The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them

After publishing her essay collection People Love Dead Jews, Dara Horn found her inbox flooded with messages from readers about their own experiences of anti-semitism. She realized that her readers wanted her to come up with an answer to all the problems she had raised. Her response is in her latest book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living. In this conversation, Dara explains why reading Yiddish works are critical to understanding the Holocaust. We also discuss the internalized antisemitism that both she and Sarah Hurwitz explore in their latest works, what she’s learned from Natan Sharansky, and how we should teach about Judaism as an anti-tyrannical movement.

Dara Horn is the award-winning author of seven books, including the novels The World to Come, All Other Nights, the graphic novel One Little Goat and the essay collection People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present. Dara Horn is also the recipient of three National Jewish Book Awards, among many other honors.

Regular listeners might notice that this is Dara’s second time on the show! We were delighted to talk to Dara about her book One Little Goat last April. If you haven’t yet heard it, you can go back to Dara’s first episode on the show and hear her talk about Tevye the Dairyman by Sholom Aleichem and Mr. Mani by A B Yehoshua.

Dara Horn’s Five Books:

1.A book that inspired, informed, or is in conversation with your latest work:

As a Jew by Sarah Hurwitz2. A book you changed your mind about – one you once loved, misunderstood, or now see differently:

See Under: Love by David Grossman

3. A line or passage from a book that you think about often or that changed your worldview:

From Natan Sharansky's memoir Fear No Evil, "No one else can humiliate me. I can only humiliate myself."

4. The book you're reading now:

Arrow in the Blue by Arthur Koestler

5. Your latest book:

The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:

Dara Horn on Being the Lorax at Her Seder Table

Sarah Hurwitz on Reclaiming Our Jewish Story

Matti Friedman on the Stories that Built a People

Sharon Brous on Working to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World

Also Mentioned:

Anti-Judaism by David Nirenberg

Gentleman’s Agreement (film)

Postwar Stories: How Books Made Judaism American by Rachel Gordan

“The Golden Age of American Jews is Ending” by Franklin Foer

The Last Consolation Vanished by Zalmen Gradowski

Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

Thieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler

Blood Libel: On the Trail of an Antisemitic Myth by Magda Teter

The Tell Institute

The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman.

⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

Find us on at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org, on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast.

For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠

The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠

The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.

As an Amazon Associate, The Five Books earns from qualifying purchases. Any commissions we receive help support our nonprofit mission and are reinvested in producing the podcast and related programming.

Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Editorial and website support by Aimee Fogel

Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions

With the Jewish holiday season fast approaching, many of us are thinking about holiday hosting. Rebekah Lowin has you covered: a challah recipe, an apple themed tablescape, an etrog mold dupe, and a Yom Kippur break-fast recovery packet for your guests. In this episode, Rebekah tells us about she became the Jewish Martha Stewart, reflecting on both her time working at Martha Stewart Living, and growing up in an artistic Jewish home, where her grandfather built a wooden sukkah that her family still uses and her Broadway actress mother sewed its draperies. She also talks about what it was like growing up without a Jewish community, and the unexpected impact of reading the children’s book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.

Rebekah hopes her new book of recipes, rituals, and traditions, A Year of Jewish Joy, will help those living without tight-knit communities feel welcomed back into Judaism.

Rebekah Lowin is a writer and content creator known for her whimsical, design-forward approach to Jewish holiday cooking, décor, craft projects, and storytelling. Since launching her blog in 2019, she's partnered with dozens of national brands including Crate & Barrel, HGTV.com, and Food Network Magazine, bringing Jewish holiday ideas into mainstream media. Combining creative inspiration and cultural depth with a playful editorial sensibility, her work aims to make traditions feel fresh, accessible, and joyful for a new generation of Jewish readers.

Rebekah Lowin’s Five Books:

1. ⁠Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman⁠

2. ⁠The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel ⁠

3. ⁠The Wisdom of Anxiety by Sheryl Paul⁠

4. ⁠A Time to Gather by Bruce Feiler⁠

5. ⁠A Year of Jewish Joy by Rebekah Lowin⁠

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:

⁠Bruce Feiler on Making Meaning, One Ritual at a Time⁠

⁠Adeena Sussman on Flavor as a Jewish Language⁠

⁠Samantha Ellis on Becoming a Keeper of Her Ancestral Language⁠

⁠Bonny Reichert on Food, Fear, and Finding Beauty⁠

The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

Find us on at ⁠ ⁠www.fivebookspod.org⁠, on Instagram⁠ ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast.

For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠

The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature!⁠ ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠⁠

The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.

Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Editorial and website support by Aimee Fogel

Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions

Bruce Feiler speaks to us about the relationship between storytelling and ritual — and why both are essential tools for navigating change, creating meaning and building connection. We also discuss the moments when life takes a difficult turn (“lifequakes” as Bruce calls them), his journey walking the Bible and how it stems from his “rootedness” as a Southern Jew, and the ongoing tension between innovation and tradition at the heart of Jewish life.

Bruce is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including Life Is In The Transitions, The Secrets Of Happy Families, and Council Of Dads. He is also the author of several nonfiction books about the bible, including Abraham, Where God Was Born, America’s Prophet, and The First Love Story. His book Walking the Bible describes his 10,000 mile journey retracing the Five Books of Moses, which spent a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into fifteen languages. His three TED Talks have been viewed more than five million times; and he teaches the Webby Award-winning TED Course How To Master Life Transitions.

In this episode, we discuss his latest book, A Time To Gather: How Ritual Created the World--and How It Can Save Us.

Bruce Feiler’s Five Books:

1. Lech L’cha, Genesis

2. Understanding Genesis by Nahum Sarna

3. The Storytelling Animal by Jonathan Gottschall

4. When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin

5. A Time To Gather: How Ritual Created the World--and How It Can Save Us by Bruce Feiler

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:

Nicholas Lemann on Being Jewish in the Shadow of the American South

Jeremy Dauber on Jewish Literature, Pop Culture, and What The Horror Genre Reveals About America

Toby Lloyd on Biblical Horror and being a Jewish Atheist

Ilana Kurshan on Books as Blueprints for Life

Also Mentioned:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Mayyim Hayyim

OneTable

Ritualwell.org

Yiddish tkhines

The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman.

⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

Find us on at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org, on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast.

For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠

The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠

The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.

Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Editorial and website support by Aimee Fogel

Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions

As this episode is released in the days before Tisha B'Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, it feels especially fitting to sit with a conversation about grief, faith, and what it means to keep living after unimaginable loss. Tisha B'Av commemorates the destruction of both Temples in ancient Jerusalem, along with many other tragedies throughout Jewish history, and has become a day of collective mourning. Rachel Goldberg-Polin's story reminds us that Jewish grief is painfully present.

Rachel speaks to us about the books that shaped her faith, and the ones that offer reprieve and consolation. We also discuss reading Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning after her son Hersh’s death, grief in the poetry of Robert Frost, and Rachel’s hope of finding Shabbat again.

On the morning of October 7th, 2023, Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s beloved twenty-three-year-old son, Hersh, was stolen from a music festival billed as a celebration of unity and love—and, in that moment, her life was forever separated into The Before and The After. Over the next eleven months, she and her husband, Jon, would work tirelessly—in public and behind the scenes—to secure the hostages’ release, to breathe some humanity into the situation while they were experiencing relentless emotional and psychological torment. The power of her raw and fervent pleas soon made her the face of the hostage crisis. And when Hersh and five other captives were executed after surviving 328 days of violence and cruelty, she would also become the face of its ultimate cost.

Rachel’s memoir When We See You Again feels less like a book and more like a soul portal. It is a modern lamentation: it leads us deeper into the holiness of the universe, into its cruelty and its tenderness, into the unbearable weight of love and loss.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s Five Books:

⁠Bible Stories for Jewish Children by Ruth Samuels

⁠Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth

Table for Two by Amor Towles and The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:

Sam Sussman on Bob Dylan and Being his Mother’s Son

Rabbi Yitz Greenberg on Re-envisioning the Jewish Future

Gila Pfeffer on Finding Meaning and Humor in the Darkest Times

Also Mentioned:

Kol Dodi Dofek by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Stopping by Woods by Robert Frost

A Servant to Servants by Robert Frost

The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman.

⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

Find us on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast.

For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠

For transcripts and more find us online at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org ⁠

The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠

The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.

Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Editorial and website support by Amelia Merrill

Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions

Portia Elan tells us about her journey to become a Jew by choice after attending Friday night services and feeling that she had “come home.” We also discuss her fascination with the AIDS quilt as a child, and the beauty in finding queer elders in her synagogue. Portia also reflects on how she understands tikkun olam: rooted in how we care for others and in our responsibility to the balance of entire ecosystems.

Portia Elan studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the University of Victoria before returning to California, where she has worked as a waitress, bookseller, teacher, and public librarian. She is a former Lambda Literary Fellow and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats. Homebound, Portia’s debut novel, is a clear-eyed, hopeful work of speculative fiction about humanity’s future and capacity for love. 

Homebound is a GMA Book Club pick and the latest selection for Nu Reads, the curated, bi-monthly book subscription service from Jewish Book Council.

Homebound Portia Elan’s  Five Books:


Surprised by God by Danya Ruttenberg


The History of Love by Nicole Krauss


Cannery Row by John Steinbeck


The Encore by Juliet Izon


HOMEBOUND by Portia Elan

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:


Alicia Jo Rabins on Composing a Life of Meaning


Yael van der Wouden on Rage, Desire, and Magic


Rabbi Sharon Brous on Finding Her Place in the Jewish Community

Other Books Mentioned:


The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel 


When the Emperor Was Divine and The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka 

The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman.

⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

Find us on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast.

For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠

For transcripts and more find us online at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org ⁠

The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠

The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity. 

Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Editorial and website support by Amelia Merrill

Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions