"A fast-paced picture book that combines the drama foreshadowing the American Revolution, the heroic Maccabee fight for freedom, and Sephardic Hanukkah customs" --Association of Jewish Libraries

"An engag ing sto ry about a Jew ish Amer i can past" --Jewish Book Council

" A delightful book about friendship, the Revolutionary war, Jewish history, and of course, recipes" --The Chocolate Professor

Joshua Mendes misses his best friend Isaac, who has moved to Boston. Joshua's Papa is importing chocolate beans to the American Colonies, showing cafe owners how to make hot chocolate now that the tea tax has made tea too expensive to drink. When Papa travels to Boston, Joshua joins him. Together, they help Isaac's family open a chocolate house, while the people of Boston demonstrate against British tea taxation.

Set against the backdrop of Hanukkah and the American fight for independence, this is a story of friendship, freedom, and a love of chocolate. End notes provide background about the Boston Tea Party, a brief explanation of the holiday of Hanukkah, and a description of America's first Jews, predominantly settlers from Spain and Portugal who came to escape religious persecution and to find religious freedom and economic opportunity. Includes recipes for Colonial-style hot chocolate and bunuelos.

About the Author
Tami Lehman-Wilzig is an award-winning author of 13 Jewish content picture books, including Hanukkah around the World, Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles, and Green Bible Stories for Children. She served as one of Israel's leading English language advertising copywriters for thirty-five years, creating the marketing image of numerous Israeli exporters. She lives in Kfar Saba, Israel. Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz authored the pioneering bestseller On the Chocolate Trail. That book provided the foundation for the museum exhibit, "Semite Sweet: On Jews and Chocolate" at the Bernard Museum, NYC. Her forthcoming book about Jewish celebratory breads will be released in 2023 (Behrman House). Rabbi Prinz has held leadership positions in the national Jewish community and was a congregational rabbi for three decades. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

"A fast-paced picture book that combines the drama foreshadowing the American Revolution, the heroic Maccabee fight for freedom, and Sephardic Hanukkah customs . . . Readers can enjoy this lively historical vignette while feeling proud to see Jews at the founding of our nation." --Ellen G. Cole for the Association of Jewish Libraries

" . . . Combines years of research with the kind of imagination that will have children reading this book over and over. . . .There's even a surprise piece of trivia, showing the kind of cups President George and Martha Washington used for drinking chocolate." b>--Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Jewish World

"Lehman-Wilzig and Prinz set their story during Hanukkah 1773 in the American colonies, centering Sephardic New England Jews. Protagonist Joshua's friend Isaac and his family have meager resources to celebrate Januca (the Spanish name for Hanukkah), but innovation from Joshua, and chocolate (an alternative to tea!) imported by Joshua's father and his crew, provide help. The Boston Tea Party actually took place on the last night of Hanukah; the (somewhat lengthy) text draws connections between the colonists' "fight for freedom" and the Maccabees'. The muted palette of Combi's digital-looking illustrations lends a historic feel. Back matter provides more information about Hanukkah, the Boston Tea Party, and early American Sephardic Jews--and, of course, recipes. --Shoshana Flax, Horn Book

"Brings history to life and illuminates Jewish culture in colonial times. It's wonderful to read how Hanukkah was celebrated in Newport during the 1700's. It made me feel right at home!" --Rabbi Marc Mandel, historic Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island

"The Boston Chocolate Party is a child's tale of ingenuity, resilience, and friendship, and embeds these values in an early American history too little known by our children. This book combines whimsy with history in a delicious mix that goes perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate, and a young person's capacity to imagine the past." --William Cutter, Prof. emeritus of Literature, Education, and Human Relations, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

Any one look ing for a new Hanukkah-themed children's book might take inter est in a lit tle-known fact in Amer i can his to ry: the famous Boston Tea Par ty of 1773 took place on the last night of the Jew ish free dom fes ti val. Fic tion al iz ing the coin ci dence, Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Rab bi Deb o rah R. Prinz, and Fede Com bi invite read ers to imag ine a con nec tion between the Mac cabees' rebel lion and the hero ic upris ing of Amer i can colonists against Great Britain. Indeed, The Boston Choco late Par ty fol lows Sephardic Jews as they seek free dom and pros per i ty in their new home. When unfair British tax a tion poli cies gal va nize patri ots to protest, the lives of Jews and their neigh bors inter sect in a sur pris ing way.

At the begin ning of the book, Joshua Mendes and his father are wait ing for a ship to dock in New port har bor. This impres sive ves sel is bring ing a car go of choco late beans for ship ment to Boston, where res i dents will use them to make a sub sti tute bev er age for polit i cal ly con tro ver sial tea. But here at home in New port, the Sephardic com mu ni ty is already pre pared to con vert the beans into a deli cious drink, and to serve it on the fes ti val of Januca (Hanukkah). A cozy scene of cel e bra tion fea tures the fam i ly enjoy ing hot choco late, the fried dough pas try bunue los, and the glow of the chanukiyah placed in the win dow. A por trait of the Ram bam (Mai monides) hangs in a place of hon or over the fire place. The pic ture offers pas sage into dis cus sion about dif fer ent cul tures with in the Jew ish world.

When Joshua final ly con vinces his par ents to allow a vis it to his friend Isaac in Boston, the two sto ries of coura geous upris ing, Jew ish and Amer i can, cross paths. Isaac's fam i ly, like that of many oth ers in the colonies, is strug gling. His wid owed moth er can bare ly put food on the table, let alone pro vide the extra del i ca cies expect ed for the hol i day. Per son al ini tia tive and com mu nal aid mat ter equal ly when Isaac's moth er, with the help of her friends, opens a small busi ness ready to serve choco late to eager Bosto ni ans. The food becomes both a means to eco nom ic bet ter ment and an act of patriotism.As Joshua and Isaac look through the win dow, they sud den ly become wit ness es to a dra mat ic turn ing point in the colonies, with Isaac not ing that the demon stra tors out side "look angry." He com ments that the "tea par ty" tak ing place does not look like a par ty at all - although the authors point out in their after word that the title of "Boston Tea Par ty" was not used at the time the protest took place. Giv en that this is a book for young chil dren, the authors choose to make the con nec tion explicit.

Just like any cel e bra tion of Hanukkah/ Januca, there are many ingre di ents con tribut ing to this appeal ing new book. Jew ish mul ti cul tur al ism, com mu ni ty sup port in the face of adver si ty, and a thirst for free dom all add up to an engag ing sto ry about a Jew ish Amer i can past. --Emily Schneider, Jewish Book Council

Book Information
ISBN 9781681155760
Author Tami Lehman-Wilzig
Format Hardback
Page Count 32
Imprint Behrman House Inc.,U.S.
Publisher Behrman House Inc.,U.S.