Ze ev Chafets's Books

Members of the Tribe

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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An irreverent and startling portrait of Jewish America After two decades in Israel, Ze’ev Chafets returned to his native land to embark upon an extraordinary odyssey: a six-month, thirty-state search for America’s Jews. From side streets to mean streets, from the small-town serenity of the country to the hustle and bustle of the big city, he discovered Jews in some expected and unexpected places to create this portrait of American Judaism and Jewish life in America today. Meet the “members of the tribe” as Chafets—never the passive observer—barnstorms through the deep South, where he encounters the last Cajun Jews in the bayou, and travels to Mississippi to discover a congregation of good old boychiks. He joins a Midwestern “Jewhunt” led by a political organizer from AIPAC (the Israeli lobby), and in a maximum security synagogue in Pennsylvania he worships with a congregation of convicts whose shammes is doing time for armed robbery. At every stop Chafets comes across fascinating and memorable characters: a Buddhist named Wasserman who claims to have Jewish sports karma; America’s only native-born wonder-working rabbi; a Gross Pointed matron who wears a Jewish star to ward off anti-Semites. Chafets goes to the boardrooms of big-time Judaism in New York and Los Angeles, to back rooms in the Lone Star State where he spins yarns with some Texas Jewboys, to Cisco’s Restaurant in Austin, Texas, where he talks with Kinky Friedman, America’s best-known Jewish country and western singer. From a weekend in the Catskills with nearly two thousand Jewish singles to a meeting with the geriatric Jewish jocks of Century Village in Florida, Chafets takes a close look at how contemporary Jews really live. Whether he is describing the plight of a gay congregation in San Francisco in the throes of a deadly epidemic, or the poignancy of services at a storefront synagogue of black Jews whose cantor sings Hebrew prayers with gospel melodies, Members of the Tribe evokes the fears and hopes, concerns and aspirations of American Jews. Engaging, moving and insightful, this remarkable chronicle is a compelling look beyond stereotypes at people who, for reasons they don’t always understand, continue to be members of the tribe.

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Page Count

325

Publisher

Bantam

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307799204

ISBN 13

9780307799203

Devil's Night

And Other True Tales of Detroit

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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Devil's Night

And Other True Tales of Detroit

By: Ze'ev Chafets

A New York Times Notable Book On Devil’s Night, the night before Halloween, some citizens of Detroit try to burn down their neighborhoods for an international audience of fire buffs. This gripping and often heartbreaking tour of the “Murder Capital of America” often seems lit by those same fires. But as a native Detroiter, Ze’ev Chafets also shows us the city beneath the crime statistics—its ecstatic storefront churches; its fearful and embittered white suburbs; its cops and criminals; and the new breed of black officials who are determined to keep Detroit running in the midst of appalling dangers and indifference.

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Page Count

257

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804171416

ISBN 13

9780804171410

Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Inside the New Israel

By: Zeʼev Chafets,Ze'ev Chafets

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Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Inside the New Israel

By: Zeʼev Chafets,Ze'ev Chafets

Widely acclaimed, Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men is a penetrating iconoclastic, and often hilarious report on the place author Ze'ev Chafets calls "a good country in a bad neighborhood".

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Page Count

260

Publisher

William Morrow

Published Date

ISBN 10

0688072941

ISBN 13

9780688072940

Inherit the Mob

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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Inherit the Mob

By: Ze'ev Chafets

“[A] hilarious, warm look at one of organized crime’s oft-neglected ethnic groups.”—The New York Times Book Review William Gordon’s dear Uncle Max is dead. Dear, crooked, murderous, notorious Mafioso kingpin Uncle Max. But Pulitzer-winning foreign correspondent Gordon always knew Uncle Max to be generous. Now, even in death, Uncle Max comes through, for he leaves Gordon millions—in the form of a Mafia territory. The only catch is that Gordon, the cultured journalist, might have to fight to retain his piece of the mob. On the other hand, who wouldn’t fight for half a billion dollars? But can an educated Jewish reporter who regularly rubs shoulders with world leaders really succeed as a semi-don? Maybe—if he’s greedy enough, and not afraid to get his hands dirty or bloody. . . . Praise for Inherit the Mob “I can’t think of two professions that more richly deserve each other than journalism and organized crime. Zev Chafets does an honor to them both.”—Carl Hiaasen, author of Native Tongue “If you think there’s nothing funny about organized crime, pick up a copy of Inherit the Mob. Zev Chafets makes his fictional debut in this sidesplitting spoof of Mafia family matters, manners, and misadventures. . . . Chafets has perfect pitch for dialogue and an eye for vivid, unforgettable characters.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer “Lively entertainment.”—Chicago Tribune “A full-fledged romp bursting with energy, good humor, and plot curlicues aplenty.”—The Detroit News

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Page Count

339

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307799727

ISBN 13

9780307799722

The Bookmakers

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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The Bookmakers

By: Ze'ev Chafets

Just when he finally comes up with a fabulous idea for a novel about a burnt-out writer who decides to commit suicide, Mack Green discovers that his publisher, who thinks that the book works better as nonfiction, has hired a hit man to insure that idea.

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Page Count

267

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307799735

ISBN 13

9780307799739

Members of the Tribe

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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Members of the Tribe

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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325

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Bantam

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307799204

ISBN 13

9780307799203

The Bridge Builder

The Life and Continuing Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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The Bridge Builder

The Life and Continuing Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

By: Ze'ev Chafets

The amazing story of Yechiel Eckstein, a Chicago-based orthodox rabbi who founded the world’s largest philanthropic organization of Evangelical Christians in support of Israel. When the Anti-Defamation League sent a young Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein to Chicago to foster interfaith relations in the late 1970’s, he was surprised to see how responsive Christian evangelicals were to the cause of supporting and defending Israel. Eckstein founded The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in 1983 to promote cross-cultural understanding and build broad support for Israel, Soviet Jewry, and other shared concerns. The Fellowship has grown and thrived over the last three decades, raising more than $1.1 billion, and is one of the largest 50 NGOs in America today. American Christians have become one of Israel’s most reliable sources of financial and moral support. Few people realize that Eckstein and The Fellowship have done an unprecedented good deed in bridging an ancient cultural gap. Renowned journalist Zev Chafets explores Eckstein’s role in this important interfaith evolution, showing how an American rabbi made major progress in promoting dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect in the face of harsh and unrelenting opposition.

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Page Count

274

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

1591846781

ISBN 13

9781591846789

Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Inside the New Israel

By: Zeʼev Chafets,Ze'ev Chafets

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Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Inside the New Israel

By: Zeʼev Chafets,Ze'ev Chafets

Widely acclaimed, Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men is a penetrating iconoclastic, and often hilarious report on the place author Ze'ev Chafets calls "a good country in a bad neighborhood".

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

260

Publisher

William Morrow

Published Date

ISBN 10

0688072941

ISBN 13

9780688072940

Devil's Night

And Other True Tales of Detroit

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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Devil's Night

And Other True Tales of Detroit

By: Ze'ev Chafets

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

257

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804171408

ISBN 13

9780804171403

Book's by Ze ev Chafets

Members of the Tribe

Members of the Tribe

Devil's Night

Devil's Night

Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Inherit the Mob

Inherit the Mob

The Bookmakers

The Bookmakers

Members of the Tribe

Members of the Tribe

The Bridge Builder

The Bridge Builder

Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men

Devil's Night

Devil's Night

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