Books

Eli Sharabi’s ‘Hostage’ memoir named Jewish book of the year

Sharabi’s memoir, which details his abduction from Kibbutz Be’eri and the more than year he spent in captivity, became a bestseller in Israel and was later released in English in the United States. 

Eli Sharabi's memoir recounts his 491 days as a Hamas hostage in Gaza.
HELPING MOURNERS to heal.

'The Jewish Journey Through Loss': Combining halacha and psychology in order to heal - review

Thee are no illustrations, except for an unexpected one on the last page.

'The Morning the Apples Began to Sing': A story of wonder and imagination - review

EMILY’S JOURNEY in the land of doors. Artwork by Orit Magia

'Emily Saw a Door': Learning to create spaces for each other with creativity, acceptance - review


Jerusalem highlights: June 6-12

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

 Illustrative image of grilled cheese.

Remembering Jerusalem on its special day - excerpt

Below, a translated excerpt from the recently published book in Hebrew, MiHamishim Kochavim L’Kochav Ehad (From Fifty Stars to One Star) by Batsheva Pomerantz.

 Three people are seen with an Israeli flag at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City (illustrative).

And now we cry: An Israeli book club's emotional struggles during war - opinion

We diligently read our books and discuss them, but the air in our lungs is different now. How can we dissect books without thinking of the crises ravaging Israel?

 An illustrative image of a person holding balloons as the Sun sets.

Why Jerusalem Int'l Book Forum Prize winner Michel Houellebecq is drawn to Israel

Acclaimed French writer Michel Houellebecq accepts Jerusalem Prize at Mishkenot Sha’ananim days after visiting Kibbutz Be’eri.

 MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ at Kibbutz Be’eri last week.

'Extreme Trauma': Analyzing the horrors and heroism of October 7 - review

In the hands of the right readers, Extreme Trauma can help ensure that the truth of what happened on Oct. 7 is neither distorted nor forgotten.

 FORMER HOSTAGE Noa Argamani attends an emergency conference on the medical condition of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, in 2024.

'On Democracies and Death Cults': Douglas Murray lauds Israel’s youth - review

On Democracies and Death Cults sets out Douglas Murray’s clear-eyed, reasoned, and deeply researched view of the pogrom committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023

 CALLING FOR the release of Israelis still in Hamas captivity, at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square in April 2025.

The final frontier: Amotz Asa-El on settling the Negev as a project to unify Israel

It’s a revival of David Ben-Gurion’s dream of “conquering the desert,” though updated within the parameters of the latest technological, environmental, and sociological developments.

 Amotz Asa-El.

'Sons and Daughters': The last great Yiddish novel now available in English - review

An English translation by Rose Waldman of Chaim Grade’s final, unfinished work has been published.

 JEWISH WEDDING in a Russian shtetl, complete with klezmer band; painting by Isaak Asknaziy, 1893.

'The Right to Happiness': Moving fiction about Holocaust survivors - review

While they are firmly grounded in the hearts and souls of the survivors and their families, these tales tell a universal story of love and loss that will appeal to any reader.

 A MEMORIAL to Janusz Korczak and the orphans he stayed with until their very last moments, created by Boris Saktsier, at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem.

'Rabbinic Scholarship': How the Talmud Yerushalmi was made - review

This book is a deeply scholarly and ambitious work that sheds new light on the Talmud Yerushalmi and its place within the intellectual world of late antiquity.

 An illustrative image of someone reading the Talmud.