Courage has been defined as "grace under pressure", and in that sense, it`s a rare commodity indeed.   This kind of courage isn’t the same thing as charging into a smoking building, or running after the guy who grabbed your handbag.  The kind of courage this book speaks of is something that’s done all day, every day, without stopping.  For these young people, courage isn`t a one-time act of heroism. It`s a daily condition of being, of existing, in the place and time they do.

Many of these young authors have lived in the midst of savage terrorism
their entire lives.  Most have endured the brutal murder of someone they loved - a parent, sibling, best friend, teacher, neighbor.

How do they react?  With both courage and hope, but also with love - love of Hashem, of Israel, of our country, of our Jewish traditions, of each other.

"Courage and Hope", indeed. No one on the face of the earth is better qualified to tell us about courage and hope than these young people, who demonstrate copious amounts of it, every day of their lives. There is much to learn from this marvelous book.

Yocheved Miriam Russo

Freelance writer, author of upcoming book, "The Backyard Fence Aliyah Advisor"         JochevedMiriam@msn.com