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PODCAST

Nice Jewish Books

Nice Jewish Books is a podcast focusing on adult Jewish fiction sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL.) Not only is AJL the leading authority on Judaica Librarianship, its members are a community of readers and bibliophiles. On this podcast, we chat with authors about Jewish literature, genre fiction, works in translation, and more. As long as a book has a Jewish theme or character, it"s a candidate for our show!

fiction judaism

All Episodes

47:51

Accidental friends with Susan Josephs

Nice Jewish Books ·

2026/03/13

What happens when two strangers are brought together by the same heartbreaking loss? Can friendship help heal the soul? After Rose's husband, Maury, and Nina's fiancé, Jeff, are killed in a tragic car accident, the two women form an unexpected bond. What begins in shared grief grows into something deeper—through memories, regrets, and the search for a way forward. Despite their decades of age difference—Rose at 93 and Nina in her thirties—they connect through their shared love of dance, Nina's

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32:58

AJL Fiction Award Winners 2026

Nice Jewish Books ·

2026/02/20

Every year, the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award committee scours the literary world for books with significant Jewish content. They look for extra-ordinary writing, accurate depictions of Jewish life in all its diversity, and contributions to the field of Jewish literature. This month I am excited to speak with Rena Citrin about the 2026 award winners for the best Jewish fiction published in 2025. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by

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47:45

Alive and Beating / a conversation with Rebecca Wolf

Nice Jewish Books ·

2026/01/19

Six lives. One city. A phone call that will change everything. In Alive and Beating, Rebecca Wolf brings us to Jerusalem just days before Passover, where six diverse characters balance family, work, and life-threatening illnesses. After a devastating bus bombing, an organ donation sets off a question that drives the novel: who will get the call that saves their life? Join me on Nice Jewish Books for a conversation with Rebecca Wolf about grief, grit, and the fragility of hope. Follow along with the

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32:01

Immortal Gifts : tales of a Jewish vampire with...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/11/16

In this episode of Nice Jewish Books… Sheryl Stahl sits down with author Katherine Villyard to discuss Immortal Gifts, a historical fantasy starring Abraham, a Jewish vampire trying to balance immortal life, Jewish identity, and his love for his mortal wife, Destiny. But peace is hard to come by—Abraham is relentlessly hunted by Thomas, a radical Christian vampire, and must rely on his loyal friend and patron Ludwig to help him stay one step ahead with new identities and safe passage. Abraham and

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48:43

Will Hope Arrive in the Shape of Dog? a conversation...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/10/16

Geller has hit rock bottom — homeless, addicted, and haunted by the horrors of war. His only goal is to forget. But when he rescues a dog from another addict, something shifts. After a brutal accident, a stranger named Doris steps in — and suddenly, there’s a spark of hope. Can a dog... and a kind stranger... help Geller find a life worth living? Join me for a powerful conversation with author Yishay "Ishy" Ron about his gripping novel Dog. We dive into the realities of PTSD, the struggle to seek

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36:06

Unfinished Acts of Wild Creation: a conversation with...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/09/12

Louise isn’t juggling balls or flames — she’s juggling life: the emotional weight of being a daughter, a mother, a wife… and someone facing a terminal diagnosis. In her latest novel, Unfinished Acts of Wild Creation, author Sarah Yahm introduces us to a woman navigating the tangled mess of grief, love, honesty and humor. Join us for a deeply moving (and surprisingly funny) conversation about Louise, her snarky daughter, her desperate-to-hold-it-all-together husband Leon, and the beauty found in

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38:03

Fagin, the Jew; Fagin the Thief; Fagin the Man: a...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/08/14

When Allison Epstein first saw the musical Oliver!, one character stood out—Fagin. He was the only Jewish character she’d ever seen on stage. But when she later read Dickens' Oliver Twist, her excitement turned to dismay. The Fagin in the novel was a far cry from what she’d hoped: he was a cruel caricature with no backstory, no first name, and no humanity. So, Allison did what writers do best—she rewrote the story. In her novel Fagin the Thief, Allison breathes life into the man Dickens left in the

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40:10

Who Killed the Rabbi's Wife: a conversation with Saul...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/07/27

Step into the world of mystery, memory, and meaning with author Saul Golubcow. In this compelling interview, Golubcow discusses his gripping works, The Cost of Living and Who Killed the Rabbi’s Wife?—this collection of three novellas and a novel feature Frank Wolf, a Holocaust survivor turned private investigator. Once a philosophy professor, Frank now solves crimes within the Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods of 1970s New York City. Joined by his inquisitive grandson Joel and later his sharp

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38:24

2nd grader Mike learns his way around the American...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/06/17

Michel may not be the big man on campus, but he definitely rules his 2nd grade classroom in Tehran and all is well in his world. That is, until his family decides to uproot him and brother Saeed and move the family to Los Angeles. Newly minted as "Mike" he struggles to navigate a new language, new customs, new foods, and most importantly new heirarchies on the playground. Join me for a conversation with Michael Shokrian about his new book American Playground. Follow along with the transcript

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43:14

Small Moments Made Large in Displaced Persons : a...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/05/26

In March, Rena Citrin, chair of the Association of Jewish Libraries fiction award, told me (not quite in these words) to get my tush in gear and read Joan Leegant’s excellent short story collection, Displaced Persons. It took two months for it to percolate to the top of my “to be read” pile but I’m thrilled that it did. Her stories are full of relatable people, situations, and humor, not to mention delicious sentences. Follow along with the transcript. Check out Joan's website and her Tikun Olam

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42:40

Midwives' Escape: a conversation with Maggie Anton

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/04/15

It’s Passover! Time to slurp the soup, crunch the matzah, and make jokes about Moses never stopping to ask directions in the desert. It’s also a great time to speak with Maggie Anton about her latest book, the Midwives’ Escape. Through the eyes of the Egyptian midwives, we see what life was like for the Israelites as they learned to transition from a people enslaved to a self-supporting community. Follow along with the transcript. Check out Maggie's website. Support the author, AJL, and

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38:27

AJL Fiction Award Winners

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/03/19

Every year, the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award committee scours the book world for books with significant Jewish content. They look for extra-ordinary writing, accurate depictions of Jewish life in all its diversity, and contributions to the field of Jewish literature. This month I am excited to speak with Rena Citrin about the lastest winners of this award. See the 2025 press release. Winner: Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari (Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random

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40:09

The Second Journey : an adventurous blend of Jewish &...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2025/01/12

When the Buddhist monk Xuanzang returned to China from India, bringing back precious Buddhist texts, he thought his traveling days were over. But then he finds an intriguing scrap with writing that he does not recognize. Finally connecting it with the Jewish community in Kaifeng he is implored by the community to go on another journey – this time even further west through Persia and Israel to find and bring back a teacher for the Kaifeng Jews. He is joined by his disciples, the magiFc Monkey and 8

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39:09

Dangerous Golem? or Man of Her Dreams? A conversation...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/12/20

After her town is carpeted with antisemitic leaflets, ceramic artist Faye finds refuge in her studio and before she knows it, her hands have created the figure of a man. She enscribes all her wishes into the clay and buries it under her rose bushes. The next day she runs into a handsome stranger, knocking him unconscious and giving him amnesia. As she gets to know him, he seems more and more like the man of her dreams. But is he just too good to be true? Or could he be a golem that she created and

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35:16

When all else fails ... call the Magic Maker / a...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/11/13

For 100 years the Rosenfelds have been trapped in a time bubble in their tenement apartment on the lower East Side of New York. They can only catch glimpes of the outside world which has no idea that they are there. Until one day, Esther Luna, who works in the building which has now been turned into the Tenement Museum see a girl in the window who smiles and waves at her. After exploring every reasonable explanation, Esther turns to Rabbi Meyer Poppers, a Jewish magician. While he finds the source

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33:05

Will living "With a Good Eye" bring Luna luck? a...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/10/15

Luna Levi may have graduated high school, but she is far from any kind of path to success. She works part time at a motel in Ottowa to help support her family since neither parent seem capable of it. Luna's mother has dreams of being a theater star and takes off for weeks at a time to perform in regional productions and her father, suffering from PTSD after serving in the Israel army, lives on the streets. Luna watches her mother try one "get rich quick" scheme after another; each one bring the

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49:24

How Many Secrets are Behind the Boy with the Star...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/10/05

Sharon is surrounded by secrets. It is 1968 and she has been recruited to clandestinely bring Israel sailors, soldiers, and engineers to the French port of Cherbourg. She needs to help support them until the last 5 ships which were promised to Israel were fully constructed. Since France has instituted an embargo against Israel, the men would have to smuggle to ships out for the Israeli Navy. On a smaller scale, she learned that her supervisor Daniel had been taken out of Israel as a young child as

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23:35

The Main Character: a conversation with Jaclyn Goldis...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/09/16

Genevra Ex is a best-selling mystery author with a major quirk. Instead of inventing new characters, she hires a real-life person to be the main character of her book. The latest hire is a young woman named Rory. After an intensive three months of interviewing, Genevra gifts Rory with a ticket on the newly refurbish Orient Express. After boarding the train, Rory is shocked to find her brother Max, her best friend Caroline, and her ex-fiance Nate. She also finds a manuscript of Genevra's latest

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37:14

Jewish Emotional Support Books: a conversation with...

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/08/31

Heidi Rabinowitz and I both saw a cartoon from the New Yorker in which one spouse was trying to move a pile of tottering books off the other spouses night-stand. The other spouse yelled in alarm (something like) "don't move those - they are my emotional support books!" We were inspired to ask our fellow attendees at the 2024 Association of Jewish Libraries conference to speak about their emotional support books! Follow along with the transcript. Enter the drawing for your own personal emotional

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35:00

Jackpot Summer! a conversation with Elyssa Friedlander

Nice Jewish Books ·

2024/08/13

Whether you play the lottery or not, I think that all of us dream about what we would do if we won a major jackpot. This is what happened to three out of the four Jacobson siblings. Matthew, Laura, Sophie, and Noah were gathered to pack up the family summer house on Long Beach Island, when Noah announced he was going out and would be buying a lottery ticket. Laura and Sophie jumped to go in on the tickets, while Matthew flatly refused. They were all completely shocked to find that one of their

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57 results

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