Robert Dresner releases contemporary novel SH'MA: Listen

Robert Dresner has released SH'MA: Listen, a contemporary novel centered on a fictional Middle East crisis that pushes Israel, its neighbors and a nuclear threat toward the brink. The book explores faith, survival and sacrifice through characters including an elderly rabbi and a Holocaust survivor.

Why it matters: - SH'MA: Listen uses a fictional crisis to examine how faith, retaliation and sacrifice shape decisions when survival is at stake. - The novel centers on questions about what people owe one another during extreme conflict, a theme that gives the book a religious and political edge.

What happened: - Robert Dresner announced the release of SH'MA: Listen, a contemporary novel. - The book is set during peace negotiations in a fictional Middle East crisis involving Israel and neighboring states. - An extremist organization smuggles a nuclear weapon into the Jordan Valley and threatens Israel’s existence. - Israel responds by threatening nuclear retaliation, turning the situation into an international emergency.

The details: - The story follows characters from different backgrounds as they confront questions of faith, survival, responsibility and sacrifice. - An elderly rabbi is a central figure in the novel. - Rifka Kleinsfeld, a Holocaust survivor, also plays a major role as the fictional crisis intensifies. - The novel includes a rabbinic reflection on humility, love of enemy and faith in God. - Rifka offers her own prayer from her Jerusalem apartment overlooking the Dome of the Rock: “Pass over mine, dear God, and give it to them.” - The book frames its conflict around the consequences of human choices under extreme duress. - Dresner directs readers to more information on the book and author. - Dresner is identified with Virga Press, LLC. - The release also includes Dresner’s social media profiles on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Between the lines: - The novel appears designed to provoke reflection on moral responsibility in wartime rather than to simply deliver a thriller plot. - By pairing a nuclear crisis with religious language and Holocaust memory, the book pushes the story into questions of collective trauma and ethical choice.

What's next: - Readers can learn more about the book through Dresner’s website and social channels. - The release does not include a publication schedule beyond the announcement itself.

The bottom line: - SH'MA: Listen is a crisis-driven novel that uses a high-stakes geopolitical scenario to test the limits of faith, conscience and sacrifice.