Am I My Brother’s Keeper? An interview with Dan Ornstein

Dan Ornstein leads Congregation Ohav Shalom in Albany, New York. He blogs at the Times of Israel and Jewish Values Online, and contributes essays at WAMC Northeast Public Radio. His latest book is Cain v. Abel: A Jewish Courtroom Drama (Jewish Publication Society, 2020). This interview originally appeared on jps.org. What made you cast the Cain and Abel story as a trial? As I mention in the book, one day I was sitting in jury selection for a criminal trial at our local county courthouse. The presiding judge took great care in advising all of us about our grave responsibilities to seek the … Continue reading Am I My Brother’s Keeper? An interview with Dan Ornstein

Publicist Picks: Courtroom Dramas, Prairie Socialism, and Other April Books

Jackson Adams and Anna Weir are publicists at UNP. Today they share their thoughts about a couple upcoming titles they’re particularly excited about as readers. The books in this discussion will be published in April. Jackson Adams: So much of the national political conversation around the Democratic Primary has centered on “electability,” a metric that mostly takes a half-hearted guess at what another, not entirely well-defined person wants to see in a candidate. At best, it often can be used to determine where and how campaigns should spend money and, more often, it’s used as a cudgel, both against candidates and an electorate. What I … Continue reading Publicist Picks: Courtroom Dramas, Prairie Socialism, and Other April Books

From the Desk of Jonathan Greenspan: California’s Early History

Jonathan Greenspan is the son of Sophie Greenspan (1906-1990), who was the first English-language broadcaster for the underground Voice of Israel and author of Westward with Fremont and Masada Will Not Fall Again, both now available in paperback editions. Solomon … Continue reading From the Desk of Jonathan Greenspan: California’s Early History

Publicist Picks: Poetry, Heroism, Failed Utopias, and Other March Books

Jackson Adams and Anna Weir are publicists at UNP. Today they share their thoughts about a couple upcoming titles they’re particularly excited about as readers. The books in this discussion will be published in March. Anna Weir: Here we go, spring season! I dunno … Continue reading Publicist Picks: Poetry, Heroism, Failed Utopias, and Other March Books

The Marketeers Club: Best of 2019

The following is an accumulation of 2019 publicity thoughts from Anna Weir, Jackson Adams, and Rosemary Sekora.  Well, 2019 was a rocking year for the University of Nebraska Press. Throughout the year, our books and authors were highlighted in national … Continue reading The Marketeers Club: Best of 2019

History is a Call and Response: New Books on Abraham Joshua Heschel

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–72) was a rabbi, scholar, and philosopher. In 1937 Martin Buber appointed him as his successor at the central organization for Jewish adult education in Frankfurt am Main. In time he became one of the most influential modern … Continue reading History is a Call and Response: New Books on Abraham Joshua Heschel