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SUGGESTED READING-- JEWISH THEMES
OR CHARACTERS Prepared for the Fauquier Jewish Congregation, 2009-2010 by a dedicated member of the Fauquier Jewish Congregation Board. Listed
here are fiction and non-fiction books for adults, teens, and children. The annotations are based on those in
library selection tools. Most of the book sources are available at the Fauquier Library along with many
booklists on various reading interests. There are also websites providing Jewish bibliography. A selection
of the books and websites is listed on the last page of this list. One of a mystery series, this
is the only one with a Jewish theme. Deals with the repercussions of events which took place during the Holocaust
era. Erika Rosenthal escaped to London, where she has lived with secrets until a long-lost piece of jewelry appears
in an auction. Chapters are headed with quotes from books about Jews in England.
Recreates the life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob. Depicts the life of women in Dinah’s time. Young David returns
from World War II, marries and becomes a rabbi in a town with only 14 Jews. World events are reflected in his
story Fictional tracing
of the author’s lineage from an Abraham of Roman times, to his own grandfather’s death in the Warsaw ghetto. Dr. Gold, Jewish professor of English Literature, becomes a high Washington official, and meets
the Protestant daughter of an anti- Semitic career diplomat. Lieberman, an aging Jewish cop
in Chcago, can cope on the street but not always in his own domestic life. Kellerman, Faye. Day of Atonement This with others in the series, follows Rina Lazarus
and Peter Decker in courtship, marriage and parenthood, depicting her Orthodoxy and his new-found Judaism, set
against compelling mystery plots. This is the first of a series in which mild-mannered
Rabbi Natalie Marx is 13 in 1962. The Inn is suggesting Jewish guests would be happier elsewhere.
Natalie takes action, wangles an invitation from a friend. This has repercussions years later. A young boy in Czarist Russia is accused of killing a Christian boy. Despite the suffering he endures,
he maintains his innocence throughout. Based on a true incident. Uses archaeological artifacts
found in Israel to tell the long story of that land and its people. Where facts are scarce, the author fills
in with his interpretations. The Mitwissers, German Jews, arrive in the US in
1933. They hire a young orphan as help. She is the narrator of this portrayal of a ramshackle household. In the South during the Civil War, Miriam Raphael and her older brother David are living in New
Orleans. David is committed to freeing slaves; Miriam is enduring a difficult marriage. Danny and Reuven, two Brooklyn boys, both Orthodox but one Hasidic, meet and become friends. Their saga continues in The Promise.
Follows the mixed-race family of German-Jewish David Strom and black Delia Daley, from 1939 into
the 1990’s. Story of a beautiful young Orthodox woman torn between
a promise made by, and to, her father, and the love for a man outside her world...Other titiles by this author. Mr. K*A*P*L*A*N (this is how he signs his work, and in
colors as well), is a student at night school, in order to learn English. He admits to “making som mistakes,
netcheral”. His zany take on the language is delightful to read about, though very frustrating
for poor Mr. Parkhill, the teacher. A dictionary, a history, a storytelling--and just
plain fun. Still in print 40 years after its first appearance. The reader is taken inside the
mind of a young boy grappling with adulthood intellectually, emotionally and psychologically. This collection includes Gimpel the Fool, Spinoza of Market Street and many other examples of
the cultural and literary richness for which this master of the short story is known. Ita Aber is a very unusual artist. Her work is in almost every
major Jewish museum throughout the world. She is a master of the fabric arts, which is, by its very nature, aninterdisciplinary
field. A quick and easy reference source
to answer children’s, friends’ or our own, questions such as,Why no leather shoes on Yom Kippur?
Does one have to dwell in a sukkah if there are killer bees around? A timeline of Jewish history is included. Traces
Western cultural heritage back to ancient Israel. Readable style. Covers the period from
Abraham’s times to the First Zionist Congress. Written as though contemporary newspaper articles..Received
the Jerusalem Seal of Quality. A biography of Moshe Dayan, in which the reader
may learn that heroes are not always that to their families. Though Yael was his favorite, neither she nor
her two brothers were whole-heartedly fond or respectful of their father. The
history of Jews is viewed in the light of recent DNA technology. DNA research clarifies understanding of
the Diaspora. Several appendices and thorough notes expand the narrative. The author had not found Judaism particularly relevant to her life, until she began learning to cook, from
her mother-in-law, a Holocaust survivor. She learns much more, and comes to value her heritage. Includes
recipes. The story of a small French village, in which the villagers and
clergy saved thousands of Jews during World War II, under the noses of a Nazi SS division. A film, Weapons
of the Spirit, also tells this moving tale. The author chronicles his efforts
to follow every Biblical precept literally. The reader is impressed by his nerve in living thus in the modern
age,--and much amused by his way of describing it. A
collection including poetry, drama, folklore, fiction and non-fiction, beginning with excerpts from the Bible. More than a cookbook, this provides anecdotes, quotes and illustrations about Jewish food and
life. The author has also written The Jewish Holiday Kitchen. Examines
the phenomenon of the American Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Subtitle describes this collection of quotes from a wide variety of persons. Jewish needlecraft, history and how-to. Some designs appropriate for children. A later
edition is The New Work of Our Hands, under the name of Mae Rockland Tupa. In surveying
the history and geography of the deli, from New York through the U.S., the author finds Jewish community and identity. Leah
asks, “Would you like to eat gefilte fish, if the fish was a friend of yours?” Retelling of a traditional Hanukkah tale about the “right” recipe for latkes. Based on a folktale. Drought in the village means no oil for Hanukkah lamps. Hayim
writes a letter to the Almighty, requesting some oil for the village celebration. Adam and his family leave their shtetl in Russia to immigrate to America. Before they go,Adam’s
grandfather gives Adam the prayer shawl he received from his own grandfather--who in turn had received it from
HIS grandfather... A homemade quilt ties together the lives of four generations of an immigrant Jewish family, becoming a symbol of love and faith.
During the Nazi occupation of France, a boy and
his father attend a Seder hidden in the mountains. Illustrations enhance and add
detail to the Biblical story. Story from a Yiddish folk song. Illustrations
hold clues to the Jewish nature of the tale; music included. Caldecott Medal winner. Selma makes a special soup to attract Elijah to her home; was that poor herring vendor really Elijah, and has
he left a special treasure? Izzy learns about Tashlich and
compares it to cleaning out his toy closet. Received the 2010 Sydney Taylor Award, Younger Readers category. After the death of her grandmother,
non-religious Caroline is moved to learn more about her mother’s Jewish ancestry. Eighth-grader Roxanne is experiencing the difficulties of being picked last for teams, not having Ma and Pa
Ingalls as parents, and being unable to style her hair “like everyone else’s”, in wings. The
Israeli girl who moves in next door helps with the hair style, and incidentally with other issues too. Received the
2010 Sydney Taylor Award, Older Readers category. Based on the life of the author’s
great-aunt. Rifka’s letters chronicle her family’s flight from Russia and her own stay in Belgium
after her family went on to America. Sara receives a golden dreydl at her aunt’s
party, and is transported into a magic world of fools, sorcerers and sages. Molly, a 10-year-old orphan in 18th-century London, Making her living as a pickpocket, she is arrested
and sent to America to become an indentured servant. She is assigned to a Jewish family, and must learn
their ways and traditions. A fictionalized account of 12th-century Benjamin’s
travels in Italy, Greece, Palestine, Persia, China, Egypt and Sicily. A humorous account of the
events in the town of Chelm, “like every place else, only worse”. Changes to the town never seem to
improve matters. Story of five sisters and their parents; the year is 1912,
the place the lower East Side. Rich in details of daily life, the problems and the joys, and the relationships
of the girls, who are between four and twelve in age. This narrative is told in the voices of several refugees and of some Cubans, and makes the history
of the tensions of this era accessible. Received the 2010 Sydney Taylor Award, Teen Readers category. Rachel hears stories from Nana Sashie about Nana’s life in old Russia, and about how the
9-year-old Sashie devised a plan for her family’s escape from pogrom. Many awards. Aggie
Jacobs, an 18-year-old Israeli girl, tries out for an elite female combat unit in the Israeli army. Realities
of Israeli military life are seen through the eyes of this young woman. Newbery
Award winner. During the Nazi occupation of Denmark, 10-year-old Annemarie must be brave as she shelters her Jewish
friend. In an old Jewish community in rural Pennsylvania, the Rav sells the chametz
to Mr. Olsen. When the time comes to buy it back, Mr. Olsen is not to be found. The Rav and Rebbetzin try to solve
this disappearance, and in so doing, uncover a mystery 150 years old. A
Dutch Jewish girl describes 2 1/2 years in hiding in the house of a farmer during World War II. Story continues
in Journey Back. Isabel,
living in Seville in 1492, discovers she is a Marrano, a secret Jew, when an edict banishes all Jews. She is determined
to preserve her family and culture. Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. In 1939 Warsaw, a boy is living on the streets. He does not know
his own background, and joins a group of orphaned Jewish boys. He becomes involved in smuggling food into the
ghetto; he soon begins to perceive what the future holds for its residents. The story of an Israeli girl and a Palestinian boy, keeping in touch by email and Instant Messaging during
the 2003 Intifada. For mature teens. A sad story of children trying to live
a normal life in terrible times. The setting is World War II Germany; experiences of the author’s grandmother
may have inspired some of this troubling tale.
In book form: A to Zoo Children’s Catalog Fiction Catalog
The above are available at most libraries, behind the desk or in Reference. Online: www.kofflerarts.org www.koretfoundation.org www.jewishbookcouncil.org www.jewishlibraries.org www.jewishlibraries.org www.jewishlibraries.org www.ajljewishvalues.org www.mysefer.com Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here |
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