"The Virtual Kibbutz" selected finalist for major book award

"The Virtual Kibbutz" - a collection of short stories by Israel Insider Editor in Chief Ellis Shuman - has been selected as a finalist in the Fiction - Short Stories category of the ForeWord Magazine 2003 Book of the Year Awards.

Tel Aviv, Israel (PRWEB) April 15, 2004

"The Virtual Kibbutz" - a collection of short stories about the changing society of Israel's unique community by Israel Insider Editor in Chief Ellis Shuman - has been selected as a finalist in the Fiction - Short Stories category of the ForeWord Magazine 2003 Book of the Year Awards (honoring excellence in independent publishing). Winners will be announced at BookExpo America in Chicago at the beginning of June.

"The message of 'The Virtual Kibbutz' - the changing society of the kibbutz - is more relevant today than ever before," said author Ellis Shuman. "Last month, the Israeli government passed a decision that allows kibbutz members to legally register their homes in their own names. In November, the Kibbutz Movement issued a new definition of what constitutes a kibbutz. And just recently, the members of Kibbutz Ayelet Hashachar voted overwhelmingly to transform their community into a moshav. These issues and more are part of the background of the stories found in 'The Virtual Kibbutz.'"

Nearly 120,000 Israelis make their home on a kibbutz - Israel's unique collective society. The kibbutz, a 94-year-old social experiment that has resulted in nearly 260 communities dotting the Israeli landscape, is based on common ownership of the means of production and consumption, with each member having an equal vote. But life on the kibbutz is changing - rules are being bent and principles and values are no longer regarded as sacred.

In the stories of "The Virtual Kibbutz", the author introduces the reader to kibbutz residents challenged with adapting to new realities. Along the way, the reader finds out how kibbutzniks face up to the violence of the Intifada, cope with the Internet, and struggle to have more control over their daily lives.

"The Virtual Kibbutz" was published by iUniverse in April 2003. The Seattle Jewish Transcript described the book as "good stories that shouldn't be passed up." The book "is a lively collection of readable, imaginative short stories," said the Akron Jewish News in a recent review.

"The Virtual Kibbutz" is available online at Amazon, Barnes&Noble and other fine book stores.

Author Information: Ellis Shuman, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, immigrated to Israel in 1972, served in the IDF and was a founding member of Kibbutz Yahel in the Arava Valley, sixty kilometers north of Eilat. He is now Editor in Chief of the online daily newsmagazine Israel Insider (http://www.israelinsider.com). Ellis lives with his wife and three children on Moshav Neve Ilan.

ForeWord Magazine: ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award was established six years ago to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. A jury of librarians, booksellers, and reviewers are selected to judge the categories for entry. They select winners and finalists based on editorial excellence and professional production as well as the originality of the narrative and the value the book adds to its genre.

Book Title: The Virtual Kibbutz

Author: Ellis Shuman

Publisher: iUniverse April 2003

ISBN: 0-595-27355-6 220 pages

Book Price: paperback $15.95

Contact: editor@israelinsider.com