A collection of first-person poetry and prose designed to break the observant Jewish community's taboo against open discussion of female sexuality. "Truly inspiring. This brave collection explores the tension between religious norms and the lived experience of young Jewish women." - Lisa Fishbayn Joffe, Brandeis University

V.I:Aach-Apocalyptic lit.--V.2: Apocrypha-Benash--V.3:Bencemero-Chazanuth--V.4:Chazars-Dreyfus--V.5: Dreyfus-Brisac-Goat--V.6: God-Istria--V.7:Italy-Leon--V.8:Leon-Moravia--V.9:Morawczyk-Philippson--V.10:Philippson-Samoscz--V.11:Samson-Talmid--V.12: Talmud-Zweifel.

Throughout the ages, Jews have connected legends to particular days of the Hebrew calendar. Abraham's birth, the death of Rachel, and the creation of light are all tales that are linked to a specific day and season. The Jewish Book of Days invites readers to experience the connection between sacred story and nature's rhythms, through readings designed for each and every day of the year. These daily readings offer an opportunity to live in tune with the wisdom of the past while learning new truths about the times we live in today. Using the tree as its central metaphor, The Jewish Book of Days is divided into eight chapters of approximately forty-five days each. These sections represent the tree's stages of growth--seed, root, shoot, sap, bud, leaf, flower, and fruit--and also echo the natural cadences of each season. Each entry has three components: a biblical quote for the day; a midrash on the biblical quote or a Jewish tradition related to that day; and commentary relating the text to the cycles of the year. The author includes an introduction that analyzes the different months and seasons of the Hebrew calendar and explains the textual sources used throughout. Appendixes provide additional material for leap years, equinoxes, and solstices. A section on seasonal meditations offers a new way to approach the divine every day.

From the award-winning historian, war reporter, and author Damien Lewis (Zero Six Bravo, Judy) comes the incredible true story of the top-secret "butcher-and-bolt" black ops units Prime Minister Winston Churchill assigned the task of stopping the unstoppable German war machine. Criminals, rogues, and survivalists, the brutal tactics and grit of these "deniables" would define a military unit the likes of which the world had never seen. When France fell to the Nazis in spring 1940, Churchill declared that Britain would resist the advance of the German army--alone if necessary. Churchill commanded the Special Operations Executive to secretly develop of a very special kind of military unit that would operate on their own initiative deep behind enemy lines. The units would be licensed to kill, fully deniable by the British government, and a ruthless force to meet the advancing Germans. The very first of these "butcher-and-bolt" units--the innocuously named Maid Honour Force--was led by Gus March-Phillipps, a wild British eccentric of high birth, and an aristocratic, handsome, and bloodthirsty young Danish warrior, Anders Lassen. Amped up on amphetamines, these assorted renegades and sociopaths undertook the very first of Churchill's special operations--a top-secret, high-stakes mission to seize Nazi shipping in the far-distant port of Fernando Po, in West Africa. Though few of these early desperadoes survived WWII, they took part in a series of fascinating, daring missions that changed the course of the war. It was the first stirrings of the modern special-ops team, and all of the men involved would be declared war heroes when it was all over. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare focuses on a dozen of these extraordinary men, weaving their stories of brotherhood, comradely, and elite soldiering into a gripping narrative yarn, from the earliest missions to Anders Lassen's tragic death, just weeks before the end of the war.

"An instant classic.... With echoes of Scout Finch, the feisty Menuchah guides readers on an unforgettable journey." --Leah Vincent, author of Cut Me Loose. In this tender and hilarious memoir of an ultraorthodox girlhood, Judy Brown reveals a closed world, a loving family, a troubled brother, and the lore and faith that have sustained her people for generations. But what happens when a young woman in this community starts asking questions: Why isn't she supposed to talk to gentiles? Why should a nice girl never wear denim? And if God performed all those miracles in the desert, why can't He cure her brother of his strange and frightening affliction? With warmth, honesty, and razor-sharp humor, Judy Brown tells the story of a family whose faith and fierce love for each other pulls them through their darkest time.

In 2004, Sherri Mandell won the National Jewish Book award for The Blessing of the Broken Heart, which told of her grief and initial mourning after her 13-year-old son Koby was brutally murdered. Years later, with her pain still undiminished, Sherri trained to help others as a pastoral counselor, one of the first in Israel's hospitals. Could a stranger offer comfort to patients and their families in the face of cancer? Could Sherri find comfort by comforting others? Reaching for Comfort is the moving memoir of an experience that was at turns painful, awkward, and funny, but always enriching.

Evocative readings of the Torah through the lens of transgender experience, exploring the ways trans perspectives can enrich our understanding of religious texts, traditions, and God