Roberta Hodes

Yosef, a math student at the Hebrew University, shares his parents’ story with friends on Mount Scopus. In the 1920s, Yaakov and Chava immigrated to establish the Beit Gilboa kibbutz. They worked hard, danced the hora, and sang “Telem” after plowing. Their love disrupted the communal life, facing opposition from friends like Shmuel. Kibbutz secretary Yitzhak and shepherd Avraham supported them, allowing them to live together in a tent. They married and had a son. A puppet theatre performed “The Story of Balaam,” leading them to feel cursed and return to Germany, where they perished. Their son Joseph reached Europe with Avraham’s help and was welcomed back to the kibbutz, which funded his studies. As the country developed, Zionism turned the curse into a blessing.

David Goodman, the son of determinedly secularparents, stumbles into an abandoned synagogue being reclaimed by a group searching for Jewish meaning in their lives. To the dismay of his parents, he becomes increasingly interested in his Jewish roots as he is welcomed by the community. As he approaches his Bar Mitzvah, David finally seems to be comfortable as a Jew.

Remember when your favorite face in the world had a wet nose? Eight-year-old Angela Clure is just discovering the special bond that comes with a special canine friend. And through the joy, tragedy and triumph to come, she'll learn a lot about growing up too.