Recommended Books

by Rachel Raz

ABC Israel, introduces readers to Israel’s people, food, languages, and more with colorful pictures, while also teaching the alphabet.

by Galia Armeland

Aleph- Bet Israel introduces young readers to the Hebrew alphabet and popular sites around Israel using whimsical illustrations.

by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
illustrated by Rotem Teplow

An eccentric Bubbe goes grocery shopping for Shabbat at the Carmel market in Tel-Aviv and ends up bringing home some feline friends.

by Diane Levin Rauchwerger
illustrated by Jason Wolff

Dino’s adventures continue as he boards a plane for Israel.  Join him as he munches on falafel, tucks a message high up on the Western Wall, and invites a friendly camel to go snorkeling in Eilat.

by Vivian Newman
illustrated by Akemi Gutierrez

Excited Ella and her stuffed monkey, Koofi, take a family trip to Israel. Ella enjoys visiting all the famous places in Israel, but Koofi experiences Israel in his own special way!

by Sylvia A. Rouss
illustrated by Katherine J. Kahn

Another adventure in the “Sammy Spider” series as Sammy travels with the Shapiro family to Israel, snorkeling in Eilat, riding camels in the desert, placing notes in the Western Wall, and eating falafel and pita.

by Rachel Raz

This book by author/photographer Rachel Raz (ABC Israel) showcases the many vibrant and beautiful colors of the land of Israel, from the red double-decker train in Akko to the white dome of the Shrine of the Book, from pink postage stamps to orange beach umbrellas in Tel Aviv.

by Allison Ofanansky
illustrated by Rotem Teplow

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night tells the story of a young Jewish girl in Morocco who is helping her mother gather flour from her Muslim neighbors to make special pancakes that are only eaten on the last day of Passover as they celebrate the Jewish-Moroccan holiday Mimouna.

by Janice Hechter

Dabi is a young girl visiting her grandparents and aunt in Israel. One day her aunt takes her to Beit Guvrin National Park for an archeological dig where Dabi makes an amazing discovery.

by Erica Lyons
illustrated by Jen Jamieson

A young girl practices the Four Questions on her apartment balcony in Jerusalem and finds a way to bring the neighbors together for Passover even during the separation of a pandemic.

by Giora Carmi

A young girl visits Israel and envisions the history of the sites she sees.

by Michelle Edwards

Rody lives on a kibbutz, but is called “Chicken Man” because of his work with chickens. The story details how a kibbutz functions and promotes the rabbinic saying (Pirkei Avot) “Who is rich? Those who are happy with what they have.”

by Tami Shem-Tov and Rachella Sandbank
illustrated by Avi Ofer

Uri is bored hanging around his parents’ delicatessen in 1930s Tel-Aviv until his German-speaking Grandma takes him on a walk and introduces him to the famous classical musician, Mr. Huberman, a friend she knew back in Europe.  A Concert in the Sand tells the story of the first performance of what was to become Israel’s Philharmonic Orchestra.

by Deborah Bodin Cohen
illustrated by Shahar Kober

The story of an engineer named Ari who is rushing to complete his final trail trip from Jaffa to Jerusalem before Passover begins. The book takes place during Ottoman-ruled Palestine and includes a picture and history of the actual first train that rolled into Jerusalem in 1892 and discusses how the father of modern Hebrew, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, came up with the Hebrew word for “train.”

by Deborah Bodin Cohen
illustrated by Yael Kimhi Orrelle

Today is Israel’s Independence Day and Engineer Arielle is getting ready to go to work at Jerusalem’s new light rail train station. Engineer Arielle drives her train through Jerusalem and runs into family and friends who tell her how they are going to celebrate Israel’s birthday!

by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod
illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke

by Gili Bar-Hillel
photography by Prodeepta Das

Photographed and written in Israel, this book will introduce young readers to many aspects of Israeli society and culture, including language, animals, holidays, cities, and food.

by Devora Busheri
illustrated by Noa Kelner

Based on the poem, “The Pond,” by Hayim Nahman Bialik, who is regarded as Israel’s national poet, a child and her mother take a walk in a forest near Jerusalem.

by Michelle Shapiro Abraham
illustrated by Ann D. Koffsky

An American Jewish child compares celebrating Jewish holidays in the Diaspora versus her cousin Tamar’s experience of living in Israel. This book will resonate with many Jewish readers who have been to Israel and for the first time, understand what it means to be in the Jewish homeland.

by Alice Blumenthal McGinty
illustrated by Rotem Teplow

Travel to Israel and learn about the diverse people who together contribute to Israel’s commerce, religions, cultures, and various industries. Although Israel is a tiny country, it is a leader in innovations that help the world with growing crops, improving communication systems, and new medical technologies.

by Susan Tarcov
illustrated by Fotini Tikkou

A story about the famous professor and philosopher Martin Buber and his nine cats. Buber was active in the Zionist movement and moved to Israel after the Nazis came to power in the 1930s.

by Lisa Rose
illustrated by Catalina Echeverri

A humorous story about a painter, who is hired to paint a mural ahead of Israel’s Independence Day celebration and who has a tendency for procrastination, and his talented dog.

by Sarah Sassoon
illustrated by Noa Kelner

Shoham’s Bangle tells the story of a young Jewish-Iraqi girl named Shoham and her life in Baghdad with her family. Shoham details her family’s journey to Israel and her memories of Iraq.

by Caryn Yacowitz
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

A story based on a real person who lived in Israel long ago and learned a valuable lesson about taking a break and being thankful after purchasing an ox from a Jewish farmer.

by Deborah da Costa
illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa Hu

A  beautifully illustrated story about two boys, one Jewish and one Muslim, who encounter conflict when they find out they are both caring for the same cat. Readers who are familiar with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will appreciate the storyline’s message.

by Ariana Mizrahi
illustrated by Siona Benjamin

The Blue Butterfly of Cochin is the story of the ancient Jewish Indian community’s mass immigration to Israel in the 1950s. We follow Leah as she struggles to come to terms with leaving her beloved India and moving to the newly-formed country of Israel. Accompanied by a magical butterfly and through dream-like illustrations, both Leah and the reader, are transported from the lush Indian coastline to the awesome beauty of the Israeli desert.

by Tamar Sachs
illustrated by Yossi Abolafia

In biblical times, Itamar, the tailor’s son, has carefully carried the High Priest’s robe―with its little golden bells sewn onto the hem―home for his father to mend. But one day, one of the bells is missing! When nobody turns in the lost bell at the Claiming Stone, Itamar wonders if the tiny bell will ever be found. A surprise ending brings the story into modern times when an archaeologist finds a golden bell at a Jerusalem dig.

by Richard Michelson and Karla Gudeon

The fascinating story of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the reinventor of modern day Hebrew and his son Ben-Zion, who was the first child in the early founding of the modern state of Israel to speak only Hebrew.

by Joy Nelkin Wieder

During the time of King Chizkiyahu, Sancheriv, the wicked King of Ashur, threatened to surround the city of Yerushalayim.  It seemed that many other cities had already fallen to Sancheriv, but the Prophet, Yishayahu, told the people to trust in Hashem.  The danger was: the powerful enemy could easily win by simply blocking off the water supply of the Jews. Our story follows a fictional character, 11-year-old Yonatan, and his desire to help protect his family and his people.  The historical details of daily life and dramatic threat of the siege combine to create a suspenseful page-turner for children.

by Tammar Stein
illustrated by Barbara Bongini

This book, inspired by an archeological dig in which the author participated in Israel, tells the story of two girls living 2000 years apart.  Becca is a modern-day girl who has joined an archeological dig, and Rebeka is a girl from the past who lost something very important.

by Sherri Mandell
illustrated by Robert Dunn

A quirky Israeli boy who likes to do things backward and upside down tries to be on his best behavior as his class takes a school trip to visit the Israeli Prime Minister’s home. Readers will learn about the exercise regimen, including headstands, of the State of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.

by Roman Sandler

In Under The Rockets’ Glow: Tales of Resilience and Hope, a young girl named Shira learns about her Jewish heritage through her father’s inspiring stories, finding courage amidst a night of rocket fire.

by Lesley Simpson
illustrated by Janice Lee Porter

This is the story of a 5-year-old Jewish Ethiopian girl on a dangerous journey with her grandmother to a Sudan refugee camp where they will be airlifted to Israel.

by Ze’ev Zion

Z is for Zionism is an educational booklet that takes readers on a historical journey of the Jewish people’s connection to the land of Israel, the history of antisemitism, the beginning of Zionism, and Israel’s contributions to the world.

by Nancy Churnin
illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg

The life story of Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold’s upbringing in Baltimore and her social justice work to help Jewish immigrants assimilate into American society and later, when Hitler came to power, to save Jewish children by organizing their transfer to pre-Israel Palestine.  

by Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein
illustrated by Mark Anderson

This vibrant A-to-Z guide—or rather Z-to-A, Hebrew-style—examines more than 3,000 years of this postage stamp–sized land’s history. With the 26 letters of the alphabet paired with lighthearted text and colorful illustrations, this fun fact book explores the heart, the soul, and the foundation of the Jewish people—the homeland from where their ancient traditions, culture, and values have come.

by Puah Shteiner

Puah Shteiner’s autobiographical book, Forever My Jerusalem, details the author’s memories as a young girl living in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter.

by Barbara Sofer

A biography of Israel’s first astronaut starting from his upbringing in Beersheva to studying hard in school and becoming a pilot in Israel’s elite Air Force.

by Blake Hoena
illustrated by Daniele Dickmann

A graphic novel biography of human rights advocate Natan Sharansky and his life’s work to fight the Soviet government and allow Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel.

by Esty Schachter
illustrated by Alex Orbe

In the summer of 1986, 11-year-old American, Molly, begrudgingly travels with her family to visit relatives in Israel. In Israel, she attempts to navigate using little knowledge of Hebrew while learning about her family and Israeli culture and society.

by Candice F. Ransom

The amazing story of young Hannah Senesh, a Hungarian Jew, who at only 23-years-old was executed by the Nazis after being captured for attempting to rescue Jews out of Nazi-occupied Hungary. Hannah Senesh’s foresight at the deteriorating conditions for Jews in Europe caused her to immigrate to British-ruled Palestine where she was passionate about helping to grow the Jewish homeland.

by Chaya Burstein

A comprehensive and easily digestible history of the Jewish people in a graphic novel format, for younger readers. Jewish history and the Jews’ connection to the Land of Israel are explored in 26 chapters covering biblical times on. 

by Tamar Bergman
translated by Hillel Halkin

Set post-WWII and up to the 1948 War of Independence, The Boy From Over There tells the story of a young, orphaned Jewish boy who lived in hiding during the Holocaust and was then brought to Israel, where he joins a group of kibbutz children.

by Alex Paz Goldman

Twelve-year-old Israeli Motti and his friend Reuven are on a mission to root out a supposed German spy that is lurking in their neighborhood. Set in 1960s Israel, “The Lost Spy and the Green Dress” delves into the complexities of being raised by Holocaust parents in the modern State of Israel.

by Martin Lemelman

The Miracle Seed is the true story of how Israeli scientists brought back to life the once-extinct Judean Palm Tree by crossbreeding a 2,000-year-old date seed found at Masada and a seed found at an archaeological site in Jericho.

by Kathy Kacer

This poignant story is based on real events in pre-war Poland and Palestine. After saving seven hundred Jews and their families, Bronislaw Huberman went on to establish what later became the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

by Galila Ron-Feder-Amit
translated by Nancy Wellins and illustrated by Galia Bernstein

The Time Tunnel is a popular Israeli series about ten year-old friends Dan and Sharon who travel back in time to periods in Israeli and Jewish history. In this English edition created just for PJ Our Way, Sharon and Dan end up in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City just as the Jewish inhabitants are surrendering to Jordan’s Arab Legion in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

by Miroslav Sasek

This is Israel is one in a series on countries and cities by Miroslav Sasek first published in 1962. The book’s engaging pictures take readers through many famous sites and cities in Israel. Biblical quotes are sprinkled throughout the book, which help the readers make connections to the land of Israel.

by Sarah Janisse Brown and Alexandra Bretush
illustrated by Anna Kidalova, Dana Andreeva, and Elaina Targarina

Travel Dreams has created a series of social studies journals to be used by readers to research and learn about Israeli history and culture. Readers can take the journals with them on their trips to Israel or use research methods to find answers and fill out the informative pages.

by Miriam Halahmy

Salman and his family are Iraqi Jews who are forced to flee Iraq for Israel, the “Promised Land.” as Iraq becomes increasingly unsafe for Jews.

by Carol Matas

Ruth Mendenberg risks her life to help lead a group of children on a daring journey over half a continent and across the sea to the Land of Israel, using secret routes and forged documents — and sheer force of will.

by Tammar Stein

Set in 1973, “Beni’s War” is the sequel to “The Six-Day Hero.” Twelve-year-old Beni must say goodbye to his older brother, Motti, who is now in the Israeli army.

by Arnon Z. Shorr
illustrated by Joshua M. Edelglass

A comic book short story set during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. It tells the true story of the author’s grandfather, Jacob Shorr, a teenager from Jerusalem who was wounded in the battle of Ramat Rachel.

by David Grossman

This translated-from-Hebrew mystery novel set in 1960s Israel tells the story of 12-year-old David and his friendship with elderly Mr. Rosenthal, who is challenged to a duel. David sets out to save his friend’s life and, in the process, learns about relationships set in the background of British-Mandate Palestine and pre-Holocaust Europe.

by Laszlo Hamori

Translated from its original Swedish, Journey to the Promised land follows Yemenite Shalom Mizrachi and his family as their Jewish village uproots itself in order to take the difficult journey to Aden where they will then take planes to fly them into Israel.

by Jill Sherman

Learn about Israeli Gal Gadot and her life story of being born and raised in Israel, becoming a beauty pageant winner, entering the military, and eventually becoming a successful actress. Gadot serves as a positive role model for readers, especially young girls.

by Barbara Sofer

The author, Barbara Sofer, has written an engaging and informative short book that weaves the fictional story of four friends who represent the various backgrounds of many young Israelis who are about to join the army and the decision-making process for deciding which unit they will serve.

by Lynne Reid Banks

A coming-of-age novel about a Jewish-Canadian girl named Lesley whose family decides to leave their comfortable life behind to make aliyah to a kibbutz right before the Six-Day War. The story discusses issues to which many readers growing up Jewish in the Diaspora can relate, including assimilation and intermarriage.

by Eric A. Kimmel
illustrated by Dov Smiley

Greeks and Jews are living in an uneasy peace in ancient Judea. Jonathan, a Jewish boy, sees a Greek boy attacked by bullies, and stands up to defend him. They become best friends. But when war comes to their land, Jonathan joins the Maccabees while his friend joins the Greek army. They seem destined to fight one another. How will their friendship survive?

by Bat-Chen Shahak

The life of aspiring writer, 15-year-old Bat-Chen, was cut short when she was murdered in a suicide bombing in Tel-Aviv in 1996. Bat-Chen’s family and friends submitted letters, journal entries, pictures, and notes in order for readers to see the observations of this mature and eloquent Israeli teenager.

by Carol Matas

A sequel to Matas’ book, After the War, The Garden follows sixteen-year-old Holocaust survivor Ruth Mendolsohn as she settles into her new life working on a kibbutz in Palestine. Ruth and her fellow survivor friends who immigrated together to Israel have joined the Haganah and attempt to defend Jews from violence at the hands of local Arabs rioters and snipers.

by Sonia Levitin

The Return chronicles the life of the Jewish Ethiopians who are persecuted and discriminated against in Ethiopia. Fifteen-year-old Desta and her two siblings come to the difficult decision to embark on the dangerous journey to walk to Sudan where they hope to be rescued by Israelis and immigrate to the Promised land.

by Tammar Stein

12-year-old Motti lives in Jerusalem with his parents, younger brother, Beni, and older brother Gideon, who is serving in the Israeli army as the country faces war from neighboring Arab countries. Readers learn about the Six Day War from Moti, his family, friends and neighbors — including Holocaust survivors, native-born Israelis, and non-Jewish residents.

by Gila Almagor
translated by Hillel Schenker

Under the Domim Tree was written by Israeli film actress, Gila Almagor, who drew upon her childhood experiences to create a coming-of-age story centered around orphaned teenagers growing up in an Israeli agricultural youth village. The main protagonist, Aviya, is one of the few teenagers who was born in Israel, while all the others are Holocaust survivors.

by Judie Oron

Twelve-year-old Wuditu is a member of the Beta-Israel tribe in Ethiopia, an ancient Jewish people that settled in Ethiopia many centuries ago. Cry of the Giraffe tells the incredible journey of a young Jewish girl as she perseveres through numerous obstacles in order to return to the Promised Land.

by Gad Shimron

Using his own personal memoirs, former Mossad agent Gad Shimron has written the exciting true story of the undercover operation to rescue Ethiopian Jews from Sudan.

by Sarah Ansbacher

As a museum tour guide, the author educated visitors about the Jewish Adeni community and their abrupt flight from Yemen. Passage from Aden, is comprised of stories based on the author’s conversations with visitors from around the world who came to tour the Aden Jewish Heritage Museum in Tel Aviv.  

by Iddo Netanyahu

Yoni’s Last Battle chronicles the detailed planning and implementation of one of the most incredibly successful airborne rescue missions in history. The mission was carried out by Israel’s elite commando unit and led by Yoni Netanyahu (older brother of the author) to rescue 105 hostages held by German and Arab terrorists in the Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

by Ronald Radosh and Allis Radosh

A dramatic, detailed account of the events leading up to the creation of a Jewish homeland and the true story behind President Harry S. Truman’s controversial decision to recognize the State of Israel in 1948, drawn from Truman’s long-lost diary entries and other previously unused archival materials.

by Leon Uris

This historical novel  about the founding of the modern State of Israel begins with a retelling of the 1947 voyages of a ship bringing Jewish refugees from the Holocaust to Mandatory Palestine, recounting the epic history of Israel’s birth through the eyes of two generations of Jews as they fight to reclaim their homeland. Originally published in 1958, Exodus  became an international bestseller.

by Daniel Gordis

If a Place Can Make You Cry is a first-person, immediate account of Israel’s post-Oslo meltdown that cuts through the rhetoric and stridency of most dispatches from that country or from the international media.  Ultimately, through Daniel Gordis’ eyes, Israel, with all its beauty, madness, violence, and history, comes to life in a way we’ve never quite seen before.

by Daniel Gordis

Impossible Takes Longer is a nuanced examination of Israel’s past, present, and future, after reaching its seventy-fifth anniversary.

by Daniel Gordis

With Israel, public intellectual Daniel Gordis offers us a brief but thorough account of the cultural, economic, and political history of this complex nation, from its beginnings to the present. Accessible, levelheaded, and rigorous, Israel sheds light on Israel’s past, so we can understand its future.

by Anita Shapira

Written by one of Israel’s most notable scholars, this volume provides a breathtaking history of Israel from the origins of the Zionist movement in the late nineteenth century to the present day. Organized chronologically, the volume explores the emergence of Zionism in Europe against the backdrop of relations among Jews, Arabs, and Turks, and the earliest pioneer settlements in Palestine under Ottoman rule.

by Noa Tishby

Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance of facts, Noa Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear, intimate account of the richly cultured country of Israel.

by Barry Rubin

This comprehensive book provides a well-rounded introduction to Israel—a definitive account of the nation’s past, its often controversial present, and much more. Written by a leading historian of the Middle East, Israel is organized around six major themes: land and people, history, society, politics, economics, and culture.

by Cary Nelson

Israel Denial is the first book to offer detailed analyses of the work faculty members have published—individually and collectively—in support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement; it contrasts their claims with options for promoting peace.

Edited by Itamar Rabinovich and Jehuda Reinharz

This timely anthology, completely revised and updated from the original edition in 1984, provides convenient access to the most significant documents of the Zionist movement since 1882 and of Israel’s domestic and foreign policy issues between 1948 and 2006. Comprised largely of primary sources from Israeli, Arab, and American records, documents encompass not only political and diplomatic history but economic, cultural, legal and social aspects of the region as well.

by Mitchell Bard

Explore the historical and political forces that created the Jewish state, influence the unrest in the Palestinian territories, shape the peace process, and affect Israel’s security today. Learn about the diversity of the land and the people, the significance of the Law of Return, and Israel’s importance to America’s interests.

by Eric Rozenman

What happened to the post-1945 world of Never Again! ? In Jews Make the Best Demons: Palestine and the Jewish Question, Eric Rozenman examines how we got here, the danger posed not only for the Jewish state and Jews everywhere but also for the United States and the rest of the self-doubting liberal West.

by Ruth Gruber

Learn about the true story of a remarkable woman whose life mirrored the trials and tribulations of the beginning of the modern State of Israel.  Through her eyes, readers will learn about the history of Israel and the experiences of the people within the state.

by Michael B. Oren

Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive, Michael B. Oren reconstructs both the lightning-fast action on the battlefields and the political shocks that electrified the world. A towering work of history and an enthralling human narrative, Six Days of War is the most important book on the Middle East conflict to appear in a generation.

by Matti Friedman

Spies of No Country is about the slippery identities of Israel’s spies, but it’s also about the complicated identity of Israel, a country that presents itself as Western but in fact has more citizens with Middle Eastern roots, just like the spies of this fascinating narrative.

by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion dollar question: How is it that Israel — a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources– produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada and the UK?

by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Widely admired for having the world’s highest density of high-tech start-ups, Israel’s greatest innovation may not be a technology at all, but Israeli society itself. Understanding how a country facing so many challenges can be among the happiest provides surprising insights into how we can confront the crisis of community, human connectedness, and purpose in modern life.

by Herman Wouk

This saga spans from 1948 to 1967, the early decades of the state of Israel as it fights for its life, outmatched and surrounded by enemies—the first of the two-part epic that concludes with The Glory. The four heroes, and the women they love, weave a compelling tapestry of individual destinies through a grand recounting of one nation’s struggle against the odds.

by Lewis Glinert

A unique history of the Hebrew language from biblical times to the modern Jewish state, The Story of Hebrew takes readers from the opening verses of Genesis—which seemingly describe the creation of Hebrew itself—to the reincarnation of Hebrew as the everyday language of the Jewish state.  A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant to those possessing it.

by Adi Schwartz and Einat Wilf

Two prominent Israelis argue that for the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians to end with peace, Palestinians must come to terms with the fact that there will be no “right of return.”

by Martin Kramer

In The War on Error, historian and political analyst Martin Kramer presents a series of case studies, some based on pathfinding research and others on provocative analysis, that correct misinformation clouding the public’s understanding of the Middle East. He also offers a forensic exploration of how misinformation arises and becomes “fact.”

Edited by Gil Troy

by Mitchell G. Bard

While most people view the Palestinian conflict as the greatest threat to Israel’s survival, it is in fact only one of the nation’s long-term concerns. Bard paints a realistic picture of the road ahead with a hopeful message: Israel will not only survive, but will endure long into the future.

by Herman Wouk

Herman Wouk portrays the young nation of Israel once again pushed to the brink of annihilation — and sets the stage for today’s ongoing struggle for peace. Taking us from the Sinai to Jerusalem, from dust-choking battles to the Entebbe raid, from Camp David to the inner lives of such historical figures as Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, and Anwar Sadat, these extraordinary novels have the authenticity and authority of Wouk’s finest fiction — and together strike a resounding chord of hope for all humanity.