Great New English Halacha Releases

In the past few months Israel Book Shop has come out with a very impressive selection of English Halacha seforim. A few of these new seforim include:

• Ginzei HaKodesh by Rabbi Yechezkel Feinhandler on the laws of treatment of religious articles 
• Inside Stam by Reuvain Mendlowitz, which contains questions for the consumer when purchasing a Torah, mezuzos, and tefillin
• The Laws of an Eruv by Rabbi Shlomo Francis and Rabbi Yonason Glenner which is a detailed sefer on Hilchos Eruvin, complete with diagrams (the release conicided well with Daf Yomi) 

Another new release that caught my attention in particular is Dvar Yom by Rabbi Dovid Braunfeld. This sefer is quite remarkable in it's depth and detail. It is an explanation of all the zmanim on the Luach with pages of colored charts and diagrams of astronomical phenomena. The author explains in the introduction "An innovation of this sefer is that before explaining when Tzais HaKochavim and Alos are, it explains what they are. Just as one who knows the anatomy of a cow has a completelty different understanding of Maseches Chullin than one who has never seen a cow, so too when one understands the astronomical facts of Tzais and Alos, he will have a completely different understanding of the intent of the Gemara and the Poskim." There are many chapters in this sefer that are incredibly complex and scientific and, as an aid to the reader, the author clarifies at the beginning of the sefer which chapters are good for a basic understanding of the Luach and which chapters are for more advanced learning. 

All of these new releases can be viewed at the Israel Book Shop website. 

From Sarah to Sarah: Back in Print

Does it ever happen to you that you haven't thought about a certain person for a while and then on the day you think about them their name starts to pop up everywhere? Recently I received an e-mail from a woman who was looking for a copy of Rebbetzin Sara Feldbrand's book "From Sarah to Sarah." I hadn't been aware that it was out of print and this woman was looking to borrow a copy. I own the book but haven't read it in several years. Now, only a few weeks after receiving that e-mail I saw that Israel Book Shop is releasing a new, expanded version of this fantastic book. The original book included short biographical details about tens of women throughout Jewish history and I am assuming that the expanded edition includes new women. The title of the book is a reference to two particular women, Sarah Imeinu and Sarah Schenirer, but it includes so much more about women both known and unknown spanning all times and places in Jewish history. With the majority of Jewish biographies focusing on our great Rabbinic leaders, this comprehensive book on great Jewish women is a welcome addition to any Jewish library.

You can click on the picture above to see the names of some of the women included in this book. 

Artscroll and Feldheim 20% Off Sale

Artscroll and Feldheim are both having a 20% off sale. Now's a great time to stock up on books before Summer vacation begins. If you want to save a bit more money buy the books in a book store instead of online. It depends on where you live, but in the New York area books often have a cheaper list price than the price posted online, and the stores still honor the 20% off sale. 

New book on Rebbetzin Kanievsky

A new English biography of Rebbetzin Kanievsky, titled "Rebbetzin Kanievsky: A Legendary Mother to All" is set to be released a few days before Shavuos. Artscroll has posted the release date as May 21st. I have heard (and seen) that quite a few books have been published already in Hebrew about the great Rebbetzin but I think that this is the first full length book to be published in English. It's really incredible how fast publishers are able to put out biographies nowadays. Two have already been released about the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel and I'm sure there will be more as time goes on. There really has not been a woman who has had as much of a following and impact as Rebbetzin Kanievsky for most of our history and I am eagerly anticipating reading this new book.

Review: Out of the Depths

Since I began to live in New York some four years ago I've come to understand that the subway is one place where you can exhibit all sorts of odd behavior and nobody will really pay any attention. This recently worked to my benefit and I'll explain how.

A few months ago I purchased Rabbi Israel Meir Lau's biography, "Out of the Depths." Translated from it's original Hebrew I would venture to say that this book is a good seller in bookstores and online (any retailers want to confirm or deny that claim?). One reason is probably because Rabbi Lau, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and current Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, is a dynamic and much beloved Jewish leader. I had the privilege to hear him speak last year in Queens and his drashos were incredibly powerful and moving. While reading his book it becomes clear how many lives he has touched and benefited. The second reason that his book is probably popular is that Rabbi Lau's story is a phenomenal tale of survival and triumph amidst destruction and despair. As a small child he lost his mother, father, and brother to the Nazis and was taken with his other brother to Buchenwald. It's remarkable to read about how such a small child survived such a horrible tragedy, and not only survived but thrived and grew to become a leader in our generation. Since this books centers on such an emotional story, it's extremely difficult to read this book without crying. I was warned not to read this book on Shabbos but I thought that only applied to the beginning of the book, which is all about the Holocaust. However, even the later parts of the book are emotionally stirring, including Rabbi Lau's descriptions of his work with terrorist victims and his return to his hometown in Eastern Europe.

So back to the subway. As I read this book during my daily commute I found myself often tearing up and crying. In any other situation I probably would have felt awkward but on the subway there are so many stranger things than crying people and so I didn't get any looks. This book is really just so good at bringing out the reader's emotion. I don't want to give the wrong impression that this book is only going to make you cry. Reading about how Rabbi Lau grows through his yeshiva years, marrying, and building a family, there are many happy moments that will make you smile. Of course, if you're like me and you cry when you get very happy I guess you'll end up crying even for the happy parts, but the point is that the happy stories are there.

"Out of the Depths" is filled with many stories that demonstrate to the reader the incredible Divine Providence that accompanies Rabbi Lau throughout his life. One such story that I found to be remarkable (although there are even better ones) is the following:

When I was elected chief rabbi of Israel, the members of the election committee gathered in Jerusalem at Heichal Shlomo (the former seat of the chief rabbinate) to honor me on the occasion of my election with congratulations. Among them was Lippel, who then served as acting director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After many comments of praise and congratulations, right before people got up from their seats to leave, Lippel asked permission to say a few words:
           Friends, after we have toasted le-chaim with His Honor, the chief rabbi, I must tell you a personal story. This is a story I never told any of you before, so as not to sway your decision. When I was the secretary and close associate of Chief Rabbi Herzog, there was a young man who came to the house every morning at six o'clock, at the rabbi's request, to ensure that Rabbi Herzog would have a minyan. Rabbi Herzog loved him dearly. One day, when this youth left for the yeshiva after the prayer service, the rabbi said to me, "Israel, you see that boy? His name is also Israel." "Certainly," I answered, "that's Israel Lau. I know him well, he comes here every day." "A day will come," Rabbi Herzog continued, "when he will sit on this grand chair of the chief rabbinate. Make note of this."

If you've heard Rabbi Lau's story before I'm sure you understand why this book is a worthwhile read. If you aren't familiar with Rabbi Lau I'm letting you know that you should go out and buy or borrow this book. It is both interesting and inspiring. Some of the most fascinating parts of the book involve Rabbi Lau's time as Chief Rabbi. He takes you along with him as he meets such diverse figures as Pope John Paul II, Fidel Castro, and King Hussein of Jordon.The vivid details and captivating stories will keep you reading until you finish, even if that means you read it on your way home from work with tears streaming down your face. After you read it leave a comment about your impressions. I'm curious to hear what you think!

And the next YU seforim sale will begin on . .

Yeshiva University has just released the dates for the next SOY Seforim Sale, one of the best Jewish book and music sales in America. The sale will take place beginning February 6th through the 27th. It's pretty much a really large room filled with books and seforim from all genres as well as music and DVD's, all at discounted prices. I'm really looking forward!!

Two New Books to Check Out

Some of you may have noticed that there have been a lot of new book releases in the past few weeks, and you can expect a couple more as Yomtov starts appearing around the corner. One book that I was very excited for and that I have begun reading is Rabbi Yechiel Spero's new book from Artscroll, "A Touch of Purity." I only jumped onto the "Touched by a Story" bandwagon a year ago but I've already become an enthusiastic fan of the stories. Rabbi Spero's latest book is about Elul and Tishrei and all the messages associated with those times (i.e. Teshuva, davening, etc.) As someone who learns better through stories then pure mussar seforim I really appreciate Rabbi Spero's books, especially those that are about certain times of year or other themes, like his book on Tisha B'av which has given me something meaningful to relate to on that day the past two years, as well as his books of Tefillah. I haven't gotten all the way through "A Touch of Purity" yet since I want it to last me through Yom Kippur, but I have finished the section of Elul and if the rest of the book is as powerful as the first section I would recommend this as inspirational and timely reading for those of you looking for a good book/sefer on the Yomim Noraim. Each story is followed by a short d'var Torah that gives the story an extra boost to help make its point. I'll admit that sometimes I skip the d'var Torah and go straight to the next story, but everything written in this book is worth reading.

The second book that I've been reading, which I picked up yesterday, is a book from Feldheim on Jewish medical ethics titled "The Value of Human Life." It is based on a series of lectures that were delivered at the first ever Jewish medical ethics conference that took place two years ago in Switzerland. I actually took a class on Jewish medical ethics a year ago which drew me to this book but its relevance is for all of us as it is fascinating and pertinent to the times we live in. In todays world we are constantly hearing about issues like stem cell research, organ donations, prolonging the life of people who are brain dead, and many other health related issues. "The Value of Human Life" has articles written by some of the biggest names in Jewish medical ethics, including Rabbi J. David Bleich, Professor Avraham Steinberg and Professor Abraham S. Abraham. I think that understanding the issues discussed in this book will help us to be more educated on these relevant issues and will give us a Torah perspective to maintain when reading about them in the newspapers. This book is reader friendly and truly fascinating for anyone interested in reading it.

Wishing you all a K'siva V'chasimah Tovah!

Emmanuel: Perspectives Then and Now

It is hard to form a conclusive opinion on the current affairs surrounding the school in Emmanuel. The Slonimer Chassidim claim that this issue is not about Sephardi/Ashkenazi segregation, rather the separation made between classes in the school was simply meant as a way to distinguish those from a less religious background to those who are more religious. The Chassidim do not want their daughters to be negatively influenced by families who may do things like watching movies or going to mixed dances. A good proof for the veracity of this position is that Sephardi fathers also joined their Ashkenazi counterparts in going to jail this past week as part of the penalty for violating the court order to integrate the schools. If Sephardim are studying with Ashkenazim then the issue is not all about segregation. It seems that among our frum camp this previous opinion is held by the majority.

However, Rav Yaakov Yosef, son of Rav Ovadia Yosef and Rav of the plaintiff, claims that there definitely was some amount misconduct from the Ashkenazim to the Sephardim and that the Ashkenazim have defamed the Sephardim, who he claims are good religious Jews, by claiming for the public media that they are non-religious Jews. Obviously, this issue is far from simple and it is constantly being portrayed with a certain amount of bias, proportional to the views of the author and paper the story is being published in. Thus it is hard to form a completely educated opinion.

Today, while I was reading "In Their Shadows," by Rav Shlomo Lorincz I came across the following story which has some semblance to the case before us today in Emmanuel. Obviously, if you hold like the Slonimer Chassidim and many other Gedolei Yisroel that there has been no mistreatment of Sephardim and that this issue is about Kedushas HaTorah and Chinuch Habanim then the story below is not really relevant. However, if you hold by the other side then it surely is a relevant story, and either way it is a powerful lesson in a time when discrimination against Sephardim and others still exists. This is something that we can all learn from.

Rav Shach fully displayed his forcefulness in a letter he wrote to Rav Shraga Grossbard, director of Chinuch Atzmai, in 5741 (1981).
At that point, the admissions policy of some Chinuch Atzmai schools discriminated against Sephardic children, in favor of children of Ashkenazi descent.
In his letter to Rav Grossbard, Rav Shach explains at length that there is no halachic basis for such discrimination, and he concludes:
Therefore, I ask you to pass a message to the principals [of the schools] that there are no excuses or justifications- they must accept Sephardic children. I write this as a halachic ruling that they may not transgress" (In Their Shadow, p. 400 by Rav Shlomo Lorincz).

The Next Page: Summer 2010

For those of you who bought this past weekends newspapers you probably saw the insert that was included courtesy of Israel Book Shop. Back at Winter time Israel Book Shop released a new magazine/catalog called The Next Page which had some interviews with the authors, segments from new releases, contests, and more. At the same time they also unveiled a new website, www.thenextpage-israelbookshop.com. Now, with the second publication of their magazine they have also announced a new contest. Every week there will be a new short story published on the website with each story having an inconclusive or mystery ending. Readers are then encouraged to submit how they think the story ended and the author of the best ending will receive a prize. This actually sounds like a lot of fun and I'm curious to see how it will take off.

Besides for this new contest there has also been a new original serial story that is only being published on their website called Divided Attention. All of this can be viewed at the link above. If you didn't have a chance to see the magazine that was distributed as an insert this past weekend you can view it by clicking here. I think that this new PR campaign from Israel Book Shop is very impressive and as far as I'm aware it's first for a frum publishing house. Hopefully we'll continue to see more exciting things in the future.

Jewish Music on iTunes

As an avid Jewish music listener I have been occasionally disappointed by the lack of downloading availability for our CDs that many other genres of music get. Mostlymusic has actually been very wonderful about starting to have more and more CDs available for download at a cheaper price and there are even some older CDs the feature individual song downloads. I really like the latter kind since there are certain albums where you know beforehand you don't want the whole thing, you just want a couple of songs. iTunes really has a good system for non-Jewish music and I've wished more songs would be available through them, but I understand that there are financial reasons why that is not so practical for the JM business. However, I have tried to compile a list of JM albums and singers that are available on I-Tunes. Most of the albums are from Sameach with one surprising new one from Aderet (Shimon Craimer). Below is the list. If anybody wants to add anything else please comment below.

Shimon Craimer: Nashir Beyachad
Yosef Chaim (Shwekey): Lo Lefached
The Chevra 3
Yerachmiel and Aaron Razel: The Secret of Shabbos
Avraham Fried: You're Never Alone, No Jew Will Be Left Behind, The Time is Now, Goodbye Golus
Hasc: A Time for Music volumes 7, 18, 20
Yeshiva Boys Choir: YBC Live II, YBC 3 (Shabichi)
Shloime Dachs: Dachs Dance All Night
Kol Noar Boys Choir
Benny Friedman: Taamu
Aryeh Kuntsler: From the Depths
The Maccabeats
Ari Goldwag: Pure Soul
Yisroel Williger: Menuchas Shabbos
Gershon Veroba: Impressions, Second Impressions, Turn it Around, Reach Out
All of Six13, Moshav Band, 8th Day, Yaakov Chesed
Lots of Shlomo Carelbach music

Update (6/15/10): Aryeh Kuntslers new CD "Our Eyes Are On You" is also now available on iTunes

Update (8/26/10): Dovid Gabays new album, Eretz Yisroel, along with his two previous albums, are available on iTunes

Book Week at Feldheim

Bargain Sale at Targum Press

HaMasmidim

While I was in Israel earlier this year I picked up a wonderful book that had just been released called HaMasmidim. Written in Hebrew, this book is filled with stories about Gedolim and their dedication to the study of Torah. The stories are meant to be a source of inspiration and a guide to help boys in the perseverance of Torah study. The book appears to be geared towards children and young adults but I believe that the stories in it are appropriate for all ages. Beautifully bound, with clear type and side-bar pictures of the Gadol being spoken about, this book is something like I've never seen. It also has what I think is one of the best introductions to any book that I've ever seen before. The following is my attempt to translate the intro as best I could but the original Hebrew is really much better:

Dear reader! In the book before you are descriptions that enlighten the heart about the dedication to Torah of the Gedolei Yisroel, throughout every time period. The stories tell about how they (the Gedolim) clung to Torah like one who thirsts for water, and in only the Torah did they look all their lives. Likewise, the stories describe how they trembled from the idea of Bitul Torah and how they used sechel to overcome the Yetzer Hara in this area.

But it is very important to stress that many of the Gedolei Yisroel and Talmidei Chachamim that lived during all the time periods as well as today, were not born with special characteristics- they had regular character traits. The truth is that even in you- dear reader- are the same characteristics that they had! And if you ask, how did they merit to grow into Gedolei Yisroel. . .?

The answer is simple- they succeeded in strengthening their determination that from them would emerge a Talmid Chacham along with the knowledge that with the study of every word of Torah they were fulfilling a Mitzvas Asei D'Oraisa and they were giving nachas ruach to the Creator of the world. Therefore, they were always careful to arrive to learning on time and with the time between sedarim they did not engage in frivolous activities, and they succeeded to use each moment to review what they already learned. Thus, with consistency and patience, with tefillah and supplication, they completed and knew another chapter and another masechta, until they became, with the help of Hashem, Gedolei Torah.

Therefore dear reader- you too with the help of Hashem, if you will be determined and set your mind to it, nothing will stop you from becoming a true Talmid Chacham!

We hope, that these real life examples that are filled with with pictures (of the life of these Gedolim) will encourage you to go in their footsteps and you will want throughout your life to be a Talmid Chacham, and with Siyata D'shmaya you will be!

There was just something about that introduction that struck a cord with me. As someone who loves to hear Gedolim stories, it is often possible to come to a point where you just think that the Gedolim were born this way and what they do is not possible for any of us to achieve. Their actions are beyond our capabilities so why even try. Of course this is not true and this introduction emphasizes that message; the message that many of the Gedolei Yisroel started off with the same characteristics as the rest of us and through their effort they became who they became. The stories that follow in this book are incredible. Each chapter has the theme of a particular attribute necessary in the success of Torah study and the stories that are told are really one of a kind. As I mentioned, I am particular to Gedolim stories and having heard many of them I believe that the stories in this book are wonderful. If you are looking for a source of inspiration in limud haTorah and ahavas haTorah along with a good story then this is the book for you.

[HaMasmidim is being distributed by Feldheim in the United States]

Artscroll's June Book Sale

Coming Tomorrow: A New Book by Chaim Walder

From Feldheim.com:

As an experienced educational counselor and prolific author, Rabbi Chaim Walder has dealt extensively with relationships between children and parents, students and teachers - as well as a person's relationship with himself. Drawn from the author's vast knowledge and flavored with his engaging literary style, this book bursts with a wealth of information, ideas and advice, along with practical suggestions for applying them. Culled from more than a thousand articles written during the author's almost two decades as a Yated Ne'eman columnist, Rabbi Walder tackles the issues that are foremost on people's minds. Also included are the author's opinions on a variety of topics, from mental health issues to money matters - all easily referenced in a convenient, concise index.

I always associate Chaim Walder with his great story books, namely the true life stories in "People Speak" and "Kids Speak." Another favorite of mine is his novel "That's Me, Tzviki Green. So I guess this is going to be a bit of a break in a tradition of story books from Rabbi Walder, with what appears to me to be his first English book on Parenting. I'm curious whether there will be any more stories in this new release. To find out I guess we'll just have to check out the book when it comes out. Feldheim lists it for release tomorrow, April 27th. If you happen to take a look give me an update on how it compares to the older Chaim Walder books and the style of the book format.

I'm not gone. . .

It's probably obvious by now that I've been a bit sidetracked from The Jewish Book World lately. Between a lot of assignments that need to get done and just living life there hasn't been much time for me to sit down a write. In terms of books lately I just finished a great book, Deep Blue, by Meir Uri Gottesman. It's not a new book and I knew we owned it for a while. My attention was turned to it when someone who I respect started gushing about how much she loved this book. While I usually choose non-fiction over novels I had to pick this one up and see what it was all about. The final result? This book is great. The thing that sticks out the most is that this is a well written Jewish novel, both in plot and word choice. One complaint that I have heard from others who regularly read Jewish novels is that they are not exactly up to par with their non-Jewish equivalents. Deep Blue is the exception to the rule. The basic plot focuses around the will of Captain Elijah, who bequeaths the majority of his fortune to two of his grandsons, both of whom are already successful businessmen, leaving a set of shas and some worthless stock to his third and favorite grandson, Uri, who is a father, a Rebbi, and very much in need of some extra parnasa. What happens afterwards is an adventure that leads Uri on a mission to fulfill his grandfather's last instructions. This book keeps you hooked until the end which is something I really appreciated. There is something annoying about being hooked by a lot of build up only to find out after a couple hundred pages that the climax just isn't anything special. Meir Uri Gottesman is also the author a couple of other novels, including The Harp, The Wing, and The Morning Star, and I hope to get a chance to read them as well.

Pesach with Mishpacha Magazine: Featuring a New CD

Mishpacha magazine has done it again! Every year their Yom Tov editions are packed to the brim with even more interesting articles, Divrei Torah and stories. This year, besides for anticipating all that, you can also start anticipating the release of a new CD. From TeeM Productions comes brand new songs composed by Yossi Green and Pinky Weber. The arrangments are from Mona Rosenblum, Moshe Laufer, and Leib Yaacov Rigler. The singers are Avraham Fried, Shlomie Gertner, Shlomie Taussig, Yisroel Werdyger, Shragy Gestetner, Motty Ilowitz, and Chilu Posen. For those of you who remember, this is not the first year that Mishpacha has been so nice as to include a new CD with the magazine. The Sukkos edition 2007 premiered the release of a CD featuring Lipa Schmeltzer called Eloka D'meir Aneini which can be found currently in certain Judaica stores. I always look forward to Mishpacha and their special Yom Tov editions and I look forward to seeing what interesting reads this year has to offer.

To see the cover art and the advertisment for the CD go to the Jewish Music Report


HT: Jewish Music Report

Be Your Own Library

A couple of weeks ago I had the experience to spend Shabbos with a Chassidishe Rav and his family in Boro Park. It was absolutely wonderful and I look forward to going back again. One thing that stuck out for me was that the Rebbetzin runs a library out of her home. It's not a huge, professional library but it's a great selection of some older classics and more recent publications organized neatly on around five bookshelves in an upstairs room. The Rebbetzin explained that she does this as a service for the community, allowing them to come and borrow books whenever they want. An interesting observation is that right across the street from the home is a big Brooklyn public library, but of course most people in the Chassidishe Boro Park community do not utilize this library due to their content of secular books. I am sure that many of the families on the Rebbetzin's street appreciate her smaller library too the much bigger library that they feel uncomfortable using.

I was reflecting on this small library and the chessed it provides recently and it occurred to me how much there is a need for many more such libraries in our communities wherever they may be. Unfortunately there are not really any big professional libraries that are dedicated to loaning out books appropriate for the frum world. Sometimes you do come across a couple such libraries or gemachs but they can be scarce, leaving many without access to good reading material. I am fortunate in that when I was in high school we had a fantastic library that received good funding and was able to provide us with hundreds of books, including all the new releases and other books and seforim that appealed to myself and others. Where I am now also has a very decent library but it is lacking in certain areas as well as not being available to the non-student body. In my temporary apartment I keep around 30 books that I keep on a shelf and I am try to let others know that they are able to borrow them. Back at home between every member of my family we must have a couple hundred frum books, definitely a good size library. This shouldn't be a surprise, as Jews are known for their large collections of books and I think that many of us have the resources to create miniature "libraries" as the Rebbetzin that I stayed with created.

All if takes is to let people know that you have books available to borrow, write your name and phone number on the inside cover, and keep track of who has what. This is such a great chessed on many levels. First off, books are a wonderful source of good, healthy entertainment. Your loaning out books helps contribute a good education to young children or a restful afternoon to an overworked parent or student. Depending on the type of book you loan out you could also be assisting someone in their Torah learning. Any way you look at it, it's all good. So give it some thought and see if you too can help your friends or community by creating your own Jewish library.

New Haggadahs for Pesach

With Purim over and Pesach fast approaching here are a list of some of the new Haggadahs that have recently been released. The last one is my personal favorite since it's so out of the box and combines my too favorite things, books and music.

Note: The name of the Haggadah is followed by the publishers name

• Seif Edition Transliterated Linear Haggadah - Artscroll
• The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Haggadah- Artscroll
• The Yetzias Mitzrayim Hagaddah: Bringing the Pesach Story to Life through the Haggadah- Artscroll
  
• The Family Hagaddah: Spanish Edition- Artscroll
  
• Hagaddah with Kitzur Shulchan Aruch: Illustrated and for kids- Greenfelds
  
• The Royal Table: A Passover Hagaddah- OU Press
• The Lipa Schmeltzer Hagaddah- Aderet Music

Week in Books

New Releases:

-Seek Peace and Pursue It, by Dovid Lieberman Ph.D
-Purim and Persia: A Historical and Archaeological Perspective, by Rabbi Yehuda Landy
-It Could Have Been You: Real Stories about Real People, by Nachman Seltzer
-Nefesh Shimshon: Gates of Emunah, by Rav Shimshon Dovid Pincus ZT"L
-Emunat Yisrael: Developing Faith and Trust in G-d in Our Turbulent Times, by Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Lugassi
-The Yetzias Mitzrayim Hagaddah, by Samson Raphael Grunfeld
-The World That Was: The Legacy of German Jewry 843-1945, Rabbi A. Leib Scheinbaum
-Hidden Gems: Our Special Children, by Ruchi Eisenbach
-Aleinu L'Shabei'ach: Vayikra, by Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein
-Starving Souls, by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser
-The Mishkan Illuminated, by Rabbi Dovid Meyers

Upcoming Releases:

-A Unique Perspective: Rav Breur's Essays 1914-1973, by Rav Dr. Joseph Breur
-Dawn to Destiny: Jewish History and its Hidden Wisdom, by Rabbi Yonason Goldson