Guide to Jewish Literature - March/April 2023

Days are bad in the Great Depression of the 1930s. But for little Willie Mittleman and the Mittleman clan in their Bronx, NY neighborhood, life is still good, proving that laughter and love will always be the lifesaving forces to rescue us from adversity and pain.  A big-hearted gem. Funny, touching and insightful.  For readers of all ages.  

In this innovative and insightful book focused on the relationship between humor and American Jewish practice, Jennifer Caplan calls us to adopt a more expansive view of what it means to “do Jewish,” revealing that American Jews have turned to humor as a cultural touchstone. Jewish humor operates as a system of meaning-making for many. By mapping humor onto both the generational identity of those making it and the use of Judaism within it, new insights about the development of American Judaism emerge. Caplan’s includes the work of Joseph Heller, Larry David, Seinfeld, the Coen brothers films, Broad City, and others. 

From Jennifer Rosner, National Jewish Book Award finalist and author of The Yellow Bird Sings, comes a novel based on true stories of children displaced in the wake of World War II. What happens when the war ends and the children are wrenched from what they long considered their families? Or when the people who saved them refuse to let them go? Called “lush, transportive, and heartbreaking” by Kristin Harmel and heralded a “tour-de-force” by Kate Quinn, Once We Were Home raises wrenching questions of belonging and identity, good intentions and unforeseen consequences, and what it means to find home.

A biography of Henny Fletcher Aronson who survived the German invasion of Lithuania, the Kovno Ghetto, the Stutthof concentration camp and a death march. Be with Henny as she lives through the German atrocities and see her loved ones destroyed by the Lithuanians as well as the Germans. Henny’s story is one of courage, hope and the will to live. Hopefully, her story will inspire those in dire conditions and remind us of what we as humans are capable of doing. 

The year is 1937 in the first pages of this intriguing World War II novel, an important year for Henry Rebbenoff. He hopes to be hired as the new Cantor of Temple Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina and he meets the lovely southern Jewish belle Ada Tobias. As war comes America’s shores, Cantor Henry must make decisions that will affect him and his family. Does he make the right choices? Journey over the years with Henry through this beautifully written novel.

“Deeply inspirational. A poignant account of growing up in Iran”— Jewish Book Council. From the labyrinth of narrow alleys in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to a Jerusalem Hadassah Hospital ward, this unforgettable memoir portrays the complicated love among mothers and daughters and the hardships and tenacity of Jewish life in Iran and a newly independent Israel. A polio diagnosis in 1940’s Iran condemned Minou to a lonely fate as a spinster. She defies prejudice and charts her own path to freedom. Minou’s story will move anyone who has braved the unknown and kept on walking.

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. Now available in Spanish, as Judaismo y Cristianismo: Un Contraste.

This art filled book, not only contains the entire traditional Hebrew text for use at a Passover seder, it has a new gender neutral translation, that is easy to read and to follow. With more than 80 collages to adorn and interpret the text, there are also useful commentaries to share. No teen need be bored at a seder again. Bringing someone unfamiliar to seder? Transliterations of basic prayers and Dayenu are included to help non-Hebrew readers participate. Ramaz graduate Marbach, who lives in England, has produced a stunning, fascinating and user-friendly seder companion. 

“A masterpiece of love and survival” – James Carroll (Constantine’s Sword). “A gripping page-turner… as dramatic and powerful an account of the Holocaust era as a reader is likely to find.” Chris Leppek – Intermountain Jewish News. The Štaub family; Irene, Frici, and young son Oskar, citizens of Prešov, Slovakia, flee into the forbidding Tatra mountains in the winter of 1944. Young Osi finds the courage and resiliency to cope with physical and emotional challenges far beyond his years.  

Saga of Generations is a family story of Jewish people, some who escaped the horrific murderous ways of Russia taking place in 1818, going through generations over four continents, including the World War 1. This book includes love, lust, and heartache. Read and you will feel that each of these characters are part of your family.