This is a love story set in the volatile context of the founding of the State of Israel, and the concomitant rise of the Palestinian longing for a homeland. Horowitz brilliantly finds the common humanity of both Arabs and Jews. Her novel is of epic proportions, spanning many decades and three generations. From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.
 - Rabbi Brice Warshal, Publisher Emeritus, Florida Jewish Journal.

        If you crave a stirring and not easily forgotten read, consider this historical novel "Jaffa Beach" about life in Palestine before Statehood. You will find yourself steeped in the stringent rigidity of Hassidic fanaticism in a family bound by poverty. In the Arab world, you will be introduced to a well to do life style, though adherent to the strictures of Islamic theocracy. Into this dichotomy, a tender and suppressed love story emerges.
  - Antonia Phillips Rabb, Author, "One Last Child"

        Jaffa Beach, a story of clashing cultures, deeply held secrets, and one young woman's journey, will touch your heart. Reader's emotions soar from the pinnacle of exaltation with Shifra's happiness with Musa to the abyss of despair when all she holds dear in both worlds starts to slip away. She must make a life altering decision.
        Fedora Horowitz, through the eyes of a Jewish girl, takes us into a world seldom seen by both sides of the Jewish/Arab conflict.
 - Howard Gleichenhaus, Author, "Whisper in the Pines".
 

22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

 Judge’s Commentary (2014)

The story is provocative and intriguing, particularly in light of recent events in the region. I enjoy the fine details in your descriptions (e.g., "pearls of perspiration on her forehead," p. 71). Your knowledge of the intricate social/cultural web of Israel really comes through in the writing, and your story makes good use of the many conflicts to produce some heart-rending personal dilemmas. The scope of the story is captivating. Love the insertion of Yiddish into the dialogues. Your dialogues are superbly naturalistic and free-flowing. Your descriptions of settings are particularly vivid. I can really picture myself there.

 

                                                          You've written an excellent book!

                                                                        Congratulations!

 

Excerpts from “The Pen Woman,” Spring 2015, p. 16

National League of American Pen Women, Inc., Washington, D.C.

Reviewed by Jody Glittenberg Hinrichs, Denver Branch, CO

Horowitz has written a classic historical novel with the verve and tension of a great author.
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This novel should be read by anyone interested in cultural conflicts and in the human
   tragedy of war.  Its descriptions of pain and sorrow are visceral and memorable.
Fedora Horowitz should receive awards for this remarkable novel.