Like a Maccabee


Book Description

Ten-year-old Ben has a lot on his mind: the league soccer championship, a bully at school and having to share a bedroom with his grandfather. But his grandfather's retelling of the Hanukkah story inspires him to be strong like the Maccabees.




Maccabee!


Book Description

Retelling of the story of Hanukkah, the festival that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the mighty armies of the Syrian king.




The Sundown Kid


Book Description

Shabbat is very lonely for a boy and his parents when they move to a small town in the "Wild West," until he begins asking townsfolk if they like chicken soup.




Food at the Time of the Bible


Book Description

In-depth survey looks at what people of the Bible ate, hunted, caught, and more.




Dreidels on the Brain


Book Description

At last a great American Hanukkah story! This very funny, very touching novel of growing up Jewish has the makings of a holiday classic. One lousy miracle. Is that too much to ask? Evidently so for Joel, as he tries to survive Hannukah, 1971 in the suburbs of the suburbs of Los Angeles (or, as he calls it, “The Land of Shriveled Dreams”). That’s no small task when you’re a “seriously funny-looking” twelve-year-old magician who dreams of being his own superhero: Normalman. And Joel’s a long way from that as the only Jew at Bixby School, where his attempts to make himself disappear fail spectacularly. Home is no better, with a family that’s not just mortifyingly embarrassing but flat-out broke. That’s why Joel’s betting everything on these eight nights, to see whether it’s worth believing in God or miracles or anything at all. Armed with his favorite jokes, some choice Yiddish words, and a suitcase full of magic tricks, he’s scrambling to come to terms with the world he lives in—from hospitals to Houdini to the Holocaust—before the last of the candles burns out. No wonder his head is spinning: He’s got dreidels on the brain. And little does he know that what’s actually about to happen to him and his family this Hanukkah will be worse than he’d feared . . . And better than he could have imagined.




The Five Books of Maccabees in English


Book Description

The Five Books of Maccabees in English is a comprehensive collection of the Maccabean texts, which chronicle the heroic struggle of the Jewish people against oppression and their fight for religious freedom. This volume brings together all five books, offering a complete account of the Maccabean Revolt and its aftermath. Henry Cotton's translation provides readers with an accessible and engaging introduction to these significant historical and religious texts.




Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor


Book Description

As Hanukkah approaches, a caring older brother discovers that it is not an outward show of strength that wins the trust of his little sister, but inner strength as he bravely agrees to have the vaccination that will protect them both from threatening illnesses.




Sweet Tamales for Purim


Book Description

Many Jewish families helped settle, diverse communities in the desolate, desert terrain of the wild west. Sweet Tamales for Purimis told from the perspective of Rachel, a young girl, who along with her new friend, Luis plan to create a Purim festival for their town. Their plans for the festival were well underway until the family goat, Kitzel, ate all of the traditional holiday pastries, Hamantashen. Fortunately, Rachel and Luis are determined to find another way to celebrate Purim and the family is able to share their cultural and religious traditions with their new neighbors.




The Rise of the Maccabees


Book Description

When one falls The other rises... Jerusalem, 180 BCE. For 800 years the Zadokite priesthood has led the Jewish People. But the world is changing. Without, Rome is rising, crushing the other powers of the ancient world beneath it. Within, a power struggle inside the House of Zadok is a golden opportunity for interlopers, who seek to unseat them from the throne. The delicate balance which has allowed the Jewish Nation to survive in this age of Empires is threatened. On the background of these tumultuous times, Judah, scion of a minor priestly lineage, comes of age in Judea. While experiencing love, friendship, and conflict he slowly transforms into the warrior and leader his people are waiting for. This is the incredible story of Matityahu the Priest, Judah Maccabee and his brothers, and the Hellenizer Eupolemus. Together, they embark on a struggle for the survival of the Jewish people against the powerful Seleucid Empire.




Original Maccabees Bible-OE: With Psalm 151


Book Description

The Maccabees is a masterpiece of literary and theological import. It savors of the legendary in certain aspects of its historical accounts. However, it borders on a historical narration that is somewhat romanticized to encourage, stimulate and edify the faithful, and to present to outsiders a perspective of a special people