The bible gives the impression that all ancient Jews shared a common belief system with only an occasional group straying from the fold. The evidence paints a different picture. As Dr Patai states, "it would be strange if the Hebrew-Jewish religion, which flourished for centuries in a region of intensive goddess cults, had remained immune to them." Archeologists have uncovered Hebrew settlements where the goddesses Asherah & Astarte-Anath were routinely worshipped. In fact, we find that for about 3000 years, the Hebrews worshipped female deities which were later eradicated only by extreme pressure of a male priesthood. Then there's the matter of the Cherubim that sat atop the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Fashioned by Phoenician craftsmen for Solomon & Ahab, an ivory tablet shows two winged females facing each other. One tablet shows male & female Cherubim embracing in an explicitly sexual position that embarrassed later Jewish historians. Even pagans were shocked when they saw it for the 1st time. This cult of the feminine goddess, tho often repressed, remained a part of the faith of the Jewish people. Goddesses answered the need for mother, lover, queen, intercessor & even today, lingers cryptically in the traditional Hebrew Sabbath invocation.--Utnapishtim (edited) Acknowledgments Introduction The Goddess Asherah Astarte-Anath The Cherubim The Shekhina The Kabbalistic Tetrad Matronit-The Goddess of the Kabbala Lilith The Sabbath-Virgin, Bride, Queen & Goddess Conclusion Appendix: The Goddess in the Dura Synagogue Notes Bibliography Index

Evelyn Sert journeys to Tel Aviv, where Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany are determined to forge a modern consciousness in the heart of the Middle East. Her story weaves together national identity, terrorism, love and the art of hairdressing.

"The year is 1895, Jaffa. Salah Rajani, a troubled Muslim boy living in a dilapidated mansion surrounded by orange groves, suffers from peculiar visions about a disaster which is set to befall his people. His life is changed by the arrival of a handsome young man, a dynamic Jewish settler, new to the city, by the name of Isaac Luminsky. Luminsky covets both the fertile lands of the Rajani estate and Salah's beautiful mother Afifa, and his friendship with the boy is destined to lead to violence and tragedy." "This rich and colourful novel is made up of the two opposing journals of Hilu's intriguing and extraordinary protagonists as they negotiate love, honour and betrayal in the changing world of nineteenth-century Palestine." --Book Jacket.

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