Hadassah Magazine's Guide to Jewish Literature - November/December 2018

After her father and sister are killed and her guardian betroths her to a pagan prince half her age, Salome questions God’s plan. But when she suddenly finds herself being crowned queen of Judea, she learns that a woman committed to God can change the world.

Rose Rabinowitz has spent her life burdened by a deep sense of guilt, and a history of failed relationships. Then Abe Stolper appears—a shy, introverted scientist with his own dark secret. As Rose and Abe come to trust one another, they begin a painful journey toward love and redemption.

The year is 2033. An international depression threatens to bring down financial markets. Two old friends, US President James Gengia and Chinese President Chan Khan, devise an audacious strategy to rescue the world economy. The plan is based on the biblical law of Jubilee, which states that every fifty years all debts must be forgiven.

Jake Lyons’ tragic loss of family during the Blitz leads him to join the RAF to fight for Britain. As sole heir to his uncle’s estate, he becomes the recipient of a chest of diamonds, not mentioned in his will. Left with doubts, that the cache was sent to him in error or spoils of a heist, he sets out to determine to whom it belongs. From London to New York, South Africa to Israel, the twists, turns, and surprises her readers have learned to expect uniquely define the profound personal story of a true Diamond in the Rough.

In Tel Aviv, under daily missile attack during Operation Desert Storm, when every heart seeks comfort and companionship, complex affairs and a world of crisis bring conflicts of love, betrayal and unforeseen commitments. A young charismatic nurse lives and works by her own code of honor in a strict Orthodox hospital—until one day a married doctor emerges with a campaign of seduction that could endanger her livelihood, reputation and self-respect. “…a powerful first-hand look at what everyday life was like in Israel when most Americans were watching Shock and Awe on the 24-hour news channel.”—Mike Ball, Erma Bombeck award-winning author.

There are no pictures of the matriarchs of Genesis, and the text contains little description of them. In work that reflects both scholarship and artistic devotion, Melanie Lewis has created Faces of the Matriarchs. These beautiful images, accompanied by Scripture and commentary, bring readers into a world that has been hidden from view, and into the mind of a deeply spiritual artist. They are illuminating.

Nicknamed the “Miracle Kid” by his concentration camp brethren, Martin Baranek’s memoir of survivial illustrates his undying spirit. From a ghetto, labor camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, death march, Mauthausen and Gunskirchen, Martin continually cheats death. Martin teaches us about resilience, and determination to thrive in spite of a childhood filled with loss and tragedy. Martin has participated numerous times in the international March of the Living, an educational program to study the Holocaust.

Explore the Global Journey of Sephardic Jews. Branching Out From Sepharad outlines the 1492 Expulsion from Spain, Jews who moved to Syria and later to the Americas. Chapters include Sephardic naming practices, genealogy in the Torah, and a 100-year history of Brooklyn’s Syrian community. Selected dynasties are traced from Spain to the Americas.

The Sidowitz family arrives in America during the Roaring Twenties. They share immigrant problems faced by Jacov and Reuven (renamed Jack and Rubin) as they find jobs, date girls, enjoy burlesque and bagels while Mama Ida bemoans the fate of her eldest son who stayed behind in Russia. A decade of romance and prosperity followed by the depression and WWII changes everything. Jack is drafted, trained as an interpreter, and parachuted into Europe where he continues searching for his older brother in the liberated concentration camps of Germany.

What happens when a young company comptroller with Indian roots takes his boss’ wife to India, asking her to help him find an ideal marriage partner? The heart-warming, humorous account has some unexpected revelations. Finding a Bride, based on Ellen Goldberg’s 1982 journal, is the unique story of her first trip abroad and the adventures that ensued.

Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winner for Best Historical Recipes in the USA. This cookbook/memoir brings to life the culture of Eastern European Jewry and celebrates the courage and resilience of Holocaust survivors through recipes and stories. More than 150 original family recipes—appetizers to entrees, desserts and wine recommendations—and memories with full-color photographs and techniques updated for today’s cooks. Recipes are enriched by priceless remembrances—sweet, bitter and bittersweet—placing the food in the context of the rich Jewish life before the Holocaust. Inspire your family memories and traditions, and bring the mouthwatering food of yesterday to your table today!

Leaner and lighter Mediterranean cuisine. A collection of Mediterranean-style Kosher family recipes handed down from mother to daughter from Esther Salem, Sarina’s grandmother, the first Syrian Jewish caterer in Brooklyn. These authentic, traditional salad recipes are beautifully photographed and have easy to follow directions. Each has a glorious blend of Middle East flavors. Sarina has adapted some recipes to accommodate modern thinking about healthy eating. Perfect for beginners and vegetarians.

What if the act of making challah weekly — mixing and kneading, watching and waiting — could heal your sense of being overwhelmed? It can. This is the surprise that physician-mother Beth Ricanati learned on her journey of three children, three cities, over a thousand patients and a thousand challahs. She realized this meaningful ritual is the one of the best medicines to prescribe in our fast-paced world.

Christian missionaries calling themselves messianic “Jews,” Jews ingratiating themselves to Evangelical Christians for their support of Israel, the overuse of the term “Judeo-Christian” and the increasing use of Jewish rituals in Christian churches are among the factors that blur the lines between Judaism and Christianity. Judaism and Christianity: A Contrast explains, from a Jewish perspective, the irreconcilable differences and mutually exclusive beliefs of the two faiths.

“Magnificent… a novel of epic proportions that tells of three strong women, a nun, a rabbi and a minister as they face the struggle for legitimacy and recognition…”—Rabbi Stephen L. Fuchs. A Catholic Sister wants to become a priest. One of the first women rabbis and one of the first women Presbyterian pastors must choose between their lovers and their careers. When the three attend a dinner to receive an award, each recalls fifty years of her life and journey to forge a path-breaking career and find her voice, and each makes the decision that will forever change her life.

In 1905, when Rebecca leaves her shtetl in Ukraine to join Samuel in Milwaukee and Ingrid leaves Norway to become the Picture Bride of Lars, a farmer in North Dakota, by mistake officials at Ellis Island send them to each other’s destination. Lost in alien cultures, they struggle to return to their fiancés. But the love that blossoms between Rebecca and Lars threatens their plans.

See the year through Jewish eyes!  Beauty and learning come together in this unique 13-month wall calendar, with illuminating art and captions by fine art painter, illustrator, and author D.Yael Bernhard. Subjects include Jewish identity, holidays, Torah, Israel, and Diaspora.  Hebrew & English calendar grids from Sept. 2018 through Sept. 2019 include holidays, weekly Torah portion, candle-lighting times and havdalah.

The treasured bond between bubbies, zaydees and grandchildren is lovingly shared in Bubbie’s Baby, a musical story of a bubbie, zaydee and grandchild celebrating the joys of exploring the world. This tender tale comes to life through a CD-single/book, featuring a toe-tapping melody and beautiful vocals sung by singer/songwriter/author. Guaranteed to create memories together with sing-along fun!

Young Adult fantasy for the whole family! A terminally-ill relative recovers. A living uncle possesses his own death certificate. When her brother Daniel disappears, eighteen-year-old Corinne wonders if these inexplicable incidents are connected. As she researches her Jewish ancestry, a surprising link to a medieval “sorcerer” makes everything clear: Corinne must find Daniel and defeat his captor, or her family may be erased from existence.

MOM’S CHOICE AWARD; 2012 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist. Written for young children about Jewish traditions. “Press is at her descriptive best in explaining Shabbat, evoking the anticipation and joy of the Sabbath. A book that works as a primer on the Jewish holidays.” – Kirkus Reviews. Two furry friends, Ollie and Taavi, take the reader through the Jewish holidays, including Tu B’Shevat and Shavuot.

Imani’s adopted, and she knows what she wants for her bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. But when she discovers her great-grandmother Anna’s diary from 1941, chronicling Anna’s escape from Nazi-occupied Luxembourg and new life in Brooklyn, Imani begins to see family in a new way. “Highly recommended for ages 10-14.” -Jewish Book Council.

Bring home the newest Mensch on a Bench pet, Mitzvah Moose! Complete with light-up menorah antlers and a hardcover storybook, this Moose teaches kids the importance of helping others.