Features
“The Goddess of Warsaw” – recently published novel weaves story of Warsaw Ghetto resistance with modern-day Hollywood intrigue
Reviewed by BERNIE BELLAN Here’s a recipe for a great novel: Take one part story of an aging Hollywood former screen star, add in a second part World War II backstory revolving around the Warsaw Ghetto, and finish it with a third part Jewish revenge on Nazis story (remember Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds”) – and you have all the makings of a fabulously good read.
Such is the case with a recently released novel titled “The Goddess of Warsaw,” by American Lisa Barr.
According to the bio on her website, Lisa Barr is the “New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of, in addition to THE GODDESS OF WARSAW , WOMAN ON FIRE, THE UNBREAKABLES, and FUGITIVE COLORS. Lisa served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and as an editor/reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the highlights of her career, Lisa covered the famous “handshake” between the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and President Bill Clinton at the White House. Lisa has been featured on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author and journalist. Actress Sharon Stone has optioned rights to adapt WOMAN ON FIRE for film.”
I was looking for a recently published book by a Jewish author that had an interesting storyline, but since I had never read anything by Lisa Barr prior to reading “The Goddess of Warsaw,” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
After all, here is how Amazon describes the book: “the harrowing and ultimately triumphant tale of a Jewish WWII assassin turned Hollywood star …
“The Goddess Of Warsaw is an enthralling story of a legendary Hollywood screen goddess with a dark secret. When the famous actress Lena Browning is threatened by someone from her war-time past, she must put her skills into play to protect herself, her illustrious career, and those she loves, then and now.”
The story seemed kind of formulaic – as I noted in my introductory paragraph – a gorgeous femme fatale sort of story, I thought.
But what I thought at first might be a piece of fluff actually turned into an engrossing – and very harrowing read. Sure, the very first chapter sets the scene by describing an aging Lena Browning (the former Hollywood sex goddess) meeting with a young female star by the name of Sienna Hays, who is anxious to play the part of Lena Browning in a biopic that will not only star Sienna, it will be written and directed by her. Sounds like any number of other similar stories of an aging Hollywood star whose true story is not what had been created for her – right?
But quickly thereafter the story takes us to Warsaw in 1943, at a time when the Nazis had already begun the mass deportation of Warsaw’s Jews to Treblinka, ultimately leading to the deaths of almost all of Warsaw’s prewar Jewish population of 400,000.
We learn that Lena Browning’s real name was Bina Blonski, and she was the daughter of a wealthy Jewish businessman who had been murdered by Nazis right in front of her eyes when she was a young teen. Bina, it turns out, is a very talented actress. Not only that, she has all the trademarks of the prototypical Aryan superwoman: tall, blonde, gorgeous figure who, in this case, while not speaking German, speaks perfect Polish.
To Lisa Barr’s credit, however, she has clearly done quite a bit of research about what life was like in the Warsaw ghetto – and her writing does not spare the reader from any of the horrors that became commonplace aspects of life there.
I was somewhat afraid that the story would go back and forth between wartime and the present – which is 2005 in this case, when Sienna first meets Lena. I’m no great fan of trying to keep events in mind that happened several chapters back. But Barr, it turns out, is a masterful storyteller who, while she does engage in leaps back in time to help explain how certain things turned out the way they did, concentrates for the most part on Bina’s time spent in the Warsaw Ghetto.
There is a love story as part of the novel, and it revolves around Bina’s being in love with one man, Alexander, while she is married instead to his brother, Jakub. What happens to both Alexander and Jakub provides many surprises through the course of the book.
It is Bina’s story throughout, however, that continues to pull in the reader. As others around her come to realize, her talent as an actress lends itself fully to the mission that the leader of one group of Jewish Resistance fighters in the ghetto has planned for her, which is to send her out of the ghetto and find guns and bomb making material that can be smuggled back into the ghetto.
Bina is able to come into contact with a faction of the Polish Resistance whose leader, as fate would have it, is a longtime actor friend of Bina’s. The dangerous missions upon which Bina embarks are as good as any I’ve read in any spy novel, with the difference being that, according to Lisa Barr’s website, many of which are based on true events.
One particularly gut-wrenching episode though – and one which also stems from something that actually occurred during the latter stages of the Warsaw Ghetto’s existence, involves 93 young Jewish women – most of whom are in their teens, who are taken by the Nazis to be their sex slaves. Bina is instructed by Zelda, the leader of the Jewish resistance, what she has to do as a result. It’s hard not to read the description of what happens without your stomach ending up in knots.
Since we know from the start that Lena, a.k.a. Bina (also Irina, when she has to impersonate a Polish woman while she is living outside the ghetto) will survive the war, the question becomes: How did she go from being a Jewish refugee to a Hollywood actress of great fame – and talent?
Barr fashions a believable scenario that is not beyond the realm of possibility for explaining how Bina Blonski is able to transform herself into Lena Browning, but what I found a little hard to believe is how someone whose face would have become familiar to millions of movie fans around the world – and who had not undergone any plastic surgery to change her appearance, would have gone unrecognized throughout her film career?
Still, that’s a minor quibble – and hardly enough to get in the way of what is ultimately a riveting story.
With a combination of excellent research and an admirable talent for storytelling, Lisa Barr has fashioned a compelling book that should appeal to readers of all ages and genders.
Since so much of the action takes place at a time when Bina Blonski is a very young woman and many of the characters with whom she has connections in the Warsaw Ghetto are only teens themselves, I would think that The Goddess of Warsaw is a novel that might also appeal to teen readers. Some parts might be awfully difficult for younger readers to read , such as what happens on a day-to-day basis to children in the ghetto, but in the end, this book is so compelling that I would recommend it to anyone.
The Goddess of Warsaw
By Lisa Barr
368 pages
Published by HarperCollins
May, 2024
Available on Amazon
Features
BOOK REVIEW: “Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege”
Reviewed by MURRAY BENDER “Thinking on your feet”—quickly defending a position in a coherent, persuasive manner—is a situation that many people find challenging and stressful. “If only I had said this.” or “Why didn’t I say that?” Hindsight is always 20-20.
Following the Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023, it has become increasingly necessary for diaspora Jews to “think on their feet” as they unwittingly face a barrage of tough, sometimes hateful, questions about Jews and their Israeli homeland.
Why is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? Why doesn’t Israel return the land it has stolen from Palestinians? Why are Israeli settlers attacking Palestinian farmers? How is Israel different from apartheid South Africa? Why can’t I criticize Israel without being called antisemitic? Is it true that Jews control the world? The list of potential questions is nearly endless.
Engage or hide? This is the difficult choice that confronts Jews as they look to deal with anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli behaviour. Fortunately, author and journalist Melanie Phillips comes to the rescue with her practical and insightful book, Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege.
According to Phillips, the dilemma has no single answer. “People need to decide how to behave in accordance not just with the specific circumstances but also with their own attributes and limitations.”
Some regard engagement with their opponents as a sacred duty. “They believe it is a betrayal of the Jewish people not to uphold Israel’s case.” Ohers may be uncomfortable with such a direct approach, but “those who decide to keep their heads down and avoid any altercation may well find that this leaves them with a permanent sense of regret and even failure,” she says.
As a result, it’s probably a good idea to adopt some sort of balance. And that’s where Phillips’ 150-page handbook comes in.
She starts by providing context around the “crisis of legitimacy and acceptance” from which Jews are reeling post-October 7. On the basis of extensive conversations with Jews from across the U.S., Britain and Australia, the author found that many “were near stupefied by the terrifying hatred and irrationality that was unfolding around them.” Again and again, they asked: “What should we do? What can we do?”
In response, Phillips offers a pragmatic approach to help prepare for the inevitable conversations, including a number of key principles:
- Get smart rather than emotional
- Stop playing defence
- Find common ground
- Be positive and confident
- Keep physically safe
Based on these overarching criteria, she provides an extensive list of quick and clever retorts to a range of different situations, emphasizing that “it’s our duty to our children and grandchildren to fight for truth and justice.”
So, the next time it is necessary to “think on their feet,” diaspora Jews will be able to respond quickly and confidently to those difficult questions about themselves and Israel. And they can thank Melanie Phillips for coming to the rescue.
Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege by Melanie Phillips is available online from Amazon and Indigo.
Features
ESports Meets Casinos: Overview of Bet Sport Gaming
ESports has become part of the interactive entertainment of online casinos. In fact, many fans already have the opportunity to use Dragonia Casino Bet Sport options while watching the matches of their favorite teams. The hybrid entertainment model opens up many possibilities and increases audience engagement. When video games intersect with betting, it creates a unique collaboration where participants have the opportunity to get a completely new experience right in their own home. At the same time, you can continue to enjoy the usual viewing of familiar tournaments and competitions.
How ESports and Casinos Interconnect
ESports has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that attracts spectators. Traditional casinos are focused on luck. But now they are introducing additional methods of encouraging their customers. Among such options, eSports events deserve special attention. Such bet sport offers combine the usual excitement with an element of competition. The structure of the casino entertainment provides participants with the opportunity to test their skills and reveal their own hidden talents. There are several forms of integration of eSports mechanics into the structure of a classic online casino:
- Competitive betting. Online casinos provide the opportunity to bet on eSports tournaments, which is similar to the usual sports betting. In addition, the possibilities are significantly expanded compared to simple viewing platforms.
- Skill-based casino games. Games inspired by eSports encourage players to actively participate in what is happening on the screen. The games reward the player’s results with certain prizes.
- Interactive arenas. Some casinos broadcast eSports events in real time. This allows players to follow the games directly online, which creates a feeling of real participation in familiar entertainment.
- Cross-platform interaction. Online casinos are introducing eSports-style leaderboards and achievements to attract more participants.
Such innovations appeal to new participants. Cultural changes are part of the development of the infrastructure of the classic casino, and eSports fans find a new environment for entertainment and communication.
Growth of ESports Betting
Global eSports revenue in 2025 exceeded $1.5 billion. Each bet sport option has made a significant contribution to the development. Surveys show that over 60% of players will express interest in betting on eSports, which reflects the demand and the need to develop an updated infrastructure for participation.
ESports events attract 15-20% more new participants compared to conventional casinos. The eSports betting market will exceed $20 billion by 2027, according to analysts’ forecasts, which encourages new participants to more actively watch tournaments and participate in various types of activity.
Why Fans Choose ESports
Bet sport gambling is gaining popularity. This is due to several reasons. For example, large casinos in Las Vegas and Macau now host full-fledged eSports tournaments alongside traditional entertainment. Venues are also experimenting with separate fan zones where sports betting and classic gambling are available.
Some of the most popular eSports disciplines are League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Some online casinos even introduce eSports mechanics into slots so that players can try something new.
In short, the intersection of eSports and casinos is a natural development of the industry. Competitive play and an optimized betting system create a comfortable environment for true fans who want to diversify their leisure time.
Features
Card Game Traditions: Complete Review from Casino Online Lolajack Experts
Card games have been around for centuries. They are constantly evolving and improving. For example, there are now many different formats of online games available. On sites like casino online Lolajack https://Lolajack.com/ca/, you can choose a title according to your preferences and skills. The traditions of card games date back to ancient times. To better show yourself, it is worth familiarizing yourself with these features. This way, you will gain experience, have a good time, and get acquainted with something completely new.
Roots of Card Games
Card games directly reflect cultural identity. They have a unique mathematical structure and thoughtful moves that make even professionals think. Depending on the tradition, the rules differ, but the basic principles always remain similar. Each game has a unique origin:
- Poker. It originated in the USA back in the 19th century. During its existence, many variations of gameplay have appeared. It combines risk, strategy, and psychology; therefore, it requires high skill from each player.
- Baccarat. This game has ancient origins. It appeared in the 15th century in Italy, after which it spread throughout Europe. Now it is the basis of any operator like casino online Lolajack.
- Rimmy and bridge. Card games require the cooperation of participants, so coordinated communication is important here.
- Blackjack. This is the perfect combination of skill and chance. The player needs to learn to make decisions quickly and monitor the circumstances.
Card games have their own origins and characteristics. Currently, they are an integral part of any online casino, offering a wide range of opportunities for participants.
Why Card Games Are So Popular
Experts from casino online Lolajack emphasize the importance of card games in many cultures. For example, poker remains the leader for a reason. There are more than 100 million active players worldwide who compete and work on their skills. Blackjack also does not lag behind the trends. The level of participation exceeds 40% of regular online casino users.
Every year, the level of online card games grows by 10%. This is possible due to digitalization and increased player awareness. In addition, seasonal events also increase the involvement of participants during peak periods.
Traditions of Card Games
Unique events attract the attention of fans. For example, the World Series of Poker attracts not only participants but also millions of viewers around the world. Sites such as casino online Lolajack also give participants the opportunity to try their hand and compete with professionals.
Baccarat is associated with high stakes. This is especially noticeable among the Asian audience, who like to put probability theory into practice. Blackjack also has an appeal among math lovers. The probabilities of the model and observations directly affect the decisions of players. Online casinos strive to ensure that participants have the opportunity to communicate and find an activity option according to their own preferences.
As a result, card games remain the true leaders of the gambling market. They not only entertain, but also develop attention, perseverance, and social skills. A large selection of various variations of classic games allows you to choose the version that suits your preferences. Developers do not lag behind trends and do everything possible to surprise fans.