antisemitism

When swastikas begin appearing all over town, Link, Michael, and Dana, the only Jewish girl in town, must face crimes both past and present to find the truth.

"Friedrich Weber is a 12-year-old member of the Jungvolk in Hannover. Membership is mandatory if quietly reluctant on his part. Emil Rosen is a 12-year-old Jewish boy in Hannover. Restrictions on Jewish life are coming into force, but Emil is still required to practice the piano and study for his bar mitzvah. The two cross paths at a remote spot on the Leine River, Emil finding peace there and Friedrich remembering that it was his papa who had shared this "special place, their secret." But in the weeks leading up to Kristallnacht, each is caught up in the all-consuming anti-Semitism of their country as Jews are declared "non-German." Friedrich becomes one of those throwing rocks at Jewish businesses as his parents embrace Hitler in the hope it will "keep ?them? safe." Emil's family is torn between immigration to Paraguay and bewilderment; his vati fought for Germany in the Great War"--Provided by publisher.

"The . . . story of a young girl's struggle to survive the Holocaust in Romania. Frederieke Teitler and her older sister, Astra, live in a house, in a city, in a world divided. Their father ran out on them when Rieke was only six, leaving their mother a wreck and their grandfather as their only stable family. He's done his best to provide for them and shield them from antisemitism, but now, seven years later, being a Jew has become increasingly dangerous, even in their beloved home of Czernowitz, long considered a safe haven for Jewish people. And when Astra falls in love and starts pulling away from her, Rieke wonders if there's anything in her life she can count on--and, if so, if she has the power to hold on to it. Then--war breaks out in Europe. First the Russians, then the Germans, invade Czernowitz. Almost overnight, Rieke and Astra's world changes, and every day becomes a struggle: to keep their grandfather's business, to keep their home, to keep their lives. Rieke has long known that she exists in a world defined by those who have power and those who do not, and as those powers close in around her, she must decide whether holding on to her life might mean letting go of everything that has ever mattered to her--and if that's a choice she will even have the chance to make"--Provided by publisher.

"Nine-year-old Hart is attending Jewish summer camp for the first time. As if that isn't awkward enough, this summer the camp is going to play host to some very particular visitors, though the kids at camp don't know that yet. What everyone else knows is that in a nearby small town named Eckville a teacher by the name of Jim Keegstra was fired for spreading anti-Semitic views in his classroom, where he told his students that the Holocaust was a hoax and that Jews are trying to control the world. To make matters worse, he's also the nearby town's mayor. To help combat Keegstra's teachings, leaders and parents from both Eckville and the Jewish community decide that the best path forward is to invite the children taught by Keegstra to the summer camp for a day of fun and fellowship. What transpires in this comic-memoir by filmmaker Hart Snider is a basketball game for all-time"--Back cover.

An illustrated, middle-grade treatment of the Dreyfus Affair told from the perspectives of Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus and writer Emile Zola. When a Jewish army captain is falsely accused of treason and sent to prison, a writer uses his pen to fight for justice. In 1895 a prisoner watches the ocean through the bars of his cell. Accused of betraying France, Captain Alfred Dreyfus is exiled to a prison on Devil's Island, far from his wife and children. Iit's a horrible fate, but what if he's innocent? Seven thousand miles away, the famous writer Emile Zola wonders: Is Alfred a traitor to France? Or a victim of anti-Semitism? Convinced that Alfred is innocent, Emile knows that it is his DUTY to help. He pens the famous letter J'Accuse explaining that Alfred was blamed, charged, tried and convicted-- only because he is Jewish. This powerful middle-grade story written in verse with full-page illustrations is told from the perspectives of both Alfred Dreyfus and Emile Zola, two men whose courage changed the world. The true story, published in time for the 125th anniversary of J'Accuse, acts as a reminder that a person committed to truth, justice and equality must stand up and speak out against prejudice for themselves--and for others. Includes an author's note and further historical context.

A long ago "accident." An isolated girl named Aviva. A community that wants to help, but doesn't know how. And a ghostly dybbuk, that no one but Aviva can see, causing mayhem and mischief that everyone blames on her. That is the setting for this suspenseful novel of a girl who seems to have lost everything, including her best friend Kayla, and a mother who was once vibrant and popular, but who now can't always get out of bed in the morning. As tensions escalate in the Jewish community of Beacon with incidents of vandalism and a swastika carved into new concrete poured near the synagogue, so does the tension grow between Aviva and Kayla and the girls at their school, and so do the actions of the dybbuk grow worse. Could real harm be coming Aviva's way? And is it somehow related to the "accident" that took her father years ago? Aviva vs. the Dybbuk is a compelling, tender story about friendship and community, grief and healing, and one indomitable girl who somehow manages to connect them all.

When freshman Declan Taylor hurts his pitching arm he becomes mad at the world, soon getting caught up with a group of white supremacists and turning against his Jewish former friend, Jake--but when things turn violent Declan must figure out what he actually stands for.

"A . . . debut novel, set over one emotionally charged weekend at an animal sanctuary in western Kansas, where maternal, romantic, and community bonds are tested in the wake of an estranged daughter's homecoming"--Provided by publisher.

"Eleven-year-old Danny Wexler, the only Jewish boy in his blue-collar town during the late 1970s, investigates a local kid's disappearance, a possible UFO invasion, and the Bermuda Triangle, all while dealing with his community's anti-Semitism"--Provided by publisher.

"Since the 'accident' Aviva has lived with her mother in a tiny apartment above the mikvah that serves the women of their Orthodox shul. Aviva's good at sports. She's smart, but struggling a bit in school. She HAD a best friend, Kayla, but for mysterious reasons they've fallen out, and the other girls at school have sided against Aviva. Making matters worse, Aviva's mother has never quite recovered from the event that took Aviva's father's life. The community tries to help, but there's always a reason to turn down invitations to Shabbat dinner or other social occasions. Then there's the dybbuk, a ghostly boy who makes himself visible only to Aviva, and who does his best to cause trouble--emptying the purse of one visitor to the mikvah when she's not looking. Tearing up the check of another, when they really need the money. The dybbuk's antics start to get worse and worse, just as Aviva's deteriorated friendship with Kayla is pushed to a point of confrontation, and the town they both live in experiences a frightening escalation of anti-Semitic violence and vandalism...bringing up long-repressed memories of family tragedy. This story is intensely suspenseful and full of the questions so many middle schoolers face...from will I stop feeling so isolated at school to will our community be the target of intolerance and violence. But what gives this story such rich texture and detail are the surroundings and perspective of a contemporary Orthodox Jewish girl. Debut author Mari Lowe shows us the feelings of one appealing and vulnerable girl, in a story that is the definition of achieving the universal through the specific. Contributing to middle school readers what writers like Chaim Potok, Philip Roth, and Nathan Englander have given to adults, Mari Lowe combines elements of mystery, religion, and everyday troubles into an unforgettable story of one indomitable girl and the close community that is never more than a hands-reach away"--Provided by the publisher.