Issue 16

  

Welcome to this beautiful new issue of Jewish Fiction .net! Here you will find 24 first-rate works of fiction, originally written in Italian, Hungarian, Russian, Spanish, Hebrew, and English. And in keeping with the upcoming holiday, three of the stories in this issue take place on Rosh Hashana.

 

Here in Issue 16:

 

On erev Rosh Hashana, an Israeli horse dealer breaks in a new horse and reflects on the circular patterns in his life. (Translated from Hebrew) (“The Bed You Make”)

 

On erev Rosh Hashana, a man discovers a casket in his cellar, confronts his mother about why it’s there, and exposes a family secret. (“The Casket in Cogan's Cellar”)

 

On Rosh Hashana, a Jewish woman widowed on 9/11 goes to shul with her adopted Chinese twins and non-Jewish boyfriend. (“A New Year”)

 

A boy in ancient Rome wanders outside his Jewish neighbourhood and witnesses a shocking scene of Roman brutality. (Translated from Hungarian) (“Captivity”)

 

A successful, experienced businessman in post-Emancipation Italy makes a mistake with a scrap metal purchase which changes his life. (Translated from Italian) (“Purchase of Goods of Dubious Origin”)

 

The great fire of Minsk in 1881 changes the life of a Jewish woman and creates a complex bond with her non-Jewish neighbour. (“The Great Fire”)

 

In early 20C America, a black man falls in love with a Jewish woman, with disastrous consequences. (Translated from Hebrew) (“The Tale of A Black Man”)

 

A man in an unhappy marriage leaves his shtetl once a month to make a mysterious journey on his donkey. (“When the Moon Is Full”)

 

A Russian boy dreams of Vilna,”the Jerusalem of Lithuania,” and later on laments its destruction and the Jewish life that was there. (Translated from Russian) (“Dream About the Vanished Jerusalem”)

 

After WW II, a mysterious Jewish woman from Europe enters a Bronx furniture store and engages the salesman in a fraught relationship. (“Where Have You Been?”)

 

In post-WW II South Africa, a Polish Jewish man marries a Polish non-Jew, whose efforts to help him backfire. (“The Play's the Thing”)

 

In post-war East Berlin, a stranger approaches a young woman and offers her the chance to escape to America. (“Out of the Cold”)

 

In 1951, on a family holiday in Alexandria, a young boy discovers sex. (Translated from Hebrew) (“Alexandrian Summer”)

 

The new shamash of the Altneuschule in Prague discovers his job description includes a surprising and fearsome task. (“The Shamash”)

 

A shoemaker moves from Turkey to Argentina and raises a family full of dreams and love, alongside fascinating neighbours. (Translated from Spanish) (“Land of Promise”)

 

A young Orthodox woman with marital problems receives some  unorthodox advice from a mikveh attendant. (“Ritual Bath”)

 

A young Orthodox woman who was sexually abused feels betrayed by the justice system and seeks a different justice. (“The Choice”)

 

A young kibbutznik, while hospitalized in Beersheva, develops a relationship with her Bedouin roommate. (“The Fig Tree”)

 

A week before her bat mitzvah, a girl discovers a family secret: her mother isn’t her biological mother. (“Motherless Child”)

 

A sullen teen claims to have unearthed the truth about his stepfather's family background. (“Grow or Sell”)

 

A disenchanted American researcher goes to Israel, loses both his health and wealth, and attempts a final act of heroism. (“The Real Hero”)

 

A grandmother braids chalah while contemplating her complicated relationship with her daughter and granddaughter. (“Braided”)

 

A lonely widower tries his luck with the Personal ads in a newspaper, with comic and enlightening results. (“Personals”)

 

A feckless Jewish man, after a final confrontation with his aunt and uncle, finds comfort in his butler Jeeves. (“Wake up, Sir!”)

 

Enjoy these terrific stories. And to you and those you love, we wish a healthy, joyful and sweet new year. Shana tova! from all of us at

Jewish Fiction .net

 



 
 
 
Please click here to donate to JewishFiction.net  
Tax receipts will be provided for both American and Canadian donations.



Please click here if you would like to join our mailing list.