In May, Jewish Heritage Month is celebrated in Canada and around the world. This month, we’re honouring Jewish authors, traditions and culture with a selection of recommended reads that highlight diverse voices and experiences.
Big Dreams, Small Fish by Paula Cohen
Junior: When the opportunity arises, Shirley, the daughter of immigrants who live above their corner grocery store, turns some overlooked gefilte fish into a marketing strategy that changes the flavour of the neighbourhood.
Challah Day! By Charlotte Offsay
Junior: Follows a family as they make homemade challah bread from the heart. Includes information about challah, as well as a recipe.
The Ballerina of Auschwitz by Edith Eva Eger
Teen: In this young adult edition of her bestselling, award-winning memoir The Choice, renowned psychologist and Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger gives readers a gift of hope and strength.
The Blood Years by Elana K Arnold
Teen: The harrowing story of a young girl's struggle to survive the Holocaust in Romania.
Living a Jewish life: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families by Anita Diamant and Howard Cooper
Adult: Living a Jewish Life is both a guide to Jewish holidays, life cycle events and essential vocabulary, and a practical handbook for making meaningful, faith-based choices in everyday life.
Rubble Children: Seven and a Half Stories by Aaron Kreute
Adult: This title revolves around Kol B'Seder, a fictional Reform synagogue in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill. In seven interconnected tales, Rubble Children tackles issues such as belonging, Zionism, celebration and war.
I Could Nosh: Classic Jew-ish Recipes Revamped for Every Day by Jake Cohen
Adult: Reimagined and easy-to-make classic Jewish recipes.
Sons and Daughters by Chaim Grade
Adult: Tells the story of the Katzenellenbogen family and the vibrant Yiddish culture present in 1930s Poland and Lithuania that would be largely erased by World War II.
Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari
Adult: Follows the story of star-crossed lovers Yaqub and Saida in a crowded immigrant camp in 1950s Israel. Decades later, Saida's daughter returns to Israel after the death of her mother and learns the complicated history of her parents' past.
