10 Jewish Books of Fiction You Need To Read

You can thank our reading community!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the lack of Jewish fiction in the world of literature in my review of a recently published novel. As it turns out, I have been oh-so-misinformed! Our readers immediately took to the comments and began recommending all sorts of authors, books, and booklists for me to check out. They proved me wrong: The world of Jewish fiction is thriving.

But I don’t think enough people know about it. Thanks to our readers, I compiled a list of (mostly recently published) Jewish fiction novels that are worth delving into.

If fiction provides us a window of perspective on the world, then Jewish fiction achieves this by zeroing in on our unique communities.

I hope you try some of these wonderful novels out, and please continue to recommend more books!

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Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari

After her mother's death, a young Yemeni Israeli woman living in New York returns to Israel and uncovers long-hidden family secrets (including her mother's forbidden love story), forcing her to confront her heritage and future.

In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist by Ruchama King Feuerman

A brokenhearted ex-clothing merchant, a searching American convert, and a Temple Mount janitor are drawn into Jerusalem's criminal underworld after the discovery of an ancient artifact, forcing an unlikely alliance to save them all.

Caravan by Etka Gitel Schwartz

Etka Gitel Schwartz's Caravan is a sweeping collection of short stories that celebrate the enduring Jewish spirit across millennia and diverse settings, featuring a vibrant cast of characters navigating moments of hardship, hope, and unexpected connection.

An Etrog from Across the Sea by Deborah Bodin Cohen, Kerry Olitzky, and Stacey Dressen McQueen

Leah and Aaron eagerly await their papa's return from across the sea with a perfect etrog for Sukkot, and as the holidays approach without him, they learn about hope and tradition from their Grandpapa Luis.

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel, Sammy Savos, and Bethany Strout

The Girl Who Sang is a poignant graphic memoir illustrating a young Jewish girl's harrowing fight for survival in Nazi-occupied Poland, highlighting the strength found in familial love, unexpected kindness, and enduring hope amidst unimaginable loss.

The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad, trans. Jessica Cohen

Maya Arad's The Hebrew Teacher presents three interconnected novellas following Israeli women in America as they navigate personal crises stemming from immigration, generational divides, and the erosion of their ideals.

Displaced Persons: Stories by Joan Leegant

This collection of stories sensitively explores the multifaceted experiences of exile and belonging, as characters in both Israel and the United States grapple with identity, connection, and the meaning of home across generations.

The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr

The Goddess of Warsaw weaves together the stories of a modern Hollywood filmmaker and a legendary Golden Age actress who survived the Warsaw Ghetto as a spy, carrying dark secrets and a thirst for justice that resurface decades later.

Hill of Secrets by Galina Vromen

Amidst the clandestine creation of the atomic bomb in Los Alamos in 1943, the hidden anxieties of scientists and their families, including a German Jewish refugee haunted by Nazi atrocities, underscore the pervasive impact of Jewish history even within this pivotal, secret endeavor.

One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World by Michael Frank

Over six years of Saturday meetings, a 99-year-old woman vividly recounts her life in the once-thriving Jewish community of Rhodes and her survival of the devastating deportation to Auschwitz, offering a poignant testament to resilience and remembrance.

What did you read over Shabbos?

A selection of shared Shabbos reads