Dan Munteno (this is a pseudonym) was born in Romania, into a middle-class secular Jewish family. He lived through the unpleasantness of the communist regime until age 17 years, when the whole family emigrated to Israel in the 70's. After finishing high school, he went to the military, then left Israel for medical studies in Italy. He returned to Israel for specialist training and was later sent to Africa, on an internationally-supported Israeli medical mission. Since 1991 he lives and works in South Africa and was naturalized a South African citizen in 1994. His hobbies are long-distance trips to the surrounding countries of Swaziland and Mocambique, and collecting Southern African paintings. Dan Munteno is divorced, his 23-years old daughter is a student in Jerusalem and his 20-year old son is still in the military. " This is the power of memory combined with an expressive, almost journalistic style. Dan Munteno is able to convey his feelings of hope for a better, united world, and to share his joy of living even in times of sorrow. Very pleasant to read" Concetta De Vivo Dukes, lawyer, Johannesburg "This book comes from the heart. The stories, written in an unpretentious narrative, present ordinary people who behave unexpectedly in challenging moments of their lives. I have enjoyed them a lot. They brought tears to my eyes, as well as laughter. Because after all the differences between us are lifted, we connect with our souls and discover joy and peace." Mirjana Lovric, physician, Boksburg, South Africa " I have enjoyed reading this work. In each short story I felt like having a glimpse of people, events and countries, through a window that was opened only for a fraction of time. The personages were real in their life-time, and they are real in my mind ." Emmanuelle Kabamba, physician, preacher and writer, Boksburg, S Africa "Munteno's book is fun, witty and easy to read. I have "traveled" with it along the Mediterranean Sea toward South Africa, "met" different people, customs and faiths, and enjoyed most of them" Tracy Matthews, medical technologist, Boksburg, South Africa

Explores the full diversity of Black Jews, including bi-racial Jews of both matrilineal and patrilineal descent; adoptees; black converts to Judaism; and Black Hebrews and Israelites, who trace their Jewish roots to Africa and challenge the dominant western paradigm of Jews as white and of European descent. The book showcases the lives of Black Jews, demonstrating that racial ascription has been shaping Jewish selfhood for centuries. It reassesses the boundaries between race and ethnicity, offering insight into how ethnicity can be understood only in relation to racialization and the one-drop rule. Within this context, Black Jewish individuals strive to assert their dual identities and find acceptance within their communities. Putting to rest the notion that Jews are white and the Black Jews are therefore a contradiction, the volume argues that we cannot pigeonhole Black Hebrews and Israelites as exotic, militant, and nationalistic sects outside the boundaries of mainstream Jewish thought and community life. it spurs us to consider the significance of the growing population of self-identified Black Jews and its implications for the future of American Jewry.

Shlomo Sand was born in 1946, in a displaced person’s camp in Austria, to Jewish parents; the family later migrated to Palestine. As a young man, Sand came to question his Jewish identity, even that of a “secular Jew.” With this meditative and thoughtful mixture of essay and personal recollection, he articulates the problems at the center of modern Jewish identity. How I Stopped Being a Jew discusses the negative effects of the Israeli exploitation of the “chosen people” myth and its “holocaust industry.” Sand criticizes the fact that, in the current context, what “Jewish” means is, above all, not being Arab and reflects on the possibility of a secular, non-exclusive Israeli identity, beyond the legends of Zionism.

This book is a collection of letters from a religious Jew in Israel to a Christian friend in Barcelona on life as an Orthodox Jew. Equal parts lighthearted and insightful, it's a thorough and entertaining introduction to the basic concepts of Judaism.

In this heartfelt middle school drama, Hannah's schemes for throwing her own bat mitzvah unleash family secrets, create rivalries with best friends, and ultimately teach Hannah what being Jewish is all about. With a delicious mix of prose, poetry, and recipes, this hybrid novel is another fresh, thoughtful, and accessible Versify novel that is cookin’. - New York Times Best-Selling Author Kwame Alexander Hannah Malfa-Adler is Jew . . . ish. Not that she really thinks about it. She'd prefer to focus on her favorite pastime: baking delicious food! But when her best friend has a beyond-awesome Bat Mitzvah, Hannah starts to feel a little envious ...and a little left out. Despite her parents firm no, Hannah knows that if she can learn enough about her own faith, she can convince her friends that the party is still in motion. As the secrets mount, a few are bound to explode. When they do, Hannah learns that being Jewish isn't about having a big party and a fancy dress and a first kiss -- it's about actually being Jewish. Most importantly, Hannah realizes that the only person's permission she needs to be Jewish, is her own.

Regretting his family's Nazi ties, a Swiss teen converts to Judaism and devotes his life to alleviating the sufferings of Jewish people in accordance with his own haphazard logic, an effort that is marked by his intimate relationship with a rabbi's son.

"This essay, originating in a speech delivered in 1956 at an Israel Independence Day celebration, discusses the religious significance of the creation of the State of Israel and the obligation that its existence imposes upon Jews."--BOOK JACKET.