Naomi Ragen

Sotah has been reissued.

Sotah introduces a family with three daughters approaching the age of marriage: Devorah, Dina and Chaya Leah. In the strict orthodoxy of their world, a sotah is a wife suspected of infidelity who can be tried by ordeal to prove she is guiltless. Which sister could be capable of such a thought, let alone the act? Into the pious world of strict chaperoning, modest clothing, where a married woman's hair must never be seen by a man other than her husband -insinuates this serpent suggestion of evil. Ragen's powerful tale of three sisters spins endless questions: Which one? Could she? Did she? What changes could come into this orderly world because of unthinking actions?

The Israeli translation of Sotah was on the Israeli best-seller list for 91 weeks!

READERS WRITE:

In his best-selling book The Chosen, Chaim Potok parted the veil in the richly textured life of the Hassidic Jews - the scholars, the rebbes, the patriarchy. And now Naomi Ragen has woven a tapestry about the women of the "haredi' (literally, 'those who shake with fear of God') world or Jerusalem's Meah Shearim quarter.

This is a book that kept my reading light burning far into the night. I came to know the sanctity of the Sabbath, the cleansing effect of the mikvah, the injunction to love : family, home and faith…Writer Naomi Ragen has opened a door on the loving sisters, wives and mothers who, also, are the chosen.

(Reviewed by Karen Boren, Deseret News, Utah, U.S.A. ,October 18, 1992)

"My only complaint is that Ms. Ragen doesn't write often enough!"

Naomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and playwright who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She has published seven internationally best-selling novels, and is the author of a hit play. Naomi also publishes a regular column that deals with Jewish subjects, especially Israel, to which you can subscribe by clicking here.

נעמי רגן היא סופרת ומחזאית ירושלמית שעלתה לארץ מארה"ב בשנת 1971. עד כה, כתבה נעמי 7 ספרים רבי-מכר באנגלית (שתורגמו כולם לעברית) ומחזה אחד שהוצג בארץ (מעל ל450- הצגות בתיאטרון הבימה), בארה"ב ובארגנטינה. נעמי מפרסמת מאמרים (באנגלית) לרשימת התפוצה שלה. כדי להצטרף לרשימה, הקלק פה

Time to Extend Israeli Law to Meah Shearim (17 July 2009) - The time has come to read these pious thugs the riot act.

Who Really Cares About Our Soldiers? (19 July 2008) - Releasing a child murderer who vows to kill again was not "a mistake worth making."

Infamy (16 July 2008) - On this day I am deeply ashamed to be an Israeli.

Turning Plowshares into Swords (3 July 2008) - Islamic terrorism turns morality on its head while the mainstream media applaud.

A Modest Proposal (12 June 2008) - Why not just invalidate the rabbis who invalidated the converts?

The Big Six-O (22 May 2008) - Thoughts about Israel's 60^th and 120^th anniversaries.

Spinning for Obama (15 March 2008) - Marissa Brostoff of the Forward shows how badly some people want to be sprinkled with idiot dust.

Salah Choudhury on Trial For His Life (13 March 2008) - His crime is that he didn't try to kill any Jews. In Bangladesh, this is punishable by death.

Stupidity and Evil (9 March 2008) - Another jihadi animal becomes a "hero" by murdering children.

I Am Not Sitting in the Back of the Bus (published in the Jewish Chronicle on 23 Feb 2007) - Why, together with other women, I filed suit to put an end to the primitive and degrading gender-segregated bus lines now popping up all over Israel.

Click here to read Naomi's original article about how she was attacked by a religious fanatic because she refused to move to the back (the "women's section") of a Jerusalem bus. See also the articles in Times of London, Jerusalem Post, Newsday, NPR, YNet, Asia News, Express India and the Toronto Globe and Mail about the court battle to end gender segregation on Israel's buses.

To read all of Naomi's articles, click here.

LECTURES

Naomi has been a sought-after lecturer all over the world, speaking to enthusiastic audiences from the United States and Canada to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand about her books, her passion for Israel’s well-being, and the feminist and human rights issues to which she has made a tireless commitment. Click here for Naomi's biography.

If your group is interested in hosting Naomi, please contact The Harry Walker Agency.

THEATRE

Naomi's hit play, Minyan Nashim (Women's Minyan), which recently closed a five year run at Israel's National Theatre (Habima) with over 450 sold-out performances, has been published in book form.

The Spanish-language production of Minyan Nashim in Buenos Aires has just won a prestigious award.

BOOKS

All of Naomi's books can be ordered from Amazon.com.
Learn more about Naomi's books by clicking here or by clicking on one of the book covers above.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Here are some miscellaneous items which don't really fit in anywhere else.

OTHER SITES

Jihad Watch
Internet Haganah