| | The below books can be found online as well as in many Judaica stores - for online try using http://www.bookfinder.com - I've included links for descriptions of the books - some can NOT be bought where I've linked to - I recommend trying your local library and buying used copies when you can to save money: - A Different Night, The Family Participation Haggadah by David Dishon and Noam Zion
 or A Different Night compact edition by David Dishon and Noam Zion (which you may be able to get in judaica stores for cheaper in sets of 5) and one copy of The Leader's Guide to The Family Participation Haggadah "A Different Night". This is a great haggadah, if you can find the leaders book it makes for a good set - have one person with the leaders book and than use either of the other haggadot by Noam Zion, the books have great ways to keep the kids entertained as well as fun facts that the adults might not know. (post-denomination) - A Drizzle of Honey: The Life and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. A cookbook of medieval recipes that is, more significantly, a document of religious persecution during the Spanish Inquisition. Thousands of Iberian Jews were forced to convert to Christianity in the late 15th century, and while many assimilated, others clung to earlier customs including dietary edicts. Gitlitz and Davidson report trial testimonies in which crypto-Jews (those who secretly struggled to maintain their Jewish identity and customs) were betrayed by what they ate, what they wouldn't eat and how their food was prepared. Recipes reconstructed for today's kitchens include dishes such as Isabel Gonzalez's Eggplant and Onion Stew and Blanca Ramierez's Meatball Stew. Another revealing dish is Radishes and Stuffed Crop, skin from chicken necks stuffed with radishes and herbs. Many meals reflect a fondness for the sweetness of honey and the savory blend of herbs and spices. They range from Mayor Gonzalez's Cold White Lamb Casserole, made with rose water, cinnamon and almond milk, to five different matzas, including one with mashed chestnuts. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--
- A Great Miracle Happened There: A Chanukah Story - book for kids
- A Treasury of Sephardic Laws and Customs: The Ritual Practices of Syrian, Moroccan, Judeo-Spanish and Spanish and Portuguese Jews of North America by Herbert C. Dobrinsky I have not read this but it looks interesting. Reviewer: Oren J. Hayon This book is a tremendous asset to anyone wishing to add Sephardic practice to his/her ritual or liturgical life. Dobrinsky has researched the practice of several communities and presents them logically by classification (Family Occasions, Daily Practice, Synagogue Worship, etc.). It is easy to check all of the citations for a certain Sephardic community or for a certain area of Jewish life. Highly recommended for researchers or Sephardic Jews looking to integrate new traditions into their lives
- Aishel: Stories of Contemporary Jewish Hospitality
- And Hannah Wept: Infertility, Adoption, and the Jewish Couple by Michael Gold (orthodox)
- Aneni: Special Prayers for Special Occasions put out by Feldheim - In troubled times and joyous times, this beautiful anthology will help you express your heartfelt prayers. This personal prayer companion, with facing Hebrew text and English translation, contains prayers for one's children, spouse, health and livelihood, as well as prayers to be said at the graves of tzaddikim. (orthodox)
- After the Return by Mordechai Becher & Moshe Newman (may be back in-print) - This book is designed for Jews becoming orthodox as teenagers or adults but I think it is also a useful book for converts (orthodox)
- Artscroll Children's Siddur is a good starter siddur for kids
- B'Chol Echad - the conservative movements bencher - food blessings, shabbat home blessings, after meal blessings (Conservative)
- Birkon Mikdash M'at: The NFTY Bencher by Jeremy Gimbel - blessings from the reform movement
- Book of Our Heritage by Eliyahu Kitov - required by most orthodox rabbis for converts - detailed discussion of the Jewish year and the laws and customs associated with each month and holiday (Orthodox)
- Choosing a Jewish Life : A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends by Anita Diamant - slightly anti-orthodox in tone but a good book and helpful in explaining your new life to your family and friends (Reform/Conservative)
- Choosing Judaism by Lydia Kukoff (Reform)
- Choosing to Be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion by Rabbi Marc D. Angel deals with halakhic, historical and sociological issues relating to conversion, and includes essays by eleven individuals who converted to Judaism under Orthodox auspices.
- Claudia Roden Cookbooks - I really like "The Book of Jewish Food"
- Come, Let Us Welcome Shabbat by Judyth Groner, Madeline Wikler - A family guide to the Friday night home observance of the Sabbath. Blessings for candles, wine, and challah; thoughts about the meaning of Shabbat; words and music to blessings and songs. Includes blessings for Havdalah, the service that concludes the Sabbath. Website recommends for ages 9-12 but others have told me its good for much younger (non-orthodox)
- Conservative Judaism: Our ancestors to our descendants by Elliot N Dorff - This is an authoritative and open sourcebook on the origins and philosophy of Conservative Judaism, also known as Positive-Historical Judaism and Masorti Judaism (conservative)
- Concise Book of Mitzvoth by ha-Kohen Israel Meir, Chafetz Chaim, Charles Wengrov All the commandments applicable in our time, including those contingent upon the Land of Israel, with invaluable commentary and explanation. Hebrew text with facing English translation. Pocket edition.
- COUNTDOWN to the SEDER by the Spice and Spirit authors/Chabad/Orthodox - a great book for preparing for Passover/pesach - you should sit down with your rabbi and this book to see what is appropriate for you - it includes many chumrot from the Chabad perspective - however the preparing for pesach/Passover lists are wonderful. (Orthodox)
- Derekh Hashem by the famous Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto It provides a thorough discussion of basic concepts that are the foundation of the system referred to by Kabbalah. This book was recommended to me - I've been unable to find it online nor have I read it. (Orthodox)
- Every Person's Guide to Judaism by Stephen Eisenstein and Lydia Kukoff (Reform)
- First Steps in Hebrew Prayer by Dr. Danny Ben-Gigi - learning how to daven and read prayer book Hebrew (Orthodox)
- Hide and Seek : Jewish Women and Hair Covering by Lynne M Schreiber An anthology of women who talk about why the cover/don't cover and why they choose to cover the way they did - with a list of the halachic sources and rulings on hair covering at the end (Orthodox)
- How To Run a Traditional Jewish Household by Blu Greenberg - slightly outdated - orthodox community norms have changed especially how to eat in non-kosher restaurants (modern orthodox)
- Is it Kosher (Encyclopedia of Kosher Food Facts and Fallacies) by Rabbi E. Eidlitz required reading for many O converts (Orthodox)
- Jewish Catalog (1, 2, & 3) by Michael Strassfeld - Judaism from a Conservative perspective and useful in figuring out how to implement Judaism into your life (Conservative)
- Jewish Conversion: Its meaning and laws An authoritative compilation of all the relevant principles, laws and the Torah's outlook on the convert's monumental achievement. (orthodox)
- Kosher for the Clueless but Curious : A Fun, Fact-Filled, and Spiritual Guide to All Things Kosher is an “easy to digest” explanation of kashrus (Orthodox)
- Living a Jewish Life : Jewish Traditions, Customs and Values for Today's Families by Anita Diamant spanning the spectrum of liberal Jewish thought, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform, unaffiliated, new age and secular (Reform/Conservative)
- Maimonides Principle: Fundamentals of Jewish Faith (The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith) by Aryeh Kaplan (Orthodox)
- Ncsy Bencher Pocket Size: A Book of Prayer and Song - contains many of the basic blessings as well as Grace after Meals and Blessings After a Snack and Blessings (Orthodox)
- NCSY Guide to Blessings: The Brochos for Various Foods - great little booklet to keep in a car/pocketbook - I attached this document to the front cover to help me (Orthodox)
- Raising a Mensch, How to Bring Up Ethical Children in Today's World by Shelley Kapnek Rosenberg, Ed.D. This was recommended to me but I have not read (unknown denominational perspective)
- Rigshei Lev A great book for women on the laws and customs of davening.
- Spice & Spirit Cookbook & Kosher-Passover Cookbook by Lubavitch Women's Organization/Chabad - great cookbooks with basic recipes as well as an explanation/suggestions for setting up a kosher kitchen, basic laws of pesach cooking, and the laws for taking challah - go over the kosher kitchen section with your rabbi as there are Chabad chumrot/stringencies included as halacha (Orthodox)
- Thank You, God!: A Jewish Child's Book of Prayers (Shabbat) by Judyth Groner, Madeline Wikler, Shelly O. Haas (Illustrator) - These prayers honor daily experiences, holidays, and even death. Brief explanations precede each Hebrew prayer, followed by a phonetic transliteration (with an explanatory guide) and an English phrase usually thanking God for his blessings. (non-orthodox)
- The 39 Avoth Melacha of Shabbath by Rabbi Baruch Chait - while this is a children's book its a great into to Shabbat melacha (forbidden work) and is required by many orthodox rabbis during converting (Orthodox)
- The Complete Artscroll Siddur (Artscroll Mesorah Series) is used by many orthodox synagogues (orthodox)
- The Blessing Card - put out by Chabad - its a nice laminated "sheet" that should fit in your wallet/purse with the before blessings and the blessings after a snack and blessing after "other" (Orthodox)
- The Secret of Jewish Femininity by Tehilla Abramov the most used book for learning the laws of family purity/taharat hamispacha (Orthodox)
- The First Thousand Words in Hebrew by H. Amery, Y Haron, & S. Cartwright - This delightful picture word book provides a fun and engaging way for beginners to learn Hebrew. The large, colorful and panoramic scenes are surrounded by small pictures labeled with their names in Hebrew. Stephen Cartwright’s bright and amusing pictures provide lots of opportunities for conversation. (unknown denominational perspective)
- The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden who has produced a history of the Jewish diaspora, told through its cuisine. The book's 800 recipes reflect many cultures and regions of the world, from the Jewish quarter of Cairo where Roden spent her childhood to the kitchens of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Both Ashkenazi and Sepharidic cooking are well represented here: hallah bread, bagels, blintzes, and kugels give way to tabbouleh, falafel, and succulent lamb with prunes, which are, in turn, succeeded by such fare as Ftut (Yemeni wedding soup) and Kahk (savory bracelets). Interwoven throughout the text are Roden's charming asides--the history of certain foods, definitions (Kaimak, for instance, is the cream that rises to the top when buffalo milk is simmered), and ways of preparing everything from an eggplant to a quince. In addition, Roden tells you everything you've ever wanted to know about Jewish dietary laws, what the ancient Hebrews ate, and the various holidays and festivals on the Jewish calendar. Detailed sections on Jewish history are beautifully illustrated with archival photographs of families, towns, and, of course, food. The Book of Jewish Food is one that any serious cook--Jewish and non-Jewish alike--would gladly have (and use often) in the kitchen.
- The Rabbinical Council of America Edition of the Artscroll Siddur used by many orthodox synagogues in the US (orthodox)
- The Shabbat Seder (Art of Jewish Living) by Dr. Ron Wolfson (Conservative)
- Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism by Dennis Prager & Joseph Telushkin was written for the educated, skeptical, searching Jew, and for the non-Jew who wants to understand the meaning of Judaism. (Post-Denominational)
- The Other Side of the Story: Giving People the Benefit of the Doubt: Stories and Strategies by Yehudis Samet - A good book to aid in understanding the halachic requirement to judge others favorably (Orthodox)
- Sabbath a Guide to Its Understanding and Observance (The Sabbath) by Dayan DR. I. Grunfeld - my favorite book about Shabbat, its meaning, and the melacha (forbidden work). (Orthodox)
- The Complete Artscroll Siddur is the siddur/prayer book used by many orthodox synagogues. Artscroll puts out a number of siddurs (Orthodox)
- Siddur Tehillat Hashem is the siddur/prayer book used by Chabad (Orthodox)
- To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin - this books is frequently required by orthodox rabbis for those converting - it is the classic guide to the traditional Jewish laws and customs as they apply to daily life in the contemporary world. (Orthodox)
- To Pray As a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin - this book is frequently required by orthodox rabbis for those converting - a detailed guide to Jewish prayer which takes the reader through the entire prescribed course of Jewish liturgy, offering historical background, religious teaching, and practical instruction for each element of the service. (Orthodox)
- Two Jews Can Still Be a Mixed Marriage by Azriela Jaffe - excellent book about marriage between Jews in different haskafa/minhag/denominational places - and friends of mine are quoted in it and her latest book What do you mean, you can't eat in my home?
- Jewish Family and Life : Traditions, Holidays, and Values for Today's Parents and Children by Yosef I Abramowitz & Rabbi Susan Silverman - a non-orthodox look at the holidays - great suggestions for someone just starting out as well as cool crafts for anyone to do with their children (Reform)
- Outside/Inside: A Fresh Look at Tzniut by Gila Manolson - great book for understanding the reasons for Tzniut of dress and manner (Orthodox)
- The Magic Touch - A Jewish Approach to Relationships by Gila Manolson - a good book on the whys behind the laws related to touch (Orthodox)
- The Shabbat Primer by Nechoma Greisman and Chana Ne'eman - excellent book on preparing for Shabbat including checklists as well as advice for being and hosting guests - you can also find it online here
- Yiddish Cuisine: A Gourmet Approach to Jewish Cooking by Robert J. Sternberg I absolutely love the sweet challah recipe in this book.
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