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Religious
Bar Mitzvah (son of the commandment) and Bat Mitzvah (daughter of the commandment) mark the age when adult reason and responsibility begin. In this third book about her, Toby Belfer, a Jewish girl growing up in rural Louisiana, learns about the Bar Mitzvah ceremony through her older cousin Paul. Beginning with Toby’s invitation to Paul’s Bar Mitzvah and ending with the cutting of the challah and the traditional dance called the horah, the reader is led through the experience of this ancient ceremony.
Stuck inside their small stable one very rainy afternoon, two little donkeys listen to a story their grandfather tells them, a story that they will always carry in their hearts. Years ago, when the grandfather was still a young donkey, he was called to serve a man named Jesus.
On the night of the Holy Nativity, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger, surrounded by lowly animals and humble shepherds. One such animal, the donkey, was present at the birth and had the honor and blessing to witness the beginning of what she called the Great Miracle—the life of Jesus Christ.
This breakthrough children’s book by Sydelle Pearl will quickly find a place in Jewish holiday traditions. In five original tales, each relating to an important Jewish holiday, Elijah aids those in need, while challenging those who have lost their faith. The young prophet is summoned by God to wander the earth for a three-month period in order to observe the Jewish people’s handling of the Torah. Hardcover.
Inspired by Scripture, these tales present Jesus’ complete life story as witnessed by a very blessed family of humble donkeys. Two original songs enhance this touching and moving account of Christ’s life, narrated over a delicately orchestrated musical setting. From Christ’s birth and childhood to his ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and glorious Resurrection, the life of Jesus is celebrated here by the modest animals who share the true meaning of what it is to love and serve him.
Roberto, a poor young artist, aspires to success and recognition. He refuses to paint young village children playing or Old Stefano and his donkey and insists on creating picturesque scenes only. But when Roberto has his shoes mended, a cobbler lends him a pair of sandals and whispers: “There are some who say that if you wear another man’s shoes, you will see the world with his eyes and feel with his heart.”
Toby Belfer is now in the fifth grade, and she and her best friend Donna take a trip to Israel to tour the Holy Land. There, the girls visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust History Museum where they learn about the Righteous Gentiles, the Christian men and women who aided persecuted Jews during the Holocaust.
Toby Belfer never had a Christmas tree. Hers was the only Jewish family in the little country town where she lived with her parents and grandmother. The Belfers celebrated Hanukkah—they didn’t celebrate Christmas like the rest of the families in town. Toby invited all of her friends to join in her family’s Hanukkah celebration, just as she joined in theirs by trimming their Christmas trees and singing Christmas carols.
Toby Belfer’s great-grandmother’s family lived happily in a small town in Poland. When a group of soldiers came into the town and threatened its inhabitants, the family decided to leave. It was hard coming to America in 1904. All of the passengers, including people from all over Europe, were nervous about learning English and adapting to the new laws and customs. As they arrived, all the immigrants had to form lines and answer question after question before they could see a doctor and be on their way. Hardcover.