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Sherri Mandell

Author of The Blessing of a Broken Heart

7 Works 88 Members 5 Reviews

About the Author

Sherri Mandell was born in New York and graduated from Cornell University, where she received her M.A. in creative writing. She taught writing at the University of Maryland and at Dean State. She is the author of Writers of the Holocaust, (Facts on File, 2000) and has written for numerous magazines show more and journals, including The Washington Post, The Denver Post and The Jerusalem Post. She moved to Israel in 1996, where she lives in Tekoa with her family, and is now director of The Koby Mandell Foundation Women's Healing Retreats for Bereaved Mothers and Widows show less

Works by Sherri Mandell

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Common Knowledge

Birthdate
20th c.
Gender
female
Nationality
USA, Israel

Members

Reviews

Henry, once a happy circus elephant, feels lonely and sad at the farm for old elephants, where nobody wants to hear him sing. One evening, he follows the sound of music and singing to the Brenner family's sukkah. At last, a place where he might sing. But Henry cannot fit inside the sukkah! Ori knows it's a mitzvah to invite guests, and he gets a big idea about how to include Henry in the Sukkot fun.
 
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HandelmanLibraryTINR | 1 other review | Aug 10, 2019 |
Henry, once a happy circus elephant, feels lonely and sad at the farm for old elephants, where nobody wants to hear him sing. One evening, he follows the sound of music and singing to the Brenner family's sukkah. At last, a place where he might sing. But Henry cannot fit inside the sukkah! Ori knows it's a mitzvah to invite guests, and he gets a big idea about how to include Henry in the Sukkot fun.
 
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HandelmanLibraryTINR | 1 other review | Jul 21, 2019 |
This is the story of Koby Mandell, a boy from Silver Spring, Maryland, whose family immigrated to Israel. There, at the age of thirteen years, he and his friend Yosef were stoned to death in a cave in the Judean Desert. Their murderers were never found.

Sherri Mandell’s intense pain following the traumatic death of her son makes for a haunting, sad, but ultimately uplifting story. This is not the kind of book I would pass on to others without some thought, but I think Sherri’s story is important in learning what this experience is like. For those who have suffered a similar tragedy, it might be important to know that someone else can truly understand. This kind of book could be of great support just such a person. I really cannot understand how Sherri had the strength to put her feelings into words which she now so readily shares with others, but I am grateful she did so.

Mentioned in her book is information about a foundation Sherri has created to help others whose family members have also been victims of terrorism. Her reaching out to others in this way is a beautiful tribute to Koby.

Sherri speaks about Elijah, a crystal, a falling star, birds, and an especially noisy cricket. She feels, as I do, a spiritual pull in such things and believes with all her heart that there is a reason for them. I love how Sherri expresses the idea that the human soul is a mere part of a greater entity and that we are all connected in some way with our environment. I was throughly moved by this exquisite book and highly recommend it to others.
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1 vote
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SqueakyChu | 2 other reviews | Sep 17, 2008 |
"Koby Mandell was just thirteen-years-old on May 8th 2001, when he and his
friend cut school to go hiking. Their bodies were found the next day. The boys
had been brutally stoned to death in a cave in the heart of the Judean desert.
The extreme cruelty of this act of terror shocked the world. How does a family
cope with the loss of a child through such horror?
Koby's mother Sherri has penned this absorbing, deeply painful and yet
strangely beautiful account of her loss sharing her thoughts and emotions as
she moves through the first stages of mourning. Struggling to find a way to
carry on, she embarks on a journey of discovery and growing faith as she
endeavors to understand her pain in the context of 3,000 years of Jewish
history and tradition."--jacket
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collectionmcc | 2 other reviews | Mar 6, 2018 |

Awards

Statistics

Works
7
Members
88
Popularity
#209,356
Rating
3.9
Reviews
5
ISBNs
19

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