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Parshat Yitro is named for a Midianite – although many assume Yitro converted to Judaism, this is never spelled out in the text. It is also the Parsha with one of the two accounts of the Jews receiving the Torah. Yes, you read that correctly. While most people focus on Yitro, the story is told again when we get to the book of Deuteronomy. Which brings me to my point – the Torah is full of surprises and we really ought to read it closely more often. Especially if you, like me, are either not a frequent Synagogue goer or spend services chatting rather than paying attention to the Torah portion.

Lots of people think they know everything about the Torah because they went to Hebrew school. Or because they actually do pay attention to both services and the Rabbi’s speech. Or because they’ve spent years learning in a Yeshiva. Yet there is always something new to discover. In It Takes Two To Torah, an orthodox Rabbi and a reform journalist study together – each finding new nuance thanks to the other’s perspective. It’s a unique undertaking because oftentimes the Orthodox and Reform worlds think they have nothing to gain from the each other, much like Moshe could have easily assumed he had nothing to learn from a former Midianite Priest. Moshe approached with humility and Yitro managed to revolutionize the entire judicial system for the better. Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer approached their learning with mutual respect and the book details their many joint insights.

Sometimes we are quick to gloss over the “other” – whether that person is a convert or simply a member of a different branch of Judaism. Yet the Parsha containing the giving of the Torah is literally named for a person who did not start out life as a Jew. When you stretch just a little outside of your comfort zone, amazing things can happen.

When I was around ten, my father decided he was going to only speak to me and my English-speaking siblings in Yiddish. He believed that wherever we went in the world, we would always be able to find another Jew who spoke Yiddish. His effort failed after a week, largely because telling preteen girls what to do never ends well. We kept pretending not to understand when he asked us to do things, resulting in him having to do everything himself. His brief foray into education aside, my father was more of a supervisor than a do-it-yourself kind of guy. However, looking back at this episode after reading Samantha Ellis’s memoir about her own struggle to speak Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, Always Carry Salt, I think he could have succeeded if he had taken the more romantic approach and told us we were working to preserve a “dying” language.

While my father thought we would be able to find a Yiddish speaker everywhere, the truth is that Yiddish came under attack from the same “killer” language that took down Judeo-Iraqi Arabic – Hebrew. The antisemitic forces pushing Jews out of their homelands in both European and Arabic countries, combined with the pressure to exclusively speak Hebrew in Israel, where many of these refugees wound up, resulted in loss of several languages and the cultural elements that sustained them. In her struggle to understand her family’s past, and reconnect with her Iraqi roots, Ellis mourns that Yiddish was at least saved for its large literary tradition, which is not the case of her milk tongue. I would disagree a little with that assessment – I think Yiddish is being saved by the thousands of Hassidim who speak it exclusively in their communities and teach it to their children from birth, rather than by the handful of scholars who learn it to then translate that body of literature to languages like English. Still, her point is well taken. There are more speakers of Yiddish today that Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, and the loss of the language mirrors the loss of the way of life that created it.

This is especially important right now, in a time when the identity of many Jews from Arabic lands is being ignored by a world that finds them troubling. They don’t fit the narrative most people are trying to build about the middle east – on either side of the spectrum – and therefore their entire existence as a distinct culture is under attack.

Jews cannot live safely in Iraq anymore. Idioms about extreme heat and swimming in the Tigris don’t bear the same cultural resonance in England as they did in Baghdad. Ellis must find other ways to connect to her past and her culture, the most successful being food and music. While she does make attempts at learning the language herself, she acknowledges that the real work of “saving” a language is in teaching it to children who will truly live and dream in it (see my comment about the true saviors of Yiddish, for better or for worse). She comes up against the same struggles my father did – her young son is not interested. In a hilarious episode, her mother does manage to get the little guy to enjoy Iraqi food – it is just the most laborious dish to prepare. In addition, Ellis poignantly describes how her son’s ability to shed the language also reflects his ability to shed some of the generational trauma she carries around. In this way, the book becomes more about sifting through our cultural heritage to keep what is precious, without letting it drag down or harm our present. A skill that I, admittedly, am not very good at.

I like to think that if my father had phrased his attempt to teach me Yiddish as an attempt to save a connection to my past, to a way of life largely destroyed by the Holocaust, I would have been more amenable. I knew, even then, that there is no universal Jewish language. Did I appreciate the intrinsic link to language and culture? I don’t know. I do wish I had tried harder. Much like Ellis, I’ve learned to cook the foods of my ancestors (excluding schmaltz, heart disease runs in the family), and to sing the lullabies, and even listened to the painful stories. Maybe it’s time I tried to learn the language too. If Ellis could do it, then so can I!

Note: BookishlyJewish received an arc of this book from the publisher.

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I’ve been waiting a few weeks to bring out Maggie Anton’s biblical historical fiction, The Midwives Escape, which is a perfect accompaniment to the entire book of Exodus. Parshat Beshalach has some of my favorite moments, which are also pivotal in the book.

The brilliance of The Midwives Escape is not in the writing or the story line (I really hope we all know how this story turns out!). Instead, it is in giving a more human, personal angle to a universal story. The two title midwives are part of the Erev Rav, or multitude of nations, that journeyed out of Egypt with the newly freed Hebrew people. Some say they converted, some blame them for all the bad stuff that goes down in the desert. Anton leans more towards the first group.

Watching them cross the sea of reeds, eat manna for the first time, and complain about living conditions, made all those familiar scenes become tangible. As was learning about basic survival skills of the time such as cheese making and weaving. What must it have been like to travel for 40 full years, uprooting yourselves every time you finally got comfortable? The mother daughter pair in the novel allowed me to read the entire rest of Exodus with a different perspective. Instead of thinking of the events in the dessert as stories or fables, I think of them as happening to real people, with real emotions and families. Whether you believe the bible is historically accurate or not, that’s a heavy way to experience the sneak attack from Amalek or the lack of water in the desert. The Midwives Escape makes a familiar story new.

When half of my country is covered in snow, and I desperately need a distraction from flight cancellations, all I really want to do is curl up with a mug of something warm and a good book. For winter storm Fern I had to forgo the mug – school closure = swarming young people = hot liquids too precarious – but the book I chose more than made up for it. Emily Zipps’ debut, Alice Rue Evades The Truth, is hilarious, relatable, and warmed me from the inside out. 

Alice is no stranger to weather. Living in Portland means there is a whole lot of cold and rain adding to the drab feelings she already harbors from her boring job as the overnight receptionist for an office building. The good news is that while the weather is immutable, Alice’s life is not. The book opens with Alice performing CPR on a building tenant who just passed out in front of her. She’s got a massive crush on the guy, and it would suck for him to die before they’ve ever even had a conversation. Luckily, Alice manages to save his life. Unluckily, EMS personnel assumes she’s the dudes girlfriend, and his family shows up to whisk her off to the hospital with them to sit a the bedside of her comatose “boyfriend.”

Does this sound ridiculous? It is. And watching it go down is laugh out loud funny. Alice tries many, many times to set the record straight. But apparently, nothing about Alice is straight, as we learn when the comatose guy’s butch sister, Van, shows up. Alice can’t seem to extricate herself from the incredibly sweet family, and now she’s wondering if she’s had a crush on the wrong sibling this entire time. Turns out the man she’s been pining after for years is a total jerk, but his sister is both hotter than summer in Miami and cooler than my current weather situation. Plus, the feelings Alice is catching appear to be reciprocated by Van. 

This is soap opera level drama, but Zipps never takes herself too seriously. Alice Rue Evades The Truth does not try to pass this bizarre situation off as anything other than extremely dysfunctional and abnormal. In doing so, it becomes delightful. I laughed so many times I lost count, and it’s been a while since a read had me smiling this much. Spice/heat level is medium, and the hottest bit is actually in the epilogue. 

Alice also provides something I have been seeking and failing to find in other places – a character that is poor but whose issues are not related to money. It is refreshing to have a character who has to think about how covering the coffees for the entire family in the hospital might affect the rest of her budget for the month. Yet her mission in the book is not to get a better paying job etc. It’s to get over her attachment issues so she can form meaningful relationships. She also makes no bones about the fact that she has no desire to have children of her own. She does not hate kids, she just doesn’t want to raise them herself. This is rare representation, and it is much needed. 

When even shoveling out your front door seems impossible, it’s good to read about a hopeless situation actually working out no matter how implausible it seems. Alice and Van are the most caring, gentle couple. They deserved their happy ending. I’ll take reading their story over lying on a beach somewhere any day. (Bonus though – you could read this on the beach and achieve both things simultaneously). 

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Parshat Bo has a lot of flashy happenings – seven of the ten plagues – but it also contains a commonly forgotten fact about Moses. He is known as the great teacher and leader of the Jewish people, but he repeatedly expresses anxiety about approaching Pharaoh, specifically citing his speech impediment as a barrier. It is not totally clear what form of speech impediment Moses had- there is one midrash that says he burnt his tongue on hot coals as a child – but he refers to himself as having blocked lips. Yet, time and again, with Aaron at his side he finds a way and still approaches both Pharaoh and the enslaved Hebrew people who are growing increasingly hostile and agitated due to increased work quotas.

In Anya and The Nightingale, the sequel to the fantastic Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack, young Anya sets out to find her father who still has not returned from the tsars army. Along the way she must face a heady group of individuals including the tsar, a Rabbi, and an evil sorcerer, despite the fact that she is just a child. She has her friends at her side, and together they find the courage to keep doing the right thing.

We all have things that hold us back, whether they are an official diagnosis like Moses speech impediment, or a simple fact of life like Anya’s age. Even without those things, it can be hard to stand up to those in power. That is why it is important to acknowledge the Aaron’s in the room who provide that crucial support to people performing tasks that seem impossible. Somehow, together, we can make it possible. 

I first heard about Susan Polgar when her little sister Judit was held up as a “real life” version of the main character in the popular novel-turned-Netflix-mini-series, The Queen’s Gambit. A quick search revealed that Judit was almost nothing like the orphaned, drug addicted chess prodigy in the novel. Sure, she was a female chess champion, but she was no orphan, nor was her childhood a horrific mess, and her chess playing was not a stroke of inborn genius. She had two sisters who were also chess champions, including her older sister Susan, whose recent memoir Rebel Queen details how the sisters’ gifts were the result of very careful and deliberate cultivation.

Much of the first few chapters is spent on describing how the Polgar’s father had a specific set of educational theories that stressed the ability of any child to succeed if they are given the time and support needed to focus on something they love. The only lucky accident is that the first thing thing Susan expressed interest in was chess. Had she not found a chessboard and asked to play, she very well may have gone down the pathway of becoming a mathematician as her father originally planned. Her parents were flexible enough to shift to Susan’s tastes, and she loved chess so much it is no wonder her two younger sister chose to follow suit – and particularly in Judit’s case, exceeded some of Susan’s accomplishments. Susan was the first woman to be named a grand master, but Judit’s career overall surpassed hers, a matter in which Susan seems to take great pride. Looking back, it’s shocking to read how people accused the Polgar’s of child abuse when Susan first appeared at tournaments as a child (which she often won). In a refreshing twist, Susan has nothing but praise for her parents to whom she credits her amazing accomplishments and overall joyous life. 

She does, however, have a lot to say about everyone else. 

Growing up in communist Hungary, Susan was often the source of intense controversy in the chess world. Especially regarding her insistence on playing against men rather than in female only events. Obviously, we only hear one side of the story, but the evidence is fairly convincing. For whatever reason, the communist regime definitely attempting to block her career numerous times and made it difficult for her to travel to tournaments. When her travel visas finally do come through, Susan’s descriptions of seeing other countries, including her first visit to the US, are a reminder of all the good things about my home country that I often forget. As we follow Susan’s transition from playing for Hungary to retiring, only to comeback in spectacular fashion in order to play for the USA before teaching at a collegiate level, I wondered how those early events affected Susan’s world view. She certainly wasn’t afraid of a fight and refused to take less than what she felt she and her sport deserved. 

I’d never thought of the Polgar family as particularly religious. Susan herself acknowledges that they did not observe much, but to think of them as anything other than Jewish would be an epic mistake. Susan’s often mentions Jewish values and her grandparents Holocaust experiences, as having an impact on the family’s decisions. They did not flee Hungary, even when they had the chance, and they never backed down to threats and intimidation. Moreover, Susan loved chess particularly because when she sat down at the board she believed neither her gender nor her religion should matter whatsoever. It should be a match of equals, so long as both had the chance to study chess (indeed she often won against opponents who had far more governmental and financial backing).

I highly recommend reading Rebel Queen in audio. Narrator Suzanne Toren is an easy listen, and there are many tense moments during crucial matches. When I had the story playing out loud, visitors would often linger to listen along for a chapter or two. 

Particularly moving for me, was the last third of the book where Susan transitions from active competitor to teacher and mentor. Her accomplishments in this arena almost overshadow her accomplishments as a player herself. Perhaps that is why she says she was never jealous of her sisters – she had a hand in training them, and her team records show she was an unparalleled coach. She most certainly raised the profile of chess as a sport in the USA. Which reminds the reader that the book began with the Polgar’s educational theories. The epilogue, in which Susan thanks her parents for the childhood and education they gave her, brings the entire narrative full circle. 

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Shemot is the book of the Bible that contains the familiar story retold every year at the Passover Seder. The descendants of Yaakov are enslaved in Egypt only to be liberated in spectacular fashion by God. There is a hero’s journey for Moses, amazing miracles, and an antagonist for the ages. Pharaoh claims his super villain title easily in this weeks Parsha by attempting to secretly kill all the baby boys born to the Hebrews. When he is thwarted by two midwives who refuse to listen to his demands, he decides to simplify matters by dispensing with the need to keep this mission quiet and openly throws all the infant boys into the Nile. Which is how baby Moses ends up floating down the river in a basket.

If you have ever sent a child to Hebrew school, you know that Moses in his basket is a favorite of Hebrew school teachers. Children can make endless projects depicting the basket floating among the reeds, and perform in numerous plays reenacting the Egyptian Princess Batya’s arms stretches out to save the baby. I’d like to focus on the fact that Moses’ sister Miriam, who many believe was one of the midwives defying Pharaoh, watched over him in the reeds. It can’t have been easy or comfortable for her to sit there in the heat watching her baby brother at the whims of the Nile. Nor would she have been without fear when she stepped up and spoke with the Egyptian Princess about a nurse for the baby. It’s never safe to know the secrets of royalty and Miriam was already on Pharaoh’s bad side. She did it anyway, and she is notably one of only seven female prophets in the bible – referred to later in the Torah by her own name rather than that of the males she was associated with, which is still one of the most popular names in the Jewish world today. While we can only guess at her motivation, it is likely the same as the one that helped her defy Pharaoh as a midwife – it was the right thing to do.

In The Passover Lamb, by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Author), and Tatjana Mai-Wyss (Illustrator), a little girl named Miriam has been waiting all year to go to the Passover Seder at her grandparents house. Children are given special roles during the Seder, which only comes once a year, and Miriam will also get to see all of her relatives. She’s helped out with the arduous chores leading up to the holiday, so she is eager to partake in the joy. Just as the family is preparing to leave their farm for the drive, one of their sheep goes into unexpected labor late in the lambing season and delivers a litter of three lambs. Alas, the mother sheep only has enough milk for two, and therefore refuses to nurse the last one. The task of rescuing the lamb through bottle feeding falls to Miriam and her family who will now be stuck on the farm with the baby lamb.

Miriam is disappointed. She and her siblings attempt to resist, only to realize that caring for the helpless animal is their responsibility. Miriam saves the day by coming up with an ingenious way to safely transport the lamb – in a basket just like baby Moses – and they head off to the Seder with their new charge in hand. Much like biblical Miriam found a way to save and feed her baby brother, storybook Miriam rescues the lamb. The lesson here, for me, is that we cannot turn our backs on the vulnerable no matter how inconvenient or scary that may be for us. The Miriam’s set us an important example. We must do the right thing, now matter how difficult or scary.

I’m a creature of habit. I resist change with all my might. When I write I have a designated spot and full on ritual to get things going. So moving countries is pretty incomprehensible to me. Most children are likely more flexible than I am, although a shift from routine can be pretty upsetting for them too. Which is why The Blue Butterfly Of Cochin, a vibrant picture book from Ariana Mizrahi and Siona Benjamin, is likely to catch their imagination.

Leah, the stories protagonist, finds out that her family must move from their beloved Cochin India to Israel. While they are exciting about the future, they are also leaving behind everything they know – including their beloved historic Synagogue. Leah is comforted by a magical blue butterfly that appears to accompany her, and reminds her that her memories will always help her create a home, wherever she is, even when adjusting feels hard.

The illustrations in The Blue Butterfly of Cochin contain a stunning riot of colors. They are breathtaking, especially the depiction of the synagogue, and also take into account Leah’s cultural heritage. I found the book worth a look just for the art alone. However, the accompanying text also deserves a read. The children who listened to me read the book aloud were interested in learning about the Jews of Cochin, and wondered how many other places in the world they might find Jews. They found some similarities with Leah, but also had a lot of questions about her life. It was an engaging conversation.

The Blue Butterfly of Cochin invites children to explore how Jews have lived in a variety of countries they might have thought of before- sometimes for hundreds of years! It is also a feast for the eyes, which definitely helps the adult reader stay engaged. Sometimes change isn’t such a bad thing, and it was helpful to have that reminder.

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We are so excited for all the Jewish books publishing in 2026! Unlike most of our posts, we have not yet read most books on this list. They are included because someone signaled to us that the book contains some Jewish content. If that is wrong, or if we are missing a book, please do let us know. This is a page you might want to bookmark, as we are constantly updating as we are told about new books or books already on our radar get their covers and pre-order links.

ADULT FICTION

The Star Society by Gabriella Saab, HarperMuse, January: Amazon | Bookshop

The Kosher Conundrum by Stacey Agdern, Tule, January: Amazon | Bookshop

Remember to Eat and Other Stories by Metyl Ain, SparkPress, January: Amazon | Bookshop

All Roads Lead to Great Neck by Josh Alan Friedman, Wyatt Dyole Books, February: Amazon | Bookshop

The Slow Burn by Ali Rosen, MontLake, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Somewhere I Belong by Jo-Anne Berelowitz, Diaaspora Press, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Gap Year by Lindsey Goldstein, Egret Lake, February: Amazon

The End of Romance by Lily Meyer, Viking, February: Amazon | Bookshop

The Tavern At The End of History by Morris Collins, Dzanc, February: Amazon | Bookshop

This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman, The Dial Press, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Virtually Perfect by Melissa Sky, Bold Strokes Books, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Falling for the Rabbi by Jennifer Wilck, Harlequin Special Edition, February: Amazon | Bookshop

The World Between Us by Zeeva Bukai, Delphinium Books, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Two Roses by Miriam Libicki (Author, Illustrator), Rose Lipszyc (Author), New Jewish press, February: Bookshop

Night Night Fawn by Jordy Rosenberg, One World, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Hornytown Chutzpah by Andrew Hiller, Atthis Arts, March: Amazon |

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle, Atria Books, March: Amazon | Bookshop

The Kingdom of Almonds by Ariel Kaplan, Erewhon Books, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Evening Begins The Day by Jessica Brilliant Keener, Koehler Books, March: Amazon | Bookshop

A Novel Crime by Deborah Levison, Thomas & Mercer, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Pomona Afton Can Totally Catch A Killer by Bellamy Rose, Emily Bestler Books, March: Amazon | Bookshop

The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch, Berkley, April: Amazon | Bookshop

Like Wafers in Honey by Leah Eskin, Levine Querido, April: Amazon | Bookshop

All Afternoon by Susan Kleinman, Volume 36, April: Amazon | Bookshop

Homebound by Portia Elan, Scribner, May: Amazon | Bookshop

The May House by Jillian Cantor, Atria, May: Amazon | Bookshop

Soon By You by Dahlia Adler, St. Martin’s Griffin, May: Amazon | Bookshop

Echoes of Infamy by Shaina Steinberg, Kensington, May: Amazon | Bookshop

The Other Beautiful People by Caroline Bock, Regal House, June: Amazon | Bookshop

Off the Record by Sara Goodman Confino, Lake Union, June: Amazon | Bookshop

The Way It Haunted Him by Laura Samotin, Titan, June: Amazon | Bookshop

Shaken To The Core by Dara Levan, Regalo Press, June: Amazon | Bookshop

Dearest Beast by Felicia Grossman, Forever, June: Amazon | Bookshop

Rewrite The Stars by Lindsay Hameroff, St. Martin’s Griffin, July: Amazon | Bookshop

Extra- Curricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon, Berkley, July: Amazon | Bookshop

Her Old Rodeo Rival’s Return by Rebecca Crowley, Harlequin Special Edition, July: Amazon | Bookshop

Love Me Like A Lovesong by Shelly Jay Shore and Michelle Nelson Shore, Dell, August: Amazon | Bookshop

Now That We Don’t Talk by Rachel Pologe, TBD

Four Chuppahs And A Shiva by Jessica Topper, Self, November: Amazon

Gelt-y Pleasures by Amanda Usen, Self, November: Amazon

ADULT NONFICTION

Always Carry Salt by Samantha Ellis, Pegasus, January: Amazon | Bookshop

BernBaum’s Recipes From Fargo’s Nordic-Jewish Deli by Andrea Baumgardner, Dottir, January: Amazon | Bookshop

Half-Jew – Full Life by Georgette Bennet, Heresy Press, January: Amazon | Bookshop

Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the publishing house he built, Gayle Feldman, Random House, January: Amazon | Bookshop

Place Envy by Michael Lowenthal, Mad Creek Books, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Choosing to be Chosen by Kylie Ora Lobell, Wicked Son, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Playmakers by Michael Kimmel, W.W. Norton & Company, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Walter Benjamin: The Pearl Diver: Peter E. Gordon, Yale University Press, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Returning: A Search For Home Across Three Centuries by Nicholas Lemann, Liveright, March: Amazon | Bookshop

When We’re Born We Forget Everything by Alicia Jo Rabins, Schocken, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer, G.P. Putnam’s Sone, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy by Daniel Okrent, Yale University Press, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Mordecai M. Kaplan: Restless Soul by Jenna Weissman Joselit, Yale University Press, May: Amazon | Bookshop

Dickens In Brooklyn by Jay Neugeboren, Eastover Press, April: Amazon | Bookshop

Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, SPiegel and Grau, May: Amazon | Bookshop

MIDDLE GRADE

When You’re Brave Enough by Rebecca Bendheim, Viking Books For Young Readers, April: Amazon | Bookshop

Miriam’s Magical Creature Files: The Mystery of the Mermaid by Leah Cypess, Amulet Paperback, April: Amazon | Bookshop

A Whiff Of Magic by by Elana Rubinstein (Author), Jennifer Naalchigar (Illustrator), Apples and Honey Press, April: Amazon | Bookshop

How To Walk A Dog by Joanne Levy TBD

The Cloak from Baghdad: A Graphic Novel by Carol Isaacs, September, Kar-Ben: Amazon | Bookshop

The Shabbat Flood, A Texas Sized Tale by Jan Schwaid (Author), Evelline Andrya (Illustrator), October, Kar-Ben: Amazon | Bookshop

PICTURE BOOKS

Challahbaloo by Elizabeth Suneby, PJ Publishing, January: Amazon

All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat by Leslie Kimmelman (Author), Alyssa Russell (Illustrator), HarperCollins, January: Amazon | Bookshop

Talia and The Time Train by Benjamin Kincaid (Author), Tiffany Barnes (Illustrator), self published, January: Amazon | Bookshop

Purim Possibilities by Barbara Kimmel (author), and Irina Avgustinovitch (illustrator), PJ Publishing, February: Amazon

A Place To Pray by Doreen Klein Robinson (Author), Yuke Li (Illustrator), WorthyKids, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Maya’s Journey by Marcella White Campbell (Author), Olivia Smith (Illustrator), Kalaniot Books, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Otherwise Known as Judy The Great by Selina Alko, Christy Ottaviano Books, February: Amazon | Bookshop

My Passover Seder by Claire Freeland and Aviel Basil, Green Bean Books, April: Amazon | Bookshop

The Passover Pet Surprise by Ana María Shua (Author), Ángeles Ruiz (Illustrator), NorthSouth Books, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Miriam And her Dancing Shoes by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (Author), Joani Rothenberg (Illustrator), Apples and Honey Press, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Something Sweet by Lesléa Newman (Author), Sarita Rich (Illustrator), Charlesbridge, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Tractor Zack on Sunshine Kibbutz by Alice Blumenthal McGinty (Author), Rotem Teplow (Illustrator), Kalaniot Books, April: Amazon | Bookshop

The Tenth Man by Artie Bennett (Author), Shira Neiss (Illustrator), Holiday House, April: Amazon | Bookshop

Three Pieces of Broken Glass by Emily Barth Isler (Author), Vesper Stamper (Illustrator), Abrams Books For Young Readers, March: Amazon | Bookshop

Day Of Delight by Maxine Rose Schur, J. Brian Pinkney, Brian Pinkney, Kalaniot Books | April: Amazon | Bookshop

Rainbow Cookies by Lesléa Newman (Author), Z.B. Asterplume (Illustrator), Levine Querido, May: Amazon | Bookshop

Oodles of Noodles by Jessie Atkin (author) and Moesha Kellaway (Illustrator), Little Bee Books, July: Amazon | Bookshop

Our Spectacular Sukkah by Sidura Ludwig (Author), Sophia Vincent Guy (Illustrator), Candlewick, August: Amazon | Bookshop

A House With No Door: A Sukkot Story by Amy Fellner Dominy, illustrated by Rotem Teplow, Kar-Ben, August: Amazon | Bookshop

Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashana Story by Melissa Stoller, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, August: August, Amazon | Bookshop

Harriet Hubbard and the Sold-Out Hanukkah by Bonnie Grubman and illustrated by Noa Kelner, Kar-Ben, October: Amazon | Bookshop

YOUNG ADULT

A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, February: Amazon | Bookshop

Last Days in Moav by Sharon Reiss Baker, Apples & Honey Press, April: Amazon | Bookshop

Somewhere In Nowhere by Steven Gellman, NineStar Press, April: Amazon | Bookshop

The Cove by Claire Rose, Wednesday Books, May: Amazon | Bookshop

Meet Me At The Picket Line by Jasper Sanchez, HarperCollins, May: Amazon | Bookshop

The City of Slaughter by Aden Polydoros, HarperCollins, June: Amazon | Bookshop

Vayechi is the last Parsha in the book of Bereishit and it opens and closes with death and burial. First, Yaakov has Yosef swear he will bury him with his forefathers rather than leaving his body in Egypt. Then, when it is Yosef’s turn to die, he too makes his family swear they will take his bones out of Egypt. Although Yosef’s bones have to wait for Moses to liberate the people and carry them away, Yaakov’s request is granted immediately in the Parsha. Burial in the way they desired, was crucial for these two Jewish forefathers. Which reminded me of some pivotal scenes in Shelly Jay Shore’s Rules for Ghosting.

Rules for Ghosting literally takes place in a funeral home. Ezra, a trans man, is returning to help out at his family’s funeral home in the wake of his mother coming out and leaving his father. Ezra is taking over the books – which are about as messy as his mothers love life – and trying to keep the family together. The tricky part is actually not the finances or the family feud. It’s the fact that Ezra can see ghosts and funeral homes are full of them.

Rules for Ghosting contains beautiful scenes about family, life (Ezra is also a doula), queerness, and acceptance. one of the most beautiful moments comes when a trans person’s body arrives for burial and Ezra is concerned the wishes of the deceased may not be honored. His family rallies without even questioning it, stating this is their holy purpose, and ensures the proper burial. This is when Ezra truly feels his family’s acceptance – when they do for another what he would want them to do for him when the time comes.

Death and dying are never easy. Ezra is literally a doula because of how much death surrounds him at the family business. Yet, it is no less meaningful or important to ensure the wishes and person hood of the dead are respected than it is to shepherd new life into the world. Yaakov and Yosef both felt the need to express their burial desires to their family, and both requests were important enough to be recorded in the Torah. As we end this Sefer, it is important to meet this challenge head on. Chazak Chazak V’nischazek.