THE RESULTS ARE IN!

December 23, 2009

Your votes have been counted, and your opinions have been heard.

62% of you were against the idea of putting a hechsher on books, for a variety of reasons: The Israel Book Shop logo is a hechsher of sorts (A.W.) [good job, A.W!]  Books…already feature haskamos (Sara) A book that is perfectly suited to an individual from one background can be confusing to another. (C.L.) We need to trust our adults to make responsible decisions…(Chanie Greenberg)

38% of you voted Yes to a hechsher. Many people suggested alternatives to a hechsher, such as a rating system, or an age recommendation, haskamos, or asking a friend.

Israel Book Shop Publications, in response to all of the opinions posted, plans to ensure that our back cover descriptions be as accurate as possible in portraying the book properly in order for discerning readers to be able to make an informed judgment.

Look out for a new question in the next few days…

The following are the winning answers from each category:

NO!

C.D. Urbach Says:

Keep Reading…

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Posted by anamericanjew

Interview with the Author of Two Kings

December 23, 2009
The following is an interview by Barbara Bietz of http://barbarabbookblog.blogspot.com
 
 
 
One of the lovely benefits of sharing interviews on my blog is the opportunity I have to meet wonderful people from around the world. Rabbi Fishel Jacobs is the author of the Two Kings books for children. He lives with his family in Kfar Chabad, Israel, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Rabbi Jacobs has many talents. He has written seven adult non-fiction books, served in the Israeli army, and is an eight degree Black Belt!
I’m delighted that Rabbi Jacobs was able to join me for a blog interview.

 

Tell me about your Two Kings books.
The Two Kings book series actually evolved from a play we performed for many years in front of tens of thousands of youth in Israel. The play, as well as the books, feature a main character, David, 8. He is charged with performing some sort of daily activity, such as helping watch the baby sister, do homework, whatever. Through simple text and really marvelous brilliant colored pictures we “see” and “hear” an internal Bad King trying to influence David not to do what he’s supposed to. Then we watch as the internal Good King responds with counter-arguments. Finally, we watch as David is torn and struggles to decide with which inner voice, inclination so to speak, he will go.

Keep Reading…

6 Comments | Meet the Author, New Books | Permalink
Posted by anamericanjew

A Letter from a Reader

December 15, 2009

I recently visited your blog called The Next Page. First, I want to commend you on your excellent work in publishing wholesome Jewish books for the whole family. As an avid reader, I have watched your company grow over the years and I have been impressed with your choice of publications.

What I want to comment on, and I hope all of your readers take me seriously, is: Mi K’amcha Yisroel!!! When I read through the hundreds of answers you have received to your question “Do Jewish Books Require a Hechsher?”, I am astounded. One after the other after the other, people took the time to try to put into words their thoughts and opinions on a matter of chinuch that is important not only to their children but to themselves…. Without going into the actual question, of which response is right and which is wrong, the mere fact that the response has been so overwhelming, and so passionate, shows us, and shows Hashem that – Your people care! They are interested in doing what’s right for their own neshamos and for the proper upbringing of their children al pi derech haTorah….

Regardless of whether such a rating system will be employed or not, we can all feel a little better in knowing that – WE CARE! Ultimately, what counts in Shamayim, and the real success in Chinuch Habanim, is just that: the fact that one cares, and really tries…..

May we be zoche that the next book that comes out, will be the one commemorating the bias haMashiach, bimheirah b’yameinu Amen!

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Posted by anamericanjew

Don’t Toy with Me

December 10, 2009

Excerpted from Adventures in the Produce Aisle by Perel Grossman

In preparation for Chanukah, I would like to warn my loyal readers about the dangers of certain games and recreational items that you may be tempted to purchase for your children. Now, I’m not talking actual physical danger here. I’m saying, danger to the mental stability of the person or persons overseeing the running of the household: namely, Mommy.

Lite Brite – This toy has, unbelievably, been on the market since I was a child (a mere few years). It is comprised of a backlit screen, a piece of paper sporting a pattern that slides behind the screen, and two zillion transparent pegs of various colors.

Unbeknownst to the innocent consumer, these tabs are programmed to secrete themselves in any and every crevice in the home. Homeland Security experts believe that they are Radical Islam’s secret weapon to bring the West to its knees. This they do, as moms and dads comb through the long hair of their mustard-yellow shag carpet (can you say “time to redecorate”?) on their hands and knees to find all of the missing pieces. Yet only small humans of teething age are successful in finding these tasty pegs.

Keep Reading…

7 Comments | Book Excerpt | Permalink
Posted by anamericanjew

Gift Guide

December 8, 2009

With Chanukah almost upon us, and many people looking to their local Judaica store for gift purchasing, here’s a quick list of new books as well as a few classics to help you match the appropriate gift to the right recipient. (Remember, you get 20% off by purchasing from our website or from participating retailers!)

Kids Ages 3-6

NEW Two Kings 2

NEW Super Social Skills

The Pekelah Problem

Beckerman Books: My Middos World Series, My Smiling World Series

The Parsha with Rabbi Juravel

Our Beautiful World / The Very First Rainbow

Kids Ages 7-11

NEW Kid Power (Social Skills)

NEW Special Delivery

The Funny Things They Say!

A Journey with Rabbi Juravel Series

Two and a Tevi

Mendel the Mouse

Parsha Pearls

Teens

Channah’s New World

Zeesl’s Shining Moment

Exiled Down Under

Ten and a Kid

Adults / Teens

NEW Shadows on the Moon

NEW Legacy of Leaders II

NEW Through Your Hands-The complete story of Chanukah

NEW A Clever Title Goes Here

NEW Sifsei Chachomim Chumash

NEW Shabbos Not a Day of Rest

NEW Shabbos in a New Light

Diamond in the Rough

Musawi

For Her

NEW Cooking with Color

Understanding Your Child’s Health

NEW Balabusta’s Daily Organizer

NEW Peace in Your Palace

NEW Atara Malach Lectures: Adolescence Series

Adventures in the Produce Aisle

The Dairy Gourmet

The Kosher Palette

The Culinary Connoisseur

For Him

NEW Hilchos Shabbos B’Shabbato

Dirshu Mishna Berurah Vols. 1& 2

Chizuk

Of General Interest

NEW Emergencies in Halachah

A Time to Laugh; A Time to Listen

The Lost Scotch

Heroes of Spirit

My Life on Wheels

The Code of Jewish Conduct

Gift Sets

Metsudah Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

Metsudah Chumash/Rashi

Kav Hayashar Hebrew/English

Metsudah Midrash Tanchuma

Ma’ayanah shel Torah in English

Torahific!

Taryag Encyclopedia

Fundamentals of the Rambam

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Beyond the History – A Legacy of Leaders II

December 5, 2009
The rabbi and small group of fellow Jewish travelers had a decision to make. Double-crossed by an Arab driver who had promised to stop traveling before the onset of Shabbat, they had to decide whether to continue their journey after sunset, or remain alone, isolated and exposed in the midst of the searing desert for the duration of Shabbat.
In truth, there really was no choice. For the great luminaries of Israel, Shabbat desecration, which violated strict obedience to the Divine will, is hardly an option. To these sages, the apparent sacrifice of choosing to be marooned in the wilderness is no sacrifice at all. No other option is even entertained.

In his newest work A Legacy of Leaders Volume II, Yehuda Azoulay presents vivid portraits of some of the Sephardic world’s greatest spiritual giants. Their lives, as depicted in this groundbreaking series, are stories of spiritual excellence attained against all odds, of selfless devotion and self-sacrifice to Gd and His people. More importantly, their lives are shining examples of what is expected of us in today’s day and age, despite the formidable spiritual challenges we confront each day of our lives.

”He That Receives Shall Never Forget”

For centuries, wherever we were, whether it was Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Spain, Lebanon or Iraq, we ran the risk of being dissolved into the general society, of losing both our religion and our national identity. As a small minority scattered among a hostile, gentile population, it seemed hardly realistic that our people would retain their faith, practices, values and traditions. It was only a matter of time, it appeared, that the deluge of general society would overtake the small, feeble Jewish communities and destroy their heritage and essence.

keep reading…

2 Comments | New Books | Permalink
Posted by anamericanjew

TEACH YOUR CHILD THE MEANING OF DAVENING

December 1, 2009

Let’s face it: when do we learn to daven? When we’re kids! And how many kids are taught the meaning of the words and to appreciate what Tefillah is all about? Very few!

Enter “Special Delivery”, the first in a brand new series designed to help kids ages 7-11 internalize the beauty of the prayers they are saying anyway each and every morning.

The first volume focuses on Birkas Hashachar, the morning blessings. This is the first part of tefillah that a child learns. By employing stunning one-of-a-kind illustrations and endearing rhymed text, author Rachel Stein succeeds in conveying the all-important messages contained in these brachos.  Click HERE to view some sample pages.  Click here to purchase the book.

1 Comment | New Books | Permalink
Posted by anamericanjew

Clever Title Coming Soon…

November 18, 2009

When I was little, aside from the fact that I had to walk two miles to school uphill both ways because only the rich people could afford horses, another depressing fact was that there was no such thing as American Jewish humor. Sure, there were some old Yiddish jokes, but only people who appreciated the “flavor” of Yiddish and also the flavor of Slivovitz thought that they were funny.

Mordechai Schmutter changed all that. Beginning sporadically, he worked his way up to a weekly Hamodia Magazine column. He’s still shocked that Hamodia even has a humor column, but the tens of thousands of readers who look forward to it each week are glad that it does.

His first book, Don’t Yell Challah in a Crowded Matzah Bakery was  a gamble at first because it was the first of its kind, and the gamble paid off as it became a best seller. Meanwhile, his column, which began with such everyday topics as cooking, marriage, and writing humor columns, has expanded into areas such as GPS, Kosherfest, and the Syms Bash.

Now, Mordechai is publishing his second book, A Clever Title Goes Here. Aside from the clever title, it also has many of his funniest articles in it, one of which you can read here!

Oy, Gevalt!  I Almost Forgot!

Some people are naturally good at buying gifts.  Everyone knows some hyper-organized individual – the type of person who finishes cleaning for Pesach the day after the previous Pesach, and who shows up at parties for people she doesn’t even know with neatly wrapped presents that come from the heart, such as sweaters that she knitted herself in front of the fire on a couch that is covered in plastic.

Keep reading

5 Comments | Book Excerpt, Coming Soon | Permalink
Posted by anamericanjew

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