Calumet Editions

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The Shady Elders of Zion

Author:

…a hilarious ghost story

The Shady Elders of Zion is a Minnesota ghost story narrated by Ivan Kalinsky, the last Bolshevik of 1917. After fleeing Stalin’s anti-Jewish purges to become a northern Minnesota union organizer, Kalinsky dies—only to be blackmailed by two Hassidic ghosts into mentoring Joshua Bronstein, a damaged soul who may be one of the Lamed Vav, the thirty-six hidden righteous men from whom the Messiah will be chosen. Kalinsky must lead him home.

very funny and with a plot I never could have dreamed up

—Scott on Amazon

Description

The Shady Elders of Zion is a Minnesota ghost story. Ivan Kalinsky, the book’s narrator, is the last surviving Bolshevik from the class of 1917. When Stalin started purging Jews from the Communist Party ranks in the 1930’s, Kalinsky escaped to northern Minnesota, where he lived out a long life as a union organizer. Now dead, he’s just about to happily ascend to heaven and reunite with his Bolshevik clan, when two pesky Hassidic ghosts, Singer and Himmelman, blackmail him into helping heal and redirect Joshua Bronstein. Bronstein is a damaged soul, and a candidate for the Lamed Vav, one of the thirty-six hidden righteous men from whom the Messiah will be chosen when God decides it’s time. And it becomes Kalinsky’s charge to lead stubborn Bronstein out of his wilderness.

Product Details

PublishedJanuary 2, 2023
ImprintCalumet Editions
LanguageEnglish
Print length224
ISBN-139781960250162
Dimensions6 x 0.51 x 9 inches

This story of Jewish ghosts conspiring to heal and redirect a stubborn man who is a candidate to be chosen as the messiah is outrageous, wildly creative, and very funny. I haven’t had such a good time reading in a very long time.

—BEC on Amazon

The author has a great sense of humor and style. This book is a keeper and has a permanent home in my library.

—A.M. Jacobs on Amazon

I must admit I bought this book based on the cover, thinking it was a ghost story. And it is, kinda. Just not the kind of ghost story I thought it would be. This one is very funny and has a plot I never could have dreamed up. 

—Scott on Amazon

As a Jew, I found this ghost story absolutely hilarious. But you don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the creative storyline, delightful characters, and wonderful surprises in this novel. The level of my delight was wholly unexpected.

—Marc Kramer on Amazon