Being the rabbi for a highbrow, highly opinionated congregation can be murder. Literally. Ask Rabbi Saul Levinson, religious leader and guiding light of Beth Torah Synagogue on the north shore of Long Island, NY. Ask him figuratively, that is. After all, he’s dead. In Two Jews …
Read MoreRabbi Robert A. Silvers
As Sandy’s congregational rabbi, she has provided me great insight from her book – don’t give synagogue keys to lay-leaders. This is truly a delightful read with wonderfully written Jewish characters that everyone can appreciate. Rabbi Robert A. Silvers. Senior Rabbi, Congregation B’nai Israel, Boca …
Read MoreRabbi Michael White
Sandra Tankoos clearly understands the culture and moral code of those who choose to be active in synagogue life. The storyline is compelling, blending both mysticism and day-to-day reality, while struggling to find their Rabbi’s assassin. Recommended reading. Rabbi Michael White, Senior Rabbi, Temple Sinai …
Read MoreRabbi Stanley M. Davids, D.D.. Editor of “Deepening The Dialogue” (CCARPress 2020)
The first word that came to mind when I finished this book is “smart.’ This is a very smart book. It understands the language and culture of Jewish Long Island. It understands the inner workings – with all of the warts – of suburban synagogue life. …
Read MoreRabbi Bennett Miller, Rabbi Emeritus of Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, NJ; National Chair of ARZA
What you find in Sandy Tankoos’ first novel could be your synagogue or anyone’s synagogue. It is riveting from the first page to the last. So many issues that synagogue’s confront and don’t confront — they are all in the story! And a murder to …
Read MoreSandra Tankoos
Sandra Tankoos has been a high school teacher and a successful entrepreneur. She has served on the boards of several organizations within the Jewish Community and has been President of a congregation In Roslyn, Long Island. She is familiar with the dynamics at play among …
Read More2 Jews = 3 Shuls
by Sandra Tankoos
The year is 1992. A very respected Rabbi is found murdered in his synagogue located in a wealthy suburb on Long Island. Deborah Katzman is the first woman to become president of the synagogue. She is a child survivor of the Holocaust and a successful bankruptcy attorney. The synagogue’s lay leaders had hoped that a woman with her background would be able to reduce the growing friction within their walls. The Rabbi had been growing more and more traditional at the same time as his congregants were becoming more liberal. Younger women were clamouring for equal participation in religious services; older congregants were opposed to the Rabbi’s newly heightened religious practices. Emotions were exploding … but is all of this enough to cause someone to murder a man of God? The Temple leaders, each an interesting character in their own right, are trying to achieve some modicum of harmony within this once peaceful house of worship. The search for the killer is the plot that is carried forward until the murderer is uncovered in a surprise ending.
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