Meeting Minutes: September 16, 2008

Minutes of September 16, 2008 meeting, Temple Dor Dorim, Weston



Present: Sandy Birch, Rita Cimbal, Kathleen Clotfelter, Lorelei Ennis, Heidi Estrin, Jackie Fine, Bea Gold, Etta Gold, Phyllis Gutmann, Joanne Jaffe, Judith Jagoda, Sue Kirshner, Meta Lee, Jeff Marks, Ava Phillips, Art Quinn, Marcia Rapp, Debbie Ring, Rabbi Tobias Rothenberg, Yettie Ruskin, Edith Sherman, Walter Spielman, Ruth Weiner, Elayna Weisel, Lee Wixman, Shirley Wolfe



I) Heidi called the meeting to order at 12:40pm. Lorelei Ennis was thanked for hosting the meeting and lunch.



II) Dor Dorim library volunteer Meta Lee, who has a background as a librarian and professional storyteller, told a funny story from The Folktales of Joha. Interestingly, the story had the very same structure as a "Jack" tale, but apparently was evolved independently from the Jack tradition. Meta was very good, and is available for hire as a storyteller. Contact her at (954) 217-0058.



III) Heidi reminded members to renew membership for the 2008-09 year (click here for a membership form). She also requested guest editors for the chapter newsletter, and a host for the November meeting.



IV) Heidi, Etta, Judith, and Edith attended the June, 2008 AJL convention in Cleveland, Ohio. They spoke about their convention experiences.

• Heidi showed convention photos of visiting authors, local history tours, workshops, vendors, and great meals.


• Etta spoke passionately about meeting Cristos Nicola (author, The Secret of Priest's Grotto), whose caving hobby led him to learn about Jews who survived WWII hidden in a Ukranian cave, and to reconnect the survivors' family with their own history. Etta will be bringing Cristos to Temple Beth Am in Miami to speak on January 25, 2009.


• Judith kvelled about the networking, the friendliness, and about meeting Steve Sheinkin, author of The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey.


• Edith spoke about the excellent Valuing Libraries workshop at the convention, which was so good that we are reprising it locally on January 8, 2009 at CAJE in Miami.


• Next year's AJL convention will be in Chicago, July 5-8, 2009. The dates have been moved to follow ALA, which will also be in Chicago that year.

IV) Etta Gold discussed some favorite new Jewish titles for adults (adult booklist here). Heidi Estrin discussed highlights of 2008 Jewish books for kids, and brought the books along for display (kids' booklist here). Heidi also gave out Sydney Taylor Book Award promotional materials, including bookmarks and pins.

V) We raffled off a copy of the new children's book A is for Abraham by Richard Michelson. All members who had paid their dues were eligable. Rita Cimbal was very excited when her name was pulled out of the hat; as she said "I never win anything!"

VI) Heidi reminded members that many of the authors spoken about at this meeting have been interviewed in the past on her podcast, The Book of Life, available at http://www.bookoflifepodcast.com/ or by phone at 916-313-3820.

VII) Etta spoke briefly about AJL library accreditation as a means to promote the value of your library. While she no longer chairs this committee, she is a good source of information on the process.

VIII) The meeting adjourned at 2pm. Thanks again to all who participated, and to Lorelei for hosting!