Letters to Josep: An Introduction to Judaism - Softcover

Levy, Daniella

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9659254008 ISBN 13: 9789659254002

Publisher: Guiding Light Press, 2016

Synopsis

"You are about to embark on something more than a book. You are about to participate in a quest for friendship, understanding, and love, beyond language, religion, and borders..."

--from Josep's foreword

It began as an extraordinary correspondence across the Mediterranean.

Josep, a secular Catholic from Barcelona, wanted to learn about Daniella's life as an American-Israeli Orthodox Jew. Her enthusiastic response to his curiosity resulted in this collection of entertaining and enlightening letters.

With nuance, candor, and warmth—and a liberal dash of humor—Daniella paints a vivid picture of observant Jewish life. She explains complex concepts in a manner so unassuming and accessible that even the most uninitiated can relate—but with enough depth that the knowledgeable will find new insight, too.

Whether you’re a curious non-Jew or a Jew hoping to expand your knowledge, Letters to Josep will charm, inform, and inspire you.

About this title

About the Author

Daniella Levy is a writer, translator, and educator living in Israel with her husband and three sons. Her work has appeared in print and online on several platforms, including Pnima Magazine, Kveller, and Ynet News. She enjoys teaching women’s self-defense, learning new languages (which she then refuses to speak), and, as evidenced by this book, composing unreasonably long e-mails to people.

Review

"While for the most part, the book is light-hearted and entertaining, parts are also poignant and personal... Letters to Josep is indeed, as its title promises, an introduction to Judaism... But more than [that]... it is a delightfully entertaining glimpse into a deep friendship between two people of different faiths."
- Yael Shahar, author of A Damaged Mirror
 
"In each chapter, Levy sprinkles gentle humor plus insightful, pithy, [wise] comments to convey easily and yet in depth the essence of being and doing Jewish. By the end, my own sense of what it means to be and to do Jewish felt clarified and justified... as short book that every Jew should read, as well as every non-Jew who wants an insiders' glimpse into what [being] Jewish is about."
- Susan Heitler, Ph.D., author of The Power ofTwo
 
"Although I have been observant for over thirty years and I've been teaching Torah for at least twenty, I was impressed with [Daniella's] skillful, conversational method of explaining even the most basic of areas of Judaism... so straightforward, even simple, that it's beautiful and enlightening. I can see myself recommending [this] book to many people."
- Sari Horovitz Hoffman, Jewish educator

Edition details

• Publisher: Guiding Light Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 9659254008
• ISBN 13: 9789659254002
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 292