Stephanie Silberstein's Fiction Showcase

Photo Credit: Carly Lesser & Art Draugulis

Every Shabbat, thousands of Jewish women light candles and welcome in peace. But how do you thank G-d* for all your blessings when your heart is broken?

Meira was in love with Jonathan, but she felt a strong need to explore her attraction to women. When she tried to explain her need for both him and a woman in her life, Jonathan broke up with her. Now over the course of four Shabbats, Meira must find a way to rid herself of the longing for the relationship she used to have so that she can move forward with her life.

* Religious Jews do not spell out names referring to their deity.

When you were a teenager, were dating and other social relationships so confusing that you couldn't think about life beyond high school? Imagine how it would feel to experience that social pressure on top of being a gay kid in a small town who has hidden who he is all his life.

Seventeen-year-old Arthur is already an outsider without revealing to the world that he is gay. His social life consists of his best friend, Emily, who is in love with him and doesn't care that he is gay. Emily is asexual and wants to be emotionally close to him.

When Mitch moves in next door, Arthur quickly develops a crush on him. Mitch also has a secret: his mom kicked him out because he is bisexual and his dad is always drunk. After a spontaneous kiss in Arthur's kitchen, the boys decide to date, but Mitch is afraid of making their relationship public.

Will the boys' relationship survive bullying, adult disapproval, and the different paths they each plan to take after high school? Shades of Gay explores the extra pressure homophobia places on teenagers as they struggle to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Anyone who is or has ever been a lonely, different teenager, especially those who are not heterosexual, will relate strongly to Arthur's experiences.

Photo Credit: Hadassah D Gavi Chayim

Most children can't wait for Christmas. They get to help decorate the tree, hang up their stockings and stay up all night waiting for Santa. But what about the children who Santa doesn't visit because their families don't celebrate Christmas?

Six-year-old Emily Horowitz is one such child. On the first night of Chanukah, she comes home to a family thrown into disarray by a doctor's diagnosis that her younger brother, Alex, is autistic. Even worse than no Chanukah celebration is the note her teacher sent home complaining that Emily refused to sing Christmas carols. During the next eight days, Emily faces anti-Semitism and an unsympathetic school principal on her own while her mother focuses on finding a doctor that will undo Alex's diagnosis.