With Chutzpah And Kippah

With chutzpah and kippah... “The most dangerous thing a Jew can do in Germany”. According to my fellow Jews in Germany, “the most dangerous thing” was to put on a kippah and then wear it in public, and to thus let everybody encountering you on the street know that a Jew was in their midst. And that’s precisely what I did on December 1, 2012. I put a kippah on my bald head and went out my front door in Munich. Here’s what my fellow-Jews predicted would happen to me: “They’ll spit on you!” “They’ll call you a kike!” “They won’t say anything, but they will glare at you!” What actually happened disproved their predictions. Over the last three +years, in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and dozens of other cities in Germany, I have had a series of wonderful, heartwarming experiences. “With chutzpah and kippa” is about these experiences. It is also about how a very normal reformed American Jew came to live in Germany, and came to decide to wear a kippah every single minute in public in it. It is also about what it meant and what it means to be Jewish in the USA, India, Hong Kong and Europe. And about atonement, remembrance and redemption. Actually, to be totally honest, it’s an opportunity to wow you with my favorite anecdotes. They are all true. And unadorned. Well, a little bit of schmalz never hurt anybody.

The well-known attorney discusses what it is like to be Jewish today, examining such issues as anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, assimilation, Zionism, civil rights, the role of Jews in the U.S.S.R., and changes in Eastern Europe.

A young teenager who spoke out for gun control in front of tens of thousands. An Israeli street artist who painted an ancient city with modern images. A biotechnologist who led the quest for a Covid vaccine. In Heroes with Chutzpah, readers will meet 101 Jewish changemakers from the recent past and present, who challenged the status quo in the arts, sciences, social justice, sports and politics. Each one-page biography is accompanied by an original digital portrait. This children's book about Jewish heroes is inspiring and fun. Heroes with Chutzpah captures the diversity of the global Jewish community, showcasing Jews of different racial backgrounds, gender and sexual identities, and religious orientations from secular to Orthodox. Instead of focusing exclusively on icons, we included an eclectic mix of both lesser-known and renowned personalities with engaging, inspiring, and meaningful stories that will resonate with children of all backgrounds. Heroes with Chutzpah is written especially with readers ages 8 to 14 in mind. The biographies are short, just a page for each one, and the illustrations are compelling. It makes the perfect gift for B'nai Mitzvah, birthdays and Hanukkah! In a non-graphic way, the biographies delve into topics that require a bit of maturity, for example, the Holocaust and gender and sexual identity. While younger readers could enjoy the stories, they may wish to read them with a parent or other adult. All of the heroes identify as Jewish and Judaism is a key component of many stories, but not all stories. It is appropriate for Jewish young people and for curious readers of different faith traditions. "Representation matters. The Jewish role models featured in this book help kids visualize what is possible. Meet some of the bold changemakers who emerged from the margins." --Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi, Central Synagogue, NYC In a time where so many in our community are feeling alone and vulnerable, it is important for us to show children and the younger generation that we are strong and resilient and that they are not alone. Kids will read the stories and be inspired and motivated to be the best that they can be." --Rep. Alma Hernandez, Arizona State House "Who knows which idealistic child will see themselves in a Jewish hero and themselves make a transformational impact? Countless young readers of this inspiring, age-appropriate book!" --Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center "In these pages we meet the Jews that changed the world. What better inspiration to young people who can place their identity within the larger panoply of Jewish experience while also learning that there are no limits to what one may accomplish. The book is timely, important and really fun." --Ted Deutsch, former Congressman "Simply stunning. You would want this book on your coffee table, though the stories will take the express lane to your soul." --Rabbi Jeff Salkin

In this deeply revealing memoir Jonathan Kis-Lev takes us into his unique upbringing: "I was taught to have courage, chutzpah, from an early age, and it shaped who I am..." Yet this is not a personal memoir, but rather a collective one: a memoir of the Jewish People. Covering 3000 years of history, Jonathan carefully extracts key success secrets beginning in Abraham's courage to follow his calling, all the way to the establishment of the State of Israel. "I'm always asked," Jonathan explains, "'why are you Jews so successful? How come you account for less than one percent of the world's population, yet receive 20 percent of the world's Nobel Prizes?' - Well, this book is my answer..."

In this deeply revealing memoir Jonathan Kis-Lev takes us into his unique upbringing: "I was taught to have courage, chutzpah, from an early age, and it shaped who I am..." Yet this is not a personal memoir, but rather a collective one: a memoir of the Jewish People. Covering 3000 years of history, Jonathan carefully extracts key success secrets beginning in Abraham's courage to follow his calling, all the way to the establishment of the State of Israel. "I'm always asked," Jonathan explains, "'why are you Jews so successful? How come you account for less than one percent of the world's population, yet receive 20 percent of the world's Nobel Prizes?' - Well, this book is my answer..."

Having grown up in Minnesota, Jessica Fishman moves to a land in the Middle East that is full of idiosyncrasies, terrorists, and beautiful, olive-skinned men. When she arrives in Israel, she is a wide-eyed immigrant hoping to survive on Zionism. But instead of working the land on a Kibbutz or being swept off her feet by a strong, sensitive Israeli soldier, Jessica is faced with a barrage of ridiculous obstacles. She overcomes notorious Israeli bureaucracy, makes embarrassing mistakes learning Hebrew, serves in an army of teenagers, and dates cocky Israelis, until she finally meets one obstacle, rooted in the very ideology that brought her to Israel, that tests the core of her identity. With self-deprecating wit, Jessica takes us on a personal journey through these challenges, weaving a humorous yet heartbreaking tale about losing and finding identity, and offering a seldom-before-seen snapshot of Israeli culture.

From floundering to navigating, this gefilte-fish-out-of-water story follows the unorthodox path of a Jewish woman working for a Muslim government. "Marrying one woman is like eating chicken every day for the rest of your life," the cultural attaché -a.k.a. my boss-warned the week before my Jewish wedding. I replied, "I like chicken." Jessica Keith never believed she could walk down an aisle. With crippling anxiety fueled by unpredictable panic attacks, she said, "I can't" so many times she never thought she'd say "I do." After finally setting a wedding date, to Tyrone, her beau of eight years, Jessica made the impulsive decision to move away, accepting an offer to work for the Consulate of Kuwait in Los Angeles. The culture was unfamiliar territory-with a lot to unpack-she felt lost in translation. Adrift in life and at work, nothing seemed to go right. When the rabbi refused to perform an interfaith ceremony, and her grandmother warned, "You can't marry a Black man," rather than speak up, Jessica found it easier to bite her tongue. But when she hears on the job, "Jews need not apply," it shatters her faith in herself. While illuminating the depths of anxiety and love, Jessica must find the resilience it takes to persevere.

This book is a compilation of the the best of a decade of editorials that have appeared in the Heritage Jewish News, a weekly newspaper published in Central Florida. These editorials began as explorations into community building and tikkun olam - changing the world positively - but grew into inquisitive, sometimes humorous, occasionally curmudgeonly conversations about what it means to be a Jew and a human being. They run the gamut from personal, introspective pieces to reflections on God and existence, from serious discussions on death and loss to comic parodies of popular trends and personalities. They cover topics as general as holidays, peace and terrorism, economics, parenting, dogs, baseball, the follies of aging and the wisdom of youth, all tied back to a Jewish context. This collection of essays is a snapshot of a time, a window open to a world of slightly offbeat possibilities, a permission slip to ask any question at any time. Questioning, thinking, exploring - that's what The Good Word is all about.