Israel is in the news a lot, and almost always for the same things: conflict, elections, or the occasional start-up that sells for a billion
dollars.

Based on the authors' own experiences living in Israel a combined twenty-five years and interviews with Israeli A-listers like Fauda cocreator Avi Issacharoff, Olympian Yael Arad, and others, Israel 201 is a behind-the-scenes look at the magic, mystery, and chaos of one of the most fascinating, and misunderstood, countries on earth.

THE B'NEI MENASHE are certifiably one of the newest, possibly remnants of one of the oldest, and certainly one of the most unusual Jewish communities in the world today. Hailing from a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group known as the Kuki- Mizo that inhabits the remote Himalayan foothills of northeast India, they are equally divided today between India and Israel. Lives of the Children of Manasia is composed of twelve comprehensive oral history interviews with elderly members of the community in Israel.

Conducted in the Mizo and Kuki languages by Isaac Thangjom, the interviews were translated by him into English and edited by Hillel Halkin. Many of the men and women interviewed here were among the founders of the Judaizing movement that led to the formation of the B'nei Menashe community in the early 1970's. Their individual life stories, remarkable in their own right, narrate a collective drama that until now has been shrouded in myth and misconceptions.

This book reveals how an initially small group of people descended from jungle warriors, illiterate rice farmers, and practitioners of a traditional tribal religion courageously found their way to Judaism; what about the latter attracted them, though they had never before met a real Jew in their lives; and how their fierce attachment to their new faith eventually brought them and many others to Israel, where some five thousand of them live today as full citizens.

Instead of being trained to fight, the few soldiers each year selected for Talpiot are taught how to think. In order to join this unit they have to commit to being in the army for ten years, rather than the three years a normal soldier serves.

Talpiots are taught advanced level physics, math and computer science as they train with soldiers from every other branch of the IDF. The result: young men and women become research and development machines. Talpiots have developed battle ready weapons that only Israel's top military officers and political leaders know about. They have also dramatically improved much of the weapons already in Israel's arsenal.

Talpiot has been tasked with keeping Israel a generation ahead of a rapidly strengthening and technologically capable Iran. Talpiots contribute to all of the areas that will be most important to the IDF as Iran becomes even more powerful including missile technology, anti-missile defense, cyber-warfare, intelligence, satellite technology and high powered imaging. Talpiot soldiers have also been a major factor in the never ending fight against Israel's other enemies and many have left the R&D lab to fly fighter planes, serve in the field as commanders of elite army ground units and at sea commanding Israel's fleet of naval ships.

After leaving the army, Talpiots have become a major force in the Israeli economy, developing some of Israel's most famous and powerful companies.

Israel's Edge contains dozens of interviews with Talpiot graduates and some of the early founders of the program. It explains Talpiot's highly successful recruiting methods and discloses many of the secrets of the program's success. The book also profiles some of the most successful businesses founded by Talpiot graduates including CheckPoint, Compugen, Anobit, recently bought by Apple, and XIV, recently bought by IBM.

No other military unit has had more of an impact on the State of Israel and no other unit will have more of an impact in the years ahead. The soldiers of Talpiot are truly unsung heroes.

The Talmud tells us that when God was instructing Moshe regarding the detailed architectural plans for the Mishkan (the Tabernacle), written textual instructions were not enough. Moshe failed to understand. He had to be given a visual image - a pictorial sketch - in order to appreciate the full grandeur of the Mishkan: According to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the design of all its vessels.... Make according to the design which you have been shown on the mountain (Shemot 25:9, 40).

Rashbam and Ibn Ezra point to Yechezkel, who visualizes the Temple in his prophetic visions. The Rambam (Maimonides) tells us that prophecy was communicated through visual parables that need decoding and explaining by the spiritual virtuosity of the prophet. Again, spiritual messages are communicated via imagery and art. Sometimes pictures speak louder than words. Text, especially in Hebrew, can be an obstacle to some children, and pictorial stories can open up entire worlds. Some people are simply visual learners. How about children who are not yet reading? For others, images are a means of connecting to a side of the story that they wouldn't appreciate through mere words; the pictures bring the words to life.


It is for this reason that it is my pleasure and honor to welcome Andrew Galitzer's book Torah Comics, which has been years in the making. Andrew, with whom I have studied at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi, is a talented artist and a magnificent cartoonist. He is also a wonderful teacher who can connect with young and old alike. He brings a sincerity, a conscientiousness, and a deep commitment to all he does. I have seen many of his parshah comics, and they are a fabulous resource - enjoyable for kids and a superb teaching tool for adults - as he summarizes the major topics and themes of the parshat hashavua and brings them alive in cartoon format. I can see parents using the images as a way of transmitting the content of our Torah, as well as using the pictures as the basis for discussion around the parshah. Andrew has put in hours of thought and research into his parshah comics.
I highly recommend this book.
--From the forward by Rabbi Alex Israel, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi

Snapshot presents an unprecedented insider's view of some of the most exclusive and secretive IDF units: Sayeret Matkal and Shaldag (General Staff and air force commando units), technology units of the intelligence division, and the Shabak (Israel Security Agency). The book also offers previously unpublished stories and photos from the war on terror, and border operations against Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS.

Commentator Yoav Limor and photographer Ziv Koren were given exclusive access, allowing them to bring us an unfiltered view of Israel's real war over our homeland - from covert attacks in Syria and the battle against terror to defending the borders. Their work also reveals the real war of daily struggles - for the advancement of women in the military, to integrate the ultra-Orthodox, to absorb immigrants and disadvantaged youth. It documents the IDF's humanitarian aid missions to disaster sites around the world and the technological breakthroughs that have transformed Israel into the start-up nation.

Key Points of Snapshot

- Stunning photography from famed Israeli photographer Ziv Koren
- Provides a fascinating picture of the work that the IDF does through both writing and imagery
- Gives an exclusive inside look at secret units that has never before been seen
- Spotlights female and religious soldiers

About the Author

Yoav Limor is a veteran journalist who has covered Israel's defense establishment for the last thirty years. He previously served as writer and defense analyst for Ma'ariv daily newspaper and as its London bureau chief. He was a commentator on military affairs for Channel 1 and in recent years has written for Yisrael Hayom daily. Recently he served as the host for the Channel 2 morning show. Today he appears on Keshet as host of the morning show and documentary presenter. He authored the best seller Captives in Lebanon (with Ofer Shelach) and is a regular lecturer in many forums in Israel and around the world.

About the Photographer

Ziv Koren is Israel's premier photojournalist. Previously he worked as a photographer for Yediot Aharonot, and recently he has photographed for Yisrael Hayom and leading global media outlets. He is also Israel's representative for the Polaris photo agency. Koren has published seventeen books and displayed his work in dozens of exhibitions. His photos are regularly featured on the covers of major magazines in Israel and abroad and have won many international prizes. Koren is a popular lecturer on photography in Israel and around the world.

Thou Shalt Innovate profiles wondrous Israeli innovations that are collectively changing the lives of billions of people around the world and explores why Israeli innovators of all faiths feel compelled to make the world better. This is the story of how Israelis are helping to feed the hungry, cure the sick, protect the defenseless, and make the desert bloom. Israel is playing a disproportionate role in helping solve some of the world's biggest challenges by tapping into the nation's soul: the spirit of tikkun olam - the Jewish concept of repairing the world.

Following Start-Up Nation's account of Israel's incredibly prolific start-up scene, Thou Shalt Innovate tells the story of how Israeli innovation is making the whole world a better place. Israel has extraordinary innovators who are bound together by their desire to save lives and find higher purpose. In a part of the world that has more than its share of darkness, these stories are rays of light.

Key Points about Thou Shalt Innovate
- Features fifteen astonishing Israeli inventions that are changing the world.
- Examines the driving force behind Israel's outstanding contributions to technology, science, agriculture,
water management, and defense.
- Based on extensive research and over one hundred personal interviews.
- Written by a Middle East insider.

About the Author
Avi Jorisch is a seasoned entrepreneur and Middle East expert. He is a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and founder of IMS, a merchant processing company that services clients nationwide. Mr. Jorisch is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Entrepreneur's Organization. A thought leader in exploring global trends in the Arab world, radical Islam, counterterrorism, and illicit finance, Mr. Jorisch served as a policy advisor at the Treasury Department's office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Binghamton University and a master's degree in Islamic history from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He also studied Arabic and Islamic philosophy at the American University in Cairo and al-Azhar University, the preeminent institution of Sunni Islamic learning. His articles have appeared in influential outlets including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Forbes, and Al-Arabiya.net.

AUTHOR RESIDES IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The full and fascinating history of this remarkable community, from its beginnings in the early part of the 14th century until its virtual destruction during the Holocaust. The book deals with the movements and personalities that played a role in the formation of the community.

In 1929 Albert Londres, a non-Jew and renowned journalist, set out to document the lives of Jews at this time. His travels to England, Eastern Europe and finally Palestine produced the literary masterpiece, The Wandering Jew has Arrived.

In the East End of London, Londres is moved by the unswerving faith of the Jews. In Eastern Europe he is astounded by the misery and plight he witnesses. The bleak picture is redeemed by his gentle humor, sharp observations and the unforgettable portraits he paints of the exotic individuals he encounters along his way. Londres vividly depicts the birth of Zionism and the wave of pogroms that propelled Jewish immigration to Palestine at the turn of the 20th century. In Palestine, he discovers the new metamorphosed Jew, and his succinct, harrowing descriptions of the Arab massacres of the Jews of Hebron and Safed expose an age-old animosity that is still very much alive today.

Presciently, Londres' investigation provides startling insight into how the unthinkable--the Holocaust--could happen, sweeping across Europe barely a decade after the publication of his book. His evocative, passionately and very personally told story transports readers back to a pivotal moment in history and offers an invaluable perspective on Jewish life in the early twentieth century, on the nascent days of the State of Israel, and on the ongoing strife that has engulfed the region ever since. The Wandering Jew Has Arrived is as relevant today as when first penned.

The world is in crisis: antisemitism, the longest hatred, is rearing its ugliest heads, again. Although much has been written about the subject, very little has been done to educate the public specifically about antisemitism--existing curricula are either outdated or not comprehensive, and none are designed to be engaging, especially to the younger audiences that need to learn this subject most.

A Brief and Visual History of Antisemitism aims to fill that glaring gap, not merely as a history textbook but as an epidemiological study that analyzes the pathology of the antisemitism virus from ancient to modern times: when, where, and how did antisemitism first emerge?

How did the disease of Jew-hatred spread so far and wide? Why has the hateful virus proven so resilient over time? The goal of this highly visual book is thus not merely to inform
of what has already transpired, but to empower individuals to make sense of the avalanche of anti-Jewish invective in real-time. As an
added feature, Augmented Reality technology allows readers to use their phones (and a free app) to scan highlighted areas and reveal a trove of bonus contents such as archival footage, animations, official documents, and 3D objects that offer immersive perspectives on historical landmarks.

When Sir Reginald Mouse disappears from his apartment, the neighbors in the building advertise his room for rent. One prospective renter after another comes to see the apartment but finds fault with one or another of the neighbors. The hardworking Ant finds the Hen lazy, the Rabbit criticizes the Cuckoo for abandoning her young, the Pig finds the Cat beneath him because of her color (and is roundly chased out by the neighbors for his racism), and the Nightingale thinks the Squirrel just a noisemaker. At last the Dove arrives, bringing with her an eye for the good and restoring an atmosphere of peace

Colorful characters, crazy hijinks, loads of literary gags and callouts create an energetic, fast-paced read in this novel. Peeking above and below all that merrymaking, from time to time, is the story of one still-secular Jew, searching, pondering the ancient texts, challenged to jibe his love affair with American culture with a personal identity that transcends time and place, to frequently hilarious effect.

- Yael English, JewishWorldReview.com, January 15, 2020

Yael English is a Modernism scholar who received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, where she also taught.

The Idiom and the Oddity is imaginative, funny, insightful and perceptive - a brilliant tour de force. It is a must-read - excellent medicine for the mind and the heart.

Rabbi Dr. Emanuel Feldman, editor emeritus of Tradition magazine, Rabbi Emeritus of Beth Jacob Synagogue, Atlanta, Georgia

Writings in the Jewish tradition are multi-dimensional - they can be read on many levels and with many connections. The Idiom and the Oddity is an essay in that tradition. There is history - mid-century Jewish New York, plus allusions to many other periods. There is psychology - of varied figures individually and in interactions, and developing [unlike the failed Lord of the Rings]. There is Torah philosophy - some explicit and very much implicit. There is great literary expertise. There is challenging word usage [I wouldn't call it play]. There is a compelling plot - I couldn't put it down. And much more.

- Rabbi David Gottlieb Rabbi David Gottlieb received his Ph.D. at Brandeis University, formerly Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University Senior Lecturer, Ohr Somayach.

Bottom line it's a demanding read. But it's literature ... The hero of the book is

clearly Reb Shimshon. Although he initially comes across as a quaint, somewhat laughable relic of a vestigial past, over the course of the novel he rises to his full, majestic height. His concluding monologue - six pages of heavily accented of Yiddish rage, uninterrupted by even a single paragraph break - is one of the most chilling, sustained and memorable passages in the entire book.

- Dr. Henry Abramson, Orthodox Union OU Life Online Magazine September 24, 2079. Dr. Henry Abramson, Dean of Touro College, Brooklyn, N.Y. PhD history University of Toronto

That Yasser Arafat was made by the KGB? These and many more such intriguing stories make up Jack Cooper's fascinating collection of historical windows on the life of the Jews. Covering biblical times through to today, these unusual vignettes on the sidelines of history come together to form a story that is anything but a sideline, depicting a resourceful people who have survived and thrived despite the worst history has thrown at them. Whether you read it straight through, or pick out individual stories to read as the mood strikes, you're in for a captivating read!

No stranger to action in enemy countries, the agency established a covert forward base in a deserted holiday village in Sudan, and deployed a handful of operatives to launch and oversee the exodus of the refugees to the Promised Land, by sea and by air, in the early 1980s. Gad Shimron, the author of this book, was one of their number. First published in Hebrew in 1998, this updated English version of the book offers a thrilling firsthand account of how the operation was put in place, and how the Mossad team in Sudan brought it off, despite great personal risk, running a partying vacation spot for wealthy tourists by day as they stole through the Sudanese desert to rescue desperate refugees by night. The book sheds light on American involvement in the latter stages of the operation, when the White House facilitated an airlift of Ethiopian Jews and the CIA station in Khartoum sheltered the last Mossad operatives, on the run from Libyan secret service agents, and spirited them out of Sudan in special boxes labeled Diplomatic Mail. Enhanced by Gad Shimron s wide-ranging historical observations and his crisp, incisive prose, this is at once an entertaining read and a powerful tale of idealistic heroism.

A blue balloon for Lulu.

A purple balloon for Pia

A yellow balloon for Mel.

A green balloon for Dean.

A red balloon for Ted.

Rabbi Doron Perez has authored a powerful and passionate call for civility and unity within the Jewish community.... He makes a compelling case for the central role the State of Israel can play and, in particular, the Mizrachi movement which he heads with such distinction can - and must - play in assuring the continued flourishing of the Jewish people.... Read
this book carefully and be inspired to do your share.
Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought, Yeshiva University

The success and sustainability of the Jewish People is in many ways dependent on its internal unity. Rabbi Perez has written a critical book about this very topic.... As a person who dedicates herself to sharing a love of Judaism, Israel, and of all Jews, I strongly recommend reading this book about our beloved Jewish state.
Miriam Peretz, Recipient of the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement

Rabbi Doron Perez has masterfully woven biblical sources with medieval commentaries and contemporary thinkers to create a magnificent tapestry of the unique Jewish state illustrating its past and future. From the teachings of Avraham Avinu through Rav Kook, he has highlighted the religious, national, and universal tenets embraced by the Jewish people, and the importance of incorporating these three principles as a cultural platform for unity.
Rabbanit Shani Taragin, Educational Director, Mizrachi; Rosh Beit Medrash for Women, YU Israel

​THE LONKA PROJECT is a photographic tribute to the last Holocaust survivors around the world. Since 2019, three hundred and eleven professional photographers, many world leaders in their respective fields, volunteered their talent not only to capture the human subject artistically, but also to draw lessons and serve as memory keepers for tomorrow's generations who will never know a Holocaust survivor.

For the participating survivors who generously opened their homes and hearts to the photographers in 33 countries, The Lonka Project carries their global message for tolerance, humanity and compassion in a world not rid of antisemitism and ethnic hatred.

The rhythms of life do not mitigate the horrors of the past, yet the survivors continue to stand as a symbol of optimism. The outcomes in this book celebrate their resilience and their power to live in a context that makes a unique and memorable statement about their lives.

We participating photographers believe it is our duty to shine a spotlight on the last living witnesses of the Holocaust because truth cannot be defeated.