Who is Abu-Moch? Is he Kadouri Kudsi Zada, a hard-working Jewish businessman from Baghdad? Or is he a Muslim dervish named Nur El Din Khan? Find out when you read this spellbinding true-to-life tale of a shoemaker from Baghdad who, when forced to flee for his life, finds refuge in Iran as a Shi'ite Muslim. Readers of this gripping novel about the inimitable Abu-Moch will gain insight into the Muslim culture that features so prominently in the news. Watch as events move between Iraq and Iran and you will discover the complexity of life for Jews in Muslim countries. When relationships between Jews and Muslims deteriorate in Iraq, the hero and his family are forced to relocate to the newly created State of Israel. The difficulties they face are revealed in their desperate attempt to be absorbed into the Jewish State. As fast-paced as any thriller, this biographical novel offers a penetrating study of immigration. It should be required reading for anyone interested in Middle-Eastern culture!

In this often moving, sometimes wry account of life in Baghdad during the first war on Iraq and in exile in the years following, Iraqi-born, British-educated artist Nuha al-Radi shows us the effects of war on ordinary people. She recounts the day-to-day realities of living in a city under siege, where food has to be consumed or thrown out because there is no way to preserve it, where eventually people cannot sleep until the nightly bombing commences, where packs of stray dogs roam the streets (and provide her own dog Salvi with a harem) and rats invade homes. Through it all, al-Radi works at her art and gathers with neighbors and family for meals and other occasions, happy and sad. In the wake of the war, al-Radi lives in semi-exile, shuttling between Beirut and Amman, travelling to New York, London, Mexico and Yemen. As she suffers the indignities of being an Iraqi in exile, al-Radi immerses us in a way of life constricted by the stress and effects of war and embargoes, giving texture to a reality we have only been able to imagine before now. But what emanates most vibrantly from these diaries is the spirit of endurance and the celebration of the smallest of life’s joys.

One of the most striking contemporary religious phenomena is the world-wide fascination with Judaism. Traditionally, few non-Jews converted to the Jewish faith, but today millions of people throughout the world are converting to Judaism and are identifying as Jews or Israelites. In this volume, leading scholars of issues related to conversion, Judaising movements and Judaism as a New Religious Movement discuss and explain this global movement towards identification with the Jewish people, from Germany and Poland to China and Nigeria.

This unique Atlas traces the history of Jerusalem from biblical times to the present day. Each map is illustrated by a facing page of prints or photographs, to give a complete pictorial and cartographic overview of this fascinating city of the Middle East. Coverage begins in ancient times, showing the impact of the Jews, Christians, Muslims, Romans and Crusaders on the development of this holy city. Special emphasis is placed on the last hundred and fifty years, during which Jerusalem grew from a remote and impoverished town of the Ottoman Empire to a flourishing capital city. Up-to-date maps and figures show the recent expansion of suburbs and settlements, the Wall and new urban and political developments. an extensive bibliography provides a rich source of information on further reading.

This revised edition of the number-one bestseller and winner of the 1989 National Book Award includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's new, updated epilogue. One of the most thought-provoking books ever written about the Middle East, From Beirut to Jerusalem remains vital to our understanding of this complex and volatile region of the world. Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman drew upon his ten years of experience reporting from Lebanon and Israel to write this now-classic work of journalism. In a new afterword, he updates his journey with a fresh discussion of the Arab Awakenings and how they are transforming the area, and a new look at relations between Israelis and Palestinians, and Israelis and Israelis. Rich with anecdote, history, analysis, and autobiography, From Beirut to Jerusalem will continue to shape how we see the Middle East for many years to come. "If you're only going to read one book on the Middle East, this is it."--Seymour M. Hersh

Har-El demonstrates the dynamic interrelationship and historical process between man, landscape, geographical conditions, conquests, culture and religion.

In Arab-Jewish Literature: The Birth and Demise of the Arabic Short Story, Reuven Snir offers an account of the emergence of the art of the Arabic short story among the Arabized Jews during the 1920s, especially in Iraq and Egypt, its development in the next two decades, until the emigration to Israel after 1948, and the efforts to continue the literary writing in Israeli society, the shift to Hebrew, and its current demise. The stories discussed in the book reflect the various stages of the development of Arab-Jewish identity during the twentieth century and are studied in the relevant updated theoretical and literary contexts. An anthology of sixteen translated stories is also included as an appendix to the book. "Highly recommended for academic libraries collecting in the areas of Arab-Jewish cultural history, diaspora and exile studies, and literary identity formations." - Dr. Yaffa Weisman, Los Angeles, in: Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews 1.2 (2019)