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Author Won’t Back Down After Receiving Hate for Publishing Children’s Book About Jewish Heritage Amid Gaza War
The cover of “Under the Rockets’ Glow: Shira’s Journey to Courage.” Photo: Screenshot
A first-time children’s book author who has been targeted with thousands of hate messages and negative comments and reviews online for publishing a book that highlights the Jewish people’s heritage amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war said he’s not letting the backlash have an effect on him.
“There’s Israeli soldiers who are putting their lives on the line to protect the land of Israel. If I take a little bit of heat online, it’s the least I can do if this is actually bringing value to people,” Roman Sandler, 34, told The Algemeiner on Wednesday. “I see the hate as kind of a corroboration that I’m on the right track because if you’re not pissing anyone off you’re not doing the right sort of thing. You’re not doing something important.”
The father of three self-published a children’s book in January titled Under the Rockets’ Glow: Shira’s Journey to Courage. It’s about a young girl named Shira and her father, who teaches her about her Jewish heritage and history, from Abraham to modern-day Israel, to help her find courage one night as rockets rain down outside her bedroom window. The story concludes with Shira falling asleep, feeling safe while dreaming about a world full of peace.
A portion of all proceeds from the book will be donated to the victims of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel, during which the terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people and took hundreds of others as hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The book is also dedicated to victims of the massacre and soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces who are “currently risking their lives to defend Israel and subdue evil in our midst.”
Sandler, who lives in California with his family, told The Algemeiner that he was inspired to write the children’s book after having a hard time explaining the gravity of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war to his five-year-old daughter, and not being able to find any decent resources to help her understand the situation. The author, whose wife has Israeli roots, also wanted to help children understand “the first principles of who we are as a [Jewish] people, why we’re in Israel, our connection to the land, and why it’s worth fighting for,” he explained.
“I didn’t think I did anything that controversial,” Sandler added. “But I think that even the sole point that the Jews have a stake to the land of Israel is unfortunately a controversial point.”
In February, the children’s book garnered the attention of Jewish actress and former Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik, who praised it in an Instagram post. After the Big Bang Theory star posted about the book on social media, sales for Under the Rockets’ Glow went up tremendously, but Sandler and the book also began receiving hate messages from anti-Israel activists. The book was additionally review bombed on Amazon and Google, which dragged down its ratings, and Sandler was sent thousands of threatening messages on social media.
“I think just the fact that Mayim [Bialik] posted it as comforting to Israelis in present times just automatically to the pro-Palestinian movement makes it a bad thing because [to them], it can’t be comforting to Israelis and say the Jewish narrative without somehow infringing the Palestinian narrative,” Sandler told The Algemeiner. “I think that’s how they see it, unfortunately.”
Across TikTok, Facebook, X/Twitter, and other platforms, Sandler was called “genocidal zionist scum”; compared to Nazis; and falsely accused of promoting genocide for writing a “propaganda children’s book to indoctrinate israeli [sic] children with hateful lies, while tens of thousands of Palestinians die at the hands of this brutal illegal occupation.” His book was described as “Zionist trash” aimed at “radicalizing Jewish kids” and “glorifying ethnic cleansing.” It was also labeled as “Zionist propaganda designed to brainwash you and your little ones into supporting genocide.”
Photo: Screenshot
“Lying to kids about Israel’s barbarity is a Zionist tradition,” wrote one X user. Others encouraged pro-Palestinian individuals to leave negative reviews online for the book. However, most of the negative reviews left on the book’s Amazon page are from unverified purchases, Sandler noted, meaning they were written most likely by online users who have not even purchased and read Under the Rockets’ Glow.
Despite all the negativity that Sandler’s book has faced, many parents online have thanked him for writing a book that has helped their own children.
One Amazon reviewer, a parent from Israel, said the book has helped “comfort my children with their trauma” and “give them strength and hope” when Israel experiences rocket attacks.
“This book is beautiful and heartwarming, speaks about how we need to be brave and courageous, just like all of our Jewish ancestors as they faced similar hardships, and reminding them of our beautiful history of survival,” added the Amazon reviewer and verified purchaser. “My kids love reading it now eveynight [sic], and I often hold back tears reading it [to] them, trying to smile and be positive for them.”
“Oct. 7th is a dark day that is hard to explain to our kids,” said another reviewer and verified purchaser on Amazon. “But I think [Under the Rockets’ Glow] can give strength to the young Jewish children (and their parents!) in the US who have seen such a rise of antisemitism here that it often feels dangerous and scary. Thank you for helping provide that strength for our kids and helping them understand the Jewish people’s [connection] to the land of Israel.”
Under the Rockets’ Glow has also been praised as educational and helpful in having kids understand the Israel-Hamas war.
Photo: Screenshot
Sandler has no immediate plans to write another children’s book but is not ruling it out, despite the negativity he’s faced with his first publication. Reflecting on all the positivity surrounding Under the Rockets’ Glow, he said, “I think a lot of people are very glad this book exists, just because there is so much hate out there. [The book is] something that can say their story and provide context to their children in such hard times.”
Under the Rockets’ Glow: Shira’s Journey to Courage is available to purchase on Amazon as well as some independent Jewish bookstores in New York and Toronto, Canada.
The post Author Won’t Back Down After Receiving Hate for Publishing Children’s Book About Jewish Heritage Amid Gaza War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel
This laurel branch Hanukkah menorah, designed by artist Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003), won first prize at the 1950 Tel Aviv Design Competition. Between 2,000 and 4,000 of these were made by the Pal-Bell factory in Israel, and they were sold not only in Israel but in select department stores around the world, including Macy’s in New York and Harrods in London.
The shape of the oil containers resembles ancient Roman lamps, while the large pitcher is a reference to the single jug of oil that lasted for eight days that is at the heart of the Hanukkah story.
These hanukkiyot were manufactured out of cast bronze with a green patina that was created using reactive chemicals, a process developed by Ascalon, resulting in an antique verdigris look.
Ascalon, who was born in Hungary and originally named Moshe Klein, immigrated to Palestine in 1934 after training in Brussels and Milan. He started the Pal-Bell Company in the late 1930s for the production of ritual and secular decorative items. “Pal” is short for Palestine and “Bell” is short for bellezza, Italian for beauty and an allusion to his time in Milan where the artist learned and perfected his sculpting skills. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Ascalon designed munitions for the Israeli army and, at the request of the Israeli government, retrofitted his factory to produce arms for the war effort.
Ascalon closed Pal-Bell and moved to the United States in 1956, where he taught sculpture at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and opened Ascalon Studios, which produces large-scale sculptures for public spaces and houses of worship.
The studio, which is now run by Ascalon’s son David and his grandson Eric, was retooled during the COVID pandemic to manufacture safety boxes that allowed health-care workers to assist a patient on a ventilator while minimizing exposure.
Treasure Trove wishes you a happy Hanukkah , which starts on Dec. 25. This year, as Peter, Paul and Mary sang, “Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice, justice and freedom demand. Don’t let the light go out!”
The post Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd
Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
i24 News – A suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.
The post Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister
A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.
Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.
Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.
Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
The post Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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