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February 2005 – June 2006

Adult (Click here for new Juvenile books)

The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness / Izzy, Joel Ben

A professional storyteller journeys inside the world of stories to examine the lessons that they offer through their timeless wisdom, chronicling the events of his own life against the backdrop of some of the folktales, fables, riddles, and stories that he has collected around the world--including "The Lost Horse," "The Beggar King," and "The Secret of Happiness."

Judaica Reference Sources : A Selective, Annotated Bibliographic Guide By: Cutter, Charles

Retired as the head of the Judaica department at Brandeis University Library since 2001, Cutter has compiled a general as well as subject reference to bibliographic and electronic resources and topics including: Jewish education, philosophy, Biblical studies, Hebrew and Yiddish language and literature, Zionism, anti-Semitism, and Jewish communities of the diaspora in general and by country. Indexed by websites and software as well as subject.

Love Your Neighbor and Yourself : A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics By: Dorff, Elliot N.

In this, his third book on modern ethics, Elliot Dorff focuses on personal ethics, Judaism’s distinctive way of understanding human nature, our role in life, and what we should strive to be, both as individuals and as members of a community.

Dorff presents dilemmas and challenges confronting the individual in relation to others. He addresses specific moral issues that affect our personal lives: privacy, particularly at work and as it is affected by the Internet and other modern technologies; sex in and outside of marriage; family matters, such as adoption, surrogate motherhood, stepfamilies, divorce, parenting, and family violence; homosexuality; justice, mercy, and forgiveness; and charitable acts and social action

Complete How To Handbook For Jewish Living : Three Volumes in One By: Olitzky, Kerry M.; Isaacs, Ronald H.; Gelabert, Dorcas

Any question on Jewish ritual or custom is surely answered in Olitzky and Isaacs' handbook. How to chant the Torah? Check. Choose a synagogue? Check. Visit the sick? Check. Interpret dreams? Check. The two rabbis lay out instructions in steps and include "instant information" sections that provide data that can be hard to track down, such as prohibited and permitted foods, the Hebrew calendar, and the Seven Laws of Noah.

Jewish Ritual : A Brief Introduction For Christians By: Olitzky, Kerry M.; Judson, Daniel

Two rabbis explore the historical meaning and contemporary use of ten Jewish rituals, including observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, studying torah, prayers, and blessings.

Jewish people, Jewish thought : the Jewish experience in history / Robert Seltzer

Jewish Approach to God : A Brief Introduction for Christians By: Gillman, Neil

Discusses various ways the Jewish people have understood God, and how to build on these lessons to explore and deepen personal spirituality.

How Goodly Are Thy Tents : Summer Camps As Jewish Socializing Experiences By: Sales, Amy L.

An entertaining ethnographic study of how Jewish summer camps foster Jewish sensibilities and education.

Jewish Museums of the World Keep By: Grossman, Grace Cohen

A visual celebration of Jewish museums from around the world turns the lens on some of the most fascinating collections of Judaica ever assembled, including the Jewish Museum in New York, Skirbal lCultral Center in Los Angeles, the Israel Museum in Jersualem, and the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam.

American Synagogues : A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community By: Gruber, Samuel D.;

As an author/curator of books/exhibits on Jewish places of worship and historic sites, Gruber (Judaic Studies, Syracuse U.) offers a lively and well-researched study of the architecture of US synagogues built since 1900. Illustrating his selections with 200 photos taken expressly for the book by Paul Rocheleau, Gruber examines the diverse styles of such masters as Pietro Belluschi and Frank Lloyd Wright and contemporary architects, in the context of the identity of the American Jewish community. The book includes a glossary of Jewish terms.

Sarah Laughed : Modern Lessons from the Wisdom & Stories of Biblical Women / Ochs, Vanessa L.

The legends of biblical matriarchs are revealed as inspiring role models for women today, each story accompanied by real-life rituals that the readers can perform to gain insight into such topics as finding inner wisdom and being a good friend.

Bar and Bat Mitzvah Book : Joyful Ceremonies and Celebrations for Today's Families / Burghardt, Linda

Including study tips, party games, personal anecdotes, Judiac resources, and much more, a renowned journalist presents an essential guide to planning a perfect Bar/Bat Mitzvah, for both traditional and non-observant families, that lays the groundwork for a family's Jewish future.

Ultimate Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebration Book : A Guide to Inspiring Ceremonies and Joyous Festivities / Cohen, Jayne

Presents creative ways in which parents can blend traditional and personal values into their child's bar or bat mitzvah, covering every aspect of the service while offering theme suggestions, recipes, and tips for such elements as choosing a caterer, decorating, and working within a budget.

Stars Of David : Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish / Pogrebin, Abigail

Capturing the diversity of Jewish religious and ethnic identity, a collection of intimate conversations with sixty-one prominent Jews--including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Richard Dreyfuss, Leonard Nimoy, Steven Spielberg, Sarah Jessica Parker, Beverly Sills, and Mike Wallace--reveals how they feel about their Jewish identity, religion, tradition, faith, and prejudice.

Words On Fire : The Unfinished Story of Yiddish / Katz, Dovid

Provides a history of the Yiddish language, its contributions to the story of Judaism, and its rapid growth in ultra-Orthodox movements.

Born to Kvetch : Yiddish Language And Culture in All Its Moods /Wex, Michael

A humorous history of the Yiddish language from the middle ages to today traces the origins of numerous everyday terms, citing events throughout the past one thousand years that contributed to Jewish European communication practices while offering insight into Yiddish relationships with nature, sex, food, and more.

History Of The Jews In The Modern World / Sachar, Howard Morley

Profiles the Jewish people over the course of the last four hundred years, as both catalysts for key accomplishments of modern civilization and victims of reactionary political ideologies and totalitarian regimes.

Case for Peace : How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved / Dershowitz, Alan

Outlines a path for compromise in the Middle East that promotes an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and most of the West Bank, divides the city of Jerusalem, and calls for the Palestinians to take explicit steps to stamp out terrorism.

Talking To The Enemy : Stories / Mandelman, Avner

A collection of stories detailing domestic humor and political conflict among Jews and Palestinians in the Israeli community.

Hanukkah Lights : stories of the season

With a mixture of modern folklore, neotraditional tales, and truly contemporary voices, NPR's Hanukkah Lights explores the many facets of Jewish storytelling. A lonely man finds love over the phone when trying to amend a Hanukkah Internet shopping disaster. Faced with discrimination on stage at a holiday pageant, a young girl rebels against the ignorance of her teachers and hopes for a new attitude in the coming decades. And a retirement community discovers one evening that Hanukkah is not just about tradition, but is also about embracing future generations and ways of celebrating.

A bonus audio CD produced by NPR includes four additional stories from the original broadcasts, read by Stamberg and Horwitz, allowing readers to listen to the tales in their car, kitchen, or living room.

NPR's Hanukkah Lights gathers some of today's best Jewish storytellers, from Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel to MacArthur Award winner Rebecca Goldstein. Other authors include Ariel Dorfman, Daniel Mark Epstein, Gloria DeVidas Kirchheimer, Lesléa Newman, Daniel Pinkwater, and Max Apple.

Jewish Story Finder : A Guide to 363 Tales Listing Subjects And / Elswit, Sharon

Librarian and storyteller Elswit has assembled this subject guide to Jewish stories for an audience of teachers, librarians, rabbis, storytellers, and parents. The stories are grouped by categories such as rabbis, animal tales, magic, tricksters, biblical characters, and more. Each entry includes a brief summary of the story; identifies the author, source, and location of the story; lists sources for other versions of the story, and lists the main subjects covered by the story. An appendix lists story recommendations for children of different ages, and is accompanied by a bibliography, an index of story titles, and a subject index.

Left Hand of God : Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right / Lerner, Michael

A renowned spiritual leader and former White House insider offers a fervent critique of the ways in which the Democrats have ignored faith and values issues and proposes a new course of action for taking back the White House.

Juvenile

Daniel, half-human : the Nazis come to power / David Chotjewitz

In 1933, best friends Daniel and Armin admire Hitler, but as anti-Semitism buoys Hitler to power, Daniel learns he is half Jewish, threatening the friendship even as life in their beloved Hamburg, Germany, is becoming nightmarish. Also details Daniel and Armin's reunion in 1945 in interspersed chapters.

Duel : a mystery / by David Grossman

In Jerusalem, when elderly Mr. Rosenthal receives a threatening letter accusing him of stealing a painting and challenging him to a duel, twelve-year-old David needs to find who really stole it before someone gets hurt.

The cats in Krasinski Square / by Karen Hesse

Two Jewish sisters, escapees of the infamous Warsaw ghetto, devise a plan to thwart an attempt by the Gestapo to intercept food bound for starving people behind the dark Wall.

The dog of knots / written by Kathy Walden Kaplan

In Haifa, Israel at the onset of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, nine-year-old Mayim struggles with questions about her future, particularly mandatory service in the Israeli army, but finds comfort in friends, relatives, and a very old, stray dog with no name.

Quake! : disaster in San Francisco, 1906 / Gail Langer Karwoski

Tells the story of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake as seen through the eyes of Jacob, a thirteen-year-old Jewish boy who lives in a boarding house with his father and younger sister.

Real time / by Pnina Moed Kass

Sixteen-year-old Tomas Wanninger persuades his mother to let him leave Germany to volunteer at a kibbutz in Israel, where he experiences a violent political attack and finds answers about his own past.

My guardian angel / Sylvie Weil

In 11th century Troyes, France, Elvina, the unusual granddaughter of renowned Jewish rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, who prefers studying and writing to activities considered respectable for girls, takes a great risk by helping a young boy who has run away from a group of Christian Crusaders.

Ilan Ramon : Israel's space hero / Barbara Sofer

A biography of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, who died when the space shuttle Columbia exploded during re-entry in 2003.

Walking the Bible : an illustrated journey for kids through the greatest stories ever told / by Bruce Feiler

The author describes his journey through places mentioned in the Old Testament.

David and Goliath : a Bible story / retold and illustrated by Jean Marzollo

A retelling of the Bible story in which King David defeats a well-armed giant named Goliath.

Jonah and the whale (and the worm) : a Bible story / retold and illustrated by Jean Marzollo

Provides a retelling of the Old Testament story about a stubborn man named Jonah who learns an important lesson about love and forgiveness after encountering a large whale on the high seas.

Daniel in the lion's den : a Bible story / retold and illustrated by Jean Marzollo

A simple retelling of the Biblical tale about faith, courage, and heroism introduces the Bible story while a column of ants at the bottom of each page comments on events.

The kids' catalog of Hanukkah / David A. Adler

Presents stories, songs, recipes, crafts, and games related to various aspects of the celebration of Hanukkah.

What you will see inside a synagogue / Lawrence Hoffman and Ron Wolfson

Welcome -- Gathering for Shabbat -- Preparing for prayer -- The holiest place in the synagogue -- How Jews pray -- Reading the Torah -- Enjoying Shabbat -- Prayer and learning go together -- Fixing the world -- Bar and bat mitzvah --Celebrating holidays -- The High Holy Days -- Showing our thanks -- How we remember -- L'hitra'ot. come again.

Your travel guide to ancient Israel / Josepha Sherman

Takes readers on a journey back in time in order to experience life in Israel at the time of King Solomon, describing clothing, accommodations, foods, local customs, transportation, a few notable personalities, and more.

L'chayim! : to Jewish life in America! / Susan Goldman Rubin

Photographs, paintings, memorabilia, and other artifacts from the Jewish Museum and other sources provide examples of Jewish life all across the U.S. and Canada.

Two by two : favorite Bible stories / by Harry Araten

Presents popular stories from the Old Testament, in simple text and illustrations.

Golem / story and pictures by David Wisniewski.

A saintly rabbi miraculously brings to life a clay giant who helps him watch over the Jews of sixteenth-century Prague.

Ilan Ramon : Jewish star / Devra Newberger Speregen

A biography of Israel's first astronaut ending with his tragic death aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003.

Hanukkah! / written by Roni Schotter

Describes the meaning and traditions of Hanukkah as five children and their family celebrate the holiday.

Beni's first Chanukah / story and pictures by Jane Breskin Zalben

On the first night of Hanukkah, a young bear helps his mother prepare latkes, plays "Spin the Dreidel," and recites a prayer with his father.

Abuelita's secret matzahs / Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

A young boy's Hispanic grandmother in Santa Fe, New Mexico, reveals his Judaism to him as latest in a line hidden since the hateful expulsion of Jews from Spain.

Sam I am / Ilene Cooper

Twelve-year-old Sam, the son of a Jewish father and Christian mother, struggles to understand religion and its role in his family's life during the Hanukkah and Christmas holidays.

Had gadya = One little goat : a Passover song / with paintings by Seymour Chwast

An illustrated, bilingual version of this cumulative folk song that is sung at the end of the Passover Seder. Includes a background note on the history and symbolism of the song.

Always remember me : how one family survived World War II / Marisabina Russo

Rachel's Oma (her grandmother) has two picture albums. In one the photographs show only happy times -- from after World War II, when she and her daughters had come to America. But the other album includes much sadder times from before -- when their life in Germany was destroyed by the Nazis' rise to power.

Goldie's Purim / story and pictures by Jane Breskin Zalben

Although Goldie is scared at first, she overcomes her stage fright to play Queen Esther in the synagogue's celebration of Purim.

Where does God live? / Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman ; illustrated by...

A rabbi and a monsignor of the Catholic Church answer common questions about God and demonstrate that Jews and Christians, although they worship differently, are worshiping the same God.

The book of the Jewish year / Stephen M. Wylen.

An introduction to the Jewish calendar and the Jewish holiday cycle with the rituals, foods, symbols, stories, and legends associated with each holiday as well as Hebrew and English blessings.

In God's hands / Lawrence Kushner and Gary Schmidt

While contemplating their problems in a synagogue, Jacob and David, one man rich, the other poor, come to realize their role in making miracles happen. Inspired by an ancient legend.

Shlemiel crooks / Anna Olswanger

Two crooks, following the inspiration of Pharaoh's ghost, fail to steal a precious shipment of kosher wine from Israel and lose their horse and wagon in the process.

The secret seder / by Doreen Rappaport

During the Nazi occupation of France, a boy and his father slip out of their village and into the mountains, where they join a group of fellow Jews at a humble seder table.

The matzo ball boy / by Lisa Shulman

In this Jewish version of "The Gingerbread Boy," a matzo ball runs away from an old woman as she prepares her Passover dinner.

Matzoh Mouse / by Lauren L. Wohl

While helping her parents prepare for the Passover seder, nine-year-old Sarah cannot resist nibbling on the chocolate-covered matzoh.

Papa's latkes : story and pictures / by Jane Breskin Zalben

Papa and the little bears make latkes for Chanukah. Includes the song "O Chanukah" and a recipe for latkes.

The Hebrew kid and the Apache maiden / by Robert J. Avrech.

The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden is the coming-of-age story of the unlikely friendship between Ariel, "The Hebrew Kid," and Lozen, an Apache warrior girl. Ariel, an intelligent, serious and spunky boy of almost bar mitzvah age, is determined to celebrate this important ceremony.

A box of candles / by Laurie A. Jacobs

For Ruthie's seventh birthday, Grandma Gussie gives her a box of candles to use for the Jewish holidays and Shabbats. As the year moves along, Ruthie experiences big chances in her life and the life of her grandmother.

This is the matzah / by Abby Levine

Rhyming text and illustrations describe the activities of a young boy and his family as they celebrate Passover. Includes facts about the holiday.

The king of Mulberry Street / Donna Jo Napoli.

In 1892, Dom, a nine-year old stowaway from Naples, Italy, arrives in New York and must learn to survive the perils of street life in the big city.

Leo & Blossom's sukkah / story and pictures by Jane Breskin Zalben

Brother and sister bears, Leo and Blossom, celebrate Sukkot by building a sukkah.

Bible stories for Jewish children, from Joshua to Queen Esther / by Ruth Samuels

Retellings of thirty-seven Old Testament stories including that portion from Joshua to Queen Esther.

The fall of the sun god / Henye Meyers

Rediscovering one’s Jewish roots in the midst of the Crusades seems a daunting task. Martin searches for meaning as he struggles for survival in a desperate time in this action-packed historical drama. After Martin’s parents are killed by bandits, he gives up his Judaism as a form of self-protection and goes on his own personal quest to find himself.

Daughters of the ark / by Anna Morgan

Daughters of the ark tells the story of Debritu, a 14-year-old Ethiopian Jewish girl who, together with her two younger brothers, makes her way across miles of hostile and dangerous country before finally arriving in Israel in 1984, during Operation Moses.

Zayda was a cowboy / June Levitt Nislick.

When a Jewish grandfather comes to live with his son’s family, he relates his experiences fleeing Eastern Europe for America, his adventures as a cowboy, and his assimilation into American culture.

Lost in America / by Marilyn Sachs

Follows the experiences of Nicole, a teenaged French Jew, from 1943 to 1948, as she loses her parents and sister to the concentration camps and then leaves her native France to make a new life for herself in New York City.

Light years : a novel / Tammar Stein

Maya Laor leaves her home in Israel to study astronomy at the University of Virginia after the tragic death of her boyfriend in a suicide bombing.

Before you were born / retold by Howard Schwartz

Retells a folktale in which Lailah, a guardian angel, places the indentation that everyone has on the upper lip just before a baby is born.

Kibitzers and fools : tales my zayda (grandfather) told me / Simms Taback.

Thirteen brief, illustrated, traditional Jewish tales, each accompanied by an appropriate saying.

Angel secrets : stories based on Jewish legend / Miriam Chaikin

Contents: Angels of forgetfulness -- Alphabet angels -- Sign-minders -- Angel Goralnik -- Palace of love -- A trial in heaven

Dybbuk : a version / by Barbara Rogasky

In this retelling of a Jewish legend, a girl is possessed by the spirit of the man she was destined to, but did not, marry.

It's tu b'shevat / Edie Stoltz Zolkower

A board book to introduce Tu B’Shevat to the very young.

Anne Frank, beyond the diary : a photographic remembrance / by Ruud van der Rol

Photographs, illustrations, and maps accompany historical essays, diary excerpts, and interviews, providing an insight to Anne Frank and the massive upheaval which tore apart her world.

Story Of Ruth / Schur, Maxine Rose

Using simple text and illustrations, presents the biblical story of the woman who followed her beloved mother-in-law, Namoi, back to Bet Lehem to become a part of the Jewish people following her husband's death.

Memories of survival / Esther Nisenthal Krinitz and Bernice Steinhardt.

A story of surviving the Holocaust in Poland, illustrated in a collection of embroidered panels, and told in the survivor’s own words.

Sholom's treasure : how Sholom Aleichem became a writer / Erica Silverman

Describes some events in the life of Sholem Aleichem, the Yiddish author who wrote stories about Jewish life in nineteenth-century Russia.

Grandpa and me on Tu B'Shevat / Marji E. Gold-Vukson

In rhyming, cumulative verse, portrays the tradition of planting a tree on the holiday of Tu B’Shevat. Includes a list of ten ways to celebrate Tu B’Shevat.

Confessions of a closet Catholic / Sarah Littman.

To be more like her best friend, eleven-year-old Justine decides to give up Judaism to become Catholic, but after her beloved, religious grandmother dies, she realizes that she needs to seek her own way of being Jewish.

Prince William, Maximilian Minsky, and me / Holly-Jane Rahlens.

In Berlin, thirteen-year-old Nelly Sue Edelmeister--a self-described nerd and aspiring astronomer--gains a greater understanding of herself and those around her as she develops her first crush, considers whether to go through with her bat mitzvah, and tries out for the basketball team.

The littlest tree / Rouss, Sylvia

When the villagers come to the forest and choose some of the finest trees for different items in the new synagogue, the littlest tree hopes he can be useful as well.

You are so not invited to my bat mitzvah! / Fiona Rosenbloom.

As her bat mitzvah approaches, Stacy Adelaide Friedman of White Plains, New York, has a lot on her mind. Her parents have separated, her mother dresses her like an American Girl doll, her younger brother is embarrassing, and she is totally in love with Andy Goldfarb.

The travels of Benjamin of Tudela : through three continents in the twelfth century / Uri Shulevitz

A fictionalized account of the travels of Benjamin, a Jewish man from Tudela, Spain, who, in 1159, set out on a fourteen-year-long journey that took him to Italy, Greece, Palestine, Persia, China, Egypt, and Sicily.

Double crossing / Eve Tal.

In 1905, as life becomes increasingly difficult for Jews in Ukraine, eleven-year-old Raizel and her father flee to America in hopes of earning money to bring the rest of the family there, but her father’s health and Orthodox faith become barriers.

The odd potato : a Chanukah story / by Eileen Bluestone Sherman ;...

Rachel turns an odd potato into a symbol of Hanukkah joy.

Everything's changing, it's Pesach! / written by Julie Jaslow Auerbach

A rhyming text from a Jewish child’s perspective describes how Pesach, or Passover, is different from the rest of the year.

Festival of Lights : the story of Hanukkah / retold by Maida Silverman ;...

Describes the origin and significance of the Festival of Lights. Includes a holiday game, song, and instructions for the traditional candle-lighting ceremony.

Festival of Esther : the story of Purim / retold by Maida Silverman

Explains the history and meaning of Purim and includes a traditional holiday song and a recipe for hamantashen cookies.

Brainteasers from Jewish folklore / Rosalind Charney Kaye.

A collection of puzzling situations and stories from Jewish folklore, concerning outsmarting others, coping with those in power, and learning how to live.

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