Ran Weber: "I Wanted to Create an International Spy Novel Filled with Holiness"

Yoav Sharaf is a Mossad agent trying to build a new, calm, and peaceful life as the owner of a toy store. Binyamin is a man who returned to faith, arriving in the United States after his wife was murdered by terrorists. The 'End-Time Calculators' are an apocalyptic group active in the United States trying to establish a new world order...

What connects Yoav, Binyamin, and the mysterious group? Well, they all star in Ran Weber's new book 'End-Time Calculators', which is currently raising funds for its production through Headstart.

Ran, this is the first time you're publishing a thriller. What gave you the idea for the book?

"The idea for the book came to me six years ago. Two characters came to life: Yoav, a Mossad agent disenchanted with life, and Binyamin who returned to faith. I was intrigued by the dialogue between them, and that was the seed for the story. It's a thriller about international espionage but also includes deep messages from Judaism through the relationship between Yoav and Binyamin and the upheavals Yoav undergoes because of it".

Incidentally, Yoav, reveals Ran Weber, does not return to faith by the end of the book. "I leave it open. It's not entirely clear what he is going to do with himself next. I didn't want it to be something preachy and cliché, so I didn't bring him back to faith in the classical sense. But he does get closer to Judaism, he starts to fix his actions – which is the real meaning of repentance. For instance, if at the beginning of the book he hacks into the Ministry of Transport's computers to delete the 22 points pending against him for a driving course, by the end of the book he hacks into the computers again – this time to restore his points..."

Why a thriller, actually? That wasn't the focus of your previous books.

"Right, this is my first time exploring this genre. First of all, it's an international spy novel filled with Judaism, strengthening, faith, and goodness. The combination of these worlds can appeal to anyone who's already strengthening and avoids reading these books because of the excessive violence and lack of modesty often found in them. It's a completely clean book, but it gives the action and suspense vibe of good thrillers – all within holiness. So first we offer a clean and good book for anyone looking for a captivating thriller about hackers, nuclear codes, and international relations but also wants to read only kosher content.

"The second thing I tried to do is to create a book that can talk to those who love thrillers and have no resistance to Judaism. If you have a non-religious brother or neighbor, you can suggest they read this book. It's not threatening, it's an exciting and dramatic thriller, but alongside the story, it introduces the reader to a world they are unfamiliar with – the world of Judaism. This exposure is identical to the process Yoav undergoes in the book, as he begins to approach Judaism while in the United States. In many ways, it's genuinely easier to approach Judaism in the United States than in Israel: there, religion is disconnected from politics, and one can attend Shabbat prayers and meals without feeling pressured to categorize themselves or decide where they belong. Through this process, I try to convey to readers the goodness, hope, and mutual responsibility of the Jewish people".

What is the main message you want readers to take from the book?

"Sometimes you read a successful thriller and come away with a feeling of emptiness. I hope readers of the book come away with a sense of hope, a feeling that every person in the world has a mission. Yoav in the book has a mission to stop the Iranians – even if our missions in life are less dramatic, I believe every reader will come away with the feeling that they have a unique mission in this world, that there is repair, purpose, and unique actions for them".

'End-Time Calculators' Ran Weber tells us, is now in the stage of language proofreading. After that, it will only need binding, formatting, and printing.

Ran Weber's previous books

Why did you decide to raise the money through Headstart this time?

"There's a publishing house I've been working with for many years, and I'm very satisfied with them, but when they spoke to big stores about 'End-Time Calculators,' they were told people don't really know what to do with it. Is it a Judaism book? Is it a thriller? Which genre does it belong to? The book world today is very focused on categorizing into genres, and stores struggle to understand a book that doesn't exactly play by those rules. I felt it would be correct, therefore, to turn to Headstart. I know that people who are into strengthening won't see a contradiction between the story and the message but will understand the need to consume good Jewish culture and also get a Jewish value from the book.

"Another reason I chose Headstart: when I published my previous books, I saw that there are quite a few people who want to purchase packages of books to distribute to colleagues at work, family members, and so on.

One of the advantages of crowdfunding is that supporters can receive book packages and become part of the distribution mechanism themselves. Whoever cares about the book's concept, whoever cares about expanding circles and reaching more people, can receive a package of books for distribution. I may be the one writing the book, but those who purchase a distribution package are no less important than me. It's truly a joint project between me and all the Headstart supporters".

Besides the packages, Weber mentions that supporters at certain amounts receive a night or Shabbat in a beautiful chalet in Moshav 'Amirim'. ("It's right near Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. We moved there for a year, and these chalets are true peace of mind"). Meanwhile, the project also received special recognition: it was selected as a 'Staff Pick' by Headstart, one of only five projects that Headstart marks as noteworthy. "It's a huge trust-building step for the book," says Weber with satisfaction, link to the project, click here.

Chalet in 'Amirim'

How do you explain that only after returning to faith did you start writing books?

"Hashem endowed each of us with certain talents that come to fruition only under certain circumstances. What pushed me to write was the burning desire to share with people the wonderful things I encountered in Judaism and Chassidut. Many people struggle to study Chassidut and the inner dimension of the Torah, but they connect to the ideas when they are exposed to them through a story. After I published 'Me and the Nothing Ride Bicycles', for example, my wife told me she received phone calls from several women who said to her: 'Finally, I understood the ideas from Likutey Moharan that my husband has been trying to explain to me all this time'..."

What's the next book on the horizon?

"Its working title is 'I Know There is Certainly', a book about strengthening relationships in light of the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, based on the story 'The Lost Princess'. It will be a gift book like 'Good Point'".

Enter Ran Weber's project.