Unbroken, by Gila Ross: Book of the Month, Elul 5786

Our final Book of the Month selection for 5786 is Unbroken, by life strategist Gila Ross. Published earlier this year by Mosaica, it's not a long book -- a speedy reader can devour it in a single sitting -- but it's one that has some positive and constructive advice for anyone facing a personal struggle right now and who is wondering how best to get to grips with it.

Gila Ross, who is married to Rabbi Samuel Ross and the mother of eight children, may be known to some of our members as the author of a rather longer book based on Pirkei Avot, Living Beautifully, has produced a very different work this time round. At its core lies a collection of interviews with people who have had to cope with challenges. Some are counselors whose task has been to assist and support those who are confronted by difficulties and hardships; others are the people who have been challenged. 

One of the personalities featured in this book is Beatie Deutsch, the remarkable Israeli Olympian marathon runner. In her interview Beatie speaks of how she combines her faith with her career and how she has to handle injury. She comments that "faith, or emunah, is a muscle that needs to be worked on and developed, just like any other muscle", adding: "Every situation we go through is tailored for us to work on building that faith". There's a very special connection between Beatie and Beit Knesset Hanassi, by the way: her parents, Doug and Vivian Rabin, are members of our shul.