When Worlds Collide

Rabbi Yaakov Feld is on a mission to meet with representatives of Darchei Chalom, a kiruv organization operating in France's small cities and towns, but glimpsing the ocean from his car window, realizes that he must have taken a wrong turn. Just then, he notices the figure of a tall, thin youth sprinting toward him. He brakes, sticks his head out the window and calls, "Pardon! Can you help me out?" What begins as a chance encounter between a kiruv rabbi and a troubled youth unfolds into a dramatic, poignant tale of friendship, inspiration, and spiritual growth. Yaakov & Elisheva Feld move from Yerushalayim to Marseilles with the dream of teaching Torah and igniting the souls of their brothers and sisters with the light of Yiddishkeit. Can their lofty ideals overcome the challenging and completely foreign reality? Braving anti-Semitism and his parents' strong resistance, young Jeremy Strauss is inspired to return to his faith, but how will his father react when he learns the truth? Simone Strauss had it all: wealth, high society, a picture-perfect family. But when her only son is victimized for the faith she left behind, a question pierces her heart: what does quality of life mean? Sarah Kisner draws readers into a stunning tapestry of thought-provoking drama that melds past and present, fact and fiction, intelligence and emotion, and leaves them contemplating its messages long after they finish the last page of the book.