Jewish Fiction

Jewish fiction so improbable it’s likely to have a counterpart in real life

It’s not strange in the “look how clever we are” way. It just keeps sliding between things , a little mystery, a little romance, a synagogue power struggle, a scene that’s straight-up funny, and about a third of the way in I gave up trying to guess where it was going. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Fiction, Michael Mantell, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

‘Cabaret’ cast chosen from pool of actors with lack of access

In Berlin the targets were Jews, homosexuals and anyone who didn’t kowtow to the Reich. Our current daily newspapers reveal frequent incidents of animosity towards anyone who is not in the majority. [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, Holocaust, International, Jewish Fiction, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Tradition, tradition: Each generation gets to add an ingredient to the recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls

A family tradition invites a representative of each generation to add her own touch to the recipe. Greatgrandma (Nana) added raisins to the mixture; grandma (Bubbe) added diced onions; Stella’s mother (Mama)added crushed garlic; and after much consideration, Stella chose to add a drizzle of honey. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Novel paints picture of celebrities of the pre-World War II era

This novel spins a story of Einstein and Chaplin taking the luxury Santa Fe Super Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles, along with fellow historical personages J. Robert Oppenheimer, Charles Lindbergh, Mickey Cohen, Lena Horne, and Fritz Duquesne, a Nazi spy. {Donald H. Harrison}

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Novel is based on what an old lion swallowed

The tale turns to two timelines. In 1938, while Nazi Germany was in turmoil, young Sarah Frank escaped persecution against Jews. She finds refuge in a traveling circus populated by lion trainers, acrobats, elephant handlers, and interesting, sometimes strange people. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Fiction, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

David Chait narrates a fanciful shtetl folktale

The basic story, set in an Eastern European shtetl, is about the disappearance of the dye-maker Samuel. Samuel has a special technique for extracting dye from the flowers, and that is by listening to the flowers, letting them live their lives, and then picking them only when they’ve died. [Sandi Masori]

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Jewish Fiction, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Children’s book presents Jewish legend of 15th Century Spain

This historical fiction novel explores the lives of Jews in 15th-century Spain through the perspective of a young girl named Loma (Paloma) and the struggles faced by her family. The author researched her own Spanish Jewish heritage, which inspired her to write this novel, suitable for children ages 8–11.
[Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A suburban tale during the 49 days of counting the Omer

This is not a religious tract, although kabalistic suggestions for counting the omer are thrown in.  I must confess I didn’t find the nexus between what is essentially a story of suburban life and those suggestions for meditations on each day of the 49 between the second day of Passover and the arrival of Shavuot.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors