Actual color photo of Bukharan Jews from a Century Ago

A hundred years ago, a color photo was almost always one that had been hand-tinted (painted). I said "almost always" for a reason. In August, the Boston Globe published an amazing series of actual color photos taken between 1909 and 1912, surveying the Russian Empire. They are truly amazing. Image 16 of the ones published by the Globe shows a rabbi and students in Samarkand, the heart of the Bukharan Jewish community.

A group of Jewish children with a teacher in Samarkand, (in modern Uzbekistan), ca. 1910. Google Map, (Prokudin-Gorskii Collection/LOC) #

To see the rest of the photos, click here:
Russia in color, a century ago - The Big Picture - Boston.com

To learn more about the Uzbek, or Bukharan Jews, see: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Bukharan_Jews.html.

Thanks to Jodi Paley for bringing these amazing photos to my attention!

New Novel about the Jewish-British Experience

The Finkler Question a new novel about the Jewish-British experience just won the coveted Booker Prize.
Howard Jacobson on His Booker Prize - NYTimes.com

Walking the Bible (children's edition) on sale

Walking the Bible: An Illustrated Journey for Kids Through the Greatest Stories Ever Told, by Bruce Feiler and Sasha Meret, is a terrific illustrated (with historic maps and contemporary photos) book that would be a wonderful complement to my sixth graders' study of Biblical Israel. It's currently on huge discount at Amazon.

PA adopts textbook, banned in Israel, offering both sides' narratives - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

PA adopts textbook, banned in Israel, offering both sides' narratives - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Keith Kahn-Harris: Let's hear it for Jewish metal music | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

During my sixth grade class this past Sunday, one of the students mentioned that Gene Simmons is Jewish. (BTW This comment was actually on topic.) My sister then mentioned how one of her neighborhood carpool moms was wearing a "Heavy Shtetl" (vs. "Heavy Metal") t-shirt. I WANT that shirt. I Googled "Heavy Shtetl" and discovered two things: a really cool article about Jews and metal music (Keith Kahn-Harris: Let's hear it for Jewish metal music | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk) and the My Space page of an actual band called Heavy Shtetl (http://www.myspace.com/heavyshtetl). Still no "Heavy Shtetl" t-shirt, though.

New and Notable Books for Children Spring 2010

From the Association of Jewish Libraries... new_and_notable_books_children2010.pdf (application/pdf Object)