The Newsletter of Fig Tree Books

August '25: Issue #69 --- Fredric D. Price, Founder & Publisher

JEWS OF DIFFERENT HUES: My Jewish Family

Hid in China for 250 Years

Cormac grew up in China thinking he was just another kid, until his mother revealed a secret that would reshape his identity forever. From ranches in Washington to yeshiva halls in Israel, this Asian Kosher Cowboy shares a story of faith, transformation, and unshakable pride. Cormac or the name he goes by now, Uriah Lee's journey from cultural outsider to Jewish inspiration is one you’ll never forget.

BOOK: The Meaning of the Murder, by Walter Levis

At its core, THE MEANING OF THE MURDER is about what happens when ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary circumstances—when a family suddenly finds itself caught in the vast, unrelenting machinery of the global war on terror. The story delves into the uneasy boundary between criminal acts we recognize—murder, corruption, betrayal—and the far more complex, often invisible forces of political violence. 

SYNOPSIS: The father of a modern orthodox Jewish family works as a compliance officer at a bank in New York. When he discovers that his bank is violating OFAC laws and funding terrorists in the Middle East he alerts the bank’s top brass. They ignore him. After struggling with the conflict between his position as a fully assimilated member of his professional community and his moral obligations as a man and a Jew, he turns whistle-blower and goes to the DOJ. The night before his deposition he disappears.

Eliana Golden was thirteen when her father disappeared. Years later, after surprising her family by joining the NYPD, Eliana meets a mysterious and alluring soldier, a man who is far more dangerous than Eliana—and everyone except those at the highest and most secret levels of the U.S. government—understands. And he knows exactly what happened to her father.

What follows is a journey into the darkest depths of America’s covert war against terrorism and the horrific moral compromises it can entail. THE MEANING OF THE MURDER tells the multi-layered story of a family recovering from trauma, a detective determined to solve a crime, and the price we pay for safety in the war on terror.

A former crime reporter, Walter B. Levis’ work has appeared in The NY Daily News, The National Law Journal, The Chicago Reporter, The Chicago Lawyer, The New Republic, Show Business Magazine, and The New Yorker, among other publications. He is author of the novel Moments of Doubt. His short stories have appeared widely, and have been chosen for a Henfield Prize and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His new novel, The Meaning of the Murder, will be published in 2025 by Anaphora Literary Press. For 17 years he taught at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City. Previously, he served as a Dean at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School.

ESSAY: We Don't Care! by Sarah Tuttle-Singer

#22: What Europe thinks.

That ship sailed, sank, and was looted during the Inquisition and then burned during the Holocaust. We’re not waiting for validation from the people who built museums out of our ashes.

Sarah Tuttle-Singer is the author of Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered and the New Media Editor at Times of Israel. She was raised in Venice Beach, California on Yiddish lullabies and Civil Rights anthems, and she now lives in Jerusalem with her 3 kids where she climbs roofs, explores cisterns, opens secret doors, talks to strangers, and writes stories about people — especially taxi drivers.

BOOK: Mixed, by Tamar Hodes

Can two sisters overlook their differences?

Mixed is a hilarious yet moving story of family and faith, best served hot (or cold) with a dollop of sour cream.

Sisters Ruth and Miriam Green spent most of their childhood loving each other and hating each other, treasuring each other and resenting each other. Now they’re grown up their lives have taken them on very different paths, creating a rift which is proving difficult to heal. Ruth has followed her traditional Jewish upbringing. Miriam has not – and while she wants to instil her heritage in her children, they just want to fit in.

As resentment, tension and divisions build within the family, can the sisters overlook their differences or will their family be torn apart?

‘A lively, original, absorbing novel packed with beautiful observations and brilliant one-liners’Rebecca Smith

‘A wonderful, enriching read that is about all families – warm and loving but also fraught with secrets, unspoken rules and quiet disappointments’ Francesca Jakobi

'An entertaining read, laugh-out-loud in places, yet thoughtful and compassionate on the serious issues of intermarriage and identity' Andrew Sanger

Tamar Hodes was born in Israel and lived in Greece and South Africa before settling in the UK where she has lived ever since. For thirty five years she combined teaching with writing. Her three published novels are Raffy's Shapes, The Water and the Wine and Mixed. Many of her stories have been broadcast on national radio and included in anthologies such as Salt's Best British Short Stories and A Treasury of Jewish Stories.

MONTHLY BLOG: Shelf censorship - How US publishing

boycotts Israel and its supporters, by Liel Leibovitz

Influential figures in the American publishing industry face growing discrimination and blacklisting over their Jewish identity and support for Israel.

"Today it takes real courage to publish proudly Jewish authors or books about the Jewish experience"

A charming new chapter book series about a young Orthodox Jewish girl out to discover the truth about all the magical mysteries in her world, perfect for fans of Marya Khan and Zoey and Sassafras

Miriam is the youngest in her family, and she is tired of being treated like the baby. So, using her superior detective skills, she sets out to debunk the fantastical things that people tell gullible kids, starting with the Tooth Fairy.

When her first tooth comes loose, Miriam is determined to prove to her friends and family that the tooth fairy isn’t real. She’s going to lay the perfect trap . . . just as soon as her tooth actually comes out. But despite all her scheming, her investigation doesn’t go to plan. Maybe, just maybe, the tooth fairy is real after all?

Leah Cypess wrote her first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, she wrote her first book, about a girl who was shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies).

After selling her first story while in high school, she gave in to her mother's importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. She then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years. She kept writing and submitting in her spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after her first short story acceptance, she sold her first novel

ESSAY: Shema, by LenaMunzer

Editor’s Note: In this moving reflection on the meaning of prayer, both in ritual and in grief, Lena Munzer captures how the Shema can anchor us through childhood, uncertainty, and even at the end of life. Here, the prayer becomes less a declaration of belief and more a way to listen—for memory, for presence, and for what remains. – Howard Lovy, Editor of Judith Magazine

FILM: Centered, about Senator Joe Lieberman, written and directed by Jonathan Gruber

Step into the world of extraordinary leadership, unwavering principles, and a life devoted to public service with Centered: Joe Lieberman. This groundbreaking 2025 documentary takes you on an inspiring cinematic journey into the remarkable career and personal life of Senator Joe Lieberman, one of America’s most iconic and principled political figures. Premiering in Regal Theaters this March, Centered is destined to become one of the most talked-about new documentaries of 2025.

From his historic rise as the first Orthodox Jewish senator and the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate to his courageous stance on tough political issues, Joe Lieberman’s story brings to life the enduring values of bipartisanship, integrity, and faith in the face of adversity. Directed by visionary filmmakers and produced by a team dedicated to telling untold stories of courage and conviction, Centered combines compelling interviews, rare archival footage, and powerful storytelling to craft not just a film, but an experience that will leave audiences deeply moved.

Projects that Gruber directed and produced have screened at festivals and in theaters nationwide and around the world, and have aired on PBS, The History Channel, National Geographic, Discovery Networks, and more.