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BOOK PROFILE FIGURES LIE, LIARS FIGURE By Noel N. Kriftcher These first books about the Bernard Madoff debacle begin to measure the magnitude and the human dimensions of Madoff's criminal enterprise. Andrew Kirtzman HarperCollins, 2009. 279 pp. $25.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-187076-7 Sheryl Weinstein St. Martin’s Press, 2009. 224 pp. $23.99 ISBN: 978-0-312-61837-7 Jerry Oppenheimer John Wiley & Sons, 2009. 256 pp. $24.95 ISBN: 978-0-470-50498-7 BETRAYAL: THE LIFE AND LIES OF BERNIE MADOFF MADOFF’S OTHER SECRET: LOVE, MONEY, BERNIE, AND ME MADOFF WITH THE MONEY ly move and uproot their children. However, Suzy Eban does not regret the choices she and her husband made. She cites the comments of peers and even opponents who realized after “Abba’s” death what a brilliant, talented man her husband was. This beautifully written, intelligent, and comprehensive memoir will reward readers interested in a behind-thescenes understanding of Israeli history and politics. DS 36 Jewish Book World Spring 5770/2010 SURVIVING Akira Ohiso and Ellie Ohiso Zinc Plate Press, 2008. 71 pp. $36.95 ISBN: 978-0-6152-4147-0 Erin Arvedlund Portfolio, 2009. 310 pp. $25.95 ISBN: 978-1-59184-287-3 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE: THE RISE AND FALL OF BERNIE MADOFF If only the walls on floors seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen of New York’s Lipstick Building, where Bernard Madoff had his offices, could talk! Then we might learn who abetted him in his Ponzi scheme and when these crimes began. These are the central questions in these first books about, in Jerry Oppenheimer’s assertion, “the most reviled thief who ever lived.” The disproportionate impact which l’affaire Madoff had on Jewish philanthropy and image continues to reverberate. Organizations such as Yeshiva University and Hadassah, and icons such as Elie Weisel, were caught up in this scandal. Thousands of ordinary investors who felt comfortable investing with someone they felt they could trust because someone with whom they shared meals and social evenings also trusted him were devastated. The reigning emotions for this community continue to be anger and financial ruin, loss of trust and embarrassment, which explains why these books may be of interest to Jewish Book World readers. Andrew Kirtzman examines Madoff’s life, from his teenage years to his arrest and sentencing. He focuses on the unremarkable life Madoff led, reflecting his assumption of opulence and excess through the words of some of his classmates, investors, and associates. The most compelling character he introduces to the reader is Harry Markopoulous, whose suspicions led him early on to tip off the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the likelihood that Madoff was a fraud and a crook, only to be “debriefed, thanked, and shown the door.” Kirtzman describes Madoff’s self-serving explanation, that he “was a good man who got into trouble late in his career and couldn’t get out of it,” but this was as fraudulent as the statements he issued to his investors. Kirtzman concludes that “the facts point to his launching his criminal operation when he was in his twenties,” fully fifty years earlier. The author’s talent as a reporter is evident in this excellent introduction to the human dimensions of the Madoff disaster. He reveals his revulsion for Madoff, particularly when he notes that the elderly clothing manufacturer Carl Shapiro treated him like a member of his own family: “Bernie preyed on that loyalty to help salvage his criminal enterprise” by soliciting additional funds even at the end, when he knew that there was virtually no chance that Shapiro would ever see his money again. Erin Arvedlund reaches a similar conclusion regarding the longevity of Madoff’s criminal enterprise in her book. She asks, “...was there a time when [his investment advisory business] wasn’t an outright fraud? Probably not.” This volume is more technical and sophisticated in its analysis of how the scheme functioned, how hedge This small but powerful book tells a story in deeply emotional terms, yet manages to follow a straightforward path that points directly at Judaic love, and by doing so not only reflects our own, but at the same time broadens and strengthens it. Akira wrote the words and his wife, Ellie, designed the pages, culminating in a book that is a pleasure to hold, read, look at, and absorb. Complete with a timeline that traces the roots of Akira’s www.jewishbookcouncil.org
funds and the stock markets in general operate, and also how Madoff was able to gain the trust of his clients in so extraordinary a way. Regarding why so few potential investors applied due diligence before surrendering their money, she cites Len Fisher, author of Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life: “Some of his investors suspected that Madoff was cheating, but they continued to invest because they were benefiting from his cheating.” In other words, greed was the engine that propelled both Madoff and his investors, with disastrous results, although there were some potential investors who chose not to trust their money to Madoff. Arvedlund, an investigative reporter who wrote a now oft-quoted 2001 article about Madoff for Barron’s, shows how the SEC missed “twenty-eight red flags” that pointed to Madoff’s guilt when Markopolous first disclosed his belief “that Madoff Investment Securities LLC is the world’s largest Ponzi scheme.” She concludes that the SEC’s problem was its failure to employ “people who had been trained in finance or banking—those who knew how Wall Street ripped people off,” relying instead on lawyers, both those who were conscientious and those who were marking time until they could find better paying positions “as Wall Street attorneys.” Arvedlund reveals names and skillfully details just how widespread Madoff’s reach extended. This is a readable and interesting book. Jerry Oppenheimer’s treatment of Bernie Madoff is more colloquial. He attributes Bernie’s thievery dishonesty to his having learned his way “around the system— even when he was a young punk growing up in Queens.” Oppenheimer’s language is colorful, as when he recounts Madoff’s having been excused from his two-year Army Judaism back to his Jewish great-grandfather and down to his baby son, it takes the reader on a journey from the Russian pogroms of 1911 to the birth of Boaz Jules Ohiso in New York City in 2006. Akira himself was born in 1970, the child of interracial parents, his mother an Irish-Russian Jew, his father a Japanese immigrant. He converted to Judaism in 2003, a year before his marriage to a Jewish woman, finding himself at a spiritual crossroads that offered to both enhance and reinforce his beliefs, offering him the kind of Judaic nourishment he now lovingly passes on to his son. This book is the story of that journey. LFB BIOGRAPHY Seth Rogovoy Scribner, 2009. 336 pp. $25.00 ISBN: 978-1-4165-5915-3 BOB DYLAN: PROPHET, MYSTIC, POET Even with all the books that have been written about Bob Dylan, it’s great to www.jewishbookcouncil.org have one that takes this approach. Seth Rogovoy’s gushing biographical work looks at the extraordinary singer-songwriter through a distinctly Jewish lens, placing him squarely in the prophetic tradition as he mines Dylan’s songs for references to Jewish texts. While acknowledging that Dylan’s songs also draw from concerns about politics, social issues, and identity, as well as his sometimes tortured love life, Rogovoy finds likely Jewish sources Even with all the books that have been written about Bob Dylan, it’s great to have one that takes this approach. for lyrics in many of his songs, even locating a possible source for the song title “Idiot Wind” in the Talmud. This is no easy task, particularly given that Dylan has, for decades, proved to be a most unreliable source of information about himself and his work. Rogovoy can’t help but deal with Dylan’s Christian period of the late 1970’s–early 1980’s, but even here he manages to point out that Dylan always maintained a connection to the traditions of his birth. One can fault the author for some heavy-handed observations on politics, other musicians, and even on the definition of tikkun olam, but the depth of his research is marvelous and his expertise on Dylan’s music (both his landmark songs and many of his obscure ones) is superb. This is a worthwhile addition to the growing library on one of America’s most important cultural figures. Bibliography. DC BOOK PROFILE commitment because of “an ulcer—real, imagined or invented,” concluding with, “For Bernie, who would cheat thousands of investors out of billions and even cheat on his wife, it was no surprise that he would also successfully rob Uncle Sam out of two years of his life.” Oppenheimer covers familiar ground, and focuses attention on the people who knew and dealt with Madoff, but as entertaining as his language is, Oppenheimer offers no insights into Madoff’s motives or methods, beyond what is apparent from the nature of his crimes. This is strictly a quick-and-easy read. Sheryl Weinstein, former chief financial officer of Hadassah, has written a tell-all confessional that is neither salacious nor insightful. Had the two main characters been fictional creations, one would call them one-dimensional. We learn that Bernie was a middle-child who did not speak kindly of his older sister. He has facial tics and Weinstein believes that he suffers from Tourette’s syndrome or some other neurological malady. And he is not well-endowed, sexually. So what? For what reason, other than to earn back money which she had lost from her personal account, did she feel compelled to write this sophomoric book? Weinstein tells us she “had been married a long time and felt conflicted about being unfaithful.” And when she and Bernie ate in the restaurant at one of the hotels at which they had their trysts, “Bernie taught me about Dijonnaise sauce that night.” Really. I don’t think there will be a movie of this book anytime soon. Noel N. Kriftcher is a professor and administrator at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, having previously served as superintendent of New York City’s Brooklyn and Staten Island High Schools district. CONTEMPORARY JEWISH LIFE AND PRACTICE THE ART OF GIVING: WHERE THE SOUL MEETS A BUSINESS PLAN Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon; James Wolfensohn, fwd. Jossey-Bass, 2009. 276 pp. $29.95 ISBN: 978-0470501467 This excellent guide can help donors strategically plan and implement their philanthropic support to organizations involved in issues important to them. They begin with the donor and move on to viewing the recipient organization as a "partner." Following their discussion of the organization, they examine the meaning of the "gift." They end their presentation with an extensive list of resources for additional information and guidance. The authors combine ideas and concepts with personal stories that offer the richness of their dual perspectives as philanthropist (Charles Bronfman) and professional (Jeffrey Solomon). Their presentation is valuable not only for those seeking advice on contributing Spring 5770/2010 Jewish Book World 37
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Page 9 and 10: ANTHOLOGIES AND COLLECTIONS Winner:
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Page 21 and 22: WOMEN’S STUDIES Barbara Dobkin Aw
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Page 25 and 26: O Israel... In a perfect—perhaps
Page 27 and 28: A Conversation with David Sax By La
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Page 43 and 44: JEWISH SLOW COOKER RECIPES Laura Fr
Page 45 and 46: JUDAISM: A WAY OF BEING David Geler
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Page 51 and 52: Shushan “Shoeshine” Cats, a sel
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Page 63 and 64: Tobi Kahn for ritual and meditative
Page 65 and 66: Monika Schroder Front Street, 2009.
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Page 69 and 70: A CHAT WITH ZACHARYSHAPIRO By Barba
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Page 79 and 80: SHELLY FEIT (SF) has an M.L.S. and
Page 81 and 82: An index of all titles included in

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