The Jewish Publication Society

06/08/2026

More accolades for KETUBAH RENAISSANCE!

We're delighted to share that Michael Shapiro's beautiful book, KETUBAH RENAISSANCE: THE ARTFUL MODERN REVIVAL OF THE JEWISH MARRIAGE CONTRACT, won the Foreword Reviews Bronze INDIES Book of the Year Award in their Art category:
https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/winners/2025/

Mazal tov, Michael!

“Thoughtful, inspiring, ingenious, inventive, playful, profound. . . . Adjectives fail me. KETUBAH RENAISSANCE is a gorgeous testament to the creative, aesthetic, and spiritual health of Jewish life in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. The images summon the ‘mazal tovs’ of weddings past, present, and future.”—author Anita Diamant

Learn more and order the book with an exclusive discount at https://jps.org/books/ketubah-renaissance/.

06/04/2026

June is in full bloom with our latest newsletter featuring JPS's new release by Stephen Spector, offering insights into family dynamics and God's role as a parent in the book of Genesis!

Learn more about this book, and exciting recent and forthcoming titles at the link below:

God and the First Families offers a novel exploration of God’s role as a parent in the book of Genesis. Compellingly, author Stephen Spector introduces Americans’ four main perceptions of God and their four most common styles of parenting as lenses through which we can reckon with God’s own me...

06/02/2026

From authoritarian to distant God beliefs, Jewish trauma responses influence how parents raise children today:

"Since October 7, Israelis have suffered some of the highest rates of trauma in the world. In fact, researchers at several universities conclude that millions of Jews around the world have been shaken emotionally along with them. At times like this, faith in God may sustain many of us, while others may question where God was when they needed help. Survey evidence tells us that Jews have four very different ideas of who God is and his role in catastrophic events."—Stephen Spector, professor emeritus of English at Stony Brook University and author nine books, including the new JPS release, GOD AND THE FIRST FAMILIES: PARENTING, TRAUMA, AND HEALING IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS

Read Stephen's op-ed in The Jerusalem Post:
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-896532

Learn more and order GOD AND THE FIRST FAMILIES with an exclusive 40% discount at https://jps.org/books/god-and-the-first-families/.

From authoritarian to distant God beliefs, Jewish trauma responses influence how parents raise children today.

06/01/2026

New release!

“This wise, compassionate, learned guide to trauma and love in Genesis enables us to better understand both the biblical book and the dynamics in our own fractured families.”—Rabbi David Wolpe, author of "Teaching Your Children About God"

GOD AND THE FIRST FAMILIES offers a novel exploration of God’s role as a parent in the book of Genesis. Compellingly, author Stephen Spector introduces Americans’ four main perceptions of God and their four most common styles of parenting as lenses through which we can reckon with God’s own methods of parenting in the first biblical book.

Throughout, Spector engages with familiar stories—sibling rivalries, family ruptures, traumas—from unexpected angles. He dramatizes how parental love in Genesis builds resilience against trauma, another idea validated by modern psychology. Surviving trauma, healing from parental favoritism, repairing broken relationships, earning forgiveness, possibly even reconciling after injury—Genesis offers wisdom on all.

Save 40% with discount code 6AS26 at checkout on US and Canadian orders.

Learn more and order the book at https://jps.org/books/god-and-the-first-families/.

05/28/2026

Last chance - don't miss the JPS Spring Sale!

In honor of Jewish American Heritage month, we are proud to offer a special 40% sale on the entire JPS catalog, including our landmark Bible translations and commentaries, books about ethics and theology, titles that explore Israel and antisemitism, and volumes about Jewish history and holidays,

Save 40% on your order with discount count 6JPSS26.

Visit https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/jps-spring-sale/ for details! Offer expires May 31, 2026 and applies to US and Canadian orders.

05/27/2026

"Every action, or reaction, has a counterpart throughout history — i.e., Crusades, Inquisition, 1648 Ukraine massacres, the Dreyfus Affair, blood libels, Kishinev 1903 pogrom, 1960s militant movements, and BDS. Each has the same cast of haters: soldiers, fanatics, collaborators, apologists, and dictators. There is even October 7 denial. Nevertheless, the author ends optimistically with the assertion: war against the Jews will never succeed – probably the most valuable history lesson of all."—Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews on THE ROAD TO OCTOBER 7: HAMAS, THE HOLOCAUST, AND THE ETERNAL WAR AGAINST THE JEWS by Rafael Medoff

Learn more and order the book with exclusive discounts at https://jps.org/books/the-road-to-october-7/.

05/26/2026

Invite JPS authors to speak to your community or organization!

We are proud to present leading JPS scholars and writers participating in the JPS Authors Bureau. Today's spotlight features Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld, co-editor of CONTEMPORARY HUMANISTIC JUDAISM: BELIEFS, VALUES, PRACTICES, rabbi of Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community in suburban Chicago, and past president of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis.

Opening up multidimensional ideas, values, and practices of Humanistic Judaism to Jews of all backgrounds and beliefs, CONTEMPORARY HUMANISTIC JUDAISM collects the movement’s most important texts for the first time and answers the oft-raised question, “How can you be Jewish and celebrate Judaism if you don’t believe in God?” with new vision.

Jewish seekers, educators, and scholars alike will come to appreciate the unique ideologies and lived expressions of Humanistic Judaism.

Learn more about Rabbi Kornfeld's work and the JPS Authors Bureau at https://jps.org/jps-authors-bureau-2/.

05/24/2026

05/20/2026

We're delighted to share that Michael Shapiro's beautiful volume, KETUBAH RENAISSANCE: THE ARTFUL MODERN REVIVAL OF THE JEWISH MARRIAGE CONTRACT, has received an Honorable Mention in the Culture category from the 2026 Eric Hoffer Award, in addition to the book's recognition as a Finalist for this award.

Mazal tov, Michael!

Read more about the award winners and honorees at https://www.hofferaward.com/Eric-Hoffer-Award-winners.html.

Learn about the book and order it with an exclusive discount at https://jps.org/books/ketubah-renaissance/.