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[Book Review] #ShalomBayis by Penina Shtauber

By Penina Shtauber Shalom Bayis is the Jewish religious concept of peace and harmony between husband and wife in the home. #ShalomBayis is a collection of short stories about married couples trying to practice this concept with varying degrees of success and failure. This is the second book is Shtauber’s #ShidduchCrisis series. Shtauber is a […]

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[Book Review] History: Global Citizen, Remarkable Life by Kyra Kaptzan Robinov

By Kyra Kaptzan Robinov This is the second book in the RUSSIAN ROOTS: A Global Generational Saga. This is the story of the author’s father, Michael Kaptzan. He was born in Siberia. In his early childhood, his family’s remote village was overrun by the Bolsheviks, who murdered his father. Along with his mother and siblings, […]

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[Book Review] Grounds for Divorce by Remy Maisel

By Remy Maisel Emily is coming off a rough day when she finds herself receiving communications from the State Department about an interview for work on a highly specialized, top-secret mission. There’s just one little problem. They have the wrong woman. What’s the mission? Representing Israel in a divorce settlement-style mediation with representatives from the […]

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[Book Review] Cain v Abel by Rabbi Dan Orstein

By Rabbi Dan Ornstein Rabbi Ornstein’s Cain v Abel places the reader in the role of juror in the first murder. Settle into the jury box as the case unfolds with expert witnesses evaluating Cain’s family history, emotional and spiritual influences, and psychological profile. Designed to provoke discussion, the book concludes with discussion questions. Rabbi […]

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[Book Review] Making Meaning Out of Madness by Miranda Portnoy

By Miranda Portnoy Portnoy’s memoir takes the reader through a traumatic childhood. When she finds herself the scapegoat of a murderer, Portnoy feels alone, with seemingly nowhere to turn this agnostic turns to faith. This is where her life takes an unexpected turn. She meets and marries a prestigious Orthodox man in Jerusalem. In part […]

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[Book Review] Chicken Dreaming Corn by Roy Hoffman

By Roy Hoffman Set in turn of the century Mobile, Alabama, Morris Kleinman is a shop owner living among a tapestry of immigrants from across Europe and South America as well as people of color. Kleinman and his wife raise their family in the living quarters above their storefront while contending with war, the Great […]

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[Book Review] Rebel Daughter by Lori Banov Kaufmann

By Lori Banov Kaufmann Esther is the daughter of a priest in first century Jerusalem. Her beloved city is occupied by Romans and tensions are increasing. Tensions are increasing between Esther and her family, as she comes of age and enters the marriage market. Esther finds herself less than impressed with the silversmith her parents […]

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[Book Review] Devil’s Ivy by Gal Rodnitsky

By Gal Rodnitsky Devil’s Ivy focuses on a middle-aged Israeli, Amy, who is seeking a new direction in her life after suffering a break-up. She decides to seek guidance in a therapy group led by Yigal. Amy encounters five other participants trying to find their way back to the world after significant relationships in their […]

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[Book Review] Hidden Heroes: One Woman’s Story of Resistance and Rescue in the Soviet Union by Pamela Braun Cohen

By Pamela Braun Cohen A fascinating, detailed account of the grassroots movement seeking to assist Russian Jews to escape the former Soviet Union (USSR) over the course of three decades. The movement also sought to ensure freedoms for Jews remaining in the former USSR to maintain their Jewish identity. Pamela Braun Cohen worked tirelessly to […]

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[Book Review] The Pomegranate by S. J. Schwaidelson

By S. J. Schwaidelson Batsheva Hagiz is the daughter of Jewish merchant in the 12th century. A spirited young woman, well educated and skilled in swordplay. Betrothed to a young man, named Akiva, living in the Holy Land, she is kidnapped from the caravan traveling to her wedding. Her captors make a gift of her […]

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