The Glory and Grief, Humor and Pride of the
Human Experience—
Inspiration from a Jewish
Perspective
From exile to rebirth, from degradation to
renaissance, the Jewish People has undergone every human
experience and emotion that God created. In this inspiring
collection of stories, award-winning anthologist Dov Peretz
Elkins captures the best and worst of Jewish experience in
these spine-tingling tales of courage, devotion, passion and
extraordinary achievement.
Elkins taps the famous and the
not-so-famous, world-renowned figures and the little-known
“person next door,” for stories that illustrate the
wonder, meaning, and purpose of life as viewed through the lens
of Judaism’s core values. Though drawn from the Jewish
tradition, these universal stories of kindness, hope, faith and
discovery will intrigue the minds and warm the hearts of people
from all walks of life.
“Amazing.... Impossible to put down.”
—Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
“Lovely … Dov Peretz Elkins is
a master at telling, re-telling and collecting beautiful Jewish
tales. Everyone will enjoy and gain from these
stories.”
—Marci
Shimoff, #1 New York Times bestselling
author, Happy for No Reason; co-author, Chicken
Soup for the Woman’s Soul
“Enjoyable.... A useful resource for those looking for the right story for special occasions.... A truly inspiring collection. Well recommended.”
—Congregational Libraries Today
“This magnificent collection …
touches on the soul and secret of Jewish survival. Delves
deeply into the very substance of our spirit as individuals and
as a unique peoplehood. Essential reading for those who want to
understand the Jewish spirit.”
—Dr.
Sherwin B. Nuland, author, How We Die
“Touching and uplifting.... [Has] wide appeal.”
—Union of Liberal & Progressive Synagogues Newsletter
“Encircles our hearts with
vibrations of what it means to be truly human. I have hungered
for such a collection and now I wallow in it!”
—Sister
Nancy Corcoran, CSJ, author, Secrets of Prayer:
A Multifaith Guide to
Creating Personal Prayer in Your Life
“Uplifting, heart-warming stories for all seekers.”
—Light of Consciousness
“Thinking ‘I’ll just
read one story in this book’ is like thinking
‘I’ll just eat one candy in this bowl.’ It
isn’t possible. Each taste of piquancy and sweetness
conditions the desire for more.”
—Sylvia
Boorstein, author, Happiness Is an Inside Job:
Practicing for a
Joyful Life
“Hasidic stories created models of
virtue that inspired and opened hearts for transformation to
hope and holy behavior. Professor Heschel spoke of them as
‘stories in which the soul surprises the mind.’
This book contains inspiring Hasidic stories in everyday
contemporary clothes.”
—Rabbi
Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi,
author, Wrapped in a Holy Flame
“The simply written stories testify eloquently to the Jewish capacity for survival despite the long litany of suffering that has dogged the tearful history of Jews through the ages.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This is a lovely book…. These
stories are like marrow to the soul. They send us life, and
elevate our daily existence.”
—Rabbi
Karyn D. Kedar, author, The Bridge to Forgiveness: Stories and Prayers
for Finding God and Restoring Wholeness