Banned from public performance in Israel, both embraced and shunned by lovers of music internationally, Wagner's music continues to arouse passion among those sensitive to its use by the Nazi regime to promote its evils mission through the arts.
A towering intellectual figure, Scholem pioneered the study of Jewish mysticism as a legitimate academic discipline, revealing an extraordinary world of myth and messianism. Read and discuss "Gershom Scholem: Master of the Kabbalah" for a view into Scholem's inner life that illuminates his most important writings.
One of the greatest painters of the 20th century, Rothko immigrated to the United States from Russia as a child. His difficult integration, fraught with experiences of marginalization, led to his development as a major player in the social struggle of American artists.
Primo Levi was an Italian scientist and Holocaust survivor, but is best known as a writer and innovative thinker. His work combines a scientist's attentiveness to structure and detail, and a powerful and passionate moral imagination.