Charley Braunstein and Jewish Tradition

About the Book

You all know good old Charlie Brown and his gang. There's Lucy and Linus, Schroeder and Peppermint Patty, and, of course, Snoopy, all created by the brilliant cartoonist, Charles Schulz. Since kids are similar all over the world, it is not surprising that just across town in a Jewish neighborhood, there lives Charley Braunstein. His nemesis is Leila, who lives close enough to always be an annoyance. She also is a pain to her brother, Lazer, on whom she often plays tricks to show him who's boss. Leila is madly in love with Daniel, who was named after pianist-conductor Daniel Barenboim (a prodigy at eight) and whose only love is his piano on which he enjoys playing Beethoven. Another know-it-all is Penina-Pesha, who thinks she knows how to calm down Lazer when he can't find his security blanket. Charley Braunstein's gang celebrate the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hannukah, Tu B'Shvat, Purim, Pesach, Shavuot, and, of course, Shabbat. Strange things happen to Charley and his friends on the holidays and Shabbat. There was that Yom Kippur when Leila refused to admit she had ever done anything wrong. One Hanukkah a new kid named Sylvan Sylabbolus moved on the block. Almost every word he said had at least three syllables. Did the gang ever make his life miserable! One Rosh Hashanah the shofar would make only a little peep, and on Purim a grogger (noise maker) wouldn't grog. One Simchat Torah, Leila had to be convinced that there was something true in the Torah.. On Tu'Bshvat trees taught the gang an important lesson. Leila did not believe that anyone could imagine that he/she had could feels as one felt coming out of Egypt. It took a trip through time to teach her the meaning of empathy. Leila also learned the penalty for breaking one of the ten commanments. Finally she learned the hard way that Israel has a right to be. But the biggest tumult happened when Charley absolutely refused to become a Bar Mitzvah. On each holiday, Charley and his gang seem to start off on the wrong foot. But they usually end up (with the help of Reb Hayyim) learning what the holiday is all about. By the end of the year, they even have a pretty good idea of what being Jewish is all about. (After each story ask yourself Did I enjoy the story? What is the main meaning of the story? What is the connection between that meaning and my personal life or issues in the society) WHAT OTHERS SAY; "This delightful collection of stories a providea a wealth of material for families and synagogues. Babbi Cohen uese wit and wisdome to transmit Jewish values and important teachings of our tradition. These clever stories will surely engage people of all ages." Rabbi Hara Person, Editor in chief, URJ Press "It is amazing how the commom humanity of the Peanuts gang resonates within all sectors of our lives. Rabi Cohen has found these similarities in the youngsters in this book." Mrs. Charles M. Schulz "I can vouch for these tales ability to teach and entertain generations of cilddren of every age having retold them to my own congregaton with great success." Rabbi Bradd Boxman, Har Sinai Congregation, Owings Mills, MD..

About the Author

Henry Cohen, born in Houston, was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in 1953. He was an army chaplain, served as assistant rabbi in Great Neck, where he met his wife, Edna. They moved to Champaign-Urbana where Henry served a "town and gown" congregation and received a Masters Degree in the Philosophy of Education. In 1964, Henry moved to Philadelphia, where he served as rabbi of Beth David Reform Congregation until he became an emeritus in 1993. He wrote Why Judaism?, What's Special about Judaism? and a biography of his grandfather, Kindler of Souls: Rabbi Henry Cohen of Texas.