My People: A History of the Jews

Random House Trade, 1968. Reprint. Fifth Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good in good dust jacket. DJ has some wear, soiling, tears and chips. Gift inscription from Herbert Tarr! ! !. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. [10], 534 p. Illustrations. Picture credits. Name Index. Subject Index. From Wikipedia: "Herbert Tarr (1929 18 November 1993), born Herbert Targovik, was an American Reform rabbi who left his pulpit to become a novelist and humorist, believing he could reach more people that way because "religion is basically out of touch with people." Tarr was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brooklyn College, graduating magna cum laude. Later he earned advanced degrees in a number of academic areas, including philosophy, contemporary literature and drama, from institutions including Herzliah Hebrew Teachers Institute-Jewish Teachers Seminary, Columbia University, and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He was ordained as a rabbi in 1955 and entered the United States Air Force to serve as a military chaplain. This experience inspired some of his first novel, The Conversion of Chaplain Cohen. In it, he explore how a young civilian rabbi was "converted" to the role of a military chaplain who helps men and women of all faiths. Following his service as a chaplain, Tarr served as the rabbi of a synagogue in Buffalo, New York. In 1960, he moved to a congregation in Westbury, New York. In 1963 he decided to leave the pulpit to pursue a career as a novelist full-time, believing that he could be more effective in terms of reaching others that way. He wrote with humor, through stories that carried values and ideals. Tarr used his experiences as a pulpit rabbi and military chaplain to inform his writings, and also used his rabbinic knowledge. For example, his novel, A Time for Loving, is based on the Biblical book, The Song of Solomon (also known as the Song of Songs).