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Gift Ideas - Books of Jewish Interest
Custom or Customized Ketubas

Beautiful, unique, contemporary & custom or customized ketubas now available though Newman Gallery

Newman Gallery and Arlington-based artist Hilary Silvert Newell are delighted to announce that beautiful, unique, custom or customized contemporary and kosher ketubas are now available on commission from Newman Gallery (http://www.newmangallery.com).

A number of backgrounds are already available, or intaglio and monoprint artist Hilary Silvert Newell can design a background to your specifications of size, orientation, and color.

Calligrapher Marie Lenker will inscribe your vows in English, Aramaic, or both in the color, or colors of your choice.

Custom commissions will require at least six weeks notice. To order or arrange a commission, please contact Michelle Newman at:

Newman Gallery
513 11th St., S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003

newmanglry@aol.com

(202) 544-7577
or toll free
1-866-544-7577
Fax 202-544-3508

Gallery hours
Tuesday - Saturday
10 am - 6 pm

"Take Your Dog to Work Day"
dogsThis gives you less than a week to prepare your dog for the outing and to convince your boss that your "hunt" is well behaved.

Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe is the author of a new book titled, "Yiddish for Dog & Cat Lovers."  Before bringing the dog  to the office, she suggests that you review the following Dog Obedience Commands in Yiddish:

(page 125)
  Sit                 "zitz"
  Come            "kum"
  Jump             "shpring"
  Go out          "aroys"
  Guard           "hit"
  Bite               "bays"
  Find              "gefin"
  Good
   (praise)        "gut!"
  Stand up       "shtey oyf"
  Stop              "her oyf"
  Bark              "bil"
  Done!            "fartik"

To order the book, call Marjorie at 516-433-5439 or mail a check for $13, plus $3.50 postage/handling to
Marjorie Wolfe
19 Market Drive
Syosset, NY  ll79l
American Synagogues: A Photographic Journey

“American Synagogues: A Photographic Journey”

Over 3200 Original Color Photographs of 1406 US Synagogue Buildings

A Fantastic New E-Book Now Available

www.AmericanSynagogueArchitecture.com
cd cover

Announcing the publication of "American Synagogues: A Photographic Journey" Volume One. The first volume of a projected 2 volume series is ready to be enjoyed by all those interested in synagogue architecture and American Jewish history.

Volume One contains over 3200 original color photos of 1406 individual U.S. synagogue buildings from all 50 states plus Washington, DC. Many of these synagogues are no longer used as Jewish houses of worship and many are located in small isolated communities. The photographs represent all kinds of synagogue buildings from simple to ornate, small to large, rural and urban. Basic historical information is included for each synagogue. Nothing like this has ever been done before and this may well be the largest collection of color photographs of US synagogues available in one place.

More detailed information and how to order the e-Book can be found on the e-Book website: www.AmericanSynagogueArchitecture.com - There are also 2 sample pages from the e-Book posted on the website.

Volume One is on a full CD-ROM disc with a beautiful disc and cover design. It is priced very reasonably at $18 including postage and can be ordered directly from the author. Synagogue copies are priced at $15 per copy. Personal checks and Pay Pal are accepted. Pricing for quantity orders is also available upon request.

Sarah Laughs - Second Book In Children's Bible Series By Jacqueline Jules

SECOND BOOK IN CHILDREN'S BIBLE SERIES BY JACQUELINE JULES

Sarah Laughs

The story of Abraham and Sarah is warmly retold in Sarah Laughs, the second in Kar-Ben Publishing's new series of Bible stories for young children. The first title in the series, Abraham's Search for God was named a 2008 Notable Book for Younger Readers by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. Publisher's Weekly praised the book, saying, "Young readers will find much to connect with in Abraham’s curiosity about the world as voiced in the accessible text…. Ugliano's stylized, playful pastels have a creamy, textured appearance, emphasizing the rich earth tones." School Library Journal said, "This simply told Abraham's Search for Godtale is an excellent introduction to the concept of monotheism, and would be a great discussion starter for talking about God. Its neutral stance makes it useful for readers of many faiths.” Booklist agreed, stating, "Joyful images of the boy and the smiling sun, flowers, and butterflies will attract children, who will enjoy the legend of the strong child who grows up to tell others about One God and to father three great religions."

Jacqueline Jules is the award winning author of seven other children’s books, including No English, The Hardest Word, Noah and the Ziz, and The Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle. To learn more about her, please visit www.jacquelinejules.com.

 

 

 

SARAH LAUGHS
By Jacqueline Jules,
Illustrated by Natascia Ugliano
Kar-Ben Publishing, 2008, ages 4-9
$17.95 jacketed hardcover, 978-0-8225-7216-9
$8.95 paperback, 978-0-8225-9934-0
  To order:
1-800-4KARBEN
(1-800-452-7536)
www.karben.com

Subsurface a new book by Michael Daimond
subsurfaceThe year is 2011. As Israel and the Palestinians prepare for a final peace agreement, a young university researcher finds commercial quantities of oil under the soon-to-be-surrendered West Bank town of Jenin.

After two years of intense negotiations President John F. Brander has succeeded in bringing together Israel and the Palestinians to sign a peace accord-the mission that has eluded even the most determined statesmen for more than 60 years. Resolving this bitter conflict-at the epicenter of Islamic hostility towards the West-will mark the beginning of the end of the world's clash of civilizations.

As the parties iron out final details in preparation for a ceremony on the White House lawns, David Dekel, a handsome young researcher in geological remote sensing at Israel's Ben-Gurion University makes a remarkable discovery that throws the entire process into a spin. Fifty meters below the surface of the soon-to-be-surrendered West Bank town of Jenin, Dekel discovers an oil trap large enough to meet Israel's energy needs for the next 100 years.

Click HERE for more details about this Book
Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother
yiddishe mamasFrom the Author
by Marnie Winston-Macauley
We've all heard them. The Jewish mother stereotypes, borne of ridicule, heightened by Borscht belt comics, portrayed in media. And so, we have become the "cartoon." The prototype of the overzealous, over-involved, over-worried, over-protective, over-nurturing, over-bearing presence that has invaded popular culture.

In every stereotype, there is an element of truth. I recall my late mother ripping the heads off photos of boys who dumped me. My grandmother's entire reason for living after the death of my grandfather, was "to move in" - with us. From her mission came stories and anecdotes only a Carl Reiner could write.

Yes, my grandmother sounded selfish. But then we look beyond at Gram. A woman who bribed border guards to get to America before the Nazis took over, leaving her birth family behind - forever.

This is why I needed to look before the period, at the backgrounds, religion, and principles of these women. The joke had a predecessor. And without examination, the meaning - and truth - is lost.

Many Jewish Mother stereotypes are about intrusion, child-first suffocation, lack of boundaries. Yet these "traits" are also the very qualities: protection, education, nourishment and survival, during pogroms, throughout the Holocaust and other incalculable calamities, that have kept us alive and intact these 5,000 years.

In this work, I hope you will see the special soul of Jewish motherhood through the sacrifices, the extraordinary belief in the future through our children that Jewish women over the centuries have possessed. You will also read fascinating facts, anecdotes and yes, humor that was vital and kept us going while we were running - always running. Jewish women, simply - are funny.

" The Jewish mother feels her job isn't done even after death. You're never too dead to be a Jewish mother." —Mallory Lewis, daughter of Shari Lewis

What do Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand, Jon Stewart, Bette Midler, and Natalie Portman have in common with this book? A Jewish mother.

Is there such a thing as a Jewish mother? And if so, who is she? For the first time, best-selling Jewish author and humorist Marnie Winston-Macauley examines all aspects of the Jewish mother. Chronicling biblical Jewish mothers to modern-day Yentls, she creates a compendium using celebrity interviews, anecdotes, humor, and scholarly sources to answer these questions with truth and humor.

To order go to http://tinyurl.com/244f4b

Messages of the Chofetz Chaim: 100 Stories and Parables
 CHOFETZ CHAIMGreat resource for Jewish Values as told through various stories and parables.

MESSAGES of the CHOFETZ CHAIM: 100 STORIES and PARABLES

By Rabbi Marvin I. Bash …. First Time Ever Translated from the Yiddish.

Published by iUniverse , available from www.BarnesandNoble.com

Order direct from author, click here: marvinbash@yahoo.com
$14.95, .75 sales tax, S&H $2.00

From the Publisher
This fascinating translation of a heretofore unknown Yiddish work offers new insights into the ethical teachings of the great rabbi, The Chofetz Chaim. Originally compiled in Yiddish by Rabbi Shmuel Greiniman, this translation contains 100 intriguing stories and parables based upon the Chofetz Chaim's enduring Torah lessons and their application to modern Jewish life.
"Jews in Blue" the Jewish American Experience in Law Enforcement
jews in blue A NEW BOOK BY JACK KITAEFF, PHD JD

This is the first book to describe the significant contributions of Jewish Americans to law enforcement and police work beginning as early as 1657 in New Amsterdam. It portrays Jewish American men and women in the police departments of New York City and Los Angeles, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security who stepped forward in momentous times to save the nation from peril.

Combining first hand interviews with contextual research, this book illuminates the heroes of the past and present who share a common Jewish American heritage.

The book can be seen or ordered at:

http://www.cambriapress.com/cambriapress.cfm?template=4&bid=17

The Yiddish Policeman's Union
They are the "frozen Chosen," two million people living, dying and kvetching in Sitka, Alaska, the temporary homeland established for displaced World War II Jews in Chabon's ambitious and entertaining new novel. It is—deep breath now—a murder-mystery speculative-history Jewish-identity noir chess thriller, so perhaps it's no surprise that, in the back half of the book, the moving parts become unwieldy; Chabon is juggling narrative chainsaws here.
The novel begins—the same way that Philip Roth launched The Plot Against America—with a fascinating historical footnote: what if, as Franklin Roosevelt proposed on the eve of World War II, a temporary Jewish settlement had been established on the Alaska panhandle?

Roosevelt's plan went nowhere, but Chabon runs the idea into the present, back-loading his tale with a haunting history. Israel failed to get a foothold in the Middle East, and since the Sitka solution was only temporary, Alaskan Jews are about to lose their cold homeland. The book's timeless refrain: "It's a strange time to be a Jew. "Into this world arrives Chabon's Chandler-ready hero, Meyer Landsman, a drunken rogue cop who wakes in a flophouse to find that one of his neighbors has been murdered. With his half-Tlingit, half-Jewish partner and his sexy-tough boss, who happens also to be his ex-wife, Landsman investigates a fascinating underworld of Orthodox black-hat gangs and crime-lord rabbis.

Chabon's "Alyeska" is an act of fearless imagination, more evidence of the soaring talent of his previous genre-blender, the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Eventually, however, Chabon's homage to noir feels heavy-handed, with too many scenes of snappy tough-guy banter and too much of the kind of elaborate thriller plotting that requires long explanations and offscreen conspiracies.Chabon can certainly write noir—or whatever else he wants; his recent Sherlock Holmes novel, The Final Solution, was lovely, even if the New York Times Book Review sniffed its surprise that the mystery novel would "appeal to the real writer."

yiddish policeman's union
Should any other snobs mistake Chabon for anything less than a real writer, this book offers new evidence of his peerless storytelling and style. Characters have skin "as pale as a page of commentary" and rough voices "like an onion rolling in a bucket." It's a solid performance that would have been even better with a little more Yiddish and a little less police. (May) Jess Walter was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award for The Zero and the winner of the 2006 Edgar Award for best novel for Citizen Vince.

To buy this book go to http://tinyurl.com/2k6bvm

The Book of King Solomon
Professor Solomon claims to have found--and translated from the Hebrew--an old manuscript in the possession of his family.
king solomon

Titled "The Book of King Solomon," it chronicles the life of the celebrated monarch--his adulterous father (King David), his youth, his rivals for the throne, his accomplishments as ruler, his wise judgments, his many wives, his visits to the Cave of the Ages, his magic ring, his association with Asmodeus (king of the jinn), his building of the Temple, his speaking with birds, his encounter with Goliath, Jr., his meeting with the Queen of Sheba, his excursions on a flying carpet, his wandering as a beggar, his final days.

The Book of King Solomon
A life of King Solomon, written by his court historian!

Such, apparently, were the contents of an old Hebrew manuscript, handed on to Professor Solomon by an elderly relative.

Its brittle pages were filled with the story of the king: his adulterous father (King David), his youth, his rivals for the throne, his accomplishments as ruler, his wise judgments, his many wives, his visits to the Cave of the Ages, his magic ring, his association with Asmodeus (king of the jinn), his building of the Temple, his speaking with birds, his encounter with Goliath, Jr., his meeting with the Queen of Sheba, his excursions on a flying carpet, his wandering as a beggar, his final days.

THE BOOK OF KING SOLOMON—fact or fiction? An ancient chronicle or a latter-day fabrication? A sensational find or a literary hoax?

Whatever the case, it is an engaging book—highly recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about “the wisest of men,” his place in history, and his relevance today.

446 pages. Illustrated.

To download a free copy of the book, go to:
www.professorsolomon.com/kingsolomonpage.html

It is a PDF file (22 MB), with illustrations

Judaism Inside Out: Reclaiming the Promise of Israel
An understanding of Judaism that transcends ethnicity: Judaism Inside Out: Reclaiming the Promise of Israel, by Rabbi Joshua Chasan, explores Judaism for the 21st century.

Pre-denominational in its thinking, this book returns Judaism to the individual Jew to find his or her own way through the treasure of biblical and rabbinic tradition.

For more information, see www.judaisminsideout.com or contact Rabbi Joshua Chasan directly at rabbi@ohavizedek.com.

Book: Novel about the Prophet Jeremiah
Book: Novel about the Prophet Jeremiah, told by a slavewoman in his household. A Seal Upon the Heart by Mary Heléne Rosenbaum is the story of the fall of the First Temple and the Exile into Babylon (present-day Iraq) with the birth of modern Judaism.
www.barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com
"A Little Joy, A Little Oy" 2008 Daily Boxed Calendar & Book, a really good Jewish Gift
Calendar Description a little joy a little oy
A Little Joy, A Little Oy 2008 Calendar
A Banquet of Jewish Humor & Wisdom
by Marnie Winston-MacAuley

Back for a sixth year, this calendar has delighted many readers with its colorful recollection of Jewish facts, anecdotes, and humor.

Not just a slice of Jewish wit and wisdom, this unique collection is the whole challah. Did you know that pirate Jean Lafitte was a free-thinking Jew and family man—when he wasn't invading Spanish ships? Or that Little Sun Bordeaux, believed to be a reincarnation of Crazy Horse, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in Israel?

Based on the author's book by the same name, the calendar lists daily entries from more than 200 sources. Themes include The Alphabet of Jewish Humor, Who Nu?, and Jewish Mothers.

January to December. Page-a-day format.

5.25 inches square

Publisher: Andrews McMeel

You can find this at Calendars.com 

Book Description

the book
Not just a slice of Jewish wit and wisdom, this collection is the whole challah.* By including over 350 entries from 200 sources, Winston-Macauley has amassed a unique cross-section of Jewish quotes, anecdotes, proverbs, history, biographies, jokes, unusual facts, "Yinglish," and much more. A Little Joy, A Little Oy showcases this rich and remarkable assembly of all things Jewish through the universal language of laughter, and yes, a few tears. A must in every Jewish household, A Little Joy, A Little Oy also makes the perfect holiday gift.*A rich twisted bread

About the Author
Marnie Winston-Macauley has been a syndicated columnist ["Ask Sadie"] and author. The series, "A Little Joy, A Little Oy" published by Andrews McMeel has been her passion for the last seven years/ She is currently writing a 2007 calendar on Yiddishe Mamas, as well as a book. Marnie was nominated for a writing Emmy and Writers Guild Award for As the World Turns. She lives with her husband and son in Las Vegas and can be reached for information and interviews at asksadie@aol.com 

Yiddishe Mamas 2007 Calendar

A Celebration of Jewish Mothers Everywhere
by Marnie Winston-MacAuley

yiddishe Mamas calendarA new calendar by the author of the best-selling Jewish calendar, A Little Joy, A Little Oy, this unusual collection is a rich tapestry that celebrates Jewish mothers everywhere. The calendar includes historical facts, anecdotes, tributes, and of course humor. Each page reveals fascinating and little-known facts about these remarkable mothers that will delight and move all readers—mothers, fathers, and children alike.

Topics like "The Alphabet of Jewish Mother Humor" and "Essen! (Eat!)" are included. New topics include "Jewish Celeb Moms," "Mothers and Daughters," "The Jewish Mother Mystique." Personal interviews with famous Jewish mothers and their children, Jewish mother pioneers, early "Yentls," and freedom fighters are just a few of the areas covered.

January to December. Page-a-day format.(640 Pages)

5.25"square

Publisher: Andrews McMeel 

Find this calendar at Calendars.com A Great Gift for the Holidays

Now Anyone Can Cook Like a Jewish Mother!
Cookbook
Hot off the press... Taste-tempting treats await you in the pages of our new cookbook, With Love and Best Dishes. Order your copy today while supplies last! 

To preview a copy, see Joanne Stryer at Olam Tikvah’s Judaica Shop or Leona Shoon in the front office.

To order a copy, complete the form below and return it with your payment to:
Sisterhood of Olam Tikvah
3800 Glenbrook Road
Fairfax, VA 22031.

Questions? Call the Sisterhood line at OT (703) 425-1880 ext. 243 or email Rochelle Goldberg at rdgoldberg@hotmail.com

-----ORDER FORM FOR SISTERHOOD COOKBOOKS- --- Name: _______________________________
Phone: (______)______________________
I would like: Please 1 – 4 copies @ $18 each _______ ($18, $36, $54, $72) 5 - 9 copies @ $17 each _______ ($85, $102, $119, $136, $153) 10+ copies @$16 each _______ Enclosed is my check to Sisterhood of Olam Tikvah for $__________ Please contact me about pick up at (phone) _____________________ Office use:

cash or check #____________ date ordered_____________

date delivered_______________

www.olamtikvah.org
"Yiddish for Dog & Cat Lovers"
dogOn December 4 we celebrate Hanukkah, Hanukah, Chanukah, Chanukkah--however you spell it.

Looking for the perfect gift for those people who love Yiddish?

Order Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe's new book,
     "Yiddish for Dog & Cat Lovers"

Marjorie Wolfe
Malka Publications
19 Market Dr.
Syosset, NY  11791

$13 (plus $3.50 postage/handling) USA
$15 (plus $5.00 postage/handling)) Canada

 

Roberts Publishing proudly announces their second book by Mikhail Sadovsky

First time in print in the United States. For fast shipping, go straight to our printer's link below.

Those Were The Years
by Mikhail Sadovsky

Translated from the Russian
by John Woodsworth

www.lulu.com/mystavalon

From the translator, John Woodsworth...

...As, indeed, do the many and varied faces in the parade of characters marching across the pages of Those were the years. The three introductory stories (especially “Mitenka”) sharpen our own sensors of curiosity and prepare our thought to spend an extended period observing post-war Russian life through the eyes of one lad in particular. Thanks to Mikhail Sadovsky’s literary talents, by the end of our year-long ‘stay’ in this Moscow suburb, we feel we have come to know, on an individual basis, not only his young hero Venka but, through Venka’s perceptive sensibilities, a miniature cross-section of Russian life of the late 1940s in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities.

It is perhaps fortunate that Venka is both extraordinarily naïve and at the same time extraordinarily curious about life. He is a personage we as readers ? especially readers not brought up in a Russsian culture ? can readily identify with, as we try to come to grips with the perplexing complexities of a society that culturally attracts its minorities even as it politically repels them. His questions are our questions. His dilemmas are ours, too. And, like him, we feel gnawing inside us an ever-growing longing to find answers, even to the point of traveling to the ends of the earth in search of them.”

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