The Promised Child

Ruach Ami #1

by Avner Gold (psuedonym), Yaakov Yosef Reinman

The Promised Child introduces the saga of the Pulichevers, a rabbinic family who have served for generations as Rabbonim in Pulichev, a small city in the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Poland.

The story begins in the early part of the seventeenth century with Reb Mendel and Sarah Pulichever embarking on a journey of hope to Krakow and reaches its starting climax over thirty years later with a return to Krakow for a dramatic and memorable confrontation affecting the Jewish population of the entire region.

The Promised Child is a work of fiction. The city of Pulichev, the Pulichever family, and the events in this book are fictitious, although it was certainly not uncommon for a Jewish child to disappear into a monastery and never be heard from again. To a certain extent, however, many of the episodes in this entire series are based on actual events. The historical background relating to the Jewish community and the political situation in Poland is authentic.

Genres: Jewish, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Young Adult

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Yaakov Yosef Reinman is an American Orthodox rabbi and writer, historian, and scholar. His monographs and articles have appeared in many Jewish periodicals and his study of Talmudic contractual law is a text used in yeshivas throughout the world. His Ruach Ami series is written under the pen name Avner Gold.

Reinman is the author of sefer Shufra Dishtara, an analytical study of the philosophy of Talmudic contractual law, which is utilized as a text in yeshiva studies. He also co-authored the book One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them with Reform Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. A fluent speaker of several languages, Reinman has also become known as a translator for ancient Jewish texts into English.

He is a descendant of the Narol, and his first wife, Shami (Shlomtzie) née Rubin was a descendant of the Nadvorna Chasidic dynasties.

Reinman lives in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Chava · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this historical fiction, and again, I like how included known events to put the story in context. Even though I found the characters a little one dimensional, it held my attention.

[Denise Blumenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo leí en español, de Editorial Bnei Sholem.
Me gustó para estudiantes de 6-8 grad. Permite que comprendan el trasfondo histórico de persecusiones que se vivían en los países Ashkenazim y las disputas públicas entre obispos y rabinos donde la expulsión de los judíos del territorio de turno, era siempre,lo que estaba en juego.

[Cd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entire series is highly recommended, though readers who scare easily are advised to use caution. I wouldn't recommend the impostor (volume 5) for younger readers; it raises to many questions with which they wouldn't be able to cope

[DJ Wartelsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very tense!!!