Author Robert Dresner announces the release of contemporary novel SH’MA: Listen

How many must die to save the faith? How many must live to justify the sacrifice?

BOULDER, CO, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — SH’MA: Listen

SH’MA is a novel by Robert Dresner that explores a hypothetical Middle East crisis involving Israel and its neighboring states.
The story begins during negotiations for a peace agreement. The crisis escalates when an extremist organization smuggles a nuclear weapon into the Jordan Valley and threatens the existence of Israel.
Israel responds by threatening nuclear retaliation, creating an international emergency.
Against this backdrop, SH’MA explores the history behind the conflict; it also presents characters from different backgrounds confronting their faith, their ability to survive, their responsibilities, and sacrifices. Central to the story are an elderly rabbi and Rifka Kleinsfeld, a Holocaust survivor whose experiences and decisions become increasingly important as this speculative crisis develops.
“To ask something of your enemy, to come with all humility, and to love him who cannot love you is to love God.” The Old rabbi said, when confronted with the possibility of a catastrophic event. “To have this faith in your fellow man is to have faith in God, who knows that the survival of all our peoples is more important than righteous death.”
Rifka, looking from her Jerusalem apartment toward the Dome of the Rock, offers a different expression of sacrifice when she prays:
“Pass over mine, dear God, and give it to them.”
Through these characters and events, SH’MA examines the consequences of our actions under extreme duress.

For more info on the book and myself, please visit: robertdresner.com

Robert Dresner
Virga Press, LLC
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