NEW RELEASE! The Tzaddik’s Blessing

March 28, 2018

There’s nothing a kid likes better than an exciting miracle story that “really, really happened!”

And when that story also teaches yiras Shamayim, emunas chachamim, and ahavas haTorah –well, there’s nothing a parent likes better than that!

The Tzaddik’s Blessing, a book containing 25 amazing stories about Baba Sali, has both ma’alos—and that’s why both kids and their parents will love it!

Read about the miraculous spring of water that Hashem created just for Baba Sali…about the gang of thieves that couldn’t find the door after attempting a robbery at Baba Sali’s house…about the injured soldier who, after promising Baba Sali that he would keep Torah and mitzvos, was suddenly able to walk again…and many other exciting, inspiring, and, of course, true stories in this book!

Click here to purchase online.


NEW RELEASE! Sarala’s Song

March 27, 2018

Bullying. It’s the nightmare of every parent, not to mention the victim herself. For years a child is protected by her parents’ constant presence and watchful eye, but all that changes the day the child begins school. Suddenly, the parents are not around to make sure no one is bothering or hurting their child. Of course that’s where the teacher in school should come in, but it’s not always so simple…

In Sarala’s Song, a beautiful new children’s book, Sarala’s classmates begin teasing her in school, but when Morah Chaya rebukes them, they simply continue their taunts on the school bus. Poor little Sarala is left to her own devices, without anyone to stick up for her…

But not really. You see, Sarala has grown up with so much of her mommy’s love, which is especially manifest in the special song her mommy made up for her, that, as she soon discovers, she actually has a powerful tool at her disposal.

Parents seeking ways to build up their child will adore this book and the powerful message it contains. Sarala’s Song teaches kids a wonderful and effective method for how to stand tall to teasing, and in such a warm and enjoyable way. Gift your child and yourself with this book—you’ll be reaping the benefits from it in no time!

Click here to purchase online.


NEW RELEASE: Just Imagine! The Miracles of Kriyas Yam Suf

March 26, 2018

You know how with certain book series, you look forward to reading the newest volume, but with others, you’re mamash waiting on tenterhooks for the next book to be released? I know that in my family, the Just Imagine comics series definitely falls into the second category.

After reading Just Imagine We’re Leaving Egypt, which ends off with Bnei Yisrael at long last leaving Mitzrayim, and Pharaoh finally admitting defeat after suffering through ten humiliating and painful Makkos, my kids and I all just stared at that last page and said, “When’s the next book coming out with what happened afterward?!”

And now, I am happy to say, that next book was just released! Yes, Just Imagine the Miracles of Kriyas Yam Suf is finally out on the bookstores’ shelves (at least, if they haven’t all been bought out yet!), and our family couldn’t be happier about that!

In this newest volume, we meet the hysterical Pharaoh character again, who’s set on bringing his Jewish slaves back to Mitzrayim, no matter at what cost. At least, that is his thought in the beginning of the story, before he realizes what Hashem has in store for him and his army now…

Readers will be enthralled by each and every page in this exciting comics book. It truly brings the story of Kriyas Yam Suf alive, making us all imagine as if we ourselves were there, crossing the Yam Suf together with the rest of Bnei Yisrael!

Click here to purchase online.


Night Flower – Chapter 15

March 26, 2018

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 15 of a new online serial novel, Night Flower, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

The newspaper editor subtly fixed his gaze on a detailed work of art that depicted Napoleon’s final battle in Russia. But when the silence grew prolonged, he turned to look at the master of the household, who continued to sit with a small smile playing on his lips.

“Mr. Rosenberg?” Vasiliy, the reporter, asked, a trace of impudence lacing his words. “Did you hear the conversation?”

The man looked at the reporter as though he were a pesky mosquito that had suddenly appeared in the hall. “Where do you have this recording from?” he asked curiously, and cast a fleeing glance behind him, to his bodyguards. They were silent.

“The wiretap was not on your line; it was on his line,” Antonovich said, mildly apologetic.

“Why?”

“Someone apparently had an interest in this person.”

“Apparently,” Nikolai said, and then he finally gave a full smile. “And so, what do you want from me?” He reached for the box that was placed at that moment on the table, and took out a fat cigar, wrapped in thin green paper. With a fluid move, he pushed the box gently toward Sergevsky, the editor.

“If we could get a reasonable explanation for this conversation, we’d be most pleased,” the editor said, not touching the box. “Just to remind you, our newspaper apologized and issued a correction that you have no connection to Judaism, and now it looks like that apology was unnecessary.” Keep Reading…


NEW RELEASE! The Secret Clubhouse Kids

March 25, 2018

There’s a certain charm to the kids of Yerushalayim. If you’ve been there (or are lucky enough to live there), you’ll know what I mean. Something so pure, so ehrliche, so innocent… You just need to look at a picture of a long-peyos-ed, white-kappel-ed kid walking through the alleyways of Me’ah She’arim, and already you feel a tugging at your heart.

Reading The Secret Clubhouse Kidsan outstanding children’s comics book that recently hit the market, I was reminded of these Yerushalmi kids. That’s because the boys in the story who are part of “the secret clubhouse,” and who are thrown head-first into a suspenseful mystery, possess this same sweet innocence and chein. They may be hot on the trail of a pair of robbers who stole the sefer Torah from their shul, but it’s not enough for them to get back the precious sefer Torah. The Secret Clubhouse kids aren’t done their mission until they understand why two Jews would ever do such a thing—and they get them to do teshuvah.

This is the kind of book you want your kids reading. It’s full of adventure and suspense—make no mistake about that!—but the characters are so lovable and goodhearted, it makes the book into a really wholesome read, not just some good guys-versus-villian, empty thriller. It’s a book your kids will love, but so will you…need we say any more??

Click here to purchase online.


NEW RELEASE! Bike for Sale

March 25, 2018

Sometimes the nicest treasures are the undiscovered ones that you have in your own home. Like the chunky crystal vase you once received as a gift and had no idea what to do with—until, come Shavuos, the enormous bouquet of flowers you always buy suddenly had a beautiful home. Or the fuzzy throw blanket you once picked up on sale at Walmart, and then forgot about—until your child, who always complained she was too cold at night, found it, and began to sleep soundly and cozily through the nights again.

Bike for Sale, by popular author Bracha Rosman, is an entertaining children’s book about this very idea. Lay-Lay wants a new bike, although there’s really nothing wrong with her old one. She comes up with the idea of selling her old bike and using the money to buy a new one for herself. But it’s not as simple as it sounds…and soon Lay-Lay is the one who discovers the joys of making the most of what you already have!

A fun and engaging story for kids of all ages!

Click here to purchase online.


NEW RELEASE! The Story of the Chasam Sofer

March 22, 2018

Is your last name Sofer or Schreiber (Yiddish for “writer,” or “Sofer”)? If so, chances are you’re one of the many descendants ka”h of the famed Chasam Sofer. Even nowadays, hundreds of years after this tzaddik lived, we hear about the Chasam Sofer all the time—his divrei Torah, well-known stories about him, the mesorah he gave over to his children and talmidim. Truly he was a one-of-a-kind person, a rare gadol from whom Klal Yisrael gained enormously.

Now your children can read about this gadol in a book written especially for them! The Story of the Chasam Sofer is the third book in Rebbetzin Sarah Feldbrand’s junior biography series, Learning from our Leaders. In kid-friendly language, the Chasam Sofer’s life story is related in full detail—his miraculous birth, his childhood, his close relationship with his rebbi, Rav Nosson Adler, as well as his experiences as rav in various Jewish communities, and the hardships he endured and triumphed over.

Readers will be enthralled by the mind-boggling stories related about the Chasam Sofer in this book. If you are looking for a read that will both inspire and entertain your elementary-aged children (and you, as well!), The Story of the Chasam Sofer is for you!

Click here to purchase online.


NEW RELEASE! The Tefillin Companion

March 21, 2018

Mazel tov! Your son’s bar mitzvah is just around the corner. There’s a big bash to organize, of course, complete with booking a hall, ordering invitations, and figuring out centerpieces. And there’s the matter of making sure the bar mitzvah boy is outfitted properly: buying his new hats, his white shirts, his suit, etc. But at the top of your list, in terms of importance, is surely the brand new mitzvah your soon-to-be-adult son will now be acquiring: tefillin.

This is no small thing, mind you. For the rest of his life b’ezras Hashem, he will be putting on tefillin every single weekday—so this is a mitzvah you want to make sure your son is fully prepared for. Of course you’ve already ordered his tefillin for him, but have you given thought to the many intricate halachos that pertain to this mitzvah? How well does he know them?

That’s where the recently released book, The Tefillin Companion, comes in. It offers a clear summary of all pertinent halachos and information about tefillin, following the order of the Shulchan Aruch and written in an easy-to-read format. This sefer is an invaluable guide for both Ashkenazi and Sephardic tefillin-wearers, as it includes the laws pertaining to both sects. Questions such as the following are addressed:

* In which situations does one fast if his tefillin fell to the floor?
* May one eat, drink, or nap while wearing tefillin?
* How often should one have his tefillin checked to ascertain their kosher status?
* What constitutes a left-handed person regarding wearing the shel  yad on one’s right hand?

Endorsed by Rav Shlomo Miller shlit”a and Rav Avrohom Schorr shlit”a, this sefer should definitely be on the “To Buy” list of every parent of a bar mitzvah-aged boy!

Click here to order online.


Night Flower – Chapter 14

March 19, 2018

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 14 of a new online serial novel, Night Flower, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

The watchtower that soared to the fifth floor of Nikolai Rosenberg’s estate was designed to elegantly blend into the scene. It looked like another architectural adornment on the sprawling luxury estate. But once inside, it became apparent that it was a full-blown watchtower, with all the accoutrements: two massive screens, one transmitting images of what was happening below in real time, and one serving as a huge database of images, names, and addresses. The walls were forty centimeters thick, the windows were barred and bulletproof, and five firing loopholes were situated opposite the weak points in the wall that surrounded the house. Nikolai Rosenberg was very good at protecting his possessions and his life.

The two armed guards who regularly sat in the tower had already chased away unwelcome guests, but they greeted the blue Volga now slowing down in front of the estate with folded arms.

“It’s them,” one of the guards said, studying the screen on the wall to his right. The images of the car projected on the database screen were identical to the one now driving below. Beside the image of the vehicle were three headshots: the editor of the Segodniya newspaper, writer Vasiliy Antonovitch, and the editor’s chauffer.

“Send their pictures downstairs,” the guard on the right said. “They should check them close up. I can’t see the faces well enough from here…” He turned to the screen next to him and tried to maximize the images to the largest size possible, but the faces of the passengers were still too blurry. “It looks like them,” he finally said. “But I wouldn’t bet my life on it.” Keep Reading…


Night Flower – Chapter 13

March 12, 2018

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 13 of a new online serial novel, Night Flower, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“You didn’t finish your compote, Rachel,” Elsie said.

Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Compote is such a hospital word,” she said. “In the dorm we don’t usually have dessert at the Friday evening meal. Anyone who wants can take cookies from the tea room, but they are the exact same cookies that we have on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wedne—”

“I got it, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,” Elsie said patiently. “It’s really a shame that you have that all week. It’s just not healthy. So you don’t want to eat your compote?”

“No,” Rachel said. “If it would be the apples that you cook, that would be one thing, but this is just plain pineapples from a can.”

“If I would have known you were coming, I would have prepared apple compote for you, but I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Don’t tell me the dorm mother didn’t call you.” Read the rest of this entry »