Category: Israel

A Love Letter to Tel Aviv

HIP SET is a page-turning thriller set in Tel Aviv. Author Michael Fertik brings together African refugees, Israeli police, and the Russian mafia to create a cool, fast-paced detective noir. Fertik may not be the author we’d expect. He is a serial entrepreneur and venture capital investor and a strong supporter of Israel. Maybe it […]

Prepare My Prayer a Finalist for National Jewish Book Award

I’m delighted that Prepare My Prayer by Rabbi Dov Singer is a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award. I was privileged to be the publicist for this important book which is the English translation of the Hebrew bestseller “Tikon Tefilati“. Both books are published by Koren Publishers. An invitation to fundamentally reconsider prayer and […]

From Seattle to Hebron: The Story of an Amazing Life

Telling the life story of Rabbi Dov Cohen, To Rise Above begins in Seattle, WA in the early 1900’s and via train and ship takes readers to pre-state Palestine. As a young boy Dov lived in the idyllic (and rare) circumstances of a wealthy Orthodox Jewish family in Seattle. Fully dedicated to observance of Jewish […]

Shalem College in Jerusalem. Good for Students. Good for Books.

It is always exciting to read about the Shalem College (in articles such as this one in The Weekly Standard).  I was brought on as the head of media relations at the Shalem Center (the precursor to the college) in the 90’s as it came onto the educational and intellectual scene. The dream was to start a […]

Instead of Banning a Book, Here’s What Naftali Bennett Should Have Done

As you may know by now, the Israeli Education ministry has “disqualified” the book “Gader Haya” (in English  “Borderlife”) by Dorit Rabinyan because it describes a romantic relationship between a Jewish woman and a Palestinian man. I am sure the book’s publicist is ecstatic as every media outlet is talking about the book and reportedly Israeli bookstores […]

Chanukah Inspired by the Land of Israel: Food & Spirituality

Chana Bracha Siegelbaum has just published a new book called The Seven Fruits of the Land of Israel (Menorah-Books). The Torah singles out seven fruits (olives, dates and much more!) which grow in Israel for special mention. These foods thus have a special status in Jewish law and tradition. and Chana Bracha has created a guide […]

A Hanukkah Music Video Which Has (surprise!) Great Music

Many holiday music videos are fun to watch or have a great message. But the music? Sometimes mediocre. But Shtar, a Jewish hip hop band of Yanks and Brits in Israel has solved the problem. A holiday music video with terrific music.  Full disclosure – Shtar were clients of mine for a bit – which makes […]