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Burglar Story - I loaned the book to a friend whose home was robbed. He had left the book on top of his computer for return to me. Alas, his home was burglarized and THE BOOK was stolen, but not his computer!
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One of the reviews was the Rabbi of the very congregation the book is based on "Marc Angel". He wrote: "Birmingham is so eager to show that the "Grandees" are aloof and snobby, that he ignores reality. He interprets things as he wants them to be, not as they are." Rabbi Angel also wrote: "His book is plagued with factual inaccuracies and poor historical perspectives. Unfortunately, many Jews and non-Jews are reading the book and are having their opinions molded by it because they know little or nothing about Sephardim."
The well-respected Sephardic scholar David N. Barocas wrote of the Grandees: "To rely on hearsay information, or to select at random passages from books and then try to weave them into the fabric of one's text or report constitutes in the final analysis a combination of misstatements, incomplete truths and factual omissions tending to present a perverted opinion of an innocent people."
There are many good books out there which are acurate, unfortunatly this is not one of them. It was written by an outsider of the community. It is biased, and does give a good example of the Sephardic community.
Rodolfo Carbonell
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The Foundation For The Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture wrote: "...Mr. Birmingham addressed a gathering on October 10th, 1968 at Shearith Israel [the very congregation he writes about in his book], Mr. Louis N. Levy, the president of the Foundation, asked Mr. Birmingham whether he proposed to write on the Balkan Sephardim. For some reason the audience burst into laughter and the answer was not heard."
One of the reviews was the Rabbi of the very congregation the book is based on "Marc Angel". He wrote: "Birmingham is so eager to show that the "Grandees" are aloof and snobby, that he ignores reality. He interprets things as he wants them to be, not as they are." Rabbi Angel also wrote: "His book is plagued with factual inaccuracies and poor historical perspectives. Unfortunately, many Jews and non-Jews are reading the book and are having their opinions molded by it because they know little or nothing about Sephardim."
The well-respected Sephardic scholar David N. Barocas wrote of the Grandees: "To rely on hearsay information, or to select at random passages from books and then try to weave them into the fabric of one's text or report constitutes in the final analysis a combination of misstatements, incomplete truths and factual omissions tending to present a perverted opinion of an innocent people."
There are many good books out there which are acurate, unfortunatly this is not one of them. It was written by an outsider of the community. It is biased, and does give a good example of the Sephardic community.
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It is an elite group, whose roots go way back to the founding of this nation. It's members have married each other, fought in wars, endowed universities and cultural institutions, made policy decisions, held elected office, and in some of their less guarded moments, gotten themselves involved in scandals.
We learn, and start to understand how American aristocrats think and what their values are. What we learn is that these people live by a code: Noblesse oblige. They are all about serving their country, community families and friends. They are about making a contribution to this nation.
The Author spent several months conducting interviews with members of this elite group, from the east coast to the west coast, with stops in between. What he discovers and what we finally see, is the insiders view of the organizations & secret societies that serve and support this group, as well as the strong and determined personalites that keep things rolling. We also get a rare behind the scenes history lesson. We learn more about John Jay, the Astors, the Randolphs of Virginia, the Browns of Newport and who the Boston Brahmins really are. Each story is truly fascinating.
America's Secret Aristocracy is a real eye opener, and not just about a group of elites who have played mega roles for hundreds of years in this nation. It is a fuller history of this nation. It is a book that fills in many historical gaps, and that makes it well worth having!