Jordan and the Dreadful Golem

• The book takes place in modern-day Israel and contains many Hebrew words.
• Jordan’s family celebrates Jewish holidays like Sukkot and Yom Kippur.
• Children of the village are trained in mystical Kabbalah from an early age.
• Kehilla (community) is emphasized as the Kfar Keshet kids work together to make their town safe.

• Jordan makes some mistakes, but he’s a team player and shows maturity, courage, and self-sacrifice in the plot to destroy the golem (a creature from Jewish folklore, created by magic to serve its owner).
• Miss Sarah is the resident wise woman and founder of Kfar Keshet. She helps each child in her village become the best they can be.

Some children may find certain scenes in the book to be somewhat scary. These include references to a terrorist bus attack, a boy who almost drowns falling into a dam, and depictions of the villain creating a golem.

• This book revolves around the discovery of hidden powers and talents. Discuss with your family what they think their special gifts are. If you could have any super power you wanted, what would you choose?
• A group of children were able to defeat the evil Lavan by working together. Discuss the effectiveness of teamwork and how we each belong to a number of teams: family, a group of friends, or a sports team. When is it good to work with others? When is it good to work alone?

Kabbalah is the Jewish mystical tradition that has developed over centuries to address basic questions of God’s existence and the hidden and esoteric power of Torah and mitzvot (Jewish laws). Throughout Jewish history, the study of Kabbalah was reserved for the most learned and was often seen as controversial. Today, the definition of Kabbalah has expanded and is sometimes associated with “new age” and the occult.