"Rabbi Aviva Cohen is a 50+ rabbi living in South New Jersey, and leading a small Reform congregation. She is called upon to officiate at the funeral of a very successful, but much disliked, land developer. Unexpectedly, she is informed by two different people that he had been murdered. Shortly after the funeral, there is a suicide. This, of course, leads to other problems. She looks into thelives of the survivors of the land developer, and other people who might have had a reason to do him. While she is doing this, she does have her Temple duties to perform, bar and bas mitzvahs, old couples renewing their vows, celebrating Chanukah, inter-faith meetings, and all the things expected of a rebbitzen. To add to all this, her first ex-husband is moving back into town, and she also has her second there also. Chanukah Guilt is an interesting, and informative book, and will be enjoyed by our readers." -Lee Wixman, Boynton Beach, FL (South Florida Association of Jewish Newsletter)
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"This story weaves Jewish culture and mystery in a delightful blend. However, in portraying the rich and interesting social life Rabbi Cohen enjoys, both with her family and congregation, there are very many characters, occasionally causing some confusion to the reader. But overall, this doesn't detract from a well-crafted story and a satisfying conclusion." - Alice Berger (Muse Books Reviews)
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"Ilene Schneider is a rabbi by occupation, and is currently a Coordinator of Jewish Hospice for Samaritan Hospice in Marlton, NJ. She also works for the New Jersey Audubon Society at the Rancocas Nature Center. She has several degrees; is an avid birder; gardener; and is married and has two teenagers.
Rabbi Aviva Cohen is a baby boomer living in South Jersey. She is twice divorced and learns that her first ex is moving back to town...to run the police department after its chief is caught in corruption charges. Aviva is called upon to officiate at the funeral of a smarmy real estate developer whose daughter is sure he has been murdered. When the daughter, Madison, dies the next night, her mother calls upon Aviva to investigate. Aviva is naturally curious, but she doesn't bank on the idea that she might be putting her own life in danger as she looks into the nooks and crannies of another person's life. What puts levity and a sense of realism into the tale, though, is Aviva's own family's reaction to her sleuthing:
"I got home by ten to find two very different messages on my phone machine. My sister, in her inimitable style, scolded me. 'What's going on? Even here in Florida I hear that you've been playing fast and loose with a family's emotions? I always knew you'd get in trouble for butting in where not wanted. And now you're being sued! If you're not careful, you'll be unemployed, and unemployable. Whatever are you thinking?'"
Schneider's mystery is a delightful blend of the finer points of Judaism, combined with a mystery involving a dysfunctional, blended family, all wanting to get their hands on the money. Aviva is a likeable detective, with plenty of foibles, all of which make her more endearing. She is strong, independent, and eloquent when the occasion calls for it. But she also has an aversion to the finer points of maintenance, such as cleaning and cooking. She is full of fun and isn't afraid to laugh at herself with us. CHANUKAH GUILT is lots of fun!
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer (Midwest Book Review)
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Rabbi Adds 'Author' to Her List of Credentials
By Judy Cohen Minches
EVESHAM - Local resident Rabbi Ilene Schneider, one of the first female rabbis to be ordained in the United States, is again breaking new ground.This time, she has become a published novelist, having written her first book of a planned series of cozy mysteries featuring fictional character Rabbi Aviva Cohen of South Jersey.
A sub-genre of mystery novels, "cozies" place more emphasis on character development than the crime itself, said Schneider, who identified writer Agatha Christie as a prime example of a cozy mystery novelist who has kept a loyal audience entertained for decades.
"Chanukah Guilt" takes shape when Cohen officiates at the funeral of an unpopular land developer. After the ceremony, she learns that his death may be the result of murder. As the rabbi initiates her own investigation, she is faced with a second questionable death. Determined to unravel a complicated sequence of sinister acts, this amateur sleuth discovers the truism, Schneider said, that 'appearances can be deceiving.'
The storyline of "Chanukah Guilt" had been "percolating" in her mind for years, Schneider said. "I wanted to write something I'd enjoy reading ... I wanted to break stereotypes (of rabbis) as academic, intelligent, spiritual and ethereal human beings.
"We have the same worries as everyone," she said. "We have laundry to do, we like clothes and to go out for lunch. We have friends, we like TV shows and movies. We're real people."
While Schneider created Cohen to physically match her own looks, and both are avid birders, the two are as different as they are alike. Schneider has been married to Rabbi Gary Gans of Congregation Beth Tikvah for 31 years, and they have two sons: Natan is 19 and Ari is 13.
Cohen, on the other hand, is twice divorced and has no children. "And I've certainly never been in the situation that she finds herself in," said Schneider of Cohen.
The coordinator of Jewish hospice for Samaritan Hospice in Marlton since July 2006, Schneider said taking this position was the start of an event-filled and joyous time in her life.
One month later, while away on a business trip, her husband text-messaged her the e-mail she got from Kangaroo Books, which said they would be publishing "Chanukah Guilt."
In September, her elder son went off to college as a freshman and, in October, her younger son became a bar mitzvah.
As her life settles into a more relaxed pace - although she has begun writing her second book, and she works with the Audubon Society at the Rancocas Nature Center and writes for "The Inquirer" and "Burlington County Times" - Schneider appreciates the "personal fulfillment in bringing comfort and peace" to patients through her work at Samaritan Hospice.
"This is a very emotional and vulnerable time in their lives. We're that 'something else' when the doctors say 'there's nothing else we can do.' We help to control symptoms and help them to be as pain free as possible."
Schneider added that one doesn't have to belong to an organized religion to receive support services from Samaritan Hospice. To inquire or to make a referral, call (800) 229-8183.
Schneider will be doing a book-signing and reading on Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble on Route 70 in Marlton. She will also be the keynote speaker at Congregation Beth Tikvah's Sisterhood kickoff meeting, which is open to the public, on Sept. 9 at 10:30 a.m.
"Chanukah Guilt" is available online at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com and through the publisher, Swimming Kangaroo Books, at www.swimmingkangaroo.com.
(Central Record, Aug. 1, 2007)
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Death among the Dreidel Set
by TheChocolateLady - written on 28.07.07 - Rating: (4 of 5 possible stars)
Advantages Fun, fast, read, lovely protagonist, interesting premise
Disadvantages Some minor pitfalls
According to the synopsis from both the back of the book and Amazon, "Rabbi Aviva Cohen is a 50-something, twice-divorced rabbi living a rather uneventful life in South Jersey. True, she has a family that is rather unconventional. And her first ex-husband is moving to her town. But her life takes a truly interesting - and sinister - turn when she agrees to officiate at the funeral of an unpopular land developer. She doesn't expect to be told by two different people that he had been murdered. Nor does she expect that the first funeral will result in a suicide. ..." I couldn't have put it any better, and Rabbi Ilene Schneider's first book (and yes, I'm sure there will be more) is a very nicely done first outing.
The first thing you'll notice about this book is that the rabbi here is a woman. That's not all that commonplace, but since my sister is also a rabbi, you can understand my interest in this book. Moreover, Ilene happens to have studied for the rabbinate with my sister, and they are friends. This "coincidence" is probably the reason why my brother decided to buy us this book. But there was no real coincidence here, since according to my sister, Ilene has been working on this novel for many years, and friends and family have been anxiously awaiting this publication.
But does this make this a good book? Firstly, there is nothing in this book that rings the least bit untrue about the workings of a rabbi (or female one in particular). In this, Schneider has written her alter-ego Aviva with warmth and an honest sense of humour. As the protagonist here, Aviva comes alive to us from these pages, and we could no doubt recognize her if we saw her on the street. Building Aviva's world and surroundings with the author's personal experiences is certainly obvious. Aviva is a female rabbi, and so is Ilene; Aviva is a birdwatcher, and so is Ilene; Aviva has an autistic nephew, Ilene has an autistic son, and the list goes on. Almost all the other characters seem very realistic, and are probably based on people Ilene has met or known. The biggest problem I had with the characters is that we don't feel there is more than one prospective suspect. This means that we are only looking in one possible direction and the readers will guess "who done it" long before Aviva does, thereby removing most of the possible twist endings.
Another problem I had was with explaining Jewish references. While I can understand many Jewish traditions and terminology are foreign to most readers, I felt that the flow of the prose was disrupted by these explanations. If you're thinking "give Schneider a break, she's on new ground here", I'd both agree and disagree. Yes, this is her first novel, but this isn't the first rabbi sleuth book, nor is it the first novel heavy with references that need explanation. One solution to this problem would be a glossary at the end of the book, with explainable words or passages written in italics. This method worked perfectly in Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series.
My final niggle with this book was the inclusion of unnecessary background situations and characters. For example, one sympathizes with a lesbian couple that have to deal with an autistic son as well as a disapproving mother, who happens to be Aviva's sister, who disagrees with Aviva about both the lesbian daughter and the care of their mother, and does so long-distance from Florida, which makes Aviva's life difficult. But the fact that the only part of this situation that is relevant to the story is the fact that Aviva's niece's partner is a computer expert whose skills Aviva enlists to help solve the "case". This means we were given a chunk of superfluous information here. Mind you, since we (or at least I) know that this isn't going to be the last Rabbi Aviva Cohen mystery, this information could become relevant in subsequent books. But remember the old theatre rule "if you see a gun in the first act, there had better be a dead body by the end of act two", which I think applies to mystery novels as well. That's why I'm thinking that it would have been better to save these tidbits for the novels where they'll be truly needed.
This isn't to say that this book is all bad. I'm giving it four stars - but the truth is, it probably only deserves 3½ stars, "rounded up" since this is Ilene's first novel. On the whole, this was a lovely read, that had a very good premise and an interesting protagonist. The situations seem realistic and the characters were, for the most part, very much alive. Schneider's style is comfortable and conversational, without being condescending or simplistic. I also enjoyed that she confined the action to the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, and understand that Ilene will be using this as a common theme in her next books as well. The chapters are short and the action flows logically and comfortably from one situation to another. This made for a fast, and fun read that I think anyone would enjoy, and I recommend you give it a try. I know I'll be watching out for the next Rabbi Aviva Cohen mystery!
Thanks for reading!
Davida Chazan © July 2007
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"You can't judge a book by its cover"! Keep that in mind when reading this book. The cover has a picture of a Chanukkiyah or Menorah (the nine branched candelabrum used on Hanukah, the Jewish holiday celebrated in December) with a skull and crossbones on top. I thought to myself between the title and the book's cover this book is going to be cheesy. I was pleasantly surprised with this author's debut novel and hope she turns the Rabbi in to a series.
Chanukah Guilt is described by the author as a "cozy" murder mystery because there are no car chases or kidnappings. The main character is female rabbi, Aviva Cohen. It just so happens the author Ilene Schneider was one of the first six female rabbis in the United States.
Rabbi Cohen officiates at the funeral of an unpopular land developer. She is told by two members of his family that he was murdered. A few days later one of the daughters commits suicide and Rabbi Cohen begins a quest to find out what really happened. The quest involves not only the developer's family, but the rabbi's extended family, including her ex-husband who recently moved to her town.
The beauty of this book is the character development. Ilene Schneider's writing style allows you to really know both the main characters and the supporting roles. You finish this book with a solid picture of what these people look like and their personality quirks.
Chanukah Guilt gives insight in to the Jewish culture and religion because the rabbi's life revolves around the synagogue where she is employed. There is a little bit of education about the Wiccan religion as well but I won't reveal any more about that subject.
I hope this book has mass appeal beyond the Jewish population because it is a great mystery.
Armchair Interviews says: A well-done cozy with a woman rabbi as the sleuth.
Reviewed by Lauren Segelbaum (Armchair Interviews)
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For more reviews check out the Chanukah Guilt Amazon page
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Interviews
Rabbi Ilene Schneider of Marlton just published her first novel, a "cozy" murder mystery called Chanukah Guilt. It's about the death of a shady developer and the daughter who thinks she killed him, and the female rabbi who tries to solve the mystery.
Schneider is the coordinator of Jewish hospice for Samaritan Hospice in Marlton. She is an avid birder and a not-so-avid gardener who has been married to Rabbi Gary Gans of Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton for 31 years. They have two sons, Ari, 13, and Natan, 19.
Question: What is a "cozy" murder mystery?
Answer: It's not a thriller. There are no car chases or kidnappings. It's the genre of the "everyman," or the "everywoman," in this case.
Q: The main character, Aviva Cohen, is a female rabbi. How autobiographical is this novel?
A: Physically, she does look like me. And aspects of her personality are the same as me. But she's been divorced twice; she has no kids, lives on her own. And I've certainly never been in the situation that she finds herself in.
Q: How long have you been working on this novel?
A: For years and years, this has been percolating in my head.
Q: How long did it take you to write Chanukah Guilt?
A: It took about a year and a half. I finished it in 2004. It took longer to get published.
Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: Oh, I think there are too many. I tend to like mysteries and cozy mysteries. . . . I like strong female protagonists and women writers.
Q: Is it true you were one of the first female rabbis in the Philadelphia area?
A: Yes. I was one of the first six in the United States. I was ordained in 1976.
Q: Where can people buy the book? Will you be doing any book signings in the area?
A: It is available online at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com and through the publisher, Swimming Kangaroo Books, at www.swimmingkangaroo.com.
I will be doing a signing and reading on Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on Route 70 in Marlton and on Sept. 9 at 10:30 a.m. for the Sisterhood of Beth Tikvah in Marlton.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, Sun, Jul. 15, 2007)