Joseph, a student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. One day, a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a adventure to truth of how the two sides of his family came together. For generations, the men of the al-Raqb family were the watchmen of the storied Ibn Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo.The synagogue was built at the site where the infant Moses was taken from the Nile. He learns of his ancestor Ali, a Muslim orphan who nearly a thousand years earlier was entrusted as the first watchman of the synagogue and became enchanted by its legendary-perhaps magical-Ezra Scroll. The story of Joseph’s family is interwove with the story of the British twin sisters Agnes and Margaret, who in 1897 depart their life in Cambridge on a mission to rescue sacred texts that have begun to disappear from the synagogue.

The author, Mr. Rohr was the "2019 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for fiction" of the Jewish Book Council. It is our hope that you will take a moment to read this lovely book and join us for a lively discussion.

Book Club leaders are volunteers and book suggestions are welcome. Don't forget to register. If you would like to reserve a kosher boxed lunch, call the synagogue office or email loopadmn@chiloopsyn.org two days prior to place your order. Lunch is available for $15.00 per meeting.