Guide to Jewish Literature - May/June 2026

This critically acclaimed bestseller presents the captivating story of Clara Prinz, a remarkable woman forced to leave her native Berlin in 1939. As Clara traveled alone on a voyage into the unknown, she turned to memories of her adolescence during La Belle Époque – the Beautiful Era filled with optimism and cultural transformation at the dawn of the twentieth century. Through Clara’s chance encounters with notable personalities of the period, Clara’s Secret weaves an unforgettable tapestry of personal and historic events. Clara’s Secret is ultimately a compelling story of the advancement of humankind and the survival of its decline. 

Tikkun Olam at the roof of the world. Winner of the Fall 2025 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, this transformational, spiritual fable for Middle Grade and Young Adult reveals a mystical Himalayan kingdom intertwined with our human world. Both face despair after Yakmandu’s Jewel of Insight and Wisdom, born from the thousand-petal lotus, is stolen by the evil Terrak. Through 39 mesmerizing illustrations, join Sherpa heroes Tashi and Pasang on a quest to recover the lost treasure. This adventure is an inspiring, timeless gift—a journey through a hidden, majestic mountain realm with Jewish soul and intention fused into its heart. 

In Israel Rediscovered Bill Slott of Kibbutz Ketura looks at 50 lesser-known sites in Israel, and ponders questions, local and universal. From the stone-age grave of a woman buried with her puppy, to a silver amulet from the time of King Hezekiah inscribed with the words of the Priestly Benediction, to an Israeli monument to the Egyptian soldiers who died invading the country, Slott asks over and over again “What can we learn from this?” Through the eyes of a tour guide who has spent nearly half a century wandering the country, it is Israel at a second glance.

In this thrilling sequel to Florida Gold, retired detective Ben Gold is yanked off the pickleball court to delve into a perplexing death. Was it murder? While his friend Ina is convinced it was, Ben remains skeptical. Follow Ben and his knucklehead friends as they investigate the mystery surrounding the suspicious death of the head of the local Shakespeare theater company, all while confronting a new menace threatening their community. David Rosen once again captures the eccentric charm of Delray Beach in a captivating tale the Newport-Nookie-News calls “Mesmerizing.” 

Jewish Changemakers is a biographical collection of heroines and gender-diverse trailblazers, their life stories and achievements that celebrates courage, creativity and diversity. Their stories dismantle stereotypical conceptions about the Jewish people and showcase the incredible depth of Jewish identity. These inspiring women will remind readers that they have the power to choose their own path.

This book is a shared dialogue between two friends: a man of faith
and a man of science, exploring questions of belief, ethics, values, and the profound moments that give meaning to our lives.  Dr. Frank Boehm, Professor Emeritus, former Director of Maternal/Fetal Medicine in Nashville, TN. Rabbi Mark Schiftan, Rabbi Emeritus of The Temple in Nashville, TN. If you are interested in hosting Dr. Boehm and Rabbi Schiftan for a book discussion, please email: mschiftan@aol.com.

This suspenseful family saga, love story and gangster tale, set between the World Wars, brings to life a family forged in tragedy and hope, dreaming of success while living amidst the Jewish and Italian gangs who ruled Brooklyn’s streets. Ben, Golda, Morty and Sylvia captivate readers as the family struggles with loss, danger, financial disaster and passionate love. Like Kraut’s acclaimed novel, How to Make a Life, this well-researched page-turner is a great book club read, and first place winner of the 2025 CIBA Goethe Award for late historical fiction. Author will meet in person or Zoom with book clubs.

A moving, dramatic celebration of bygone Jewish life at the Arrowhead Lodge, this poignant memoir portrays a left-wing Borscht Belt hotel that welcomed everyone, including Communists and African-Americans. Here, where the progressive immigrant Slutskys made their way in post-war America, Lita Moses grew up, absorbing values of social justice while navigating the challenging life of her hotel home, shared in colorful stories and archival photographs.

A radically hopeful exploration of faith, identity, morality, and purpose grounded in timeless Jewish principles, captured in a series of profound conversations between Nikki Goldstein and the man who saved her life and became her spiritual mentor, Rabbi Eli Schlanger—whose teachings and wisdom endure beyond his tragic killing in the December 2025 Bondi Beach Chanukah terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia.

Book Four in the Gilded City Series: Threadbare, In the Hands of Women, Over There. 1924 in the Catskills sizzled with chaos. The region’s turbulent history during that era could easily have erased any trace of the Borscht Belt’s grand hotels. Prohibition fueled bootleggers and whiskey stills—Dutch Schultz ran an underground distillery in nearby Ulster County. Meanwhile, the Ku Klux Klan stormed north after WWI, targeting Jewish immigrants they viewed as threats to the American way of life. Amid the turmoil, the Isaacson family stood their ground, fiercely defending their land, livelihoods, and each other.

In the not too distant future, an alien society seeks to control humanity by manipulating language, erasing ambiguity, mystery, and passion from the written word. Of Particles and Singing Strings takes the reader on a journey from Jerusalem to the Himalayas to save the Torah from this fate. Rooted in a deeply Jewish tradition of questioning and wonder, the reader is invited to consider what binds us all. 

Advisor/coach Louis Berlin (Princeton University ’75, Wharton School of Business ’77), divulges the financial wisdom of his “Retired Old Men Eating Out (R.O.M.E.O) Club” self-made, multi-millionaire colleagues, sharing the knowledge people need to make great financial decisions, and get and stay rich—which business schools do not teach. Enjoy reading about their lives and stories. A great resource. The perfect gift of wisdom for your children/grandchildren. Giving them money is nice; teach them to grow it, too.

A cinematic biography of Gary “Pips” Phillips and his journey from Nazi-occupied Berlin to New York City. Holocaust survivor and American success story, Pips chose to be bar mitzvahed during Nuremberg Laws and was later captured four times before emigrating to the USA. A tribute to the power of choice, endurance, and the human will to belong.

A gripping WWII novel inspired by the true Jewish Hospital in Berlin. Nurse Lena Schild hopes for refuge from harsh Munich, but she soon finds herself navigating whispered rumors, vanishing patients, and the ever-present gaze of the SS.

She is forced to confront questions of faith, friendship, and the limits of compassion under a regime built on cruelty.