arnon z. shorr

On a 16th-century pirate ship, a Jewish stowaway who fled the Inquisition wants to become a pirate to fight the Spanish. The captain must decide whether to make him a pirate... or make him walk the plank.

In one of the most hostile lands on the planet, an ancient people called the Israelites forged an army and carved out an empire. Their ancient military exploits are described in one of history's most famous religious texts; the old testament of the Bible. But by reading between the religious lines, ancient military historians unlock the soldier's secrets of the bible by examining the weapons, the strategies; and the commanders, some of whom are unlikely warriors, like Abraham, Moses, and Deborah.

Writer Phil Jacobs of the Jewish Times, an orthodox Jew himself, must go against his own community's wishes as he uncovers and reports on a web of sexual abuse involving a well-liked orthodox rabbi, and his son, in the Baltimore Orthodox community.