Judaism Fiction

David Shipler delves into the origins of the prejudices of Jews and Arabs that have been intensified by war, terrorism, and nationalism. Focusing on the diverse cultures that exist side by side in Israel and Israeli-controlled territories, Shipler examines the process of indoctrination that begins in schools; he discusses the far ranging effects of socioeconomic differences, historical conflicts between Islam and Judaism, attitudes about the Holocaust, and much more.

Judah and the little army of Maccabees fight to free Jerusalem from the cruel King Antiochus in this vibrant and action-filled rhyming version of the famous Hanukkah story.

The Hanukkah story honors the heroes and heroines throughout Jewish history who have fought using both might and wisdom to overcome their foes. One of these heroes is Judah the Maccabee.

For TV-obsessed Jake Lightman, his parents’ divorce is like his favorite show getting canceled: The worst. Now he’s stuck between playing the role of “Yaakov” for his mother and “Jacob” for his father. On Jake’s first day at a new school, Caleb and Tehilla barrel into his life. Suddenly, he has two friends who seem to like the real Jake. And when they invite him to Camp Gershoni for the summer, Jake knows he has to go—even if his parents won’t let him.

In the Nazi-occupied Warsaw of 1943, Irma Seidenman, a young Jewish widow, possesses two attributes that can spell the difference between life and death: she has blue eyes and blond hair. With these, and a set of false papers, she has slipped out of the ghetto, passing as the wife of a Polish officer, until one day an informer spots her on the street and drags her off to the Gestapo.

In today's world, many are suffering from information overload and are re-thinking the consequences of "over-sharing". The Secret Life is a helpful guide to leading a quietly powerful life - one that can lead to greater personal effectiveness, satisfaction, and success. The concepts that originated with Maimonides - one of history's greatest philosophers - demonstrate the benefits of living a more private life. The result is an antidote to the depression, finger-pointing, divisiveness, unhappiness, and inefficiency that many of us would like to change in ourselves and in the world.

Sammy Spider watches longingly as Josh Shapiro lights another candle and receives another brightly-colored dreidel each night of Hanukkah.

"How can I teach a prayer / I only know how to recite?" "America, whose death / didn't you come from?" These are some of the questions that poet Joshua Gottlieb-Miller wrestles with in his beautiful, gripping new collection. By turns experimental and documentary, Dybbuk Americana draws out the questions around Jewish identity in the United States, and what it means to pass on Jewish identity to one's child. This hybrid text draws on art, mysticism, and history, taking the dybbuk, a figure from Jewish folklore, as its central metaphor.

Imagine awakening to a new reality of who you are, revealing a hidden past that has shaped your family's history for centuries. Fact, not fiction, this experience has been shared by thousands of descendants of Sephardic Jews who fled Spain and Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries, seeking safe haven from the ruthless Spanish Inquisition. Many had already converted to Catholicism, but learned that conversion was not enough to save their lives. They established new communities throughout the world, living as Catholics on the outside, but guarding a precious Jewish heritage in secret.

Israeli kids and their aunt observe the holiday of Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, by visiting an archaeological dig at the Temple Mount and participating in their own hands-on dig.

Sammy Spider watches longingly as the Shapiro family celebrates Passover. He wants to help Josh find the afikomen (hidden matzah), but his mother reminds him, "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders spin webs." And his first attempt at spinning a new web yields some surprising results.

"Always remember you are the son of two proud nations," Elan's parents tell him when he turns 13. After celebrating his Bar Mitzvah in San Francisco, Elan, with his Jewish father and Native American mother, travels to New Mexico, where he takes part in a Pueblo manhood ceremony. Based on a true story.

From the creators of the smash hit play comes the ultimate audiobook of Jewish humor, a hysterical guide to Judaism that explores all of the religion's stereotypes, history, and shameless guilt trips.

An impatient young man comes to Jerusalem looking for someone to teach him the Torah - while standing on one foot! The city is full of learned rabbis, but none of them can help him until he meets the famous Rabbi Hillel.

We are imperfect, but we are perfectly loved because we are God’s child. He wants to heals our hurts, remove our shame, and calm our fears. Like Mephibosheth, we don’t need to hide in a low place like Lo-debar, because our king wants to raise us high.

In this Hanukkah manual for the contemporary Jewish family, holiday history and rituals provide tools for creating meaningful family moments in the light of the menorah. The book includes brief reflections to read aloud before reciting the candle-lighting blessings on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

This boldly contemporary love story combines sex and seriousness, physical lust and spiritual longing. Raymond and Hannah hook up at a party; a one-night stand expands into a weeklong passionate and surprisingly deep love affair. Then Hannah leaves for a year in Jerusalem. With six thousand miles separating their bodies, the energy of love and lust must be sublimated to the written word.

Examining Judaism as a religion, philosophy, and lifestyle, this authoritative introduction asks what it means to be a Jew today. From the nature of God to worship and everyday life, Dan and Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok address the topics essential to an informed understanding of the beliefs, values, and enduring traditions of this highly influential religion.

Children, kids, preschoolers, and toddlers will learn about the Jewish festival of lights with this educational book. It explains why Hanukkah is the celebration of hope and miracles, relating the story of the Maccabees, the destruction of the temple, the Menorah, and the miraculous oil. This book also explains how the traditional items are used (the hanukkiah, the candles, the Shamash, the kippa, the latkes, and the dreidel).

"Judaism is often called the religion of reason. It is this, but it is also the religion of the soul. It recognises the value of that mystic insight, those indefinable intuitions which, taking up the task at the point where the mind impotently abandons it, carries us straight into the presence of the King."