The Tonight Show, the forests of Vermont, and a tiny Polish village are among the settings for these 32 true stories by Rabbi Bob Alper. This is his latest collection, following an earlier book of stories that a Detroit Free Press reviewer called "a volume of spiritual gems." In his new "Thanks. I Needed That," Bob guides the reader to places as diverse as synagogues in Kentucky and London, a small plane flying over Oklahoma, a refusenik's Moscow apartment, comedy clubs, Vermont towns and forests, and even a convention of rabbis. Readers meet a stained-glass artist whose granddaughter is Drew...

This simple, introductory guide answers 100 of the basic questions non-Jews ask in everyday conversation. It has answers about Judaism and Jewish culture, customs, identity, language, stereotypes, politics, education, work, families and food. This guide is meant as a quick, introduction for non-Jews in business, schools, congregations, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources who need a starting point in learning about Jewish neighbors and co-workers. It can lead to deeper conversations.