Welcome to Otisville, America's only Jewish prison...where a new celebrity inmate is about to shatter the peace 'Erudite, trenchant and touching' - Michael Arditti 'Delectable... glorious... this most cherishably Jewish of books.' - Jewish Chronicle The scene is Otisville Prison, upstate New York. A crew of fraudsters, tax evaders, trigamists and forgers discuss matters of right and wrong in a Talmudic study and prayer group, or 'minyan', led by a rabbi who's a fellow convict. As the only prison in the federal system with a kosher deli, Otisville is the penitentiary of choice for white-collar Jewish offenders, many of whom secretly like the place. They've learned to game the system, so when the regime is toughened to punish a newly arrived celebrity convict who has upset the 45th president, they find devious ways to fight back. Shadowy forces up the ante by trying to 'Epstein' – ie assassinate – the newcomer, and visiting poetry professor Deborah Liston ends up in dire peril when she sees too much. She has helped the minyan look into their souls. Will they now step up to save her? Jonathan Stone brings the sensibility of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth to the post-truth era in a sharply comic novel that is also wise, profound and deeply moral.

Spirituality * Judaism * Religion * Ritual and Tradition The Minyan: A Tapestry of Jewish Life took over 10 years to complete. Growing out of a personal tragedy, the result is a beautifully crafted and emotionally elevating collection of stories from Jews around the world and across the Jewish spectrum, recounting their life-changing experiences in a minyan -- the gathering of a quorum needed for Jewish worship. On these pages are woven the threads of both famous and lesser-known individuals whose lives were changed by joining with others in study and prayer at critical times in their lives. Drawing upon Biblical and contemporary sources, the author suggests ways to weave such spiritual moments into every person's religious life.

Profiles ten Crypto-Jewish families coping with the trauma of living between worlds that are neither wholly Catholic nor wholly Jewish in late fourteenth century Spain.

Why have thousands of young Jews, otherwise unengaged with formal Jewish life, started more than sixty innovative prayer communities across the United States? What crucial insights can these grassroots communities provide for all of us?

One in a Minyan is a collection of stories about the dedication and determination of a son to say Kaddish for his father. After the death of his father, the author sets out on a quest to learn all he can about Judaism, customs, observances, and holidays to honor his father in a proper Jewish manner while at the same time attempting to overcome the challenges, conflicts, and struggles of his everyday life. This journey was a difficult one for the author who considered himself to be an average Conservative Jewish American. It was not his journey alone. It entailed a change not only to his lifestyle, but the lifestyle of his entire family as well. Restrictions and time limits that were never present before suddenly appeared. As difficult as the day-to-day lifestyle changes became, there were certain minyans that stood out. They were true tests of dedication. There were times during the year when unplanned things just happened. Things you just cannot avoid which prevent you from getting to a minyan ... unless ... you really make it your business to not let anyone or anything get in your way. These are the stories in this book. Some are funny and some are sad but all are true. Join the author on this journey as he becomes One in a Minyan.

How can our sacred institutions preserve tradition while retaining the flexibility to accommodate modern life? And how do you fold that theme into a lively kids' book?

Naomi Ragen's first play, which premiered in July 2002 at Habima National Theater in Tel Aviv. It is based on a true story: a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) woman, wife of a rabbi, mother of 12, leaves her home and stays with a friend. The community's "modesty squad" tries in vain to force her to go back. Her friend is physically attacked, her arm and leg broken. The rabbi's wife is punished: she is cut off from her children, against her will.