Hadassah Magazine's Guide to Jewish Literature - March/April 2018

After being branded during the battle of Jericho, Moriyah had no prospects for marriage—until now. After a tragic mistake, she is forced to flee for her life. Seeking safety at one of the Levitical cities of refuge, she is unprepared for the dangers she faces, and the enemies—and allies—she encounters on her way.

Seeking safety after a hard childhood, Leah marries a strong and gentle man of the nation of Judah. But when the ruler of the land issues a life-altering decree, her newfound peace—and the entire Jewish heritage—is put in jeopardy.

This book is a heart-stopping journey told in first person, which describes unusual courage and uncanny luck. It is the true story of a young teenager who lost everyone and everything during the Holocaust. He fought to live on in spite of ghettos, fatal line-ups, enslavement in work camps and years of survival as a partisan in Polish forests.

A fast moving compelling story about a beautiful best-selling novelist. She becomes a speechwriter for a junior senator from New York, whose rich influential father-in-law wants to make him our first Jewish president. Glimpses of Upper East Side New York and Jewish family life. Some sex and strong language.

A book club favorite and finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, this acclaimed memoir of growing up a Turkish Jew in a fortune-telling, belly-dancing family illustrates Sephardic life, the foods, fear of the Evil Eye and the author’s struggle to walk again after polio. Booklist calls it “A joy to read…a profoundly moving memoir.” Now in paperback with Discussion Questions!

Written by an Orthodox rabbi, the narrative is a confessional. It gives unpretentious voice to the challenges and dangers he confronted during his 25 years of rabbinic service. You will journey with him; share his thoughts; rue or applaud his decisions. You’ll see that beneath rabbinic garb lies a servant of God, committed to Jewish Tradition, but one with conscience, heart and soul. The book may very well enlighten you to the professional frailties of your own rabbi.

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.

“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 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.

9/15/2008, Julie lost her job at Lehman Brothers and her twin, Jack, in a car crash. Feeling responsible for his death, she can’t bear to see the pain in her father’s eyes. She escapes to her brother’s dream destination, Thailand, where a sexy Israeli, Avi, tries to make her let go of her guilt. Can he do it? Or will it take something more?

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.

Second-Night Seder includes chapters from Exodus that tell the story of Moses and the exodus of Israel from Egypt. Also included are blessings and passages from the traditional seder. Enjoy the ritual retelling of the story with colorful illustrations. Less than 30 minutes, from start to finish.

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!

It’s 1908, Leah and her sons have immigrated to NY’s Lower East Side after surviving a pogrom in Russia. But she faces horrific working conditions and the sweatshop boss: how much to risk in protesting, how to keep her boy Benny out of the clutches of the local mobster. “I could not put it down until I finished. 5 plus stars”—Amybooksyblogspot.com.

The Book Thief has become a modern classic. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing, when she encounters something she can’t resist—books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with friends. Told from Death’s point of view, this is a story of courage, friendship, love, survival, and grief—and the way all these can exist together during war.

After losing everything she knew and loved in the Nazi concentration camps, Gerta is finally liberated, only to find herself completely alone. Without her papa, her music, or even her true identity, she must move past the task of surviving and onto living her life. In the displaced persons camp where she is sent, Gerta meets Lev, a fellow teen survivor whom she just might be falling for. With a newfound Jewish identity, and a return to the life of music she thought she’d lost forever, Gerta must choose how to build a new future.

Karolina is a living doll who is spirited away from the Land of the Dolls on a strange wind. She finds herself in Kraków, Poland, where she befriends a dollmaker with an unusual power and a marked past. Not long after, Nazi soldiers descend upon Poland and the two realize that their Jewish friends are in grave danger. No matter the risks, they are determined to help save them. For readers 8–12, this fusion of fairy tale, folklore, and history eloquently illustrates the power of love and the inherent will to survive.

The night Rachel and Toby’s parents are taken by the Nazis, they give their eldest daughter three gold coins. Toby promises them that, no matter what, she and her sister will always stay together. The girls are sent to Auschwitz. Best friends, the sisters share memories, fears, and hope. When Rachel becomes sick and is taken away, Toby risks her life and uses the well-hidden gold coins to rescue her little sister. A true story.