Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, has published his sixth book. 

…And Often the First Jew chronicles the accomplishments, adventures, and “firsts” in Germany for Fuchs and his wife Vickie, who are both children of Holocaust survivors. According to Mazo Publishers, who released the book, it appeals “to Jews and Christians alike, as well as anyone who is inspired to improve interfaith relations and foster mutual respect and understanding.”

“To be ‘the first’ is both a privilege and a burden,” says Fuchs. “I am
ever mindful the impression those to whom I speak will have of Jews and Judaism depends on what I say and the way I say it.”

Rabbi Fuchs is also the author of What’s in it for Me? Finding Ourselves in Biblical Narratives, Why the Kof? Getting the Best of Rabbi Fuchs, ToraHighlights, Why Triple Chai, Who Created God? and more than 100 articles.

A former president of the World Union of Progressive Judaism, in 2017, he was a recipient of Vanderbilt Divinity School’s prestigious Alumnus of the Year Award. Most recently, he assumed the pulpit at Bat Yam Temple of the Islands in Sanibel, Florida in the autumn of 2017. 

For more information, visit Rabbi Fuchs’ website at www.rabbifuchs.com.