Issue

13

Apr 2014 / Pesach 5774

Preface

Welcome to this special issue of Jewish Fiction .net! It’s hard to believe that this is our 13^th (our bar mitzvah!) issue – so in honour of this, you’ll find two stories here involving bar mitzvahs. This is also, of course, our Pesach issue, so here you have, as well, two Pesach stories (plus another half of one: the Appelfeld excerpt, which starts on Purim and ends on Pesach).

In addition, we bring you 13 (!) first-rate works of fiction, originally written in Russian, Spanish, Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. Altogether 18 (chai) stories for your pleasure. For more details, please see our preface.

We hope you enjoy these wonderful stories! If you do, please let us know on Goodreads.

And last but not least, we wish you and those you love a happy, meaningful, and liberating Pesach. Chag sameach v’kasher! from all of us at

Jewish Fiction .net

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Suddenly, Love

by Aharon Appelfeld

Suddenly, Love

On Purim Irena prepares a platter of hamentashn and dried fruit.

19m read Translated from Hebrew by Jeffrey M. Green

AgingLovePassoverPurim

Trading Places

by Rivka Miriam

Trading Places

Ever since that writer visited us, I have been going mad with jealousy.

24m read Translated from Hebrew by Michael Swirsky

LoveMarriage

The Guest

by Varda Fiszbein

The Guest

Intuition or luck? The opportunity was in his hands and he knew how to seize it.

9m read Translated from Spanish by Andrea G. Labinger

MarriagePassover

Hotel Cinema

by Jonathan Wilson

Hotel Cinema

Secular, tolerant, sun-soaked Tel Aviv was one of the world's favored destinations for gay travellers...

16m read

IsraelLGBTQIA2S+LoveMarriageSecularTel Aviv

Aliza with Child

by Miron Izakson

Aliza with Child

In Rami's class, there are twenty-two to twenty-four students.

27m read Translated from Hebrew by Ira Moskowitz

AgingHolocaustLove

The Key

by Gina Roitman

The Key

"You're not dead? I'm going to kill you!" "I'm okay," I say, but that doesn't stop my mother from yelling.

15m read

ChildhoodHolocaust

Letter to Mr. Carney

by Sharon Leder

Letter to Mr. Carney

"Sara, I beg you, don't do it!" Her mother's cry came from the kitchen.

23m read

AdolescenceAntisemitismDeath

The Two

by Mikhail Morgulis

The Two

Here they are sitting with their anemic skinny fingers separating the mouliné threads.

6m read Translated from Russian by Norman Kass and Edward Razinsky

ChildhoodDeathMourningWWII

My Father’s Keeper

by Andrew Potok

My Father’s Keeper

My mother yells from the front seat, "They are coming again." Stunned and terror-stricken...

34m read

AntisemitismChildhoodHolocaust

Fellow Travelers

by Sara (Susan) Avitzour

Fellow Travelers

Rachel inched along the Gare de Lyon platform, lugging a bulging suitcase in her right hand.

27m read

DiasporaNon-JewsPassoverSecular

When Pari Was A Bride

by Susan Sasson

When Pari Was A Bride

She was twenty-one years old. Too old, she thought, to ever get married now.

24m read

MarriageMizrahiWedding

Doolittle

by Amichai Shalev

Doolittle

"Where are we, Boaz? Are you sure you didn't take a wrong turn?"

20m read Translated from Hebrew by Ilana Kurshan

AdolescenceIsraelRebellion

The Sad Hungarian

by Eric Maroney

The Sad Hungarian

"Where is Gunther? He's supposed to be here." The old men looked at Shaul.

15m read

AgingDeathHolocaustMourningNon-Jews

Platonic Love

by Yente Serdatsky

Platonic Love

He was a nice man, and older than forty. He was average height, well built...

15m read Translated from Yiddish by Jessica Kirzane

AgingLove

Korach

by Sharon Solwitz

Korach

Melissa's mother was dead, siblings scattered in distant towns, her childhood nothing she wanted to revisit...

29m read

AdolescenceBar MitzvahChildhoodMarriage

Bellies Full of Chow

by Cliff Lamm

Bellies Full of Chow

Down the torn-up dirt and gravel road, bound by second-growth hemlock and pine, sat stark, white red-roofed buildings...

24m read

AntisemitismNon-Jews

Frieda Metzger at the Wall

by Larry N. Mayer

Frieda Metzger at the Wall

It's not like anyone else in the family approved of this. But on September 22, 1957, two days before the very last out of the final Dodgers game...

39m read

ChildhoodHolocaustMarriage

To Life

by Daniel Martin

To Life

I come home late on the night of my thirteenth birthday, slowly unlocking, opening, and closing the door behind me...

26m read

AdolescenceDeathMourning