Adele is read as a rollercoaster ride. Station chases station, event follows event, and before the readers’ eyes unfold the events, characters and forces that have altered the face of Judaism beyond recognition. It is the story of the Baal Shem-Tov, the founder of Hassidic Judaism, told through the eyes of his daughter, Adele, whose personality is as captivating and thrilling as her father’s. For the first time, we understand how the Baal Shem-Tov developed his Hassidic doctrine, step by step, from the ups and downs he experienced throughout his life, and how he created a revolution of individualism that predated its time, determining that redemption will come when people approach their own soul. Adele is Brandes’ most important and courageous novel, but also her most readable. A delighting novel by an author who knows how to tell a story.

2018 | 525 pp. | Hebrew & Russian translation available | Rights Sold: Hebrew

“What I decided to take away from Yochi Brandes’s Adele is joy. If I try to distill the essence of this book, then the conclusion is to bring as much joy as possible, and in every way possible, into our lives. And to keep hold of it.” – Ronely Yeshurun, Saloona, website

“In Adele, Yochi Brandes fuses an in-depth study of Jewish scriptures and academic writing on man, time and space with literary liberty and the invention of fictional characters, events and dialogues. All of this she does out of great respect for her characters, while still leaving room to criticize them, and without hesitating to attribute actions to them which are not in keeping with the desired and permitted religious act in this day and age, and perhaps also in their time Adele is a book that is read in fluently, quickly and pleasantly. Any reader who is familiar with Talmudic and theoretical literature cannot help but be impressed by the sheer breadth of knowledge invested in this book.” – Aviad Houminer-Rosenblum, Makor Rishon, newspaper

Yochi Brandes was born in Israel to a family of Hassidic rabbis. With degrees in both biblical and Judaic studies, she has been a prominent and sought-after lecturer on the Bible and on Jewish cultural topics for many years. She was awarded the Israel Book Publishers Association’s Platinum Prize for all eight of her novels. 
Yochi Brandes has sold over 1 million books in Israel’s small market.