems that Berlin himself was one of those who knew many things and wanted to know many things. His political ideas also took the shape of recognizing conflicting value systems as having validity even when those came from within a single person. Here he writes about the great Russian social and political thinkers Tolstoy, Herzen,Belinsky , Bakunin , Turgenev with characteristic insight, irony and sympathy.
This is a volume anyone interested in the history of ideas should not miss.

If you're looking for an intelligent, well thought out and organized guide to using tarot cards, this is the best I've ever found. It is not, strictly speaking, a traditional, Waite-deck, 'fortune-telling' approach. Originally published under the title, 'Choice Centered Tarot', this allows one to use the tarot as a guide to reflection, choice-making and everyday living. It can be used for creative projects and busting out of mental ruts. It is also easy to read, use and understand, and it's fun.

I've been reading for over 30 years, and this is *still* my absolute favorite tarot book. I like the different approach she takes to it, addressing symbolism and numerology, rather than just the meanings of the cards. I'm thinking about starting to teach classes and, if people can still get it, this is the book I'll use.

"The only limit to the ways the Tarot can be used is your own imagination. Each life event, each emotional interaction, each inner awareness, presents us with an opportunity to understand ourselves and our Universe better. Every new problem or question is a challenge; with each challenge we discover new ways of using the Tarot." - From the book

Author Gail Fairfield advocates a choice-centered approach to Tarot, which encourages Tarot readers and querents ("readees" as she calls them) to use the cards for making better life decisions. In her book Everyday Tarot, Fairfield explains the structure of a Tarot deck, the development of number (such as "Two-ness"), the four suits, designing a layout (card spread) and more.

An excellent book for both Tarot beginners and experienced readers, Everyday Tarot provides an overview of the Major and Minor Arcana. According to Fairfield, every card is neutral in value, i.e. neither good nor bad in and of itself. However, the meaning of the card can be stretched along the entire spectrum of positive or negative. She likens cards to rain: rain is neutral, but too much can cause a disastrous flood and too little can cause a drought. Determining whether a card is to be interpreted positively or negatively depends largely on a querent's personality, question, and spread position.

Regarding reversals, Fairfield doesn't feel that the basic card meaning is affected, although the way an individual experiences the concept may change quite a bit. Upright cards indicate that an individual is experiencing the concept in a public, clear, objective or obvious way. Reversals, however, indicate that an individual is experiencing the concept in a more subtle, private, subjective, internal way.

For each suit and card, the author provides General/Neutral meanings as well as Positive, Negative, Upright, and reversed.

Arguable the most intriguing part of Everyday Tarot is the development of number throughout the Minor Arcana. Fairfield groups all the Minors in sets of three, except the 10's and Kings. These groups describe four different cycles-each having a particular level. She explains that every triad contains THIS, THAT, and THE OTHER. THIS refers to something new that is established, THAT challenges, confronts, changes or expands THIS and THE OTHER resolves and integrates the interaction between THIS and THAT. For example, Aces start the first cycle of three (the conceptual level) and are THIS, while Two-ness solidifies or confirms the direction of the Ace (THAT). Three-ness (THE OTHER) then unifies the aggressive energy of the One/Ace with the stabilizing energy of the Two. (The way she explains these groupings and cycles are easier than it sounds.)

The 10's are described as "hesitating" and aren't included in the triads or cycles. The Kings represent a completion point, and thus are outside of the triads as well.

Everyday Tarot also includes information on the reading process, choosing a Tarot deck based on symbols, ways to use the cards, and expanding your reading skills.

Personally, I found a lot of new, helpful information in this book. For example, I hadn't considered numerical values all that much when performing Tarot readings, but Fairfield's methods are so sensible and accessible, that I've started employing her system. I am also enjoying exploring reversals as internalized versions of cards as opposed to interpreting them merely as blocks, hindrances, or opposites of upright meanings. Everyday Tarot has also provided me additional insight regarding the suit of Wands. Fairfield considers Wands the suit of "Self", representing personal growth, awareness, and personal direction. It's the suit asking, "Who am I and where am I going?"

I've highlighted my copy of Everyday Tarot to death, and refer to it often. Overall, it's probably the best Tarot book that I've read thus far. Fairfield writes in the engaging style of a fellow reader as opposed to some high-minded "expert" pontificating in brittle prose. Her explanations are clear, her organization is tight, and her methods are empowering to both the reader and the querent. At 153 pages, it's not a huge book, but it's packed with immediately useful information and new ways of looking at-and using-the Tarot.

Fairfield's take on the Tarot is a little different than what most of us are used to. She bases her meanings for the Minor Arcana solely on numerology rather than visual cues; her meanings for the cards are based on what the numbers mean to her. The result is an unusually positive meaning for each card--a little bit politically correct, IMHO. 5 of Pentacles? You're not having financial trouble, you're just going through a period of re-adjustment! *chuckle* While I'm sure these meanings would give a different slant to a tarot reading, I don't use them much because some of them differ vastly from the traditional meanings and from the artwork in my decks. I'm more story- and picture- oriented than number-oriented; I want to look at a card and sense its meaning intuitively, rather than having to look up a number in a book. The card itself, rather than any book, is the biggest clue to its meaning--at least the way I work. But there is room for all opinions, and besides, this book would work well if you were reading a deck with pips, or an ordinary playing card deck. Fairfield's system wasn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it won't be yours. The true treasure of this book is the last several chapters, which focus on doing readings. She provides suggestions about creating your own layouts, using the tarot for dream analysis, using the tarot to clarify yourself in a discussion, etc. She encourages the reader to do things her/his own way. And I can't argue with that.

Gail Fairfield's "Choice Centered Tarot" is one of my top 5 tarot books. Rather than a lot of superstitious fatalism, Fairfield offers us a worldview that embraces taking personal responsibility for our choices in the present moment in order to CREATE our futures. The tarot is presented as a tool for gaining insights into those choices so we can be more informed and conscious. The section on choosing a deck based on how certain facets of humanity are depicted in the card images is very helpful and thought-provoking. The section on designing your own layouts is deeply empowering! When I first read "Choice Centered Tarot" in the 1980s, it made a huge impact on my tarot work AND on my personal philosophy of life. It still does. Get it and use it!!!

I started this book knowing nothing about this important painter and finished it with a great understanding of both the man and his art.

Justin Spring's biography on Fairfield Porter, A Life In Art, is one of the most difficult and disturbing biographies I've read in some time. It's incredibly thorough, as if no piece of information was left out.

Most biographies are bound to reveal new information, but the amount here is overwhelming. Other reviews here on Amazon bring out the detail, so there's no point repeating it. If you're only familiar with Porter from an artisitic standpoint the biography of his family life, lifestyle, manners, and politics will be shocking and difficult to bring together.

While in the middle of reading this book I had to let it go for a few months and read other things then go back to it. Porter's activities in the late 1940's to the mid 1950's were especially difficult to reconcile considering the subject matter of his output.

It seems the frankness in tone of the biography is totally in tune with Porter's ways of communicating. I suspect if Porter had lived longer then such an autobiography probably would have been as revealing.

This book displays great beauty: the paper is beautiful, the writing is flawless and the subject matter (the art work) is cool and elegant. But the artist's life was a difficult & complex equation of contractions: he was born patrician, yet he was a leftist (he attended Socialist demonstrations in a chauffeur driven limousine); he was highly verbal and intellectual, yet he painted the coolest (visually abstract) emotion; he made realist art in an abstract art time; he was married yet he had sex with men; he was surrounded by a loving family, yet he remained remote and distant; he lived in the country, yet he was always running to the city; he was bright and balanced, yet his best (lifelong) friend was mentally deranged; he made the most stable art from the most unstable life; he was slender and active, yet he died early of a surprise heart attack; he was on the verge of greatness (and nearly penniless much of the time), but cared little for fame and less for money. This assortment of profound conflicts make for a great story, and the art works themselves tower above everything in their lofty remove, quiet dignity, and timeless spirit. Find out why that is so (and what it may mean for the history of 20th century art criticism) and read this haunting and very personal book you'll not forget.

Fairfield Porter's paintings have a strange pale quality, and they are flooded with light.His subjects are upper class domestic,and many of them are pale and etherial. He painted his family friends,and their pvt haunts beautifully. Little did most people realize he was a torn person,and probably can be better understood by this reading.I think what amazed me the most about this book was the incredible latent homosexual exsistence that paralled and co-existed within Porter's very homey and simmering homogenous realism.The bio details his social, artistic and private relationships with a younger generation of artists. This book is a portrait of a man at war with his sexuality. His ptngs are beautifully orchestrated, sensual, understated. A must for those that want to know more about Porter's life, and the different sides that lived inside him. A good read!I love artist bios.This is a worthy effort.

Justin Spring's Fairfield Porter: A Life In Art provides an excellent literary and intellectual biography, drawing important connections between Porter's social, artistic and personal lives and considering both his art and his position in the art world. Black and white and color photos pepper this in-depth biographical and artistic coverage.

I read this book over a three day long-weekend. I could not put it down. I think one of the reasons I found it riveting was that some months ago I had read Dennis Ross's book, "The Missing Peace" and the characters and events were all very familiar. In fact, when reading a book like Ross's or Enderlin's, it is quite likely one would forget some facts or events so, by reading a book with very similar detailed subject matter, the understanding is made easier. Ross's book was more polished and personal and Enderlin's book is more in a style of a documentary. In fact, a documentary was indeed made for Frontline and Enderlin's use of the present tense gives the impression that parts of his book would have been used as the verbatim documentary voice-over. E. Rodin's review is excellent (I concur with 90% of it) and suggest it is really worth reading so I won't repeat what he has written. I would simply like to add that I think blame can be apportioned to Arafat for the failure as they did get very close... and Araft could not accept what was a great offer, better than could be secured today. The book makes one realise why, today, having a peace conference as proposed by Bush could well be counter-productive. if agreement is not managed ahead of a summit, at the working level, another intifada could break out when the talks fail. The book has become quite topical as, this very week, Enderlin and FRANCE 2 have come under the spotlight as an Israeli Government offical has claimed again that Enderlin and his colleagues staged a hoax (being the imgage of a Palestinian boy being shot by Israeli soliders); Just Google news "Enderlin Al Dura" for a complete range of views from press etc. (only two articles below which I think are worth taking the time to read);

In essence, if the shooting was a hoax set up by Enderlin and his colleagues, and the boy was killed by Palestinian gunmen, then Odin's claim that Enderlin's views are unbiased do not hold up.

October 03, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Morton A. Klein, 212-481-1500
Top Israeli lawyer:
"Greatest journalistic hoax of the last century"


New York -- Seven years after the alleged killing by Israeli fire of a Palestinian boy, Muhammad Al-Durah, at the Netzarim Junction on September 30, 2000 during the first days of the Palestinian terror wave launched at Israel, the Israeli Government Press Office has officially rejected the France-2 Television report as a staged hoax. The Director of the Israel Government Press Office, Daniel Seaman, has issued a statement saying, "The events of that day were in fact staged by the network's cameraman in Gaza, Mr. Talal Abu Rahma" (Associated Press , October 1). Seaman stated that France-2 fabricated the events surrounding the death of al-Durah and cited in his letter an Israeli investigation that heard testimony from medical and legal experts and which determined that the events as described by France-2 were fabricated and defied the laws of physics ( Jerusalem Post, October 2). Seaman also wrote, "The creation of the myth of Muhammad al-Durah has caused great damage to the State of Israel. This is an explicit blood libel against the state. And just as blood libels in the old days have led to pogroms, this one has also caused damage and dozens of dead" ( Yediot Ahronot, October 2).


Investigations have shown that the angles of the IDF fire could not have hit Al-Durah and that the cameraman can be heard saying the boy is dead while the boy is still seen moving. During the past seven years, Israel has preferred not to confront the most popular television station in France, but following repeated requests by Shurat HaDin, Israel Law Center, Seaman issued his statement denying Israeli responsibility. The denial comes following a ruling in Paris by an Appellate Court Presiding Judge, Laurence Trebucq, in a defamation appeal of French journalist Philippe Karsenty, whom France-2 sued for defamation for questioning the veracity of its report on the events presented by its Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Charles Enderlin. Karsenty maintains that France-2 and Enderlin staged the incident with the active participation of their Gaza cameraman, Abu-Rahma.


Enderlin, who was not actually present on the scene at the time, produced a report which was distributed free to the international media and which alleged that Israeli fire has killed the boy. However, Enderlin's report utilized 55 seconds of selected footage, shot by a Palestinian Arab cameraman, Talal Abu Rahmeh, none of which shows al-Durah actually being killed, let alone by Israeli fire. The full footage has been viewed by three journalists -- Jeambar, Leconte, and Rosenzweig -- who have testified that it consists of 24 minutes of staged scenes, with no images of the al-Durah boy and his father and no trace of the boy's "death throes" that Enderlin claimed to have been filmed but later edited out because it was "unbearable." As former Israeli cabinet minister and Soviet Jewish dissident, Natan Sharansky, observes, " All three [journalists] concluded that it comprised blatantly staged scenes of Palestinians being shot by Israeli forces, and that France 2's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Charles Enderlin had lied to conceal that fact " (Wall Street Journal , October 2). Judge Trebucq has ruled that France-2 must provide the whole, unedited 27 minutes of footage. ( Pajamas Media, September 20).


The impact of this alleged killing has been extensive. It was cited by the murderers of the Wall Street Journal's Daniel Pearl. Postage stamps bearing al-Durah's crouched image have been issued in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia; a street in Baghdad and a square in Morocco bear his name, while many schools across the Arab world are named after him. His image has even been reproduced on a designer dress in Saudi Arabia. Throughout Europe, and particularly in France, Muslims have used al-Durah as a rallying cry in their attacks against Jews, which broke out shortly after the Durah film was broadcast.


As Sharansky notes, "if, as Mr. Karsenty and others have claimed persuasively, the al-Dura incident is part of the insidious trend in which Western media outlets allow themselves to be manipulated by dishonest and politically motivated sources (recall the Jenin "massacre" that never was, or the doctored Reuters photos from Israel's war against Hezbollah in 2006), then France 2 must be held accountable. It is important to note that the al-Dura news report profoundly influenced Western public opinion. When I served in the Israeli government as minister of Diaspora Affairs from 2003 to 2005, I traveled frequently to North American college campuses. I heard first hand how Mohammed al-Dura had shaped the perceptions of young people just beginning to follow events in the Middle East. For many Jewish students, the incident was a stain of dishonor that called into question their support for Israel. For anti-Israel students, the story reaffirmed their sense of Zionism's innately "racist" nature and became a tool for recruiting campus peers to the cause. "


Shurat HaDin Chairwoman Nitzana Darshan-Leitner said that, "This was perhaps the greatest journalistic hoax perpetrated in the last hundred years " (Israel National News, October 3). She also stated that, "Among other things, we plan to petition the High Court of Justice and demand the journalist certificates and other GPO certificates are revoked from all France-2 crew members in Israel -- reporters, cameramen, produces, etc -- as long as the network does not publicly announce that the al-Dura report was staged and was biased. In addition, Shurat HaDin is considering filing a damages claim for the accumulated damage the report has caused, and specifically for the line of attacks and riots it has led to. This modern-day blood libel has led to the death of hundreds of Arabs and Jews and has ignited hatred" (Israel National News, October 2).


ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "We welcome the Israeli Government Office making an official statement on the case. We are also pleased that the Israel Defense Forces have called for the release of the full footage of the incident. The absence in the past of official statements harmed the cause of seeking the truth. Indeed, the original judgment of defamation against Philippe Karsenty was in great part due to the absence of official Israeli denial and complaint about the France-2 report, something which was specifically cited in the original judgment. The ZOA has been calling for some time for France-2 to release the full footage surrounding the alleged killing of Muhammad al-Durah, and this statement will help gather momentum for uncovering the whole truth about this episode which has inspired so much hatred and terrorism against Israel and Jews around the world. We call upon France-2 to revoke Enderlin's credentials. This event makes it clear that no-one can ever trust any future allegations of alleged Israeli atrocities stemming from PA officials and Palestinian media, all of which are under the direction and control of the PA or other Palestinian terror organizations."





Israeli Official Joins Fight Over Palestinian Image (New York Times, Oct 3, 2007)
There have always been doubts about the authenticity of a video clip showing the shooting death of a Palestinian boy, two days after the second Palestinian uprising began in 2000.
In the Arab world, the original report by a French TV network -- which said that Israeli troops had deliberately shot the boy -- still carries tremendous iconic power. An image taken from the footage, above, has been printed on postage stamps, and the name of the boy, Muhammad al-Dura, has been invoked by suicide bombers and Osama bin Laden.
But the video is dismissed as a hoax in other quarters. In France, a lawsuit continues over the authenticity of the tape, and similar doubts are raised elsewhere. Skeptics argue that artful editing and overreaching reporting obscured the fact that the boy was probably shot by Palestinian gunmen during a street clash with Israeli soldiers.
In Israel, the right-wing Israel Law Center petitioned the Government Press Office to pursue criminal charges against France 2 and revoke the network's press credentials. The petition was rejected recently, but the deliverer of the rejection also happened to be a bold civil servant intent on breaking with the longtime preference of the Israeli government to stay out of the debate.
The official, Daniel Seaman, made clear in his letter denying the petition that he agreed with those who say France 2 "essentially staged" the shooting video to shift blame for the boy's death to Israeli soldiers. Here's one of the emphatic statements, as reported by Ynet, an Israeli news site:
The creation of the myth of Muhammad al-Dura has caused great damage to the State of Israel. This is an explicit blood libel against the state. And just as blood libels in the old days have led to pogroms, this one has also caused damage and dozens of dead.
Another excerpt was published in another account:
This report became the blood libel of modern times that shows that Jewish soldiers kill children in cold blood. This fomented the Arab world and caused many casualties in Israel and the world.
Charles Enderlin, the correspondent who filed the original 2000 video report to France 2, said today that he stood behind it, as does his network. "This is not the first time Daniel Seaman voices these false accusations," Mr. Enderlin told Agence France-Presse. He was not in Gaza that fateful day himself; his report used video images shot by a Palestinian member of his team.
Mr. Seaman's letter prompted Pajamas Media, a right-leaning Web site in the United States that has been closely following the case, to run the headline, "Israel Officially Declares Al Dura Footage Staged." And others were similarly direct.
But Israel has not officially declared anything. The prime minister's office pointedly refused today to endorse Mr. Seaman's letter, according to a statement to AFP:
We were never shown Seaman's letter, we are not familiar with its contents, and have not approved it.
Haaretz added yet another shade of gray to the affair: Mr. Seaman apparently received approval for his letter from the prime minister's legal adviser.
In a phone interview, Mr. Seaman said he's followed this case closely from the beginning, and is completely confident in his conclusion. He said the letter, which was written in Hebrew, supported his argument with information from reports in The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic Monthly, from independent sleuths like Second Draft and from official investigations.
Alas, a final answer of sorts remains elusive, although an official statement from the Israeli government becomes more likely as the Israel Law Center appeals the matter up the Israeli court ladder.
Another holy grail of the controversy is the full, unedited video footage from that day, which a French court has now demanded. In 2005, France 2 showed the original tape to an International Herald Tribune reporter, but did not answer crucial questions:
The footage of the father and son under attack lasts several minutes, but does not clearly show the boy's death. There is a cut in the scene that France 2 executives attribute to the cameraman's efforts to preserve a low battery.
In the 2003 Atlantic Monthly piece cited by Mr. Seaman, James Fallows both rejected the video and acknowledged that the true circumstances hardly mattered.
"Even if evidence that could revise the understanding of this particular death were widely accepted," he wrote, "it would probably have no effect on the underlying hatred and ongoing violence in the region."

Although Enderlin's book was published in 2003 it is important and timely. Its importance resides in the fact that the author, as Bureau Chief of France 2 (the French equivalent of PBS), had direct access to most of the principal actors in the peace-process and his location in Jerusalem as well as his dual French-Israeli citizenship provide for unbiased reporting.
The timeliness of the book results from two aspects. One: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fester with no end in sight and influences U.S. political decisions in regard to the rest of the Middle East especially: Syria, Iraq and Iran. Two: Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, both former prime Ministers, are again candidates by their respective parties for the Prime Ministership in Israel's next election. Knowing a person's past behavior allows, to a certain extent, a reasonable prediction for the future. Enderlin shows us the character flaws of both individuals and how these have led to the collapse of the peace process.
In contrast to the propaganda Americans are still exposed to in regard to the failure of the Camp David II negotiations, which places the blame exclusively on Yasir Arafat, Enderlin shows that the process was doomed from the start. The confidence building measures namely adherence to the Wye River agreement, which had been negotiated previously by Netanyahu, were not observed by Barak who instead insisted that everything would be solved by this final status agreement. Arafat thought that it would be impossible to do so in a hastily arranged two week meeting for a conflict on which the partners show wide disagreements. The most egregious ones were: the borders of the Palestinian state, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, the fate of the settlements and Jerusalem which both sides regard as their capital. The Jerusalem problem is compounded by the question of sovereignty over the Temple Mount which, as Haram al Sharif, is the third holiest site of the Muslim world. The American failure to understand that Arafat could not single handedly make decisions on this vital topic, without agreement by the other Arab nations, was an important aspect for the failure of the talks.
For these reasons Arafat did not want a meeting which was supposed to be the "end all and be all." He agreed to come only after he had received President Clinton's assurance that he would not be blamed if the talks were to collapse. As we know Clinton did not keep this promise.
There were numerous reasons why the actual talks failed: Barak never negotiated with Arafat personally and even refused to engage in private conversations with him during dinner; there was no fixed agenda and no protocols were kept, everything was negotiated orally; the "American" proposals had to be vetted by the Israelis before they could be presented to the Palestinians; sessions went on throughout all hours of the night rather than on a fixed timetable. As everybody knows, when people are sleep deprived tempers tend to flare and agreements become difficult to achieve. The fact that the American negotiators were for the most part Jewish was also a hindrance. Although Enderlin doesn't mention it Swisher's book The Truth about Camp David, which should also be consulted, pointed out that Hillary Clinton was during that time locked in a race for the vacant New York Senate seat. This was an additional factor which prevented Bill Clinton from "leaning" on the Israelis even if he had wanted to do so.
Under these circumstances it is remarkable that a considerable rapprochement of views was actually accomplished upon which further negotiations could and did in fact proceed. They were however thwarted by the political process. In the U.S. Clinton's term of office was over and the Bush administration was not interested. In Israel Barak ruled with a minority government and had to call for elections against Sharon who was violently opposed to any concessions towards the Palestinians. Within Palestine the people had not seen any improvement in their lives during the prolonged peace process and to the contrary had to watch more of their land being expropriated for settlement building. They had become increasingly furious and the second Intifada erupted which provided the pretext for ending all negotiations.
Since the accuracy of Enderlin's presentation is vouched for by Israeli as well as Palestinian negotiators the book can be highly recommended to anyone who is interested in this vital topic. The book should also be required reading for all presidential office seekers as well as members of Congress.

Charles Enderlin (a French journalist in Jerusalem) has done a great service not only to Israelis and Palestinians but also to American observers of the conflict. With his inside access to the negotiators, Enderlin gives the reader a vast amount of primary material.

What were the two sides discussing? How did the negotiations work? Why did the summit at Camp David fail? Did either side really want peace? Enderlin has his answers, but he also gives the reader the opportunity to make his/her own judgments.

As Beilin, Sher, Ben-Ami, Ross, and others publish accounts as participants in the process, it is very helpful to have Enderlin's book as a resource. For anyone interested in understanding the failed attempt to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Enderlin's book will be essential reading.

As someone who has done alot of research on the middle east, having read countless books on the matter and journals, I can honestly say that no present account is better than Enderlin's account of the failed peace process. The main reason are his sources. Most of his sources are all the people involved, from Shimon Peres, to the european delegation, Palestinian ministers, transcripts between Clinton and the leaders, even transcripts of Syria's Assad! The book is very fair in the sense that it does not place an emotional blame, just describes what happened and who did what. If you want to understand where we are now and how the tragic mistakes of the past can be avoided, read this book. You will not regret it.

This book is most interesting as it shows you how each side ( US, Palestinian, Israel) approached the peace negotiations process and how misunderstandings, political pressures, fundamental policy differences, promises made by one & retracted by another, the lack of preparation and trust lead all contributed to the failure of the Clinton Peace talks.

It is truely a behind the scenes view of the entire process.

It also covers how each side, especially the Israelis, managed the peace process. The management of press reports(pages 215 to 217)is just one aspect that I found most enlightning.

I would make this book required reading for anyone engaged in the study/practice of international negotiations.

This book will inspire even those who you thought would never pick up a book, let alone finish one. I read this book in the ninth grade and now at age 34 I not only push this book for any kid who is just not in the right place, or going in the wrong direction, this book is just for them. I was inspired by this book and so will you. An awesome and easy read, but please be warned, once you pick it up it is really hard to put down!

It's been a while since I last read this book, but I was in Jr high at Mickle middle school in Lincoln. It was less than ten years that the events took place if I recall right. It seemed like all north side schools had us reading this book.

Bottom line, it was so close to home, it has remained in my head and every time I see reports on drugs and kids, I can't help but to be reminded of this story. When I was younger I thought it was all [...], but now I see what it's all about.

You can't "just say no" but if your kids read, then you need to have this book for your kids.

I am from Lincoln, Nebraska, and I remember reading this book while I was a teenager. I went to each area of Lincoln where the action of the book takes place and imagined it played out in my head. The description of the locations is perfect, the characters are real and as complex as any of S.E. Hinton's angst ridden teens. Even now, at 25 years old, I am adding this book to my X-mas wish list. Not only did I relate to this book, but it inspired me. I plan to keep it on my bookshelf for my children...right next to Judy Blume and Shel Silverstein.

This is a great book for at risk students or those interested in learning about at risk children. The author does a great job describing the atmosphere and lifestyle that a troubled teen lives through everyday. The book is about a 14-year-old boy in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is not a huge metropolitan city. Yes, children in your community can be at risk.

When I discovered this book, Professor Dell was suffering from dementia, and did not understand that his manuscript of some 50 years earlier had been published. His daughter discovered it, dust-coverd in the attic. Dr. Dell was best known for his poetry, which like his prose, is clear, true and compelling. He was a man who used simple words to express complex emotions. I have always aspired to follow his lead. George Dell taught forever at Capital University, a small Lutheran college about eight miles from Ohio State in Columbus. Reading The Earth Abideth, you realize you are experiencing the work of a great American writer, who is great at writing about America. In the book's first sentence, his description of the osage orange tree is so well-crafted that you will remember it long after you forget what the trees look like in your own front yard. The story is about a man and his family, not unlike any of us and our families. As you begin to live his life along with Thomas Linthorne, you might as well be in his house, in the barn, in the fields. The events and emotions are basic, raw, believeable. You won't be able to put the book down. Thank you George Dell.

George Dell took me on a a 299-page trip back in Ohio time, and I never wanted to come back. From his no-nonsense introduction to Thomas Linthorne's Sunday afternoon in April, 1866 on page 3, to Thomas' death on another Sunday afternoon in June,about 50 years later, Dell's writing is just right: not too thick, not too thin; just enough to fill you up, and make you wish there was more than just this 1986 story from the 85 year old, smooth-writing Dell.

I started Dell's post-civil War Ohio story of his returning veteran on the Wednesday night after book club, falling asleep around the time the first baby was born. The book called to me at work the next day; I had to leave at noon, taking half a vacation day to finish it. Thomas, wife Kate, and children Hocking, Charlotte, Faith, and Grover are a typical Ohio farm family of the late 19th century - but touched by the same struggles of any family of the this century. Religious faith versus agnosticism, career versus family, and the challenges of neighbors and children all touch the same nerves.

Dell's language has a hint of the Homeric - his "frost-blanched sky" on page 3 signals the epic journey to come. It is a odyssey worth taking, filled with temptations, truth, and consequences. Rnjoy the scenery; the pace is perfect, and the company outstanding. I hope my Ohio ancestors lived lives half as thoughtful, and at least as hopeful, as Dell's Linthorne family.

I have read this book over, and over, and over again, and I never tire of it. It truly is a treasure. By reading it, you absorb a bit of history, and you benefit from experiencing triumph, joy, heartache and sadness, religion, even humor. Almost like 'Little House on The Prairie' with quite a bit of spice.

This book is full of great information for the dedicated aquarium hobbyist. However, it can be a bit technically taxing for a sit down read or if you are just entering into the hobby. Even still, it is worth the effort to read as it contains priceless information from a well-known expert on fish keeping including practical solutions to keep fish not only alive, but healthy. Read this book and learn how to make your aquarium inhabitants thrive.

At first glance it is physically not what you would call a big book, (keep in mind not all good things come in big packages), I liked the fact that it was published by Barron's, which would mean plenty of current and new graphics unlike other publishers out there. I was right.

Now to look at the cover for the first time. Nice title "A Commonsense Guide To Fish Health" the title says it all. Unlike most books we have read this one does not dive right in to the problem and then prescribes a miracle cure medicaton. Instead we are lead into the murky waters of fishdom's medical field slowly and intelligently in eight chapters that are very easy to read and provide a lot of insight as well as tried and proved methods of addressing some of the more common and even some of the not so common fish health related problems.

Chapter 1 covers stress and it causes and the importance of the aquarium habitat, wich leads to the next chapter on water quality, a very well step, again emphesizing the importance of the environment of the captive animal over a pound of cure. It is in this chapter that the importance of filters are discussed and water quality parameters are explained.

Chapter 3 then gives us the next thing on platter for good fish health, nutrition. Covering more than just the basics on what to feed, Terry goes on to share a couple of his very own recipies for a home made frozen food. A word of warning from both he and I on this, make sure you do not anger the significant other by using the brand new food processor or blender.

Chapter 4 covers Disease and dissection. Covering such things as equipment and a section on euthanasia, and disease identification. This leads us to chapter 5 wich covers parasites and their treatment. Chapter 6 covers bacterial and fungal infections and their cures. Chapter 7 covers viruses and their prevention with chapter 8 covering miscellanous maladies.

Overall it is a fresh new look at an age old problem(s). With plenty of pictures and graphs.

This book is great!! it is easy to read and makes some information that could be presented in a very complex way very understandable and applicable to managing a quality organization. This should be required reading in management courses!

In "Corporate Culture and the Quality Organization," James Fairfield-Sonn leads readers through a journey on quality. To understand the roots of thinking on the topic of quality, the book begins with a historical perspective including the views of the early writers on quality improvement - Deming, Juran, and Crosby. Dr. Fairfield-Sonn then provides a big picture perspective on the importance of creating a quality culture as well as specifics on making quality happen. Dr. Fairfield-Sonn also discusses the emerging challenges organizations face, including nurturing a learning environment. Written in a logical, easy to follow format, the book includes relevant examples from Dr. Fairfield-Sonn's work as a management consultant.

Have you, the individual investor, read books by Larry Swedroe, Burton Maklkiel, and John Bogle? Do you think you now know a great deal about investing? If so, STOP. DO NOT PASS GO. BUY THIS BOOK.

Once discovered this text will become an investment classic. For the average investor it will challenge your thinking, present some very valuable insights that otherwise might be ignored, and reinforce some sound principles of investing.

Following an introductory examination of the long-term performance among various asset classes and the risks to investors posed by inflation, Bruce Temkin then delves into the impact of taxes upon real investment rates of return. He then aids the investor in understanding market volatility and various types of risks. Additional insights follow in his frank discussion of personal risk factors, investment time horizons, the role of (and limits of) diversification, and the role emotions can play in making investment decisions. Charts and graphs throughout the 258 pages help explain and reinforce the concepts presented.

Throughout this book Bruce Temkin challenges us to carefully consider the steady diet we have been fed of misleading historical charts, the illusion of "average" rates of return, and longevity statistics. Mr. Temkin effectively explains why both "conservative" and "aggressive" investment portfolios can be far riskier than many investors think, and why investment portfolios should be (and must be) rebalanced periodically.

The author scatters various insights throughout the easy to follow text - precious nuggets to absorb, contemplate, and apply to your individual situation. For example, he summarizes the benefits and limitations of financial software programs, including those employing Monte Carlo simulations. Also, he effectively conveys to the reader in several places the central theme that there are no guarantees in investing.

Think you know it all, or most of it? This book is clearly for you. To quote the author, "When it comes to investing, feeling invincible can be dangerous. It can lead investors to overlook the principles that significantly contributed to their success in the first place."

This is perhaps not the first book the beginning individual investor should read. But this is the one book on investing that should not be overlooked by investors and their advisors. This book will challenge your thinking, whatever level of experience you may possess. This is one book that deserves to be read carefully not only a first time, but every several months again, lest the individual investor think he or she has explored all there is to consider in investment and financial planning decision-making.

Candid and insightful, this text is a must read for those seriously interested in investing and financial planning.

This book is out of print and Mr. Temkin has only himself to blame. He could have chosen any number of titles for his book, such as "How To Be a Complete Idiot and Still Get Very Rich Very Quick." Instead, he chose a title that implies that investing might not be the all that easy. What is worse, he published his book in 1999, when the stock markets were not quite at the end of a prolonged period of much higher than average returns and much lower average volatility.

This is not a book about how to buy stocks and bonds. It will not tell you what mutual fund to buy. What is does contain is a very good explication of what is actually known about investing strategy, based on the historical data as first assembled and analyzed by Ibbotson and Sinquefield in the early 1970s. The information on offer here is especially valuable at a time when more and more of us are responsible for saving enough for our retirement needs. Among other useful things, this books explains: why you may need more money for retirement than you think; why you may not be as diversified as you think; why your investments may be riskier than you think (or, perhaps, thought, up until the last three years); how diversification can reduce but not eliminate risk; why investment mixes with higher volatility can reduce your total returns; why you have an investment strategy even if you don't think you do; why the handy investment software programs you find on the Internet may be misleading you about your retirement savings needs; why life cycle investing advice is often oversimplified; and, perhaps most importantly, why your psychological reactions to swings in the markets may cause you to make bad decisions.

Perhaps, in the light of the experience of the last three years, we have reached what another investment writer called "the educable moment" and we are ready to absorb some of the terrible truths about investing that Mr. Temkin teaches. Some clever publisher ought to get Mr. Temkin to do another edition of this book and promote it as being by the-investment-guru-who-was-smart-enough-to-know-the-stock-market-would-go-down-again-some-day. Maybe they could call it "The Completely Easy Way to Get Rich in a Hurry in Spite of the Fact That You're an Utter Fool" or something like that.