Jeff and Jackie Meyerson sent Diane and me The Christmas Mitzvah, a book inspired by a true story. Al Rosen, a Jewish man, takes on the jobs of his Christian neighbors on Christmas Eve and day so they can spend the holiday with their families, starting a tradition that lasts for decades.
A mitzvah, as Al explains, is a good deed, especially apt on a holiday. Jeff Gottesfeld’s story concerns kindness and differences bringing people together. Michelle Laurenlia Agatha’s lovely illustrations capture the essence of the story and the people who are helped by Al Rosen’s caring acts over the years. This book was selected as a Best Jewish Children’s Book of 2021 byTablet Magazine and is a Sydney Taylor honor award!
Thank you, Jeff and Jackie, for a book that will be part of our Holliday Traditions in the years ahead! GRADE: A
Jeff & Jackie also sent a copy to us—the twins were thrilled to add it to the Christmas tradition!
Deb, same here! But our copy of THE CHRISTMAS MITZVAH was complicated by a copy of BLUEY that showed up first…by mistake!
Hi George-
You just made our day.! It turned out extra special because you and Beth had both seen the original story in Milwaukee. Tell Diane the book brought back memories of sitting in my rocking chair in my second grade classroom reading to the class all sitting on the rug.
Jackie
We are exhausted from packing all day (we could have used Diane’s expertise) and just sat down to relax.
Jackie & Jeff, don’t work so hard! I wish Diane could be there to help! She’s an expert packer! And, an expert reader! Diane used to read stories to her classes every day. Have a safe trip!
Very sweet. I definitely don’t keep up with beginning readers’ books much, even when by favorite writers such as William Kotzwinkle.
Todd, as I told Jeff and Jackie, I was living in Milwaukee when this story became part of the Christmas season in Wisconsin. Legendary!
I too was lucky enough to get the book from Jeff and Jackie.
I read it Christmas Eve beside my fiber optic tree while drinking cocoa. It was just what I needed after a very rough year. It was perfect.
This might become a Christmas tradition.
I did chuckle when the Meyersons told me you originally got a Bluey sticker book. Not quite the same thing.
Beth, when BLUEY arrived Diane and I were puzzled about what the Meyersons intended. Then, Jackie cleared everything up by emailing that AMAZON sent the Wrong Book. We were very happy with the Right Book!
Thank you for shining a light on our outlier of a children’s book. MIchelle was also the illustrator of our FOOD FOR HOPE (Creston, 2023), about the remarkable and unlikely origins of the world food bank movement, and its even more unlikely founder. It won this year’s Goddard-Riverside Social Justice Book Award prize. You might enjoy it.
Jeff, congratulations on your wonderful book, THE CHRISTMAS MITZVAH! I will check out FOOD FOR HOPE. Meanwhile, 15 Republican Governors are rejecting food for kids this summer: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/01/10/republican-governors-summer-lunch-program/