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Book Review  by Ida Nasatir

The Earth Is the Lord's by Abraham Joshua Heschel

May 12 1950—Ida Nasatir book reviews—The Earth Is The Lord's by Abraham Joshua Heschel—Southwestern Jewish Press, page 6: Jews had lived in Europe for thousands of years. They helped to create its civilization, they contributed their share to the economy, its science and its art. But over and above their contributions to general culture, they preserved a great religion, the heritage of Moses, the legacy of their prophets and sages. All this has vanished. Dr. Heschel's recent book is the invaluable record of this unique and extraordinary spirit which no longer exists. His impulse was to interpret, in cultural and spiritual terms, to what extent the world is the poorer through the wholesale destruction of six million people. And it is decidedly poorer. This book is not written for Jews alone, but for the entire civilized world. Occasioned by tragedy of a magnitude never before experienced in  the world's history, it has spiritual enlightenment and historic meaning for all.  Dr. Heschel brings a rich expressiveness to his portrayal of the spirit of a people through their homely and colorful lived. He succeeds in recreating a never-to-be-forgotten picture of the mind, and character of a whole people. It is a beautiful, nostalgic appreciation of the spiritual world of the Jews of Eastern Europe. Much of his content is posed around these two questions: Who were these people? What made their role so important in the history of mankind? He answered these questions in impassioned prose, and creates an invaluable record. It is a book to be read; once read it will not be forgotten.

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