Category: Uncategorized

Parshat Mikeitz has all the trappings of an epic fantasy novel. Dream interpretations, promotion of lowly prisoners to high office, a family traveling to a far away land due to hunger, even hidden identities! Throughout, there is an importance of keeping ones word and living with integrity. In Naomi Novik’s novel Spinning Silver, words have special meaning, and promises must always be kept.

When the brothers attempt to convince Yaakov to send Binyamin back with them to Egypt so that they may redeem Shimon and obtain provisions, it is to the pleas of Yehuda that he finally listens. When Reuven asked, offering the lives of his own two sons as collateral, Yaakov refused. What good to him would be the death of his grandsons? Yehudah, on the other hand, promised his own personal liability. He would be guilty forever if he did not bring his brother back. In short, he gave his word, and this was worth something.

Spinning Silver‘s main character Miryem first gets into trouble over words – boasts bring her to the attention of the fey like creatures known as the Staryk, who demand she turn their silver into gold. Later, in the climax of the book, she realizes that magic and nobility, and so many other things, involve expanding yourself to meet the promises you have made. She pushes past her comfort zone to achieve the impossible – albeit sometimes through clever use of exact wording – and becomes herself a worthy Queen of the Staryk.

I love the story of Spinning Silver because it takes a fairy tale rooted in antisemitism – Rumpelstiltskin – and turns it on its head. This is a story of Jewish triumph and of understanding between cultures. Similarly, Joseph experiences a huge turn around in the Parsha. He goes from being a prisoner to having unbridled influence in the worlds biggest superpower – second only to Pharaoh himself. Miryem achieves great things, but she still wants to visit her family. Joseph had every right to be angry at his brothers and retaliate. Instead, he tried to give them the chance to prove they have changed (and he really, really wanted to see his younger brother again).

Words have power, promises should be kept, and anything can change on a moments notice.

Winter is a tiring time of year for me. Not because I’m overwhelmed by all the Christmas – I actually enjoy winter villages and twinkly lights and such. It’s the early darkness that really gets my brain confused. Plus, this winter has come with its own challenges. It seems like everywhere I look there is division, side taking, and hate. I found my cure for all of that in the delightfully adorable middle grade novel, Let it Glow, co written by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy.

Let It Glow manages to seamlessly integrate both Christmas and Hanukkah into one novel that celebrants of any holiday can enjoy. Aviva and Holly are both adopted, and neither one knows she has an identical twin sister out there – until they meet at holiday pageant rehearsals for an assisted living facility. Aviva is there because her grandmother lives in the facility, knows Aviva loves to perform, and has encouraged her to provide the show with a Hanukkah number amidst all the Christmas performances. Holly is touring the facility as a potential new home for her grandfather, has the worlds biggest case of stage fright, and is reluctantly joining the backstage crew. When the two spot each other, and discover they share the same birthday, they make the logical conclusion that they are twins and the illogical decision to swap places and experience each others lives.

Aviva has been feeling down that while her family is Jewish they don’t practice all that much. She’s convinced them to have a full on Hanukkah celebration – which means after the swap Holly is getting a crash course in Jewish food and joy. Over at Holly’s house, Aviva finds out that cutting down a Christmas tree is real work but totally pays off when you get to decorate it. There are plenty of hijinks related to the swap, both holidays, and the girls having such different personalities. Not to mention one very grumpy cat that is not falling for the swap. When they finally reveal their sisters’ existence to their respective families everyone is too shocked to be all that angry about the swap.

The book covers important topics like respecting each other boundaries, facing our fears, accepting other cultures, and aging family members. It is unabashedly fun, full of excitement, and HAPPY. It was the perfect answer to all the divisiveness around me. Whether your curl up next to a menorah, Christmas tree, or on a coach, Let It Glow is a very cozy winter read that will give you the warm fuzzies.

Bote – BookishlyJewish received a copy of this book from one of the authors.

Find It: Amazon| Bookshop

The key to a good picture book is managing to write something kids will love, and parents don’t mind reading over and over again. In Beam of Light, by Elisa Boxer and illustrated by Sofia Moore, parents learn about the first white house menorah while children get to enjoy the soft colors and mystery about what will happen to the titular beam.

I don’t know what shocked me more. Learning that there wasn’t a piece of Judaica in the White Houses permanent collection until 2022, or that the White House was collapsing in the 1940’s. Apparently, I wasn’t alone, because Beam of Light was written after the author first heard the story of a beam removed from the collapsing white house being later repurposed into a menorah. The story of collapse and rebirth is classic Judaism. We undergo great tragedy, but the Jewish people always survive, even if it means transforming into something new.

The text is not too long and the pictures are soothing, making Beam of Light an easy read. It’s an educational yet entertaining way to spend a Hanukkah night. Maybe even share the stories of where your own menorahs come from, and personal stories of reinvention while still holding on to tradition.

Note: BookishlyJewish received a copy of this book from the publisher

---

Find It: Amazon | BookshopJ

It is the curse of the book blogger to read a book off season and then sit on it for a year while she waits for the right moment to come back around. At least, that’s what happened to me and Amanda Elliot’s hilarious grumpy/sunshine Hanukkah romance Love You A Latke. I started reading it last Hanukkah, but did not finish in time to post for the holiday. So I’ve sat here dying to tell everyone about it for an entire year. But now, Hanukkah is back and I’m posting my review on the very first day.

Love You A Latke has those small town vibes – our notorious grump Abby is drafted against her will into spearheading a Hanukkah festival to help the floundering town economy. Abby herself is a transplant to the town, having moved there for a relationship that didn’t work out, and then decided to stay. Her main qualification to run a Hanukkah festival seems to be that she is the only Jewish person anyone knows. She’s got lots of great ideas, but unfortunately, it quickly becomes obvious that Abby is running things only in name. What the real festival organizer wants is a Christmas market with the word ‘hanukkah’ slapped on it, and a token Jewish person’s nod of approval, so that it will look different than all the other local fairs without actually having to be different.

Abby, who runs a coffee shop, is pretty salty, yet somehow she finds it hard to stand up to this woman. Possibly because her parents were emotionally abusive towards her. Still, she keeps trying to imbue some actual Hanukkah into the fair. Which is how she finds herself fake dating her one true nemesis – Seth the local ray of sunshine who seems to get under her skin more than anyone else. He just so happens to have connections to a ton of Hanukkah vendors, and desperately wants to bring home a girlfriend to his parents in Manhattan to prove small town life is agreeing with him.

Turns out Seth has some confrontation issues too – rather than talk to his parents or his ex, he just kind of ran away. Except, unlike Abby, his people are the literal best. Including his ex, who quickly becomes Abby’s friend. Which is sort of awkward because feelings are starting to develop and the fake dating may not be so fake anymore.

Abby is a wonderful grump, and Seth is the shiniest of sunshines. They work really well together and the sense of humor in this book is delightful. As is all the Jewish food representation. The tropes used are on point, and I appreciated how Abby’s issues with her parents are not simply wrapped up in some platitudes, but instead acknowledged for something that isn’t just going to go away. Sometimes separation from toxicity is the only way to a happy ending.

Join me in screaming about this book – even if you don’t finish it until after Hanukkah. I have to wait for my posts to hit at the right time, but you can shout anytime! Happy Hanukkah to all the grumps and sunshines out there.

---

Find It: Amazon | Bookshop

This week is all about dreams. In Parshat Vayeshev, we meet one of history’s most famous dreamers – Joseph, who later also turns to dream interpretation during his stint in prison. Which is why I’m pairing this parsha with Ariel Kaplan’s brilliant Jewish fantasy, The Pomegranate Gate. 

Joseph is know for angering his brothers by describing his two dreams that seem to indicate he will be king over them. Many people also know that he interprets the dreams of Pharaohs two deposed courtiers when they are in Egyptian prison together. The Bible presents these dreams as logically connected to life, if only one can find the correct interpreter. Indeed these dreams were taken so seriously the brothers almost killed Joseph, and ended up selling him into slavery over the issue. Clearly dreaming is a serious business 

The Pomegranate Gate is a gorgeous portal fantasy that is way too complex to summarize here (I encourage you to check out our review!) but it has one of the most interesting depictions of dreaming I’ve seen in fiction. Nonhuman creatures, such as Maziks, have a shared dream world. These dreams are not harmless ephemera – they will be remembered after waking, and can have really work consequences. They can also help communication between individuals who are not even in the same realm, for better or for worse.

Nowadays, dreams usually don’t lead to fratricide. Nor can someone attempt to hunt you down and successfully assassinate you while you dream. But they still hold power. They reflect what we have been thinking over the day, and sometimes provide clarity on life choices. May we all share a dream of health and happiness. 

Vayishlach starts off with the continuation of the epic Yaakov/Esav sibling battle. In a moment that oddly reminded me of the last Twilight novel, when the two opposing factions faced each other down they formed a tentative peace instead of fighting. Each twin headed off in a different direction, which brings us to the focus of today’s post – the Dinah incident and Anita Diamant’s brilliant retelling The Red Tent.

If you, like me, have been struggling with some of the biblical depictions of women these past few weeks, let me assure you that this week will not be the week to make it all better. In fact, it kind of gets worse. We are told that Dinah heads out to visit with the girls of the new land. This sounds pretty understandable to me – she just moved across countries, everything was strange and different, and maybe she wanted to make a few friends. However, a whole lot of epic badness followed. Dinah fell prey to Shechem who decided to take what he wanted – her – and then in a strange twist of fate fell so deeply in love he decided to marry her. Alas, forcing a woman to marry her rapist has been a fixture of justice systems since ancient days so perhaps Shechem thought this was totally normal and quasi romantic behavior. However, Dinah’s brothers Shimon and Levi were not impressed. They tricked the entire city into thinking they would allow Shechem to marry Dinah so long as all the males circumcised themselves. Once everyone was recovering from their circumcisions performed without modern anesthesia, the brother stuck. They killed or enslaved the entire city in retaliation for Shechem violating their sister.

The story can be interpreted in many ways. There could be a whole treatise written debating if what Shimon and Levi did was a pro-feminist or anti-feminist move, and whether the entire city was guilty or not. That is not the discussion I want to have. Instead, I’d like to note how the story is told. We hear from Yaakov (not thrilled about his sons razing an entire city and opening the family up to revenge from neighboring cities), Shimon and Levi (what, we should just let this guy get away with it?), and even Shechem (I just had to have her, and look I even want to marry her. I’ll pay whatever, just hand her over to me). However we never once hear from Dinah herself. The episode opens by telling us she went to visit some of “the daughters of the land” and ends with her brothers removing her from Shechem’s house, but she never speaks, is never given a motivation. That’s where The Red Tent comes in.

While women did not have much voice or agency in biblical times, Diamant’s retelling from the viewpoint of Dinah reminds us that they were still people with needs and wants of their own. We simply often do not get to hear them. Indeed, the Torah is unique in that it gives some women voices when it suits the narrative- Rebecca stood up and proclaimed she wanted to go to Issac’s house. Rachel and Leah were part of the plan to leave their father Lavan’s house, but notably the maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah were not heard from at that time. The Red Tent allows all the women to speak. It shows us that there was a whole world – a whole society – inside those women’s tents that we are not privy to.

The bible can still be tough reading for a woman, even with the understanding of historical context. Books like The Red Tent help give an emotional framework from a female point of view. We will never know Dinah’s side of this story, but it’s important to acknowledge that there was one. That she was a person in her own right rather a possession to be guarded, traded, and rescued. It makes me want to peek around the corners of all the other women’s tents and see what’s going on in there. I just might be pleasantly surprised.

Mari Lowe’s middle grade books have spread Orthodox Jewish representation to so many readers – from kids who finally get to see themselves in a traditionally published book, to non-Jews who had no idea there were even different types of Jews in the world. We were so excited to be given the opportunity to interview her in celebration of her latest release, Beinoni.

BookishlyJewish: Your books – Aviva vs. the Dybbuk, The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman, and Beinoni – all feature orthodox Jewish characters. This has been tremendously meaningful for readers (including me!). Can you talk a little about what it is like to traditionally publish stories featuring orthodox Judaism?

Mari Lowe: I’m so, so happy to hear that! Honestly, it felt so out of reach for so long just because I’d never seen very much of it out there? I remember scrambling for every bit of Orthodox Jewish representation and feeling so let down by a lot of it. Today, I think we’re fortunate to exist in a publishing world that really embraces diversity instead of worrying about making readers comfortable with what they’re used to. It definitely isn’t always easy—I find that my books often have to be introduced in schools first, where readers have to be coaxed into picking them up because the world they’ll read about is unfamiliar—but it’s so wonderful and gratifying to hear from non-Orthodox readers who love them. And equally wonderful is hearing from Orthodox readers who are so excited to read books that feel like them and can be found in mainstream libraries and bookstores.

BookishlyJewish: All three books also feature sports: machanayim, roller skating, and basketball. Are you a sports fan? Any chance we can get a good game of belts going in your next book? That was always my favorite sport in camp.

Mari Lowe: Ha, I love that! We used to spend every Shabbos afternoon playing belts in the basement (occasionally smashing into a bookcase or two near the end). I do love playing sports, though I find myself more inclined toward traditional ones, personally. I think there’s so much within sports that allows us to get to know characters—in what they do and how they react and what they strive for most. I have big dreams of writing a grand machanayim epic one day…we’ll see!

BookishlyJewish: I notice your bio says you were a teacher. How has this informed your work?

Mari Lowe: Still a teacher! I’m actually answering these questions from the teachers’ room. I like to joke(?) that I’ve never quite made it out of middle school. Spending so much time with middle schoolers definitely gives me a feel for what they’re struggling with and what they strive for—and it keeps it on my mind when I’m writing!

BookishlyJewish: Beinoni is your first book to feature a male protagonist, as well as being the first true fantasy of the three. Why the switch?

Mari Lowe: It was really a treat for my son, who likes to complain that I write too many girl characters. (Never too many!!) Fantasy was my favorite genre when I was a kid, and there was next-to-no Jewish representation there, let alone Orthodox Jewish representation! So it’s always been my dream to get in some Jewish fantasy, and there’s so much unmined lore in Jewish culture—it isn’t all golems and dybbuks! I also didn’t want to get pinned down as a ‘contemporary writer’ without having the freedom to explore multiple genres…so regardless of where I go with the next book, I like knowing that I can go back to fantasy now without confusing readers.

BookishlyJewish: Is middle grade your sweet spot or do you think you might branch out to other age categories?

Mari Lowe: I’ve actually been working on an adult novel! It’s mostly contemporary, but with a fantasy twist. YA intimidates me a little, but I think that there’s definitely a hunger for books there, so if I find the right story, who knows?

BookishlyJewish: I think Mariam was my favorite character from all three books. Do you have a favorite?

Mari Lowe: Everyone has to be my favorite a bit while I’m writing, because I’m rooting for them all so readers will root for them all. I’m quite fond of Mariam, too, and Leah, and Shaindy and Gayil both. There’s always going to be a piece of my heart reserved for Aviva and her mother. And I surprised myself with how much I loved Aryeh in Beinoni.

BookishlyJewish: I think I made the same sukkah project in elementary school as Ezra did. Do you have a favorite Jewish holiday?

Mari Lowe: My son made the same one back in 2021—and then he tested positive for Covid two days before the big Sukkah fair, missed the whole thing, and still isn’t quite over it. (I gave Binyamin his project so it would still get its time in the sun!) I honestly love Pesach the most—it’s a lot of prep, but I find the process really therapeutic, and the seder nights are my favorite nights of the year. Plus, I’m always up for some quality matzo brei!)

BookishlyJewish: What’s next for you?

Mari Lowe: Aside from the adult novel, I’ve been working on another middle grade book called Dreamscape, about a group of girls who get really involved in an online game and find themselves the subjects of online antisemitic harassment.

BookishlyJewish: I always end by asking if you have a favorite Jewish book to recommend to our readers.

Mari Lowe: Always a great question, and it’s so hard to pick one! A recent favorite is Naomi Milliner’s The Trouble With Secrets, which made me cry like a baby through the whole final part of the book and savor every word.

---

Find It:

Aviva Vs. The Dybbuk: Amazon | Bookshop | BookishlyJewish Review

The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman: Amazon | Bookshop | BookishlyJewish Review

Beinoni: Amazon | Bookshop | BookishlyJewish Review

The vibe of BookishlyJewish has always been one of support – we think ALL the Jewish books deserve awards for the simple fact that their existence is never a given. Many had long, hard roads to publication due to quotas, perceived “niche” content, and other such depressing gate keeping. Any marginalized story faces barriers others don’t, which is why we have chosen to focus on reviewing and boosting them in a noncompetitive manner. However, it’s hard to ignore those lists of bests that circulate this time of year. So last year we tried to find a way to host a Reader’s Choice Award the BookishlyJewish way – inclusive and not disparaging of others.

We like to think of our Reader’s Choice Award as serving two dual functions. It lets us celebrate the Jewish books currently capturing the world’s attention, while also opening us up to requests from our readers about what they would like to see featured on our page. That means we feature huge blockbusters and tiny indies, and sometimes even one vote is enough to push a book to the top of our TBR for coverage. In that vein, this year we have just six short questions asking you to write in a favorite adult, children’s and nonfiction book you read last year and one from each category you would like to see us review next year. Neither category is limited by year of publication, so if Tevye the Milkman was the best thing you read last year go ahead and vote for it! The latter set of questions obviously excludes books we have already covered but the first does not. And as always, we ask that you not vote for any book from the bible, although bible commentaries are more than welcome.

How to vote? Click this link and sign in using your gmail! We are not collecting the emails, this allows us to limit responses to one person while the program automatically deletes/does not store the emails. And please, it’s an honors system, it’s limited to one response per person, but we understand there are ways to game that system. We ask you not to.

Vayetzei is a parsha full of names. The majority of the shevatim are born – eleven of the twelve sons of Jacob destined to found the twelve tribes of the Jewish people, as well as their sister Dinah. As each child is born, it is given a name reflective of all the hopes and dreams and gratitude of the family. These moments of family joy reminded me of the picture book Joyful Song by Lesléa Newman and illustrator Susan Gal. 

Naming holds a special place in Judaism. When prophecy disappeared the Sages stated that what was left was the small fraction of prophecy needed to bestow a name on a child. Although interestingly, in Vayetzei Rachel and Leah name all the children (including those of their maidservants), while later customs gave this right over to the father who names the child upon being called to the Torah for a girl, or at the bris ceremony for a boy. Which is why I particularly enjoy that in Joyful Song there are two mothers sharing this moment at a newer Jewish tradition – a simchat bat – the baby naming ceremony for girls. 

The names given in the Bible are expressions of thanks for the good fortune of a child, but also prayers for the future. They so poignantly reflect the mothers reality – Leah’s continued dreams of receiving some of her husbands attention and affection and Rachel’s pleas to be a mother. Rachel’s first child, Joseph, is given a name that means “may God add on another child to me.” In Joyful Song there is a big brother involved in the naming too, and the family does choose a prayer for the name – a wish that their new daughter and sister will live a life of Joyful Song. May we all be so lucky

Toldot is a fan favorite of Jewish day school children everywhere who love acting out the famous scene in which Yaakov pretends to be Eisav. No matter how limited their Hebrew skills, they all manage to memorize “hakol kol Yaakov vihayadayim yidei Eisva.” But if we look on this parsha with the eyes of adults, things start looking a whole less cute. There’s a lot to learn about both sibgling relationships and parenting here, and I think it pairs nicely with Elyssa Friedland’s novel Jackpot Summer.

It’s pretty clear Yaakov and Eisav are two very different people, even though they are twins. It’s also pretty clear that each parent had a favorite. Not a great combination, and the resulting sibling rivalry is still causing issues today. When we compete for our parents love, we end up losing each other. (Or, in this particular case, trying to kill each other, but I digress). In Jackpot Summer the Jacobson siblings are feeling lost after the passing of their mother, when three out of four of them win the lotto. Immediately, we are placed in an awkward resource limited situation. The brother who was formerly rich, and somewhat lording it over the other three, is now the poor one. Jealously and resentment fester on all sides, and everyone is even more lost than before the lotto ticket was purchased. Nobody is actively trying to kill anyone else, but it’s still pretty bleak,

Teaching each child according to their needs is a mainstay of Jewish education. One wonders what might have happened to Eisav if different parental methods were used on him vs. Yaakov. If they had not been marked in utero by a prophecy that labeled one as good and the other evil? Would he still have turned to idolatry and hunting? Could he have found a way to channel his natural abilities and gifts into something more productive? We’ll never know. I personally also wonder why only child could receive a blessing, and why one had to be placed over another as a Lord. I’m sure there are commentaries out there that address this issue, but I like to sit in the discomfort a little bit and let it teach me something. In the ideal situation each child feels like they are the favorite. That they are loved by their parents for their unique contributions. Only then, on that strong foundation, can their relationships survive resource allocation events like someone receiving the better blessing, or winning the lottery. The Jacobson’s, thanks to their childhood full of love and laughter, find a way to share their newfound resources and pull each up. Without anyone being a Lord over anyone else. If only Yaakov and Eisva had managed something similar, we’d be living in a very different world.