Sunshine State Safranim

2012 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Announced by the Association of Jewish Libraries

2012-01-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda, author and artist of Chanukah Lights, Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club, are the 2012 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The awards were announced at the mid-winter meeting of the School, Synagogue and Community Center Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Pasadena, California this June.

Rosen and Sabuda will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for Chanukah Lights, published by Candlewick Press. This exquisite book celebrates Jewish history by pairing poetic prose with intricate paper cut pop-up art. Barbara Bietz, Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, said: “From the shtetl to skyscrapers, the white pop-up scenes against a background of deep rainbow colors illuminate Jewish life for the eight nights of Chanukah. Together, children and adults will marvel at the stunning scenes that magically unfold with each turn of the page.”

The gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category will be presented to Susan Goldman Rubin for Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein, published by Charlesbridge Publishing. This biography shares the inspiring story of the young musician and his commitment to succeed in spite of his family’s opposition. Through hard work, determination and a spirit that won’t quit, Bernstein’s dream is realized as he takes the stage as a conductor at Carnegie Hall. Numerous photos help bring Bernstein’s journey to life. Committee member Barbara Krasner commented: “Music Was It shows the struggle between the old and new worlds - the immigrant generation and the American generation. Susan Goldman Rubin's well-researched and polished narrative was filled with tension that today's kids can relate to.”

In 2000, Goldman Rubin received the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. Her book, The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin, was a 2006 Sydney Taylor Honor Book.

Robert Sharenow will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for The Berlin Boxing Club, published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. This historical novel reveals the history of Nazi Germany through the eyes of Karl Stern, a typical 14-year-old German boy. Karl never gave much thought to being Jewish and had little connection with any religious life. When classmates bully Karl, he is forced to face the dangers in his own community. Given the opportunity to learn boxing from German champion Max Schmeling, Karl jumps at the chance. He grows strong and learns to defend himself. But as the Nazi’s gain power and his family is in peril, Karl questions who he can trust. Aimee Lurie, incoming Chair of the Award Committee noted: “The superb writing, meticulous research, and dramatic look into the world of boxing pack a punch that will leave teens mesmerized! Readers will be captivated and inspired by Karl's transformation from being the victim of anti-semitic violence to a strong, confident young man who is able to protect his family.”

Eight Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2012. Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade (Candlewick Press) and Around the World in One ShabbatLily Renee, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh (Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.), Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer (Calkins Creek, an imprint Boyds Mills Press), and Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Lee & Low Books). For teen readers, the Honor Books are ThenThe Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick (Cinco Puntos Press). written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard (Jewish Lights Publishing) are recognized in the Younger Readers Category. Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers include: by Morris Gleitzman (Henry Holt and Company) and
In addition to the medal-winners, the Award Committee designated eighteen Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2012.

# # #

THE 2012 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:
Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen with artwork by Robert Sabuda
(Candlewick Press)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:
Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin
(Charlesbridge Publishing)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:
The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
(Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers:
Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade
(Candlewick Press)
Around the World in One Shabbat written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard
(Jewish Lights Publishing)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers:
Lily Renee, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh
(Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.)
Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer
(Calkins Creek, an imprint Boyds Mills Press)
Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan with illustrations by Ron Mazellan
(Lee & Low Books)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers:
Then by Morris Gleitzman
(Henry Holt and Company)
The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick
(Cinco Puntos Press)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:
Picnic at Camp Shalom by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Debbie Melmon
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
The Golem’s Latkes by Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Aaron Jasinski
(Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
Joseph and the Sabbath Fish by Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Martina Peluso
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast by Jamie Korngold with illustrations by Julie Fortenberry
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
The Shabbat Princess by Amy Meltzer with illustrations by Martha Aviles
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Zachary Pullen
(Sleeping Bear Press, an imprint of Gale)
The Littlest Mountain by Barb Rosenstock with illustrations by Melanie Hall
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
I Will Come Back for You: A Family in Hiding during World War II by Marisabina Russo
(Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House)
Marcel Marceau: Master of Mime by Gloria Spielman with illustrations by Manon Gauthtier
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
One Little Chicken by Elka Weber with illustrations by Elisa Kleven
(Tricycle Press, an imprint of Random House)

Notable Books for Older Readers:
The Mishkan: Its Structure and Its Sacred Vessels by Rabbi Avrohom Biderman
(Artscroll/Mesorah Publication)
Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
(Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House)
The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough with illustrations by Heather Maione
(Viking, an imprint of the Penguin Group (USA) Inc.)
When Life Gives You OJ by Erica S. Perl
(Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin
with illustrations by Bill Fransworth (Holiday House)
Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson
(Candlewick Press)

Notable Books for Teens:
OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy
(Walker & Company)
Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul Janeczko
(Candlewick Press)

Meeting Minutes: September 2011

2011-09-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely meeting on September 6, 2011, hosted by Lorelei Ennis at Temple Dor Dorim in Weston. After a welcome from Rabbi Lipson, we ate a delicious lunch while listening to a presentation by Jacques Weisel (a relative of Elie Weisel), who is an author, humanitarian, and life coach. He spoke about his childhood during the Holocaust and the many remarkable circumstances that allowed him to survive.

After lunch, we browsed a display of Sydney Taylor Book Award winners, honors, and notable books set up by Lorelei. Etta Gold and Heidi Estrin reported on the AJL Convention held this June in Montreal, Canada. Etta spoke feelingly about the value of the annual gathering. Heidi reminded members that chapter membership is separate from membership in the umbrella organization, and explained that AJL dues have gone up for the first time in years, but are still well worth the price. The next convention will be held in Los Angeles, CA, June 17-20, 2012.

Lorelei led a discussion on realism vs. escapism in young adult literature. She became interested in the topic when she read an article in the Wall Street Journal, "Darkness Too Visible" by Meghan Cox Gurdon, published June 4 with a follow-up on June 28, 2011. The article created a furor in the children's literature community when Gurdon suggested that gritty realistic YA fiction was harmful to readers.

We discussed the possibility of meeting at Dor Dorim again later this fall, but perhaps asking attendees to bring brown bag lunches rather than rely on Dor Dorim to supply lunch. Thanks to all for an excellent meeting.

SFAJL Sponsors FAU's Jewish Kultur Festival Event

2011-02-09T23:37:00.003-05:00

Once again, SFAJL will be sponsoring the opening event of Florida Atlantic University's Jewish Kultur Festival. The event, geared towards children and families, is called Klez4Kids. It will feature SFAJL's own Heidi Estrin as guest storyteller, performing The Wedding That Saved a Town by Yale Strom with live backup from members of the Klezmer Company Orchestra. It all takes place on Saturday, March 5 at 3pm on the fifth floor of FAU's Wimberly Library.

You can buy tickets for Klez4Kids or any of the festival events at fauevents.com/kulturfest11.html. Buy a festival pass and save 15%!

Here's a little taste of the Klezmer Company Orchestra to whet your appetite!

The 2011 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour

2011-02-08T17:32:00.002-05:00

The Sydney Taylor Book Award is celebrating and showcasing its 2011 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 6-11, 2011! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators are appearing all week on various sites across the blogosphere - catch the daily roundup at AJL's blog People of the Books, or just follow the links below!

THE 2011 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD BLOG TOUR

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2011

Carla Jablonski, author of Resistance
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Jewish Comics

Leland Purvis, illustrator of Resistance
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Shelf-Employed

Sarah Gershman, author of Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Biblio File

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2011

Linda Glaser, author of Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at ASHarmony

Claire Nivola, illustrator of Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Lori Calabrese

Evelyn Krieger, author of One Is Not a Lonely Number
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Ima On and Off the Bima

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011

Barbara Diamond Goldin, author of Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Great Kid Books

Jaime Zollars, illustrator of Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at The Book of Life

Susan Lynn Meyer, author of Black Radishes
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at The 3 Rs – Reading, ‘Riting & Research

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011

Howard Schwartz, author of Gathering Sparks
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Boston Bibliophile

Barry Deutsch, author and illustrator of Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at BewilderBlog

Dana Reinhardt, author of The Things a Brother Knows
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011

Kristina Swarner, illustrator of Gathering Sparks
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
And illustrator of Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Alice Pope’s SCBWI Children’s Market Blog

Sarah Darer Littman, author of Life, After
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Eishes Chayil, author of Hush
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Frume Sarah’s World

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011

Morris Gleitzman, author of Once
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at The Fourth Musketeer

Sydney Taylor Award Winners – Wrap-Up
All winners, all categories
at The Whole Megillah

AJL Announces 2011 Sydney Taylor Book Awards

2011-01-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

Music: "Conflict in the Middle Table" by Michael Stampler

Howard Schwartz and Kristina Swarner, author and illustrator of Gathering Sparks, Barry Deutsch, author and illustrator of Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, and Dana Reinhardt, author of The Things a Brother Knows are the 2011 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Montreal this June.

Schwartz and Swarner will receive the 2011 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for Gathering Sparks, published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing. Both are second time winners. In 1992, Schwartz received the Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Diamond Tree: Jewish Tales from Around the World. Swarner earned the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Award for her illustrations in The Bedtime Sh’ma: A Goodnight Book by Sarah Gershman.

Gathering Sparks is based on a sixteenth century teaching of “tikkun olam,” or “repairing the world.” Committee member Debbie Colodny commented, “Schwartz spins a calming tale that suggests that the way to bring peace and well-being to our world is by doing good deeds and loving
one another... Swarner’s art and Schwartz’s poetic words interpret the concept of the vessel as a fleet of ships outlined in the night sky by millions of starry points of light.”

Deutsch will receive the 2011 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category for Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Books. This is the first graphic novel to win the Award. Committee member Aimee Lurie noted, “Mirka is a clever, headstrong and imaginative heroine who will appeal to a wide audience. Teens who feel like they don’t fit in will have no trouble relating to her balancing what is best for her family versus her desire to fight dragons. Grounded in her religious beliefs, she is willing to put her fantasies aside to celebrate Shabbat. The illustrations strike the perfect balance of showing a realistic Orthodox community, while creating the perfect backdrop for a fairytale.”

Reinhardt will receive the 2011 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for The Things a Brother Knows, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Levi’s older brother Boaz is a military hero, and Levi has always lived in his shadow. Now Boaz is returning from war and it seems everyone thinks Levi is the luckiest boy in town. When Boaz refuses to engage with his family and barely leaves his room, Levi wonders if his brother will ever be normal. Committee member Rita Soltan said, “Reinhardt creates a moving portrayal of teen characters … She provides balance through Levi and Boaz’s Israeli grandfather, who served in Israel and has experienced war and suicide bombings. Realistic and subtle, her story unfolds with enough suspense, sardonic humor and pathos to keep readers focused until a conclusion that leaves room for pondering interpretation.” In 2007, Reinhardt earned a Sydney Taylor Honor Award for A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life.

Nine Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2011. For Younger Readers, the Honor Award Winners are: Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book by Sarah Gershman with illustrations by Kristina Swarner (EKS Publishing), Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser with illustrations by Claire A. Nivola (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children), and Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale by Barbara Diamond Goldin with illustrations by Jaime Zollars (Marshall Cavendish Children). Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Older Readers include: Resistance by Carla Jablonski with art by Leland Purvis (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group), One Is Not a Lonely Number by Evelyn Krieger (YM Books, an imprint of YALDAH Media, Inc.), and Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books). For Teen readers, the Honor Award Winners are: Hush by Eishes Chayil (Walker & Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing), Once by Morris Gleitzman (Henry Holt and Company), and Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.).

In addition to the medal-winners, the Award Committee designated twenty-seven Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2011: thirteen in the Younger Readers Category, seven in the Older Readers Category, and seven for Teens. Notable titles, and more information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award, may be found online at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org.

A blog tour, featuring interviews with winning authors and illustrators, will take place in early February, with participation from a wide range of children's literature, family interest, and Jewish blogs. The blog tour schedule will appear on the Association of Jewish Libraries' blog "People of the Books" at JewishLibraries.org/blog.

# # #

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:
Gathering Sparks by Howard Schwartz with illustrations by Kristina Swarner
(Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
(Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:
The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
(Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Younger Readers:
Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book by Sarah Gershman with illustrations by Kristina Swarner
(EKS Publishing)
Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser with illustrations by Claire A. Nivola
(Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)
Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale by Barbara Diamond Goldin with illustrations by Jaime Zollars
(Marshall Cavendish Children)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Older Readers:
Resistance by Carla Jablonski with illustrations by Leland Purvis
(First Second, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
One Is Not a Lonely Number by Evelyn Krieger
(YM Books, an imprint of YALDAH Media, Inc.)
Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer
(Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Teen Readers:
Hush by Eishes Chayil
(Walker & Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing)
Once by Morris Gleitzman
(Henry Holt and Company)
Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman
(Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:
Engineer Ari and the Sukkah Express by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Shahar Kober
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Feivel's Flying Horses by Heidi Smith Hyde with illustrations by Johanna van der Sterre
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Miriam in the Desert by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah by Leslie Kimmelman with illustrations by Paul Meisel
(Holiday House)
Say Hello, Lily by Deborah Lakritz with illustrations by Martha Aviles
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Beautiful Yetta, The Yiddish Chicken by Daniel Pinkwater with illustrations by Jill Pinkwater
(Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
A Tale of Two Seders by Mindy Avra Portnoy with illustrations by Valeria Cis
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Jackie's Gift by Sharon Robinson with illustrations by E.B. Lewis
(The Viking Press, an imprint of Penguin)
Zishe the Strong Man by Robert Rubenstein with illustrations by Woody Miller
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Sara Finds a Mitzva by Rebeka Simhaee with illustrations by Michael Weber
(Hachai Publishing)
Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to be Kosher by Laurel Snyder with illustrations by David Goldin
(Tricycle Press, an imprint of The Crown Trade Group/Random House)
The Rooster Prince of Breslov by Ann Stampler with illustrations by Eugene Yelchin
(Clarion, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Dear Tree by Doba Rivka Weber with illustrations by Phyllis Saroff
(Hachai Publishing)

Notable Books for Older Readers:
Is It Night or Day? by Fern Schumer Chapman
(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
Kings and Carpenters: One Hundred Bible Land Jobs You Might Have Praised or Panned
by Laurie Coulter with illustrations by Mary Newbigging
(Annick Press)
Hot Pursuit: Murder in Mississippi by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon with illustrations by Craig Orback
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
The Orphan Rescue by Anne Dublin with illustrations by Qin Leng
(Second Story Press)
The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy
(Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group)
Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp by Trisha Marx with photographs by Cindy Karp
(Lee & Low Books)
Mitzvah the Mutt by Sylvia Rouss with illustrations by Martha Rast
(Yaldah Publishing)

Notable Books for Teen Readers:
An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank by Elaine Marie Alphin
(Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner)
Annexed by Sharon Dogar
(Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)
Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser
(Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.)
Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
(Hill and Wang)
Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff
(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan)
Under a Red Sky: Memoir of a Childhood in Communist Romania by Haya Leah Molnar
(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan)
Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron
(Annick Press)

December 2010 Chapter Meeting

2010-12-08T10:44:00.004-05:00

Meeting held December 7, 2010 at B'nai Torah Congregation, Boca Raton.

Present: Rita Cimbal, Lorelei Ennis, Heidi Estrin, Jerry Glantz, Bea Gold, Judith Jagoda, Sue Kirshner, Meta Lee, Debbie Ring, Arlene Ritholtz, Rabbi Tobias Rothenberg, Walter Spielman, Sheila Trossman, Ruth Weiner, Lee Wixman

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 pm by our host, Sue Kirshner, after a very lovely lunch provided by B'nai Torah. Sue introduced us to the history of her library.

Library Snapshot Day:

Sue, Heidi, and Lorelei participated in AJL's Library Snapshot Day, and they discussed how the program went at their libraries. Heidi gave some background on the program and handed out copies of the press release (which can also be found on the chapter's website at sfajl.org). Heidi encouraged everyone, whether they participated or not, to use the results to promote Jewish libraries to "the powers that be."

Publicity:

Sue asked the members to discuss their publicity efforts. Her own example was how she used the library's 10th annivarsary for promotion. The library committee got an aliyah during services, they got an article in the temple bulletin, and they got a commemorative plaque which they hung, not in the library, but in the hallway where more people would see it. She also noted that many classes use the library as meeting space.

Walter said that at Anshei Shalom, they named their library after a major donor and did a special presentation in that person's honor at services. They also sit in on meetings of Sisterhood, Men's Club, and other committees in order to talk about the library.

Lorelei said that at Dor Dorim they display books on upcoming holidays or curriculum themes, to help the teachers find books to check out. They also write book reviews for the temple bulletin.

Rita said that at B'nai Torah they've established a Frequent Readers program for adults, and they give certificates to top readers. This friendly competition inspires lots of reading. They also promote the library to new members.

Jerry Glantz reported that he is at the final stage of writing his novel, a thriller about a terrorist who learns that he's not Muslim after all. He will be happy to do presentations at AJL libraries once it's done.

Book sales:

Sue asked if/how various libraries hold book sales. Walter said that his library has a table at the temple's holiday bazaar. Sue has a used book sale table during the school's book fair. They both agreed that holding a book sale during some other large temple event brings more traffic and more shoppers. Heidi discussed the idea of setting up a low-key ongoing used book sale in a corner of the library or in some higher-traffic area like a lobby or office.

AJL Business:

Heidi talked about the advantages of membership in the larger organization of AJL, which is separate from membership in our chapter.

Jerry asked how to pay his local membership dues. Dues should be mailed to Treasurer Kathleen Clotfelter. Email her at kass37clo @ bellsouth.net to ask for her address.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:00pm.

3,548 Library Lovers Celebrate Jewish Library Snapshot Day

2010-12-06T15:26:00.001-05:00

Library Snapshot Day 2010

The People of the Book really do love libraries! In November 2010, during Jewish Book Month, 30 Jewish libraries participated in Library Snapshot Day. The event, sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, was created to let all types of Judaic libraries record what happens in a day in the life of a library. Across North America, libraries in synagogues, day schools, community centers and universities picked one day during the first two weeks of November to hold the event. Collectively, participating libraries served 3,548 patrons on Library Snapshot Day.

The Activities

From Jewish hubs like Chicago, IL to smaller Jewish communities like Tulsa, OK, from sunny Miami, FL to chilly Montreal, Quebec, Jewish libraries held author visits, study groups, literary and computer quizzes, artist receptions, book discussions, book sales, scavenger hunts, craft projects, parenting programs, charity drives, and children’s story times. Eleven of the participating libraries shared their circulation statistics, revealing that at least 745 books were checked out during Library Snapshot Day.

The Feedback

Every participating library reported overwhelmingly positive feedback from its community. Common themes included praise for the library as a quiet, peaceful environment in which to read and work, kudos for the hard work of librarians (many of whom, apparently, “rock”), and appreciation for the many print and digital resources provided. A patron at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Great Neck, NY said “The library is a great place to study and clear your head. I always feel relaxed and very welcomed when I come to the library, and I love the librarian.” A sixth-grader at the Sheila Sporn Library at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, CA said “Libraries are important because they let people who don’t have enough money get books to read.” A patron of the Brenner Library at Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO drives 150 miles from the mountains to make use of the facilities. Perhaps the general sentiments of library users are best summed up by a patron at the Feldman Library at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton, FL, who said “The library helps us to continue to be the People of the Book!”

What It All Means

Library Snapshot Day captured the diversity of services offered by Jewish libraries and underscored the importance of libraries in Jewish life. “Libraries and librarians often fly under the radar in their communities,” said Association of Jewish Libraries Vice-President, Heidi Estrin. “We are thrilled that, on Library Snapshot Day, over three thousand people expressed their love of Jewish libraries. We hope that the event will encourage even more people to use these amazing resources year-round.” A slide show of selected photographs submitted by participants may be viewed on AJL’s blog “People of the Books” at jewishlibraries.org/blog.

The concept of Library Snapshot Day originated with the American Library Association, of which AJL is an affiliate. Click here for more information on ALA’s Library Snapshot Day.

Please feel free to share this article and/or video on your site or via social networking. You can find AJL online at jewishlibraries.org, at facebook.com/jewishlibraries, and on Twitter @jewishlibraries.

Holocaust Documentation & Education Center - Grand Opening!

2010-11-01T16:25:00.001-04:00

The Holocaust Documentation and Education Center is pleased to announce the opening of its Reference and Research Library! This library is the first Holocaust Library in the tri-county area. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, you are cordially invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony to take place on Thursday, November 18, 2010 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm.

We hope that you will join us to celebrate this new landmark for the City of Hollywood.

Sincerely,

Jaime Fogel & Myrtle Joseph
Librarians
Holocaust Documentation & Education Center
2031 Harrison Street
Hollywood, FL 33020
P: 954-929-5690
F: 954-929-5635
librarian@hdec.org
www.hdec.org

September 2010 Chapter Meeting

2010-09-22T16:45:00.002-04:00

MINUTES:

We are all very grateful to Lorelei Ennis and her team for hosting today's meeting at Temple Dor Dorim in Weston on September 21, 2010.

Rabbi Lipson greeted us warmly, and we enjoyed a very lovely lunch. Lorelei introduced our guest speaker, author Ellen Brazer, who spoke of her novel Clouds Across the Sun, an engaging story of a Nazi attempt to infiltrate societies throughout the world.

We then moved the meeting to the Library, where we addressed a host of issues. A display of the 2010 Sydney Taylor Award books were set for our perusal and Heidi Estrin gave a full report of the 2010 AJL National Convention in Seattle, which was extremely instructive, enjoyable, and worthwhile. It is hoped that a greater number of South Floridians will participate in the 2011 convention in Montreal.

We discussed the pros and cons of bring ebooks into the library, and our respective views on e-readers. While no absolute conclusions were reached, we all accept that they are here to stay.

In response to much discussion on-line addressing the dwindling membership of our national organization, Heidi asked "Why are you a member of national AJL? What do you feel is the reason for joining or, if you are not a member of national, why not?"

Attendees said "I am a member because:"
* The Newsletter is wonderful, helpful, connective, etc.
* I am supporting a good cause, an important cause/activity - Judaica librarianship
* It is a marvelous tool for networking
* Should I happen to be traveling to someplace unfamiliar, I can locate a synagogue/Jewish library via my membership directory

The reasons not to join National are:
* Lack of institutional support (workplace won't help pay dues)
* Retired from actively working in the field, still connected locally only
* Fee is too high - should have a retiree's special price

"What can we do to encourage membership?"

Suggestions to boost membership:
* Membership should get reduced prices on certain items (from publishers, gift shops, etc.)
* National AJL should offer Book Club guides as a benefit of membership
* National AJL should offer extension activities for children's books as a benefit of membership
* National AJL should offer technology education to members

Finally, several more announcements: AJL is now affiliated with ALA. Our organization will be participating along with ALA in Library Snapshot Day - November 1 - 7, 2010.

Dues will now be $18, payable to SFAJL, with checks going to Heidi Estrin. Past members should watch their email for an announcement about how to pay dues.

Look for an email announcement regarding the next meeting.
Our meeting was adjourned at 2:30 pm.

Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee Call for Submissions

2010-06-01T09:45:00.000-04:00

If you are an author, editor, or publisher of Jewish books for children or teens please submit your 2010 titles for consideration. For more information visit www.Jewishlibraries.org or e-mail Chair@SydneyTaylorBookAward.org.

Author Event: Antonie Blum at the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center

2010-04-15T14:51:00.002-04:00

Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, Inc. presents
Meet the Author
Antonie Blum

Book and Author: The Naked Life: From Vienna to the Siberian Forest by Antonie Blum

When: Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.

Where:
Holocaust Documentation and Education Center
2031 Harrison Street
Hollywood, FL 33020

RSVP: Seating is limited, so please RSVP to Jaime Fogel
at (954) 929-5690 or email librarian@hdec.org.

The Naked Life is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of World War II. It is a captivating, visual and sincere memoir that traces Antonie's life from the age of eleven in Austria, to the work camps in Siberia, and on to Israel. The harsh brutalities of war are sliced by memories of first kisses and dances. The naked life is a life devoid of possessions, of home, of food, of civility, and sometimes of hope. But, in that naked life, with all excess whittled away and when expected the least, scintillas of human kindness wax brightest. This book may be purchased online at sites such as Amazon.com. It will also be available for purchase after the presentation, when the author will personally inscribe your copy upon request.

April 2010 Chapter Meeting: Minutes

2010-04-15T14:47:00.001-04:00

The South Florida chapter held its April meeting at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, where Etta Gold enjoyed showing off her newly remodeled library. This was the first opportunity for the chapter to tour the facility since its re-dedication last September. It was quite enjoyable to meet, lunch, and schmooze in the Adult Reading Room during school hours while the children’s section was able to function uninterrupted – now that the areas are separated and each so greatly improved.

We also enjoyed meeting our newest members, librarians Myrtle Joseph and Jaime Fogel from the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center of Hollywood. Founded in 1980, the Center has achieved international acclaim and recognition for maintaining the largest, self-produced, standardized oral history library collection. It also features a reference and research library which contains over 6,000 volumes of Holocaust-related books, hundreds of DVDs and videos, and subscribes to a dozen periodicals. They present a “Meet the Author Series” every month with different authors of Holocaust-related books, visual arts and writing contests, and museum/artifact tours. Jaime and Myrtle are brand new to our area and this remarkable institution. We look forward to their increased involvement with our chapter and AJL.

Our next meeting will be held in September, 2010 (date TBA) at Temple Dor Dorim in Weston. Our host will be Lorelei Ennis.

Read Together Palm Beach Selects Jewish Book

2010-03-22T16:51:00.002-04:00

Read Together Palm Beach County has selected The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a past winner of AJL's Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Teen Readers category, as its 2010 discussion book. The title was originally published in Australia as an adult book, but was marketed as a Young Adult book in the US because of Zusak's previous successes with YA books in the US.

As the Palm Beach County Library web site says: "This is a story told by “Death.” This is a story about a courageous nine-year-old book thief. This is a story about Liesel Meminger, an orphaned German girl whose foster family befriends and hides a Jewish boxer during the height of Nazi power. This is a story about Liesel learning to read in order to understand her personal losses and the world she sees unfolding around her. This is a story about books and the power of words to harm and to heal. This is the story about the human condition."

Discussions about The Book Thief will be held in various branch libraries around the county through the month of April, 2010. Click here to see the full schedule.

AJL's Heidi Estrin has recorded Markus Zusak twice for The Book of Life podcast:

VIDEO:

SFAJL Chapter Meeting: April 13, 2010

2010-03-16T15:24:00.002-04:00

The South Florida Chapter of AJL will meet on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at Temple Beth Am in Miami, 11:30am-2:30pm. Dairy lunch will be provided. Hosting member Etta Gold says "I would love for us to gather together in person so that we can all hear about the upcoming AJL conference in Seattle this summer. We have lots of other things to talk about, too - our programs, our needs, our acquisitions, etc. It's time we come together to share ideas and answers." Etta's library was recently renovated and expanded, so this is a good opportunity to view a cutting edge example of a local Judaica library.

Please RSVP to Etta Gold at egold@tbam.org.

The meeting location is:

Temple Beth Am
The Richard and Janet Yulman Campus
5950 N. Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, FL 33156
305.667.6667 (W) x128 | 305.662.8619 (F)

March 2010 Events at Temple Beth Am

2010-03-10T15:46:00.002-05:00

Afternoon Israeli Movie Club

March 18th at 1:00 PM in the Adult Reading Room

The Band's Visit - Bikur Ha-Tizmoret

On an ordinary day, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt for a cultural event, only find there is no delegation to meet them, nor any arrangements to get to their destination of Petah Tiqva. When they find their own ride, they arrive instead at the remote town of Beit Hatikva. What follows is a special night of quiet happenings and confessions as the band makes its own impact on the town and the town on them.

Ideas Through Books

March 21st at 10:00 AM in the Adult Reading Room

Joanna Smith Rakoff will be joining us to discuss her new book A Fortunate Age. Instantly compelling and immensely satisfying, A Fortunate Age details the lives of a group of Oberlin graduates whose ambitions and friendships threaten to unravel as they chase their dreams, shed their youth, and build their lives in Brooklyn during the late 1990s.

Remember all these events are free and open to the public. Please just let us know how many will be attending – call the library at 305-667-6667 extension 128; or email us at egold@tbam.org.

Etta D. Gold
Library Director
The Richard and Janet Yulman Campus
Temple Beth Am
5950 N. Kendall Drive
Pinecrest, FL 33156

Klez4Kids Event

2010-01-28T16:19:00.004-05:00

Klez4Kids: The Kugel Valley Klezmer Band
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 3PM

Florida Atlantic University's Wimberley Library, 5th Floor
Tickets $9/Adult
Free tickets for kids under 12
Buy tickets and see full festival schedule at http://www.fauevents.com/kulturfest.html

Fun for the whole family! Klez4Kidz features a dramatic reading, live music and projected illustrations from this critically-acclaimed children's book, The Kugel Valley Klezmer Band by Joan Betty Stuchner. Shira loves the fiddle, but is she good enough to play with her papa's band? Join narrator Riva Ginsburg and members of Klezmer Company Orchestra as they bring the charming story to life. Bring your blankets to sit on the floor, and get ready to dance to the musical interludes!

This event is co-sponsored by the South Florida Association of Jewish Libraries!

The 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour

2010-01-25T14:58:00.000-05:00

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2010 gold and silver medalists and with our special Notable Book for All Ages with a Blog Tour, February 1-5, 2010! Here is a celebratory video for your enjoyment, and the schedule for the Blog Tour is posted below.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Monday, February 1, 2010
April Halprin Wayland, author of New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Practically Paradise

Monday, February 1, 2010
Stephane Jorisch, illustrator of New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Frume Sarah's World

Monday, February 1, 2010
Margarita Engle, author of Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at bookstogether

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Robin Friedman, author of The Importance of Wings
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Little Willow's Bildungsroman

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Jacqueline Davies, author of Lost
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Biblio File

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Jonah Winter, author of You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Get in the Game: Read! and cross-posted at Examiner.com

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Elka Weber, author of The Yankee at the Seder
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at BewilderBlog

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Adam Gustavson, illustrator of The Yankee at the Seder
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Great Kids Books

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Judy Vida, daughter of the late Selma Kritzer Silverberg, author of Naomi's Song
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at The Book Nosher

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Jacqueline Jules, author of Benjamin and the Silver Goblet
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at ASHarmony

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Natascia Ugliano, illustrator of Benjamin and the Silver Goblet
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at The Book of Life

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Deborah Bodin Cohen, author of Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Ima On and Off the Bima

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Jago, illustrator of Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Friday, February 5, 2010
Annika Thor, author of A Faraway Island
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Teen Reads

Friday, February 5, 2010
Ellen Frankel, author of The JPS Illustrated Bible for Children
Sydney Taylor Notable Book for All Ages
at Deo Writer

And the winners are...

2010-01-12T12:52:00.001-05:00

THE 2010 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:
New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story by April Halprin Wayland with illustrations by Stephane Jorish (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:
The Importance of Wings by Robin Friedman
(Charlesbridge Publishing)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:
Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers:
Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim: A Passover Story
by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Jago
(Kar-Ben, imprint of Lerner)
Benjamin and the Silver Goblet by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber with illustrations by Adam Gustavson
(Tricycle Press)
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax? by Jonah Winter with illustrations by Andre Carrilho
(Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers:
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures from the Archives of the Anne Frank House
by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol, translated by Arnold J. Pomerans
(Roaring Brook Press/Flash Point, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
A Faraway Island by Annika Thor, translated by Linda Schenck
(Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers:
Lost by Jacqueline Davies
(Marshall Cavendish)
Naomi’s Song by Selma Kritzer Silverberg
(Jewish Publication Society)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:
Where Is Grandpa Dennis? by Michelle Shapiro Abraham with illustrations by Janice Fried
(URJ Press)
Around the Shabbos Table by Seryl Berman with illustrations by Ari Binus
(Hachai)
The Secret Shofar of Barcelona by Jacqueline Dembar Greene with illustrations by Douglas Chyka
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Menorah Under the Sea by Esther Susan Heller
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Today Is the Birthday of the World by Linda Heller with illustrations by Allison Jay
(Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin)
The Waiting Wall by Leah Braunstein Levy with illustrations by Avi Katz
(Hachai Publishers)
Sukkot Treasure Hunt by Allison Ofanansky with photographs by Eliyahu Alpern
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Fox Walked Alone by Barbara Reid
(Albert Whitman & Company)

Notable Books for Older Readers:
The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak written and illustrated by Tomek Bogacki
(Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers/Frances Foster Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
Guardian Angel House (A Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers) by Kathy Clark
(Second Story Press)
Rebecca Series (American Girl Collection)
by Jacqueline Dembar Greene with illustrations by Robert Hunt
(American Girl)
Strawberry Hill by Mary Ann Hoberman with illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin
(Little Brown and Company)
The Mysteries of Beethoven’s Hair by Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley
(Charlesbridge Publishing)
The Man Who Flies with Birds by Carol Garbuny Vogel and Yossi Leshem
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Clay Man: The Golem of Prague by Irene N. Watts with illustrations by Kathryn E. Shoemaker
(Tundra Books)
Elvina’s Mirror by Sylvie Weil
(Jewish Publication Society)

Notable Books for Teens:
The Disappearing Dowry: an Ezra Melamed Mystery by Libi Astaire
(Zahav Press, an imprint of Targum)
A Family Secret/The Search by Eric Heuvel
(Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow with art by David Ostow
(Flux)
Cursing Columbus by Eve Goldberg Tal
(Cinco Puntos Press)
Puppet by Eva Wiseman
(Tundra)
The Other Half of Life: Based on the True Story of the MS St. Louis
By Kim Ablon Whitney
(Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House)

NOTABLE BOOK FOR READERS OF ALL AGES:
JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible by Ellen Frankel with illustrations by Avi Katz
(Jewish Publication Society)

2010 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Announced

2010-01-12T12:51:00.002-05:00

MEDIA RELEASE

2010 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

(New York—January 11, 2010) April Halprin Wayland and Stephane Jorisch, author and illustrator of New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, Robin Friedman, author of The Importance of Wings, and Margarita Engle, author of Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, are the 2010 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Seattle this July.

Wayland and Jorisch will receive the 2010 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. The Jewish New Year is a special time of year, with a change in seasons, symbolic foods and other traditions. It is also the time for introspection and the ritual of Tashlich, when sins are symbolically cast into a body of flowing water. Izzy thinks about things for which he is sorry. He “compares Tashlich to cleaning out his toy closet, an example of the wonderful way this story conveys to children, at their own level, a contemporary version of the healthy Jewish way we start fresh at the beginning of each new year,” commented Susan Berson, a member of the Award Committee. Incoming Committee Chair Barbara Bietz noted that the “whimsical watercolor illustrations are a perfect pairing for the delightful prose.”

Friedman will receive the 2010 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category for The Importance of Wings, published by Charlesbridge. Ah, the drama of being in eighth grade! There’s the boy you have a crush on who likes someone else. There’s getting dressed in gym class and being picked last for teams. There’s your parents, who are so unlike Mike and Carol Brady and not even like Ma and Pa Ingalls. And there’s your hair, that won’t go in the popular feathered back style that everyone else is wearing. When an Israeli girl moves next door, Liat “not only shows Roxanne how to give her hair ‘wings,’ but she helps her ‘wing’ her way toward maturity and self-esteem,” asserted Debbie Colodny, a member of the Award Committee. Another Award Committee member, Kathy Bloomfield, affirmed this praise: “With appealing and affecting writing, Ms. Friedman grabs the reader immediately and takes her on a journey of self-discovery, confidence building and empowerment that will leave her hoping for a sequel.” Friedman’s book about male bulimia, Nothing, was named an AJL Notable Book for Teen Readers last year.

Engle will receive the 2010 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, published by Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. After Kristallnacht, many Jews tried to leave Germany, but other countries refused the refugees. Cuba agreed to take in some of these people, but at a price. The tension of this era is seen through the eyes of several of the people affected: Daniel, a thirteen-year-old German boy whose parents put him on a boat to “the Americas,” hoping to save his life; Paloma, the daughter of a Cuban official who prefers a dovecote to her home; David, who escaped the pogroms of Russia, sells ice creams, and helps the new refugees; and Gordo, Paloma’s father, who is profiting by charging exorbitant fees for visas to stay in Cuba. “The verse and the different perspectives make the history of Cuba during the Nazi era accessible while illustrating the complicated situations and the twists and turns of political interactions,” noted Kathe Pinchuck, Committee Chair. Ms. Engle is known to readers for her Newbery-Honor book The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, for which she also won the Pura Belpre Award.

Eight Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2010. For Younger Readers, Honor Books are: Nachshon Who Was Afraid to Swim by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Jago (Kar-Ben), Benjamin and the Silver Goblet by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano (Kar-Ben), Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber with illustrations by Adam Gustavson (Tricycle Press) and You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax? by Jonah Winter with illustrations and an amazing lenticular cover by Andre Carrilho (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House). Two works in translation were named Honor Books for Older Readers: Anne Frank: Her Life in Worlds and Pictures by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol (translated by Arnold J. Pomerans) (Roaring Brook Press/Flash Point, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group) and A Faraway Island by Annika Thor (translated by Linda Schenck) (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House). Lost, a historical novel by Jacqueline Davies (Marshall Cavendish) and Naomi’s Song, a biblical fiction by Selma Kritzer Silverberg (JPS) were named Honor Books in the Teen Reader Category.

The JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible by Ellen Frankel with illustrations by Avi Katz (JPS) was named a Notable Book for All Ages. The Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee was very impressed Ms. Frankel’s retelling of biblical stories. “She succeeds in creating an age-appropriate interpretation of the most intriguing and familiar stories that allow families to gleen the essence of Jewish teachings, ethics, and history,” commented Rita Soltan, Award Committee member. “Readability, faithfulness to ‘idiomatic nuances of biblical Hebrew,’ and softly rendered color illustrations are the main features of this compilation,” noted Susan Berson, Award Committee member.

We will be promoting an author and illustrator blog tour as a way to spread the word and generate interest in these books. The tour will take place February 1st – February 5th, and the schedule will be posted at jewishlibraries.org/blog.

In addition to the medal-winners, the Award Committee designated twenty-two Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2010: eight in the Younger Readers Category, eight in the Older Readers Category, and six for Teens. Notable titles, and more information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award, may be found online at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org. A blog about the awards can be found at www.sydneytaylorbookaward.blogspot.com.

Author Event: Eric Kimmel at Books & Books

2009-12-03T11:17:00.001-05:00

PJ Library Story Time presents this special Hanukkah party event with the “king of Hanukkah stories”...

Meet award-wining author
ERIC KIMMEL
presenting a collection of his best stories, including the his holiday classic,
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Sunday, December 13, 3pm – SPECIAL TIME! –
Books & Books, Coral Gables

Join us for Hanukkah crafts, dreidels – and chocolate gelt, too!

Eric Kimmel, the beloved author behind Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, bring us that Caldecott Honor winning tale, along with his other holiday classics – including The Chanukkah Guest, When Mindy Saved Hanukkah and The Magic Dreidel. Kimmel considers Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins one of the best books he has ever written.

"I never liked most Hanukkah stories when I was growing up," he says. "They were dull. I thought I’d try to write a really good holiday story, one like A Christmas Carol.”

About the event

The PJ Library of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation serves young children and families with a free monthly Jewish-themed book and music subscription program for children ages 6 months to 5½ years. In addition to encouraging families to share the Jewish experiences in its outstanding literary selections, The PJ Library engages young families through programs presented in cooperation with community partners.

The PJ Library is funded nationally in partnership with The Harold Grinspoon Foundation and locally by the Blank Family Foundation. The Eric Kimmel events are being presented through the generosity of a grant from the Rachel Cardozo Children's Foundation.

Author Event: Rabbi Harold Kushner

2009-11-10T16:15:00.003-05:00

Meet
RABBI HAROLD S. KUSHNER
Discussing and signing
Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World
Wednesday, December 2, 7:30pm
Temple Israel of Greater Miami
137 N.E. 19th Street, Downtown Miami

FREE TICKETS are available for this event at all Books & Books locations and at Temple Israel.

RECEPTION-BOOK-PRIORITY SEATING TICKETS: Meet Rabbi Harold S. Kushner at a private reception prior to his event. The $40 package includes a copy of Conquering Fear, a ticket to the private wine-and-hors d’oeuvres reception with Rabbi Kushner and a reserved priority seat at his reading. Available at all Books & Books locations and at Temple Israel. Reception runs from 6:30-7:30pm.

From the best-selling author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, an illuminating book about fear—and what we can do to overcome it.

An inescapable component of our lives, fear comes in many guises: fear of unemployment; fear of aging, illness, losing beauty; fear of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. In uncertain times, coping with these fears can be especially challenging, but in this indispensable, hopeful book, Harold S. Kushner teaches us to confront, master, and even embrace fear for a more fulfilling life.
Drawing on the teachings of religious and secular literature and on the true stories of people who have faced their fears, Kushner helps us to see that fear can present us with extraordinary opportunities—to connect with our emotions, rethink our values, and change our lives, and the world, for the better. For those who fear helplessness, he suggests empowerment: through prayer, service, and education. For those who fear for mankind’s future, he insists on hope and pragmatic measures, such as working to protect the environment. For those who fear death, he proposes life—lived boldly and purposefully.

In Conquering Fear, we are again inspired by Harold S. Kushner’s wisdom, at once deeply spiritual and eminently practical.

About the Author

Harold S. Kushner is Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, where he resides. He has been honored by the Christophers, a Roman Catholic organization, as one of the fifty people who have made the world a better place in the last half century, and by Religion in American Life as the clergyman of the year in 1999. He is the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People and eight other books.

Author Talk: Philip Spiegel

2009-11-10T16:11:00.001-05:00

Author Philip Spiegel
Triumph Over Tyranny

Presentation and Book Signing
The Heroic Campaigns that Saved 2,000,000 Soviet Jews
at Temple Dor Dorim
2360 Glades Circle
Weston, FL
on Wednesday, November 18th at 7 pm
Open to the community No charge
RSVP to Lorelei Ennis at akidsbook@aol.com

Triumph Over Tyranny provides a panorama of the history of the international Soviet Jewry movement and the fight for human rights. During the 60's and 70's Jewish people worldwide gave new meaning to the slogan "Never Again" and waged successful campaigns to save their brethren, the Jews of the Soviet Union who courageously refused to be victims.

The Temple Dor Dorim Library and Cultural Arts Committee and B'nai B'rith International are co-sponsoring the evening.

Jewish Authors at Miami Book Fair International

2009-11-09T15:20:00.002-05:00

Several authors will discuss their Jewish themed books at the Miami Book Fair International this week including Aryeh Rubin on JEWISH SAGES OF TODAY: PROFILES OF EXTRAORIDINARY PEOPLE, a compilation of profiles of Jewish personalities from across the US and Israel. Ariel Sabar will present MY FATHER’S PARADISE: A SON’S SEARCH FOR HIS JEWISH PAST IN KURDISH IRAQ; Allen Wells introduces his book TROPICAL ZION: GENERAL TRUJILLO, FDR AND THE JEWS OF SOUSUA, the little known story of Holocaust refuges who settled in the Dominican Republic; and Steve Karras will present THE ENEMY I KNEW; GERMAN JEWS IN THE ALLIED MILITARY IN WWII, a collection of interviews with 27 German and Austrian Jews who escaped the Holocaust and returned to fight with Allied forces.

The Miami Book Fair International is held on Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Campus. For the complete Fair schedule visit www.miamibookfair.com or call 305.237.3258

Author Events: Maggie Anton

2009-10-19T15:28:00.002-04:00

Maggie Anton, author of the Rashi's Daughters series, will be in South Florida this week to share her newest book in the series, RACHEL.

Oct 19 - 7pm. Congregation Bnai Torah, 6261 SW 18th St, Boca Raton, FL

Oct 20 - 11 am. Sisterhood luncheon. Bet Shira Congregation 7500 S.W. 120th Street, Miami FL 33156

Oct 20 - 7:30 pm. Booksigning. Books & Books, 9700 Collins Ave, Bal Harbour, FL

Oct 22 - 10 am. Sunshine NCJW breakfast, Valencia Pointe clubhouse. 6992 Corning Circle, Boynton Beach, FL

Oct 22 - 7:30 pm. Posnack JCC, 5850 S. Pine Island Rd, Davie, FL

JPS and JBI Proudly Announce Release of JPS Tanakh: The Jewish Bible, audio version

2009-10-13T16:13:00.001-04:00

Audio Bible

For Immediate Release: (date)

Contact: Anita Bihovsky

abihovsky@jewishpub.org

215-832-0601

JPS & JBI PROUDLY ANNOUNCE GROUNDBREAKING RECORDING OF

THE COMPLETE JEWISH BIBLE

Philadelphia, PA – For the first time ever, the new JPS translation of the Jewish Bible, the JPS Tanakh, is available in audio format. Produced and recorded for The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) by JBI International (est. as the Jewish Braille Institute) in JBI‘s New York City studios over the course of 12 months, this groundbreaking project – known as JPS Tanakh: The Jewish Bible, audio version – features 60 hours of readings by 13 narrators.

JBI narrators included stage and TV actors, radio personalities, teachers, and voiceover talents. Special guest readers such as actor and singer Theodore Bikel, TV and Broadway actress Tovah Feldshuh, and best-selling authors Bruce Feiler and Rabbi Harold Kushner also contributed their talents.

“For many years JPS had been hoping to produce an audio version of its Bible. The 1917 JPS translation is in audio, but not the 1985 translation, which is the version everyone reads today,” says JPS COO and publishing director Carol Hupping.

“We were delighted when JBI agreed to record for us. It was the only organization we considered working with because of its new, state-of-the-art studios, and, more importantly, because of the expert care its staff would give to every aspect of production: the right mix of voices, timing, sound, and pronunciation of all those Hebrew names! Like so many important projects, the work was more involved than anyone anticipated. But it was worth it; the JPS Tanakh audio Bible is sure to become a classic.”

Beginning with the new cycle on the holiday of Simchat Torah, October 10^th, JPS will feature free podcasts of the weekly Torah readings all year long on its website: http://www.jewishpub.org/books/audiobible/. In addition, the entire audio Bible will be available soon for purchase through the JPS website, Audible and iTunes, and through many public libraries’ online access programs.

JBI, the world’s largest library of talking books of Jewish interest for the visually impaired, blind, and reading-disabled of all ages and backgrounds, will offer the entire recording free to the visually impaired and blind. More information on the JBI Library is available at www.jbilibrary.org.

Funding for this recording was made possible through the generosity of Aaron Feingold, Dr. Seymour and June Kessler, and Norman and Edith Weisfeld.

JPS, a nonprofit organization, is the oldest publisher of Jewish works in English, including the JPS Tanakh.

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Anita Bihovsky

Publicity Manager

The Jewish Publication Society

2100 Arch Street, 2nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 832-0601

(800) 234-3151, x 50601

abihovsky@jewishpub.org

Visit our website at www.jewishpub.org

The Hebrew Mamita

2009-10-03T16:22:00.002-04:00

Vanessa Hidary, "The Hebrew Mamita," performs live at Temple Dor Dorim in Weston, Monday October 19, 2009 at 7pm.

Host-A-Jewish-Book-Author.com

2009-09-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

Host-a-Jewish-Book-Author.com moves to Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Anna Olswanger (201) 791-4699
Bob Goldfarb (310) 652-5163

Host-a-Jewish-Book-Author.com, a free Web source of information on authors of Jewish-themed books worldwide, has been acquired by the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity. Launched in late 2007 by literary agent Anna Olswanger of Liza Dawson Associates, it was selected as one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers for 2009" by Writers Digest magazine.

“I have wanted to take this site to the next level for some time," Olswanger commented. "Joining with the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity lets us combine the proverbial strength with strength.” The president of the Center, Bob Goldfarb, added, “This great resource helps us continue our historic commitment to creative artists, with technology that makes it possible for us to serve them better.”

Host-a-Jewish-Book-Author.com is searchable by name, location, and genre. Each listing includes the participating author's city, book titles, lecture topics, areas of travel, and contact information. Also available are links to author interviews and podcasts. The site is designed to make it easy for bookstores, libraries, and other organizations to arrange programs with authors, especially around the
Jewish holidays.

Over 75 authors are participating in the Host a Jewish Book Author site, including Maggie Anton, Ron Arons, Haggai Carmon, Poopa Dweck, Michelle Edwards, Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, Barbara Kessel, Sarah Lamstein, Gregory Levey, Anna Levine, Sonia Levitin, Bob Morris, Rosalind Reisner, Rabbi Dennis Ross, Sylvia Rouss, Arthur Schwartz, Steve Sheinkin, and Yale Strom.

The Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity envisions making all participating authors "Center Artists" of the CJCC. It is also interested in adapting the software to launch similar services for visual artists, filmmakers, playwrights, and musicians.

The CJCC undertakes projects that address Jewish identity and Jewish community through the medium of arts and culture. “The acquisition of www.Host-a-Jewish-Book-Author.com will contribute to the growth of the organization and its existing
Website www.jewishcreativity.org,” noted Goldfarb.

---
Anna Olswanger, Literary Agent
Liza Dawson Associates
350 Seventh Avenue, Ste. 2003
New York, NY 10001
Direct tel.: +1-201-791-4699
www.olswanger.com
www.shlemielcrooks.com
www.host-a-jewish-book-author.com

Storytelling Event

2009-09-15T14:17:00.001-04:00

Sunday, September 20, 2009

3pm

Book Talk: I Loved My Mother on Saturdays and Other Tales from the Shtetl and Beyond by Roslyn Bresnick Perry. Featuring editor Caren Neile, MFA, Ph.D., FAU faculty. Spanish River Library, 1501 Spanish River Blvd. Boca Raton 561-393-7852

AJL Call for Papers

2009-09-15T12:45:00.001-04:00

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) will hold its 45th annual convention at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle July 4 to 7, 2010. Librarians, educators, archivists, scholars, authors and others will meet to share their interest in Judaic librarianship and related topics.

AJL is soliciting proposals for workshops, panel discussions or presentations on any aspect of Judaic librarianship or scholarship as it pertains to libraries, archives, museums, schools, synagogues and related institutions. Past topics have included literature and other resources, collection management, programming, reader advisory services, special collections, cataloging and classification, digital and electronic sources, technology, and local Jewish history. A special focus this year will be on advocacy, technology and sustainability.

Submissions should include:

• Author's name, address, affiliation, telephone number, fax

number & email

• Brief author biography

• Title of presentation

• Summary of proposal

• Specific technology equipment or access needed

All submissions must be received by December 1, 2009. They may be submitted electronically toajlseattle@gmail.com or mailed to: Toby Harris, c/o Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St, Seattle, WA 98115.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Program Planning Group composed of national and local AJL convention committee members. Notification will be made in January of 2010.

www.ajlnorthwest.org

New Holocaust Books for Youth

2009-09-14T12:05:00.002-04:00

Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

Roaring Brook Press

Imprints of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Jeanne McDermott • Director of Marketing • 646-307-5756 • Jeanne.Mcdermott@fsgbooks.com

From the Anne Frank House

ANNE FRANK: HER LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURES,

A FAMILY SECRET, and THE SEARCH

“Heartbreaking . . . the medium’s intimacy and immediacy help boil down a vast subject to a few lives that young readers, and old ones too, can grasp.” – The New York Times

“A must for the Holocaust curriculum.” – Booklist, starred review

“[The Search and A Family Secret] are must-haves.” – Kirkus, starred review

It is through the narratives of victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and survivors that we become aware of the human side of the Holocaust. Every person who lived in Europe during that terrible time has a unique, personal story. Statistics tell us what happened, but the stories let us know how it felt.

Fortunately, these stories survive, thanks in part to museums, archives, libraries, and more.

We’re proud to publish for the US market three books developed by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam: Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures is a book to read and pore over as it includes many photographs of the Frank family never published before. In A Family Secret, we read about the experiences of a fictional Dutch family during World War II. Powerful storytelling, combined with the narrative energy of the graphic novel format, convey the details of this horrific moment in world history. In another equally powerful graphic novel, The Search, the main facts about the Holocaust are revealed through the eyes of another fictional family affected by the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Each of the latter books presents information related by eyewitness accounts.

These meticulously researched visual books bring a new accessibility to this moral turning point in modern history and forge a connection to the events of the past for children living in today’s very visual culture. In addition, children will be aware of a new Disney film project: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/08/12/2009-08-12_the_diary_of_anne_frank_to_return_to_the_big_screen_david_mamet_will_write_direc.html#ixzz0NzSVSoWN

If we may provide more information about the books or provide review copies, please let me know (see contact information above).

And please see our free, downloadable guide, TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST: http://us.macmillan.com/annefrank-2#guides

The Anne Frank House is an independent organization entrusted with the care of the Secret Annex, the place where Anne Frank hid during World War II and where she wrote her diary. It brings her life story to the attention of people all over the world to encourage them to reflect on the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination, and on the importance of freedom, equal rights and democracy. Their American partner organization is The Anne Frank Center USA.

Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures • by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der rol; translated by Arnold J. Pomerans

Roaring Brook Press • HC: 978-1-59643-546-9 •PB: 978-1-59643-547-6

A Family Secret • by Eric Heuvel; translated by Lorraine T. Miller

Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers • HC ISBN: 978-0-374-32271-7 • PB ISBN: 978-0-374-42265-3

The Search • by Eric Heuvel, Ruud van der Rol, and Lies Schippers; translated by Lorraine T. Miller

Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers • HC ISBN: 978-0-374-36517-2 • PB ISBN: 978-0-374-46455-4

On Sale October 2009

Author Visit: Anita Diamant

2009-09-14T10:39:00.003-04:00

Time: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 7:30 p.m.
Location: Temple Israel, 137 N.E 19th Street, Miami, FL 33132

Just as she gave voice to the silent women of the Old Testament in The Red Tent, Anita Diamant creates a cast of breathtakingly vivid characters -- young women who escaped to Israel from Nazi Europe -- in this intensely dramatic novel. Day After Night (Scribner, $27) is based on the extraordinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prisoners from the Atlit internment camp, a prison for "illegal" immigrants run by the British military near the Mediterranean coast north of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp with profoundly different stories. All of them survived the Holocaust: Shayndel, a Polish Zionist; Leonie, a Parisian beauty; Tedi, a hidden Dutch Jew; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor.

Haunted by unspeakable memories and losses, afraid to begin to hope, Shayndel, Leonie, Tedi, and Zorah find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience even as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves in a strange new country. This is an unforgettable story of tragedy and redemption, a novel that reimagines a moment in history with such stunning eloquence that we are haunted and moved by every devastating detail. Day After Night is a triumphant work of fiction.

Tickets are required for this event and are available at all Books & Books locations. The BOOK-AND-RECEPTION TICKET: For just $40, you get a copy of Day After Night, a ticket to the private wine-and-hors d’oeuvres reception with Anita Diamant and a reserved priority seat at the reading. BOOK-AND-RECEPTION TICKETS ARE LIMITED. To get your book-and-reception ticket, stop by all Books & Books locations.

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS also are available for free at all Books & Books locations. Private Reception starts at 6:30pm. Public author event begins at 7:30pm.

Book Review: Escape

2009-09-13T10:28:00.001-04:00

Book Review of ESCAPE
By
Charles Meyers

Charles Meyers is an Elizabethan Crypto-Jewish historian. His main character, Hector (Heitor) Nunes, is a real life historical character. Escape is yet an unknown novel, self-published by Mr. Meyers through Catawba Publishing. I have been fortunate to receive a copy and be among the first to read it. It is a thrilling read.

Escape takes place in Portugal during the Portuguese Inquisition the year is 1543. "Escape" is just that, an escape into another lifetime. Hector Nunes, (1520-1591), physician, merchant, and intelligence operative, was born in Evora, Portugal. His family and other Jews had been forcibly converted in 1497 by the order of King Manuel I. He received a B.A. from the University of Chimera in 1540 and a B.A. in Medicine on July 7, 1543 from the same university. The Portuguese Inquisition's zealous actions against New Christians caused him to flee the country in approximately
1544/1545.

Nunes traveled to the Bristol home of his uncle, Dr. Henrique Nunes, and aunt, Beatriz Fernandes. Given the opportunity to live graciously in Lisbon, but still hiding his Jewish birth, he wants only to be his own man, spurns his Uncle's generosity, and leaves for London. At time you feel sorry for Heitor and at other times you want to shake him and scream. He is a spoiled brat, with an insatiable appetite, not only for food but for wealth, respect and power. The lack of medical certification from the Royal College of Physicians of London caused him to engage in commercial activities beginning in 1546.

The intrigues that follow make for a fast paced, heart beating reading experience. This book is destined to be a best seller. It is a non-stop page turner, filled with suspense, and pathos. The story draws the reader into the time and situations. This is not only a story; it is a piece of history that few Jews really know about, told in a way that brings it to life and conjures up images and feeling that have been attached to so many times when the Jews have been persecuted.

You must read this book, available in limited quantity. I am recommending it to every student, every avid reader, book clubs, Jewish scholars, etc. this book will be a most valuable addition to every library and I am proud to have it in ours. I am anxiously awaiting the publishing of the sequel "1545 vs.1554"

Judith Jagoda: School Librarian
David Posnack Hebrew Day School, Plantation, FL.

Say You’re Sorry

2009-08-27T21:11:00.002-04:00

Tablet Magazine has an interesting way of celebrating the High Holidays this year: the Say You're Sorry hotline! Here's how they explain it:

Yom Kippur is right around the corner, and we all have things to repent for. That, dear readers, includes you. Maybe you said something nasty to a friend, maybe you’ve told a little lie, maybe you stole $50 billion dollars and sent the global economy into a tailspin. Whatever it is, we want to hear about it for our new Daily Sorry feature. Starting in early September and running every day until Yom Kippur, we’ll run one reader’s message of atonement. (Or more than one, if we get lots. Or maybe not every day, if we don’t.) It’s very simple: call our hotline, leave us a short message saying what you’re sorry for (don’t worry—there’s no need to give us your contact information, or even your name), and we’ll run it on the site. And you’ll feel much, much better about yourself.

Ready to say you’re sorry? Call us at 718-360-4836, and tell us what you’re sorry for. We can’t forgive you, but we can make repenting more fun.

Why Be Social?

2009-08-27T11:31:00.001-04:00

For immediate release

September 2009

For more information:

Heidi Estrin, heidi@cbiboca.org

“WHY BE SOCIAL?” LAUNCHES PODCAST ON JEWISH SOCIAL MEDIA

“Why Be Social?” is a four-part podcast mini-series created to encourage lovers of Jewish literature to engage in social media in order to promote and support the genre. The project was inspired by a social media workshop at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in June 2009 in Chicago, arranged by podcaster Heidi Estrin (bookoflifepodcast.com) and led by podcaster Mark Blevis (canadianpodcastbuffet.ca, justonemorebook.com).

“Mark’s session at the convention opened the floodgates of attendees’ curiosity about blogs and podcasts, and how these websites can be used to promote Jewish publishing, library use, and reading. I created the ‘Why Be Social?’ podcast as a way to continue the conversation beyond the convention,” says Estrin.

Part 1 of “Why Be Social?” addresses philosophical aspects of the human relationship with technology. Part 2 offers definitions for "blogging" and "podcasting." In Part 3, host Heidi Estrin and guest Alx Block of the Jewish Publication Society suggest relevant blogs and podcasts for Jewish book lovers. Part 4 wraps up by bringing back Mark Blevis to discuss social media participation, or as he calls it, "create, consume, contribute." All four podcast episodes offer extensive show notes, and the series is an excellent resource on getting started in social media engagement.

The four episodes of “Why Be Social?” were posted to Estrin’s regular podcast, The Book of Life, a show about Jewish books, music, film and web that has been online since 2005. Visit www.bookoflifepodcast.com to listen to the “Why Be Social?” series, and to check out earlier episodes featuring interviews with Jewish authors, musicians, and other creative people.

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Torah Aura Webinars

2009-08-11T11:34:00.004-04:00

Torah Aura, publisher of Jewish educational materials, now offers free webinars for educators! A webinar is a seminar offered live via Internet. Because a webinar is live, teacher and students can interact, just as in a regular classroom situation. However, webinars are recorded and can be viewed later (non-interactively) by those for whom the scheduled webinar time is not convenient.

Torah Aura's webinars expand upon the company's printed materials, talking about ways to use various titles and also furthering the discussion on each book's topic. Webinars currently listed on the Torah Aura site address issues such as prayer, lifecycle, Israel, and Jewish heroes.

Torah Aura explains how easy it is to partipate:

Basically, you just need any Mac or PC that is connected to a high-speed (not dial-up) internet connection. In order to hear the presentation, you’ll also need computer speakers (or you can listen to the audio over a plain-old phone connection, like dialing into a conference call). You can ask questions by simply typing them in (kind of like typing in a chat room or instant message), or you can ask via audio using a microphone connected to your computer or your phone handset. In a nutshell: as long as your computer isn’t totally ancient, and as long as you have an internet connection that’s faster than dial-up, you’re good to go.

To learn more or to sign up for a webinar, visit http://tapbb.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/torah-aura-professional-development-webinars/.

Promote Your Book Sale

2009-07-14T10:28:00.003-04:00

Book Sale Manager is a site that helps you find book sales where you can go shopping, or you can list a book sale that you are hosting. Visit booksalemanager.com to try it out. When I tried looking up Florida book sales, I found listings for Friends of the Library sales in South Florida including Plantation, Weston and Parkland, as well as sales further afield. Give it a try!

JPS Bible Guide Named "Best"

2009-07-12T17:12:00.002-04:00

LIBRARIANS SELECT JPS BIBLE GUIDE AS “BEST OF THE BEST”

Philadelphia, PA - The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) is proud to announce that The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide, has been recognized by the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) as one of the “Best of the Best” books in its 19^th edition of University Press Books Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries, showcased at this summer’s American Library Association conference in Chicago.

According to AAUP, “Some of the most significant and thought-provoking books… are published by scholarly presses” and represent major contributions to important library collections. The volumes singled out this year for excellence as “Best of the Best” were selected from a list of 400 by active librarians who work with high school students and the general public.

Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and Abraham, noted: “Whether you study the Bible every day or are just returning to it after many years away, this book offers a gentle hand and a comprehensive eye that can help you get more out of the text. The Jewish Bible will quickly become the go-to book for casual and devoted students alike.”

The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide was edited and published by JPS with advisors Shalom Paul, Fred Greenspahn and Ziony Zevit. Featuring contributions by leading Bible scholars, it has been heralded as an outstanding resource for anyone engaged in Bible study. This invaluable guide covers everything from the origins of the Bible to chapters on commentaries, distinctions between the Jewish and Christian Bibles, storytelling and poetry in the Bible, law, prophecy, wisdom literature, and a glossary of Bible terms. This volume is part of the highly acclaimed JPS Guide series, a collection of concise, authoritative reference books on key Jewish topics. Colorful graphics, including maps, charts, tables, timelines and family trees, also provide quick, easy access to an abundance of information.

For more information on The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide, visit http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=102.

AJL Convention Blog

2009-07-05T09:08:00.001-04:00

The AJL Convention starts today! Several hundred AJL members have gathered in Chicago, IL for our annual meeting, and we're going to be blogging it. Watch ajl09.posterous.com now and beyond the conference for announcements, impressions, and a "you are there" experience!

A History of the NCSY

2009-06-23T12:11:00.002-04:00

If you are interested in Jewish youth movements, you might want to check out the new book Living from Convention to Convention: A History of the NCSY, 1954-1980 (NCSY, or National Conference of Synagogue Youth, is the international youth organization of the Orthodox Union.). Written by Yeshiva University student Zev Eleff and published by KTAV, the book fills a gap in American Jewish history. Eleff used archives from across the country in his research.

According to the Orthodox Union web site:

Zev only wrote about the history of NCSY through 1980, and when asked why, he says, “After NCSY took off and became the multi-service movement spread across the American forefront that it is today, it became nearly impossible to write a concise history of its efforts and programs. To document its history after 1980 would require a volume for each of its 18 fully-operational regions, rather than one comprehensive work.” Zev ... said he does not have plans to undertake that daunting project (“a challenge for some other historian,” he says) but is happy with his effort to record the early makings of NCSY.

A review of the book can be found on the Jewish Book News site here and the book may be purchased here.

Oyster Hotel Reviews Supports AJL

2009-06-23T11:56:00.004-04:00

Shoshanah Seidman, one of the organizers of this year's AJL convention in Chicago, is proud to announce that two of her sons are helping to support the convention through their business, Oyster Hotel Reviews. Elie and Eytan Seidman will be sponsoring either the author's luncheon or one of the coffee breaks.

Oyster Hotel Reviews at oyster.com offers expert hotel reviews and undoctored photography to show you the good AND the bad aspects of places where you might be considering a vacation. They send people to sleep in the beds, swim in the pools, eat in the hotel restaurants, and to report back honestly. So far they cover a handful of locations, Miami being one of them.

Thanks to Oyster for supporting AJL!

American Jewish Fiction

2009-06-08T10:41:00.003-04:00

The lastest issue of Jewish Book World (the journal of the Jewish Book Council) features a very interesting essay by Josh Lambert called "What Makes a Book Jewish?" This age-old question cannot be answered in a single essay, of course, but Josh suggests possible criteria such as Jewish authorship, or a Jewish feeling (he quotes Saul Bellow "who characterized a Jewish book as one in which 'laughter and trembling' are 'curiously mixed'"). I like his conclusion, where he says that to him, the way to answer this question is to consider why you think anyone should read such books.

Are these books meant to bring Jewish closer to God? To explain Jewish life to non-Jews? To educate, entertain, to perplex, to enlighten? Personally, I hope Jewish books can do all of these things.

This essay was written not only to explore the definition of Jewish literature, but also to introduce Josh Lambert's forthcoming book, American Jewish Fiction: A JPS Guide. The essay helps him define his criteria for inclusion or exclusion of various titles within this collection of short reviews. He acknowledges that readers might have differing opinions about what constitutes a Jewish book, or which titles should be included in such a compilation. To that end, he has created a companion website at www.americanjewishfiction.com, where you can read book reviews or even suggest additional books.

Second Chance to Hear Jerry Glantz

2009-06-03T11:40:00.003-04:00

Dr. Jerry Glantz, author of The Man Who Spoke to God, was a guest speaker at a South Florida AJL Chapter meeting earlier this year. If you missed his talk, you've got a second chance. He will be making a presentation at the Hagen Ranch Road Branch of Palm Beach County Library in Delray Beach on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 2:00-3:00pm. Tickets (two per person) available June 15.

The book is a biography of Dr. Glantz's father Cantor Leib Glantz, a world-renowned cantor whose recordings are full of beauty and longing.

Storytelling with Roz Davidson

2009-05-19T20:27:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 2-3pm
Storyteller and author Roz Davidson
Hagen Ranch Library, Delray Beach

Roz Davidson is an award-winning composer/performer/storyteller who is also a poet, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. On June 3 she offers readings, dramatizations, and a discussion of her latest book Are Flowers Jewish? According to South Florida Storytelling News, "her short stories will make you laugh, move you, and help you appreciate your world a little more." Also known as "The Granny Rapper," Roz's works have been played on international airlines.

For more information, see talkatale.com.

Film Showing: House of the Generals

2009-05-10T09:46:00.003-04:00

House of the Generals
An unforgettable true story of a family trapped between the Russian Revolution and World War II. Seen through the eyes of Liza Kharacter, the epic story begins with the dawn of 20th century. Their loves, sacrifices, and their fight for survival during the Holocaust. Their journey carries the viewer on a tumultuous ride with an uncertain future. See www.houseofthegenerals.com for more info.

Sunday May 17, 2009 2 pm
Florida Movie Premiere
at the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC Sandler Center
21050 95th Ave South, Boca Raton FL 33428
Tickets $10. 561-558-2520
Filmmakers Dan Spigel and Tammy Neubauer in Attendance

Publicity Opportunities through AJL

2009-05-05T17:58:00.008-04:00

Here's some info from National AJL about some great opportunities for publicity. Pass it on!

2009 AJL Convention Ads, Exhibits & Sponsorships

44th Annual Association of Jewish Libraries Convention
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers
301 E. North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611
July 5-8, 2009

Would you like to reach hundreds of Judaica professionals from around the world? Join us as the Association of Jewish Libraries presents its 44nd annual convention in Chicago July 5-8, 2009.

Our members represent synagogues and schools, major universities, research centers, and other settings. You can participate in a number of ways

Exhibit products and/or services in the Convention Exhibit Hall
Advertise in the convention program book
Sponsor a convention event, with recognition at the event and in the program book
Congratulate the organization, or members you know, with a message in the program book

You can support the work of this respected and successful organization, while bringing your own work or good wishes to the members’ attention. Information about Advertising, Exhibits, and Sponsorships may be found here.

The deadline for these opportunities is MAY 27, 2009.

Credit card payments will be processed via PayPal.

A preview of some of the info you'll find at the AJL website...

EXHIBITS

All single booths will be set with (1) 6 x 30 table and (2) chairs.
Cost = $300 per table
Half-table price = $175
Table with no sales rep [books only] = $125
Double booth (2) tables = $500
Larger booths will be individually priced: contact ajlchicagoexhibits@gmail.com

ADVERTISING

Click here for full ad specs. Please note the special discount on full page ads available to exhibitors.

Page size	Price
Full page	Exhibitors $400, Non-exhibitors $450
Half page	$300
Quarter page	$150
Eighth page (business card)	$75
Web ad placement on AJL Convention web page (to run May 1- July 10, 2009)	$500

Please note we have a new discount offer! If you also purchase advertising for 1 year in the AJL Newsletter (4 issues, beginning in Fall 2009), you can receive a 5%-15% discount on your Convention Program Ad.

SPONSORSHIP
Please contact Shoshanah Seidman at (847) 491-7585 or sseidman@northwestern.edu if you are interested in any of the following sponsorship opportunities.

Event	Date	Rate
Keynote speaker: Peter Hayes, Prof. Northwestern University	Sunday, July 5	$3,000
Exhibit Hall Coffee Break	July 6 (am) July 6 (pm) July 7 (am) July 7 (pm)	$3,000 each
Awards Luncheon	July 6	$3,000
Pre-Banquet Reception	July 7	$3,000
Banquet	July 7	$4,000-$6,000
Special sessions: Israel, Yiddish & Israeli Theater, Music, Jewish Art	July 5-6-7	$1,500-$3,000
Complimentary Meals for Speakers and Volunteers		$3,000
Authors Program	July 7	$3,000
Hospitality Suite		$3,000
Reception in honor of Mrs. Barbara Schneider-Kempf, General Direktor, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin	July 6	$3,000-$5,000
Audiovisual	July 5-6-7-8	$3,000-$8,000

Summer Conference in Cleveland

2009-05-05T17:00:00.001-04:00

Here's your invitation to a unique conference for Jewish educators!

Moreh L'Morim: An Educator's Guide to Perplexing Times will be held at Siegal College in Cleveland, Ohio from August 9-12, 2009.

The conference features outstanding national educators like Vicky Kelman and the staff of the Teva Center for Judaism and Ecology, as well as the full resources of Siegal College and the Cleveland Jewish community. Participants can choose intensive tracks of study or pick from a wide variety of workshops and discussions. Participants can also elect to join in a single day of Jewish learning and professional development. Evening cultural and recreational activities will be available, as well as ongoing opportunities to network with Jewish educators from communities across the country.

Visit www.siegalcollege.edu/summerinstitute.php for details and registration! Educators from Cleveland and our MAHAR partner communities (Akron, Canton, Youngstown and Pittsburgh) are eligible for discounted fees.

Contact conference coordinator Lisa Kollins directly with questions: summerinstitute@siegalcollege.edu or (216) 464-4050.

New Podcast Episodes

2009-05-04T16:52:00.002-04:00

For your podcasting enjoyment, please visit:

AJL Podcast's newest episode, "How to Run an Effective AJL Chapter" - a panel discussion recorded at the 2008 Association of Jewish Libraries convention.

The Book of Life Podcast's newest episode, "Sing, Little Birdie" - an interview with Orit Shimoni, leader of the Canadian band Little Birdie.

Author Event: A German Life

2009-05-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

Temple Beth Am's Ideas Through Books Series
A German Life by Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger

Sunday morning, May 17, 2009 at 10:00 AM in the Chapel

Meet Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, author of A German Life. Born in mid-1950's Germany, he discovered his father was a decorated Nazi war hero who had kept the past hidden from his children. Dismayed by the legacy of the Holocaust, the son rebelled, converted to Judaism, and even immigrated to Israel. The rift between family and faith never healed.

Ideas Through Books meetings are free and open to the public…. AND we serve bagels and coffee. Call the Temple Beth Am library to let us know how many to expect: 305-667-6667 x 128. Info about Temple Beth Am is at tbam.org.

Hooray for Buy Indie Day!

2009-05-01T14:21:00.002-04:00

Well, the idea behind "Buy Indie Day" worked, because without that inspiration I would not have shlepped to Delray Beach to find my nearest independent bookseller. I must say, though, that I am glad I did so.

I drove up to Pineapple Grove to visit Murder on the Beach, a mystery bookshop. I was just browsing around, determined to find something to buy to show my support of indies, and after meandering around the whole store twice, I struck gold. An author I already love, a series I thought had ended, and an autographed copy to boot. It was The Laughter of Dead Kings, a Vicky Bliss mystery by Elizabeth Peters! This is the first new book about Vicky in more than a decade, and I hadn't even known about it!

Amusingly, the book starts with an author's note asking readers to suspend their disbelief and just accept "the current now." The first Vicky Bliss mystery came out in 1973. This one is (c)2008 and she's still in her thirties. And the story now includes things like cell phones. It's fine with me, I liked Vicky as a thirty-something and I don't really want her to have aged. And I think it would be too much work to try to retrofit the book to the seventies, carefully proofreading for any signs of modern technology. It's escapist fiction anyway, so "the current now" premise works for me.

I'd forgotten how very pleasant downtown Delray can be on a sunny day, so I decided to take my new book, get a coffee, and start reading. I was walking over to Starbucks when I realized I should uphold the spirit of the day by finding an independent coffeeshop, so I ended up at a health food place where I got a mocha latte and an organic cookie. I must admit that the lack of wheat flour didn't do the cookie any favors, but it was nice to sit in the breeze sipping away and reading a few chapters of my new book. I felt like I was on a mini-vacation! Thanks, Buy Indie Day!

May 1 is Buy Indie Day

2009-04-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

May 1, 2009 is Buy Indie Day. On this date, book lovers will show their support for independent bookstores by purchasing at least one book (paperback, hardcover, audiobook -- or even a CD, a game, or some other item) at any convenient local independent bookstore.

Buy Indie Day was created by thriller author Joe Finder as a way to support and raise the profile of independent bookstores worldwide.

You can locate an independent bookstore near you at the IndieBound website at http://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder. Honestly, in South Florida it's difficult to find independent booksellers beyond our jewel in the crown, Books & Books, which is an hour away from where I live. I'll probably go to Murder on the Beach, a mystery bookshop in Delray Beach.

There's even a Facebook event page for Buy Indie Day, where you can RSVP to show your support, share the info with your Facebook friends, and post links or comments.

Why shop at independent bookstores instead of big box stores? Here are some convincing reasons from the IndieBound website:

When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:
The Economy
Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.
The Environment
Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.
The Community
Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

JTEC: A Jewish Education Website

2009-04-27T12:29:00.002-04:00

Here is an email I received about a new Jewish education website. Check it out!

Dear Colleague,

We are delighted to present to you the MOFET JTEC Jewish Portal of Teacher Education - http://jtec.macam.ac.il/portal

The objective of this International Portal is to improve the flow of pedagogical knowledge and research in Jewish education by helping teacher educators, teachers, researchers, and other stakeholders keep abreast of the wealth of publications in the field.

The portal's uniqueness results from the coordinated processes of collecting, filtering, processing and distributing relevant research and non-research papers and other resources on Jewish formal and informal education and teacher education within one integrative clearinghouse using defined categories and key words.

Portal users are invited to make use of the site's online response system to interactively share their knowledge and insights about the portal's contents with other users.

In order to keep updated, we recommend that you register for the periodic MOFET JTEC Portal newsletter, free of charge. Each newsletter is sent directly to your electronic mailbox and contains references to all the new items added to the portal.

If you wish to register simply write your email address under "Free Newsletter" (located top-right in the portal). Click the "Subscribe" button and follow the confirmation request that will be sent to your email mailbox.

At this opportunity, we also invite you to browse through our website and view some of the other activities that take place in this framework.

We welcome you aboard and thank you in advance for spreading the word…

The MOFET JTEC Portal Team

AJL Goes Print-on-Demand

2009-04-21T09:57:00.003-04:00

The Association of Jewish Libraries has begun publishing materials using the CreateSpace print-on-demand service from Amazon.com. This allows AJL to offer high-quality professionally printed and bound monographs. To kick off AJL's relationship with this service, they offer two important titles:

Creating a Collection
The newly-revised fifth edition of Creating a Collection: A Resource Booklist for a Beginning Judaic Library by Merrily Hart is now available for purchase. This very useful annotated subject bibliography is a guide to developing a core collection in a synagogue, school, or community center library.

Jewish Classics for Kids
This annotated bibliography of Jewish children's classics by expert Linda R. Silver is a compilation of classic titles from biblical to modern times, organized by subject with a glossary, and title and author indexes.

Both monographs may be ordered through Amazon's web site.

Creating a Collection on Amazon
Jewish Classics for Kids on Amazon

The list price is $20.00 plus shipping. Both titles are eligible for Amazon's Free Super Saver Shipping program if included in an order totaling over $25.00.

Brauser Maimonides Academy’s New Library

2009-04-16T14:15:00.002-04:00

Article written by SFAJL member Elayna Weisel

Brauser Maimonides Academy, a modern Orthodox Day School, dedicated its new library on March 22nd. Located on 40th Avenue in Hollywood, BMA serves children from 18 months old through 8th grade, and the school is completing the third phase in its building plan. The library is now housed in the newest building, in a spacious, beautifully designed space that allows for a storytelling area with bookshelves, comfortable rugs and couches for younger children, and a research and study area for older children complete with computers and work areas.

The library’s collection is substantial, with picture books, fiction and non-fiction in both secular and Judaic subjects. New librarian, Sara Schandelson, a longtime SFAJL member, brings to the school many years of experience as a children’s librarian along with warmth, enthusiasm and a passion for books that will delight both students and teachers.

Rabbi Skurowitz, BMA Head of School comments, "The library is the heart of the school. I can't wait until it's all set up and in full use - library classes for Early Childhood through 8th grade, upper Elementary and Middle School students coming in to do independent research, enrichment groups in English and Hebrew reading in the learning center area, teachers using the teacher resource room, and staff and Board meetings utilizing the SmartBoard."

Younger students have already begun to search for their favorite books, and middle-schoolers are eager to begin working on their research projects. Teachers, students and parents have dreamed about a new library for many years, yet the reality of this large, welcoming library outshines even the most vivid imaginings.

Free Local Conference on Children's Literature

2009-04-15T11:54:00.003-04:00

Here's a press release I received about Broward County Library's annual children's literature conference. I hope to see many of you at the event!

For Immediate Release

Broward County Library invites you to attend its
22nd Annual Conference on Children’s Literature:

JUBILEE! A CELEBRATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR BOOKS

Friday, April 24, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

For information contact:
Lucia Gonzalez
954-357-7501
Lgonzalez@browardlibrary.org

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE ON CHILDRENS LITERATURE

Broward County Library’s Conference on Children’s Literature will be held Friday, April 24, in conjunction with the Ashley Bryan Art Series, and the Children’s BookFest, a weeklong celebration of Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros…Children’s Day/Book Day. The purpose of the Conference is to offer a learning experience for those who select and provide books for youth: teachers, librarians, media specialists, childcare providers, and parents. The theme: “Jubilee, a Celebration of Young People and Their Books” will focus on teen books that engage and inform as they ignite teens’ interest in community, culture, and the world. All who attend will gain skills and knowledge applicable to working with youth in today’s classrooms and libraries.

The conference is offered completely free of charge. Advanced registration is strongly suggested, as seating is limited.

SPEAKERS

TONYA BOLDEN is the author of more than twenty books for the young. Among them are Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America, The Champ: The Story of Muhammad Ali, and Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl. Bolden’s latest book is UpClose: W.E.B. Du Bois

DONNA GEPHART has been writing humor for twenty years, as an editor at a greeting card company and has sold stories, poems and essays to a number of magazines, including: Family Circle, Parents and Highlights for Children. As If Being 12 ¾ Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President! is her first novel. She lives in South Florida with her husband and two teenage sons.
MEGAN HONIG is the Teen Collection Specialist for New York Public Library. She is well known as a presenter at state and national Conferences. Her latest article, in VOYA August 2008, discusses “street lit” and teens.

G. NERI has been a filmmaker, interactive media producer and illustrator. He has taught animation to inner-city teens in Los Angeles. His book, Chess Rumble, was listed on the ALA Notable Booklist. He now lives in Tampa, where he writes urban teen fiction, especially for boys.

JAMES E. RANSOME is a renowned children’s book illustrator and painter. The Children’s Book Council named him one of “seventy-five authors and illustrators everyone should know”. Ransome has received both the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and the IBBY Honor Award for his book, The Creation. He has illustrated more than 40 books, including Sky Boys (the 2006 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book and ALA Notable Book), Major Taylor and many other highly acclaimed titles.

REGISTRATION

There is no registration fee but seating is limited. After April 10, please call to check on seating availability

To confirm e-mail Annie Smith at asmith@browardlibrary.org

For conference information please call Nancy Murray at (954) 357-7336

LUNCH

Lunch is not provided. Please bring lunch or a list of area restaurants will be provided.

LOCATION

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center
2650 Sistrunk Boulevard
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311
954-625-2823

GENERAL LOCATION

The branch is located on West Sistrunk Boulevard (6th Street) between NW 31st Street on the west, I-95 on the east, Sunrise Boulevard on the north, and Broward Boulevard on the south.

April 20 Meeting Cancelled

2009-04-13T16:57:00.003-04:00

The SFAJL chapter meeting originally scheduled for Monday, April 20, 2009 has been cancelled. This would have been our final meeting of the season, and no new meetings will be scheduled until the fall. Please keep an eye on this website for notice of future meetings. Thank you.

Book Discussion: Spiritual Radical

2009-04-12T10:32:00.004-04:00

Correction: Date has been changed from April 26 to April 19!

Temple Beth Am's Ideas Through Books Series
Sunday morning, April 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM in the Chapel

Join the discussion led by Larry Apple on the newly published
Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972 by Edward K. Kaplan

Guest host Larry Apple will lead us in a discussion of Heschel, as described in this latest biography by Edward K. Kaplan, and through a collection of his essays found in Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity. “This religiously contentious world needs the noble witness of Abraham Joshua Heschel more than ever. Edward K. Kaplan's lucid and compelling account of Heschel's life in America is an urgently important book."-James Carroll, author of Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews.

Ideas Through Books meetings are free and open to the public…. AND we serve bagels and coffee. Call us in the Temple Beth Am library to let us know how many to expect: 305-667-6667 x 128. Info on Temple Beth Am is at tbam.org.

The Sun's Special Blessing

2009-03-29T14:23:00.003-04:00

At the March 25 SFAJL chapter meeting, member Loreli Ennis told us about a new book written by her cousin, Sandy Wasserman: The Sun's Special Blessing. Below is the information supplied by Sandy about her book:

The Blessing for the Sun - on Pesach, This Year!

Why is this year different from all other years? Because this year, Birkat HaChamah, the blessing for the sun, takes place and falls on the morning of the first seder, April 8, 2009. It's been 28 years since the blessing of the sun; Birkat HaChamah was last recited in 1981.

New York children's author and teacher, Sandy Wasserman, has written a new picture book, The Sun's Special Blessing, just published by Pitspopany Press. The story, for children in grades 2-5, takes place in a classroom, where the children are learning the blessing. Mr. Jacob, their teacher, invites them to share his own 1981 experience with the blessing, when he was their own age. Shovels in hand, they unearth a time capsule from that year, remark about the secular and Jewish objects, learn the blessing and then build, and bury their own 2009 time capsule filled with their own memorabilia and artifacts, so that those who find it in 2037 will know about our lives today.

It's both a Pesach book, and a Birkat HaChamah book!

Contact Sandy Wasserman in New York directly if you wish to order: sandyfw@gmail.com.

Meeting Minutes: March 25, 2009

2009-03-29T13:48:00.005-04:00

Minutes of the March 25, 2009 meeting at Orloff CAJE in Davie.

Present: Sandy Birch, Kathleen Clotfelter, Lorelei Ennis, Heidi Estrin, Jackie Fine, Jerry Glantz, Etta Gold, Phyllis Gutmann, Judith Jagoda, Meta Lee, Jeff Marks, Tobias Rothenberg, Yettie Ruskin, Art Quinn, Sara Schandelson, Walter Spielman, Arlene Stein, Elayna Weisel, Lee Wixman

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

II) Regarding the 2009 national AJL Convention, Heidi reminded members that travel subsidies are available to assist members to attend who may lack funding. Registration includes kosher meals. The program is available on AJL’s website. The convention takes place July 5-8 in Chicago, immediately followed by ALA in the same city.

III) Heidi reminded members that the SFAJL chapter website is now a blog, available at www.sfajl.org. The newsletter will no longer be distributed in print form and all news can be accessed on the blog. Members that wish to be on the blog's email distribution list should submit their e-mail addresses to Heidi. AJL Podcasts can be accessed through the site www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast.

IV) The guest speaker for the meeting was introduced. Eric Brown is a musician and freelance editor. He recently edited the biography of Stephen Schwartz, Defying Gravity by Carol de Giere. Schwartz is a successful composer and lyricist with famous projects that include Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, and most recently, Wicked. Mr. Brown discussed Schwartz’s career and answered questions from members. Visit www.defyinggravitythebook.com for more information on the book, www.caroldegiere.com for the author's website, www.musicalschwartz.com for Carol de Giere's fansite, and www.stephenschwartz.com for Schwartz's official site.

V) Members were then asked to openly discuss news and issues of their own libraries, and many members shared news and questions.

The next meeting is scheduled for April 20 at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center in Hollywood. Some members asked if the last meeting could be rescheduled due to its proximity to Passover. Heidi will check if that is possible, otherwise the meeting is still scheduled for April 20.

The meeting adjourned at 1:45pm.

Thank you to Art Quinn for recording the minutes.

SFAJL Chapter Meeting

2009-03-24T12:16:00.002-04:00

South Florida AJL Chapter Meeting

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
11:45am - 2:45pm
Orloff CAJE
5890 South Pine Island Rd.
Davie, FL 33328
954.660.2070
www.cajebroward.org

Guest Speaker: Eric Brown, editor of Defying Gravity: the Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked by Carol de Giere.

RSVP to info@sfajl.org

Sana Krasikov Wins the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature

2009-03-24T09:48:00.003-04:00

I just received the following press release from the Jewish Book Council!

Sana Krasikov Wins the $100,000
2009 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature
for her debut short story collection,
One More Year

Gala Awards Ceremony to be held in May at the Museum of Jewish Heritage

Press Contact:
Adam Teeter, Publicist, 404-409-4103, adam@jewishbooks.org
Geri Gindea, Director, Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, 212-786-5158, geri@jewishbooks.org

New York, NY – The Jewish Book Council is proud to announce that Sana Krasikov is the 2009 recipient of the $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for emerging writers of Jewish literature. Krasikov wins the Prize for her debut short story collection, One More Year (Spiegel & Grau), based on her demonstration of a fresh vision and evidence of future potential to further contribute to the Jewish literary community.

The Sami Rohr Prize is the largest monetary prize of its kind in the Jewish literary world, and one of the largest literary prizes worldwide. In 2006, in celebration of Sami Rohr’s 80th birthday, his children and grandchildren inaugurated the Sami Rohr Prize to honor his lifelong love of Jewish literature. The Prize considers fiction and non-fiction in alternating years.

In her celebrated debut, Krasikov has written a book of exceptional literary merit that stimulates an interest in themes of Jewish concern. Krasikov’s canvas is not unfamiliar to recent readers of American Jewish literature: portraits of the new Russian and Georgian immigrants to the United States in the post-Cold War period. The judges felt that what Krasikov does with these ingredients is startlingly fresh: subtle considerations of moral conundrums, of futile hopes, and the calculus of lost possibility. And all of this in clear, short, careful prose which renders it intensely and powerfully readable. “Her characters are often alienated and confused, but her stories are always clear and precise, because Krasikov deeply understands her characters' aspirations, fears, and stubborn passion for survival. Her elegant, revealing narratives imbue their fragile, vulnerable lives with an imposing dignity,” said Allen Hoffman, one of this year’s fiction judges.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "There are stories you read, absorb and think you've forgotten until you re-encounter them - when the world they've created blooms again to full size in memory, like a sponge dropped into water. So it is with Sana Krasikov's stories.”

The Jewish Book Council is also pleased to announce Dalia Sofer, author of The Septembers of Shiraz (Ecco), as the 2009 recipient of the $25,000 Sami Rohr Prize Choice Award. Sofer’s work is a compulsively page-turning first novel that tells of the travails of one Jewish family in the period after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The judges felt that the novel’s facets sparkle as brightly as the gems that lie at its heart; its hard surfaces invite us to gaze into the subtle stirrings in their depths.

The presentation of the Sami Rohr Prize and the Choice Award will be held in May at a gala Awards Ceremony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan.

This year’s judges are Jeremy Dauber, Atran Associate Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture at Columbia, and Director of the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies; Allen Hoffman (aforementioned), Member of the English faculty, Permanent Writer-in-Residence and Acting Director of The Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Bar-Ilan University; Daisy Maryles former Executive Editor, Publishers Weekly; Jonathan Rosen, novelist and Editorial Director of Nextbook; and, Ruth Wisse, Professor of Yiddish and Comparative Literature at Harvard.

ABOUT SAMI ROHR:
After spending his early years in post-WWII Europe, Sami Rohr moved to Bogota, Colombia, where he was a leading real estate developer for over 30 years. He currently lives in Florida and continues to be very active in various business endeavors internationally. His philanthropic commitment to Jewish education and community-building throughout the world is renowned. This Prize is a gift by his family to honor his love of Jewish writing, and to help encourage the continuation of the magnificent legacy of the People of the Book.

ABOUT THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL:
The Jewish Book Council is a not-for-profit organization devoted exclusively to the promotion of Jewish-interest literature. Through an ever-growing list of projects and programs, including the National Jewish Book Awards, the Jewish Book NETWORK, and the quarterly publication Jewish Book World, the Jewish Book Council serves as a catalyst for the reading, writing, and publishing of books of Jewish interest.

For more information about the Jewish Book Council and the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature visit jewishbookcouncil.org.

Podcasting for Smarties

2009-03-23T13:09:00.002-04:00

Torah at the Center, a publication of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), has come out with an issue focusing on ways Jewish educators can take advantage of new technologies. I am pleased to announce that on page 7 of this "Technology at the Center" issue, you will find an article written by yours truly, Heidi Estrin, called "Podcasting for Smarties." Check it out here!

(Back issues focusing on other topics may be found here.)

Jewish Music Lecture at FAU

2009-03-18T16:43:00.002-04:00

FAU Libraries’ Judaica Sound Archives to Host “The Development of Jewish Art Music” with Paul Green

WHAT:
“The Development of Jewish Art Music,” a lecture and demonstration by clarinetist Paul Green exploring Jewish art music from its biblical roots to modern times with excerpts from vintage phonograph recordings.

WHEN:
Wednesday, April 1, at 3:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Florida Atlantic University
Wimberly Library
Fifth Floor East
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431

COST:
Free and open to the public.
JSA donors can reserve seats
by calling the JSA.

CONTACT:
JSA at FAU Libraries at 561-297-0080

DESCRIPTION:
Paul Green teaches clarinet and chamber music at Florida Atlantic and Florida International universities, and is principal clarinetist of the Florida Grand Opera, the Concert Association of Florida and the Boca Raton Symphonia. He studied with the noted clarinetist Leon Russianoff and performed Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals” in a Young People’s Concert with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. Green received a Bachelor of Art degree in music theory and composition from Yale University and a Master of Science degree in performance from The Juilliard School in 1972.

The JSA has been collecting, preserving and digitizing Judaica sound recordings since 2002. For more information, visit www.fau.edu/jsa.

Jewish/ Irish Music

2009-03-17T12:00:00.003-04:00

Just for fun on St. Patrick's Day, I thought you might enjoy these videos which combine jazz, klezmer, and Irish folk music styles!

Author Event: My Father's Final Journey

2009-03-17T10:26:00.004-04:00

Ideas Through Books: March 22, 2009, 10am
Temple Beth Am of Miami, in the Chapel

My Father’s Final Journey: A Heart Surgeon’s Memoir by David L. Galbut, MD

Dr. Galbut, a world renowned heart surgeon, traces the last months of his father’s life, revealing the role a vibrant Jewish identity played in solidifying a family that is about to lose their patriarch. Dr. Galbut’s father enjoyed life without taking it for granted. His ability to face adversity with dignity, and the way his family stands by him, will serve as a fitting example for families everywhere.

Temple Beth Am's Ideas Through Books events are free and open to the public. Please call Judy or Etta in the Temple Beth Am library (305.666.6756 ext. 128), or email egold3@earthlink.net to rsvp. Info and directions to Temple Beth Am are at www.tbam.org.

Educational Technology Conference

2009-03-16T14:20:00.003-04:00

"Our Students' Futures: Some Assembly Required" is the theme of the 2009 Palm Beach County Educational Technology Conference. The event will be held on Friday March 27, 2009, 8am-4pm at the Santaluces Community High School in Lake Worth. There will be sessions on technologies used to enhance reading, presentation skills, using programs like Photoshop and VoiceThread, podcasting, vodcasting, and more. Although the pre-registration period has ended, you can still attend by signing up at the On-Site Registration table on the day of the conference. The conference is aimed at educators, and although it is sponsored by the Palm Beach County School District, public and private educators from around South Florida are welcome to attend.

For information on the conference, including a full schedule, a list of keynote speakers, and directions to Santaluces, visit pbspaces.com/techconf.

Author Zoe Heller at Books & Books

2009-03-12T18:01:00.003-04:00

Well, here's a spot of serendipity for you. I recently blogged about The Believers by Zoe Heller, a book I'd read about in the Very Short List e-newsletter. Now it turns out that Zoe is coming to town. She'll be appearing at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Friday, March 13, 2009 at 8pm. If you can't attend, but would like an autographed copy, call the bookstore at (305) 442-4408 to prepay and they'll have one signed and reserved for you.

The e-announcement I got from Books & Books describes The Believers:

When radical New York lawyer Joel Litvinoff is felled by a stroke, his wife, Audrey, uncovers a secret that forces her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about their forty-year marriage. Joel’s children will soon have to come to terms with this discovery themselves, but for the meantime, they are struggling with their own dilemmas and doubts.

Rosa, a disillusioned revolutionary, has found herself drawn into the world of Orthodox Judaism and is now being pressed to make a commitment to that religion. Karla, a devoted social worker hoping to adopt a child with her husband, is falling in love with the owner of a newspaper stand outside her office. Ne’er-do-well Lenny is living at home, approaching another relapse into heroin addiction.

In the course of battling their own demons—and one another—the Litvinoff clan is called upon to examine long-held articles of faith that have formed the basis of their lives together and their identities as individuals. In the end, all the family members will have to answer their own questions and decide what—if anything—they still believe in.

Hailed by the Sunday Times (London) as "one of the outstanding novels of the year," The Believers explores big ideas with a light touch, delivering a tragic, comic family story as unsparing as it is filled with compassion.

Library Perfume

2009-03-11T10:40:00.005-04:00

This may be a little frivolous, but it certainly is intriguing. CB "I Hate Perfume" by perfume maker Christopher Brosius, has created a scent called "In the Library" described as "English Novel taken from a Signed First Edition of one of my very favorite novels, Russian & Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish."

Brosius says:

I love books, particularly old ones. I cannot pass a second hand bookshop and rarely come away without at least one additional volume. I now have quite a collection!
Whenever I read, the start of the journey is always opening the book and breathing deeply. Don't you find there are few things more wonderful than the smell of a much-loved book? Newly printed books certainly smell very different from older ones. The ink is so crisp. I've also noticed that books from different periods & different countries also have very different smells. And then there are the scents of different bindings: leather is marvelous of course but I find a peculiar pleasure in musty worn clothbound books as well. Perhaps just a hint of mildew!
The main note in this scent was copied from one of my favorite books – I happened to find a signed first edition of this novel a few years ago in London. I was more than a little excited because there were only ever a hundred in the first place!

Very Short List's Jewish Gems

2009-03-06T12:21:00.003-05:00

I subscribe to an e-newsletter called Very Short List, self-described as "a collection of distinct, free, daily e-mails that each recommend one must–see gem a day." Every now and then they turn up an item of Jewish interest. Below are two recent entries that caught my eye.

THE BELIEVERS

The Believers by Zoe Heller follows her 2003 novel Notes on a Scandal. Here's how Very Short List describes the new book:

"The believers in question are the Litvinoffs — an unhappy Jewish family like the kind you’d meet in certain Woody Allen films. When the family’s patriarch, a radical left-wing lawyer named Joel, suffers a stroke, the group’s established dynamic comes unglued. Suddenly, the poison-tongued wife, the holier-than-thou daughter, the fat ignored daughter, and the adopted dope-fiend son have to confront the fraying veneers of their own, imagined righteousness."

HIDDEN MELODIES REVEALED

The Sway Machinery includes members from other bands, including Jeremiah Lockwood from Balkan Beat Box. Sway Machinery has just released its first album, Hidden Melodies Revealed. Very Short List says:

"Hidden Melodies Revealed features Lockwood singing the Hebrew verses he learned from his grandfather, a famous cantor named Jacob Konigsberg. (Lockwood’s pedigree also includes a stint in the New York City subway system supporting bluesman Carolina Slim.) But if Lockwood’s inspirations are rooted in the past, the album itself is emphatically forward-looking, fusing elements of Afropop, blues, jazz, and post-rock, and capturing the sweep and intensity of the Sway Machinery’s high-energy stage shows."

AJL's Reference & Bibliography Awards Announced

2009-03-05T09:17:00.003-05:00

Rachel Leket-Mor, Chair of the Judaica Reference and Bibliography Award Committee for the Association of Jewish Libraries, has released the following statement:

On behalf of the Research Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries, I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 Judaica Reference and Bibliography Awards:

Reference Award: Hundert, Gershon David. 2008. The YIVO encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. New Haven [Conn.]: Yale University Press.

Bibliography Award: Richler, Binyamin, Malachi Beit-Arié, and Nurit Pasṭernaḳ. 2008. Hebrew manuscripts in the Vatican Library: catalogue. Città del Vaticano: Biblioteca apostolica Vaticana. [See video below.]

Bibliography Honorable Mention: Lubetski, Edith, and Meir Lubetski. 2008. The book of Esther: a classified bibliography. Bible bibliographies. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press.

I would like to thank the Judaica Reference and Bibliography Awards committee for their hard work: Jim Rosenbloom, Barry Walfish, Daniel Rettberg, Rachel Simon, Philip Miller, and Rachel Ariel.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Gershon Hundert and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research; Benjamin Richler, Malachi Beit-Arié, Nurit Pasternak, and the Staff of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts at the Jewish National and University Library (National Library of Israel); and our association member Edith Lubetski, and her spouse Meir Lubetski.

Growing Up Comix: JT Waldman

2009-03-05T09:10:00.003-05:00

Saturday, March 21, 2009, 7-10pm
ArtCenter, 924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL
Info at share@theopentent.org

An exhibition of the work of graphic novelist JT Waldman that combines 3 decades of his illustrations in conjunction with the cultural influences that have shaped his development as a recognized cartoonist.

The exhibition features his secular and Judaic work including excerpts from his Megillat Esther, the Story of Esther as well as a piece on the Four Children commissioned by Nextbook.

Join JT Waldman at the opening event for an artist talk and book signing, and look out for more deatils about an Art Seder tying in Waldman’s 4 Children work and engaging locally-based artists in all media presenting their own interpretations of parts of the Haggadah to be presented as an experiential installation during Art & Design Night in the Design District on April 11.

Jbooks.com: "Please Send Money"

2009-02-26T21:31:00.002-05:00

OK, normally I would never blog about a fundraiser, especially one I'm not even involved in, but this is such a creative effort that they deserve kudos and maybe even our money!

Jbooks.com, the web magazine for Jewish book reviews, news, excerpts, and so on, is strapped for cash, like everyone is these days. But instead of kvetching or shnorring they invited Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky (who is Jewish) to literally sing the praises of Jbooks, to inspire would-be donors. Take a look at this very funny video, and if you like what you see, consider making a donation and/or sharing the video by email, blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

And if you enjoy Robert Pinsky's performance, catch him in The Colbert Report - he's hilarious!

Podcaster Mark Blevis to Appear at AJL Convention

2009-02-26T13:42:00.007-05:00

Mark Blevis, Social Media strategist, producer, speaker, community developer, columnist and podcasting conference organizer, will be a featured speaker at the AJL Convention in Chicago in July, 2009. He is well-known in the podcasting community, especially in his native Canada. Of the many podcasts he produces, my two favorites are The Canadian Podcast Buffet (a show about podcasting for podcasters) and Just One More Book (a show about children's literature).

His session will be called "How I learned about Amazing Jewish Books through Social Media." He says "I’ll be highlighting ways in which Jewish children’s books and their authors and illustrators are being promoted using the Internet, and how communities of people are engaging in the conversation about Jewish literature."

AJL's own Sydney Taylor Book Award gold medalist, Richard Michelson, has been featured on Just One More Book. Mark and his family visited Richard's gallery for their 19th annaul Children's Illustration Show. Click here to enjoy Mark's coverage of Richard and his work.

Watlz With Bashir: Movie & Book

2009-02-25T10:53:00.003-05:00

I'd heard about the award-winning animated film Waltz with Bashir, but until I read the piece below in the Shelf Awareness e-newsletter, I did not know there was also a book version available!

Waltz with Bashir: A Lebanon War Story by Ari Folman and David Polonsky (Metropolitan Books/Holt, 9780805088922/080508892X, $18 trade paper, February 2009)

Adapted from the Academy Award-nominated animated film, Waltz with Bashir stands by itself as a brilliant graphic memoir in its own right, just as thrilling, gorgeous, thought-provoking and humanitarian as the movie. Using the framework of the original storyboards but with stills from the final art of the film, frame for frame the book is a production of love, a moody masterpiece of art styles and narrative sophistication.

It's the true story of Ari Folman's attempt to regain lost memories. When a friend tells him about a recurring war nightmare, Folman realizes that he's forgotten his role in the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. He begins searching for fellow classmates who might remember what he did there.

His journey back into his own past leads him, one by one, to six other men haunted by memories, men who were once well-meaning young soldiers uncertain who they were fighting against, who they were shooting at or what city they'd landed in, but not daring to stop firing. The soldiers' stories within stories slowly lead Folman to remember what really happened, to memories he's kept buried for 20 years of the day the Israeli troops began to realize they were participating in a genocide.

Waltz with Bashir is a visually rich, harrowingly honest look at Folman's re-discovery of his traumatic past. It grapples not only with enforced military participation in evil and its psychological after-effects but also with memory and its devious betrayals.

Besides which, the book is simply gorgeous, a visual feast, every bit as full of impact as the film. All it lacks are the film's haunting musical score and the visceral impact of the film's opening 3-D sequence, the attack of the 26 dogs, certainly one of the most electrifying credit sequences in years. In all other respects, the excellent book and movie complement each other perfectly; you'll want to experience both.--Nick DiMartino

Shelf Talker: A brilliant graphic memoir, thought-provoking and humanitarian, by an Israeli who took part in the 1982 Lebanon invasion.

The Red Leather Diary Coming to Parkland

2009-02-24T19:49:00.002-05:00

Parkland Library Presents a Author Lily Koppel
The Red Leather Diary:
Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 7:30 PM

This evocative and engaging story began when Lily Koppel, New York Times journalist, was given a discarded diary from the 1930s, that was found in a city dumpster. The journal belonged to a precocious young woman who eloquently reveals the state of her soul, from her first kiss with a male, to an obsession with the actress Eva Le Galliene. Compelled by the hopes and heartaches of the young woman, the author sets out to return the diary to its original owner, who is now 90 years old. The book speaks to the significance and "private truths" of all of our lives.

This program is sponsored by the Anne Slater Memorial Fund and will be held at Aston Gardens, 5999 University Drive (click here for directions). Registration required - call the Parkland Library at (954) 757-4200. Includes book signing, refreshments & raffle.

Where the Wild Things Aren't

2009-02-22T09:32:00.002-05:00

Laurel Snyder, an author friend of mine, has written a very interesting article for Nextbook.org called "Where the Wild Things Aren't." In this article, she critiques the current state of Jewish children's literature as being too tame. I was honored to have the chance to talk with her about this article before it was finalized, and I took the opportunity to point out to her the advances that have been made in the genre, which I discussed in my earlier article, "Contemporary Jewish Youth Literature" for MyJewishLearning.com. Whether you agree that we've made great strides or that we have a lot further to go, I urge you to read Laurel's article (and mine if you wish) and to join the conversation by posting your own comments. As some previous commenters at Nextbook have stated, Jewish authors have created a rich and complex literature for adults, yet somehow our books for children often end up back in the shtetl. What's blocking us?

In my personal opinion, one of the difficulties in the way of creating good contemporary Jewish kidlit is the fact that Jewish characters can "pass." If the characters are not Orthodox, there are no visual cues that they are Jewish. So how does the author signal their ethnicity? The easiest and most frequent solution is to have them celebrate Jewish holidays or use Jewish (usually Yiddish) vocabulary. It's especially difficult in the picture book arena, where subtle cues used in chapter books (like Jewish last names) may go over the heads of the target audience. So this is the challenge: how do you create identifiably Jewish yet culturally assimilated characters for a Jewish yet culturally assimilated audience?

Good for the Jews Concert

2009-02-18T20:59:00.002-05:00

Good for the Jews, the crazy musical duo of Rob Tannenbaum & David Fagin are coming to town.

Saturday, February 21, 2009
Miami, Florida
@ Sweat Records
5505 NE Second Ave.
Miami, FL 33137
Telephone (305) 758-5862 ext 5
Tickets $10
Show starts at 9 pm
Buy tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com

"This is not your father's Judaism: Jews with an edge and proud of it."
Baltimore Jewish Times

"A hilarious musical act. Don't miss them."
National Public Radio

"The voice of the Jewish hipster movement."
UR Chicago

"The musical-comedy duo of choice for today's secular Jew."
New York Magazine

"Good For The Jews' musical interpretations of Jewish life have been called 'hilarious' from coast to coast."
Philadelphia Weekly

"Appeals to the same young-adult audience that eats up performers like Jon Stewart and Sarah Silverman."
Chicago Jewish News

"It's not your dad's Judaism but part of the sharp, new take
on the culture presented by such talents as Jon Stewart,
Sacha Baron Cohen and Sarah Silverman."
Washington Post

"Good for the Jews rock the house: a comedic indie rock duo,
half-Flight of the Conchords, half-Sarah Silverman."
Seattlest

"You should be as funny as these Jewish guys."
Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Gut-busting tunes."
Cleveland Scene

"Witty and delightfully unorthodox."
Washington Post

"Like Sarah Silverman and Jon Stewart, this show is wickedly hilarious."
Village Voice

"Outrageously funny."
Portland Tribune

"Better than Adam Sandler."
Kansas City Pitch

Jewish Publication Society Offers

2009-02-11T10:13:00.003-05:00

E-Newsletter Gift Certificate

The Jewish Publication Society is giving away a $25 gift certificate to anyone who signs up for their
e-news letter before the end of February. No strings. They are just trying to build their list up as much as possible. You can find details at: www.jewishpub.org/contact/mail.php.

Book Sale

To welcome in the New Year, JPS is offering savings of 40% off list prices of their books (excluding Etz Hayim hardcover and Gift Editions; the Jewish Women CD-ROM (Mac and PC versions) and books in the "Classic Backlist" series). This limited time offer is good through February 28, 2009. Use code NY2009 when placing your order via phone/mail/fax or online to receive your discount at www.jewishpub.org.

2009 Sophie Brody Medal Winner

2009-02-11T09:59:00.002-05:00

From an ALA press release:

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association has announced its selections for the 2009 Sophie Brody Medal. The award, which consists of a medal for the winner and citations for honor books, is funded by Arthur Brody and the Brodart Foundation, and is given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature.

This year’s winner is Peter Manseau for Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter (Free Press). The narrator of this book, an American Catholic translator, tells the colorful story of an elderly Yiddish poet, covering a century of events in Israel, Poland, Russia and the United States. The interwoven stories are a tour de force of writing styles demonstrating the power of passion and commitment to Jewish culture.

Three books received honorable mentions:

Beaufort by Ron Leshem (Delacorte Press), winner of Israel’s highest literary award, the Sapir Prize, depicts a group of young Israeli soldiers occupying an ancient Crusader fort in Lebanon. The dialogue of these young men engaged in a battle against an unseen enemy depicts the absurdity and futility of war in a very real way.

Friendly Fire by A.B. Yehoshua (Harcourt), one of Israel’s best known novelists, has given us a beautifully written portrait of a close-knit Israeli family. The slice of daily life in contemporary Israel, the issue of identity raised by a character’s rejection of all things Israeli and Jewish and the imagery of “friendly fire” make this a compelling story.

From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books by Arie Kaplan (Jewish Publication Society) recognizes that the “story of Jews’ involvement in comic books is a reflection of Jews’ changing status in American society.” Kaplan’s illustrated history details the ways in which Jews—and traditionally Jewish beliefs—contributed to what is now called the graphic novel. “From Krakow to Krypton” is engagingly written, a popular history whose readability often conceals a wealth of original research.

Authors of these selected titles will be invited to speak at the Literary Tastes Breakfast, a ticketed RUSA event at the ALA Annual Conference. Find out more about RUSA events at the conference—scheduled for July 9-15 in Chicago—at www.ala.org/rusa.

The Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need.

Library Lovers Month

2009-02-09T15:29:00.004-05:00

Did you know that February is Library Lovers Month? Visit the new Library Lovers Month blog at libraryloversmonth.blogspot.com to see recommendations of books about libraries, and even a list of blogs by librarians (including SFAJL's own blog!).

In fact, they've put out a call for YOUR suggestions. Library-lovin' blogger Marietta wants to know what your favorite "library" books are - meaning books ABOUT libraries.

If you are a Librarian, leave a comment on the Librarian post. if you are a Teacher, leave a comment on the Teacher post. If you are a Book Lover that is not a Librarian or a Teacher, post your comment under Calling All Book Lovers. You'll see what I mean when you look at the the Library Lovers Month blog.

I can't wait to see your suggestions!

Cookbook Sale

2009-02-04T13:12:00.004-05:00

The bookstore at the National Yiddish Book Center is offering all cookbooks at 15% off. They also have an overstock sale on some titles of 40-50% off. If your library offers cookbooks, this is a good opportunity to stock up. Visit NYBC's online bookstore now!

From NYBC's website:

Our featured selections include these recent releases: Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking, Jewish Holiday Cooking by Jayne Cohen, and Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home by Faye Levy and many other classics. We also are featuring a great publisher overstock sale including these titles: The New York Times Jewish Cookbook, Classic Italian Jewish Cooking, and Jewish Food: World at the Table at 40 to 50% off list prices . Quantities are limited, so order today!

Storyteller Diane Wolkstein Coming to South Florida

2009-02-03T10:00:00.005-05:00

Diane Wolkstein is a renowned storyteller and author. She focuses on folk tales from around the world, and invokes her own Jewish heritage in her books Treasures of the Heart: Holiday Stories That Reveal the Soul of Judaism and Esther's Story. She will be giving several performances and workshops in South Florida this February.

Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7-9 PM
Palm Beach Storytelling Guild Meeting

Luis Hernandez Salon and Art Studio, 142 SE 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483, phone 561-353-0338. Directions to the meeting; I-95 or Turnpike To Atlantic Ave Delray exit east. Go to SE 5th AVE (Federal Hwy south) and make a right. Pass SE 1st ST traffic light and find the 5th unit on your right.

Saturday, February 14, 2009, 12:30pm
A Taste of Love: A Valentine's Day Special

Willow Theatre, Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida (View Google Map), Admission: $25 (including lunch), Reservations: (561) 347–3948.

This event is part of the series "A Cultural Feast: A Deliciously Different Performance Event," and is sponsored by the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters at Florida Atlantic University.

Sunday, February 15, 2009, 10AM-2PM
Storytelling Workshop with Diane Wolkstein, FAU in Boca Raton

Diane's workshops are for everyone who loves stories, wants to hear more stories, and wants to learn to tell more stories. In her workshops, she incorporates exercises dealing with voice, gesture, and character development. Depending on the focus of the workshop, she speaks about story content, understanding of story genres (folk tale, fairy tale, myth, epic), and understanding the persona of the storyteller.

Everyone who attends has the opportunity to tell at least one story. Among those who attend her workshops are parents, librarians, actors, therapists, educators, writers, dancers, lawyers, and taxi drivers. There is always a cross section of people and of interests, creating lively participation and interaction. Participants at Diane's workshops leave with an increased appreciation of the skills and importance of storytelling as well as with a treasure: a new story — their story.

Registration fee: $75.00 per person
To register, please contact: cneile@fau.edu

New Library in Boca

2009-02-02T14:28:00.003-05:00

On the Palm Beach County Library Association web page, I found the following announcement that should be of interest to local librarians and library-lovers:

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and the Palm Beach County Library System cordially invite you to attend the
West Boca Branch Library
Grand Opening Celebration and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
18685 State Road 7, Boca Raton, FL
Phone 561-470-1600
Friday, February 20, 2009, 9:30 a.m.

Refreshments will be served.

The celebration continues with musical programs scheduled on Friday and activities for the whole family on Saturday.

Sami Rohr Prize Finalists

2009-01-28T09:36:00.003-05:00

The Sami Rohr Prize is a relatively new Jewish literature prize, established by the Jewish Book Council. Here's a press release I received from them about the finalists they've named this year.

Five Fiction Authors Selected as Finalists for $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature

New York, NY – The Jewish Book Council, administrator of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, is pleased to announce the selection of five finalists for the prestigious Sami Rohr Prize. This year, the $100,000 prize will be awarded to an emerging writer of fiction. This is the largest prize of its kind in the Jewish literary world, and one of the largest literary prizes worldwide. In 2006, in celebration of Sami Rohr’s 80th birthday, his children and grandchildren inaugurated the Sami Rohr Prize to honor his lifelong love of Jewish literature.

Previous winners of the Sami Rohr Prize are Lucette Lagnado in 2008 for her non-fiction work The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World (Ecco) and Tamar Yellin in 2007 for her work of fiction, The Genizah at the House of Shepher (Toby Press). The Sami Rohr Prize considers fiction and non-fiction in alternating years, honoring an emerging author in the field of Jewish literature who has written a book of exceptional literary merit that stimulates an interest in themes of Jewish concern.

THE 2009 FICTION FINALISTS:

Elisa Albert for The Book of Dahlia (Free Press)

Sana Krasikov for One More Year (Spiegel & Grau)

Anne Landsman for The Rowing Lesson (Soho Press)

Dalia Sofer for The Septembers of Shiraz (Ecco)

Anya Ulinich for Petropolis (Viking Penguin)

The five finalists for the 2009 Sami Rohr Prize have been selected by a panel of distinguished judges drawn from the literary and academic community. Authors were selected based on their demonstration of a fresh vision and evidence of future potential to further contribute to the Jewish literary community. “This year’s finalists reflect the complexities of the collective Jewish experience through different cultural lenses and illustrate the varied and changing nature of the American Jewish tapestry,” said Geri Gindea, Director of the Sami Rohr Prize.

A Winner will be named in the spring; a Choice Award winner who will receive a $25,000 award will also be announced at that time. A gala awards ceremony will be held in May, 2009 at The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan.

ABOUT SAMI ROHR:

After spending his early years in post-WWII Europe, Sami Rohr moved to Bogota, Colombia, where he was a leading real estate developer for over 30 years. He currently lives in Florida and continues to be very active in various business endeavors internationally. His philanthropic commitment to Jewish education and community-building throughout the world is renowned. This Prize is a gift by his family to honor his love of Jewish literature, and to help encourage the continuation of the magnificent legacy of the People of the Book.

ABOUT THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL:

The Jewish Book Council is a not-for-profit organization devoted exclusively to the promotion of Jewish-interest literature. Through an ever-growing list of projects and programs, including the National Jewish Book Awards, the Jewish Book NETWORK, and the quarterly publication Jewish Book World, the Jewish Book Council serves as a catalyst for the reading, writing, publication, distribution and public awareness of books that reflect the rich variety of the Jewish experience.

Press Contact:

Adam Teeter, Publicist, 404-409-4103, adam@jewishbooks.org
Geri Gindea, Director, Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, 212-786-5158, geri@jewishbooks.org

Things to Sign Up For

2009-01-28T09:26:00.002-05:00

ANNUAL AJL CONVENTION

Registration information and forms for the 2009 AJL convention are available on the AJL web site at www.jewishlibraries.org. If you go to the website, on the left you will see a drop-down for the Convention. From there, you can download the registration form (actually, you can type it up ON the website, and then just print it up), links to the hotel for reservations, and information for exhibitors and advertisers. And the tentative schedule is online as well.

The dates of the convention are July 5 – July 8, just before the ALA convention in Chicago. You are invited to register NOW, since they've set a "recession special", and have rolled the prices back to less than those of Convention 2007 – the full 2009 registration price is $450.

For information, feel free to contact convention organizers Cheryl.Banks@gmail.com or Shoshanah Seidman at sseidman@northwestern.edu.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Association of Jewish Libraries is pleased to announce scholarships of $500 to students enrolled or accepted in graduate schools of library and information science. Prospective candidates should have a knowledge of and interest in Jewish Studies, and demonstrate the potential, ability, and intention of pursuing a career in Judaica Librarianship.

STUDENTS WHO WISH TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS SHOULD SUBMIT APPLICATIONS BY APRIL 1, 2009

The application is available on the AJL website at www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/scholarships/scholarship.htm.

Jewish Kultur Festival 2009

2009-01-26T14:53:00.004-05:00

SFAJL will be co-sponsoring the opening event of FAU's Jewish Kultur Festival on February 25, 2009. Following that "Klez4Kids" event, there will be lots of other very cool stuff going on. Check out this press release for details!

By the way, I've set up a dedicated website for "Klez4Kids" - check out klez4kids.blogspot.com to learn more about this exciting event!

"KULTUR Festival 2009," a Five-Day Inaugural Celebration of Jewish Music and Arts, Kicks Off at FAU

Klezmer Company Orchestra and the Ebony Chorale of the Palm Beaches Reunite in Concert for "Tantz, Samba & Soul," the Festival's Finale

BOCA RATON, FL (January 26, 2009) - "KULTUR Festival 2009," an inaugural five-day celebration of Jewish music and arts, will kick off at Florida Atlantic University on Wednesday, February 25, with a multimedia presentation of the award-winning children's book, Mendel's Accordion, and conclude Sunday, March 1, with "Tantz, Samba & Soul," a concert reuniting the 25-member Klezmer Company Orchestra (KCO) and the 40-voice Ebony Chorale of the Palm Beaches.

The celebration, the first of its kind in South Florida, promises to be engaging for the entire family. Distinguished New York City Cantor Jacob Mendelson, filmmaker David Weintraub and authors Rabbi Irwin Kula and Heidi Smith Hyde are among the featured world-class artists and speakers.

Aaron Kula, director of music collections and performance at FAU Libraries and conductor of KCO, the library's professional ensemble-in-residence, said he is fulfilling a dream by hosting this festival. "I have been dreaming about hosting an interdisciplinary arts festival at FAU for some time, and I am delighted to finally offer these events to our entire community," said Kula, a Klezmer revivalist and music scholar. "My goal is to use the arts to connect tradition with change in the 21st century. Each event confronts the issues of balancing cultural tradition with cultural revolution."

Kula is incorporating a cross-section of materials from the library's special collections throughout the festival's programs. Among the featured materials are recordings from the Judaica Sound Archives, artist books from the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts and Jewish sheet music.

"It is gratifying to have our collections brought to life in this way," said William Miller, dean of University Libraries at FAU.

Events will be held in four locations on FAU's Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. Concert tickets range from $18 to $42. Tickets for other events range from $5 to $8. Festival passes are $85 and include entrance to all events, premier seating at the concert, a copy of KCO's nationally released CD "Beyond the Tribes" and the exhibition catalog "Women of the Book."

The celebration kicks off with "Klez4Kidz," a multimedia presentation of the award-winning children's book Mendel's Accordion, featuring author Hyde and KCO members, on February 25 at 7 p.m. at the Live Oak Pavilion in the University Center. A dramatic reading, live music and projected illustrations from the book will bring the charming bedtime story to life.
Parents and children are encouraged to bring blankets and dress up in pajamas for this event. Grandparents are sure to enjoy this unique program too.

An exciting variety of events follow on February 26, including two films that document endangered cultural traditions. Weintraub, creator of "Where Neon Goes to Die," and Cantor Mendelson, the subject of "A Cantor's Tale," will speak and participate in a question-and-answer session following the films. Mendelson also will lead six of his South Florida colleagues in a unique presentation on cantorial improvisation that features live performances, classic recordings and a panel discussion.

Distinguished musician and scholar Dr. Leonard Lehrman and vocalist Helene Williams will present a song recital and lecture about the close musical and personal relationship between Jewish-American composers Leonard Bernstein and Marc Blitzstein on February 27 at 11 a.m. in the library.

Book artist Lynne Avadenka will discuss the use of Jewish themes and Hebrew language in her work, using an exhibition from FAU Libraries' Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts at 2 p.m. on February 27 at the Wimberly Library.

"Tango & Tantz," a lively social gathering, will allow participants to engage in traditional Latin and Jewish folk dancing. Dance experience is not required, and all ages are welcome. The dancing begins on February 28 at 6 p.m. at the Live Oak Pavilion.

Rabbi Irwin Kula, noted radio and TV personality, author, international speaker and co-president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York, will deliver the festival's keynote address at 1 p.m. on March 1 at FAU's Lifelong Learning Center. Kula will share his progressive philosophy on Jewish wisdom and examine the role of Jewish arts and culture in the 21st century.

The festival's grand finale, "Tantz, Samba & Soul," will be performed at 3 p.m. on March 1 at FAU's Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium.
This tour de force performance of new orchestrations and arrangements pushes cultural boundaries and celebrates the connections of Jewish, Latin and African-American music.

"This collaboration between the KCO and The Ebony Chorale of the Palm Beaches represents a unique opportunity for displaying cultural diversity, not only from a musical standpoint, but also from the collaboration of two cultural heritages, both with rich historical significance," said Orville Lawton, founder and director of The Ebony Chorale.

KULTUR Festival 2009 has been made possible in part through a grant from American Express. Additional support is being provided by WXEL, the Nathan and Marion Crosby Holocaust and Judaic Library Collections Endowment Fund, the Jewish Cultural Society at FAU, the South Florida Association of Jewish Libraries, FAU's Lifelong Learning Society and FAU's Student Union. Proceeds from the festival will benefit FAU Libraries.

For tickets and a schedule of events, call 800-564-9539 or visit www.fauevents.com. Festival passes can be purchased by phone or in person at the FAU Box Office. For more festival information, visit www.library.fau.edu/news/kultur.htm, and to experience KCO visit www.klezmercompany.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Carol Lewis
561-297-0245, clewis36@fau.edu

Miami Jewish Film Festival

2009-01-26T14:34:00.002-05:00

SFAJL member Marci Wiseman of CAJE-Miami wants everyone to know that the 12th annual Miami Jewish Film Festival is going on right now, running January 24-February 1, 2009. Films are being screened at Sunrise Cinema at Intracoastal Mall, at the University of Miami, and at Regal Cinema South Beach 18. Get the full schedule, descriptions of the movies, and more at miamijewishfilmfestival.com.

The Center for Jewish Art

2009-01-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

In April, 2006 Helene Yentis was the guest speaker at our SFAJL chapter meeting (read the minutes). She gave a fascinating slide presentation on medieval illuminated Hebrew manuscripts. Now she's emailed to tell me that her dream of opening The Center for Jewish Art has been realized.

Located in Boynton Beach, this center will offer exhibitions, classes, and lectures on Jewish art. Their nicely-designed web site offers this description of their goals:

Welcome to a new, unique and different not-for-profit organization in Boynton Beach, Florida. The Center for Jewish Art blends the notion of a gallery with a scholarly venue for the enjoyment, appreciation and purchase of fine quality art in all media by contemporary Jewish Artists. The Center for Jewish Art will create a synergistic relationship between artists, collectors and the general public and serve as a liaison between these groups.

Visit centerforjewishart.org to get all the details!

National Jewish Book Awards

2009-01-22T13:25:00.004-05:00

The winners of the 2008 National Jewish Book Awards have been announced by the Jewish Book Council. Click here for a printable press release.

And the winners are:

Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year Award
The Torah: A Women's Commentary by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss (URJ Press and Women of Reform Judaism)

American Jewish Studies Celebrate 350 Award
Winner: Exiles on Main Street: Jewish American Writers and American Literary Culture by Julian Levinson (Indiana University Press)

Finalists:

The First to Cry Down Injustice?: Western Jews and Japanese Removal During WWII by Ellen M. Eisenberg (Lexington Books)

From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books by Arie Kaplan (Jewish Publication Society)

Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir, In Memory of Simon & Shulamith (Sofi) Goldberg

Winner: Marie Syrkin: Values Beyond the Self by Carole S. Kessner (Brandeis University Press/University Press of New England)

Finalists:

The Journal of Hélène Berr by Helene Berr (Weinstein Books)

Benjamin Disraeli by Adam Kirsch (Schocken Books/Nextbook)

Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Winner: The Diary of Laura's Twin by Kathy Kacer (Second Story Press)

Finalists:

Checkpoints by Marilyn Levy (Jewish Publication Society)

Memories of Babi by Aranka Siegal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Torah and Commentary: The Five Books of Moses: Translation, Rabbinic and Contemporary Commentary by Sol Scharfstein (KTAV Publishing House)

Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice

Winner: Conscience: The Duty to Obey and the Duty to Disobey by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (Jewish Lights Publishing)

Finalists:

Inspired Jewish Leadership: Practical Approaches to Building Strong Communities by Dr. Erica Brown (Jewish Lights Publishing)

The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey by Janna Gur (Schocken Books)

Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe by Lisa Alcalay Klug (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Education and Jewish Identity

Winner: What We Now Know About Jewish Education: Perspectives on Research for Practice
by Roberta Louis Goodman, Paul A. Flexner, Linda Dale Bloomberg, eds. (Torah Aura Productions)

Finalists:

Family Matters: Jewish Education in an Age of Choice by Jack Wertheimer, ed. (Brandeis University Press/University Press of New England)

Back to School : Jewish Day School in the Lives of Adult Jews by Alex Pomson and Randal F. Schnoor (Wayne State University Press)

Ten Days of Birthright Israel: A Journey in Young Adult Identity by Leonard Saxe and Barry Chazan (Brandeis University Press/University Press of New England)

Fiction

Winner: Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter: A Novel by Peter Manseau (Free Press)

Finalists:

Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg (Soho Press)

Memory: A Novel by Philippe Grimbert (Simon & Schuster)

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks (Viking Adult)

History, Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award

Winner: 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War by Benny Morris (Yale University Press)

Finalists:

The Lost Spy: An American in Stalin's Secret Service by Andrew Meier (W. W. Norton)

Holocaust

Winner: The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the
Murder of 1.5 Million Jews by Father Patrick Desbois (Palgrave Macmillan)

Finalists:

Dominican Haven: The Jewish Refugee Settlement in Sosua, 1940-1945 by Marion A. Kaplan (Museum of Jewish Heritage)

Ghettostadt: Lódz and the Making of a Nazi City by Gordon J. Horwitz (Harvard University Press)

Illustrated Children’s Books

Winner:

The Mysterious Guests: A Sukkot Story by Eric A. Kimmel; Katya Krenina, illus. (Holiday House)

Finalists:

As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson; Raul Colon; illus. (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert; Karla Gudeon, illus. (Blue Apple Books)

Jewish Family Literature, In Memory of Dorothy Kripke

Winner: Genesis-the Book with Seventy Faces: A guide for the Family by Esther Takac (Pitspopany Press)

Finalists:

A Time to Every Purpose: Letters to a Young Jew by Jonathan D. Sarna (Basic Books)

Modern Jewish Thought & Experience, Dorot Foundation Award In memory of Joy Ungerleider Mayerson

Winner: Emil L. Fackenheim: A Jewish Philosopher’s Response to the Holocaust by David Patterson (Syracuse University Press)

Finalists:

Rabbi and the CEO: The Ten Commandments for 21st Century Leaders by Thomas D. Zweifel and Aaron L. Raskin (Select Books)

My People's Passover Haggadah: Traditional Texts, Modern Commentaries by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman and David Arnow, eds. (Jewish Lights Publishing)

The Beast That Crouches at the Door: Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, and Beyond by Rabbi David Fohrman (Devora Publishing)

Scholarship, Nahum M. Sarna Memorial Award

Winner: The Kuzari and the Shaping of Jewish Identity, 1167-1900 by Adam Shear (Cambridge University Press)

Finalists:

Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought by Joshua A. Berman (Oxford University Press)

Sephardic Culture, Mimi S. Frank Award in Memory of Becky Levy

Winner: Greece: A Jewish History by K.E. Fleming (Princeton University Press)

Finalists:

Iraq's Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon by Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha, Robert Shasha, eds. (Palgrave Macmillan)

Memories of Eden: A Journey Through Jewish Baghdad by Violette Shamash; Mira and Tony Rocca, eds. (Forum Books)

Women’s Studies, Barbara Dobkin Award

Winner: A Jewish Woman’s Prayer Book by Aliza Lavie, ed. (Spiegel & Grau)

Finalists:

New Jewish Feminism: Probing the Past, Forging the Future by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein (Jewish Lights Publishing)

Writing Based on Archival Material , The JDC-Herbert Katzki Award

Winner: Robbing the Jews: The Confiscation of Jewish Property in the Holocaust, 1933-
1945 by Martin Dean (Cambridge University Press)

March Meeting Date Changed

2009-01-18T10:07:00.003-05:00

Our next SFAJL Chapter meeting date has been changed from Wednesday March 4 to Wednesday March 25. The location remains the same: Orloff CAJE in Davie. Our speaker will be Eric Brown, editor of Defying Gravity, a biography of prominent Jewish composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, etc.).

Klez4Kids: Mendel's Accordion

2009-01-15T09:42:00.002-05:00

Click the "play" button to hear author Heidi Smith Hyde talk about Mendel's Accordion!

Don't miss the Klez4Kids event on Wednesday February 25, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, when author Heidi Smith Hyde reads her book Mendel's Accordion with back-up from the Klezmer Company Orchestra!

Mendel's Accordion is the winner of the Sugarman Award for the Best Jewish Children's Book, and a 2008 AJL Notable Book.

$8 for adults, free for kids under 12. Call 1-800-564-9539 or visit fauevents.com.

Co-sponsored by FAU and the South Florida Association of Jewish Libraries.

A New Stop on the Sydney Taylor Blog Tour

2009-01-14T17:03:00.002-05:00

Aranka Siegal, author of Memories of Babi, the Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Older Readers Category, will be appearing on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at The Book of Life.

For the full, updated Blog Tour schedule, see www.sydneytaylorbookaward.blogspot.com.

Valuing Libraries Workshop

2009-01-12T14:55:00.006-05:00

SFAJL's "Valuing Libraries" workshop on January 8 was very successful! We had 36 people in attendance, SFAJL members as well as many other librarians from the community at large. Our speaker, Joanne Roukens, was funny, down-to-earth, and incredibly well-organized! She provided us with a multitude of handouts, lists of further resources, and step-by-step instructions on articulating the value of our libraries. Links to the handouts are below - please feel free to reproduce and share.

=============================

PART 1 of the Workshop is VALUING YOUR SERVICES

"Valuing Your Services" Powerpoint presentation - this Powerpoint will walk you through the first half of the workshop. It includes live links to many additional resources.

Workbook, Part 1 "Valuing Your Services" - This is a Word document. You can fill in the blanks with info about your own library.

Neptune Public Library Example

Niceville Library Sample Value Sheet

Fill-in Worksheet for Your Library - in Excel

Resource List, Part 1 - with links

PART 2 of the workshop is MAKING YOUR CASE

"Making Your Case" Powerpoint presentation

Workbook, Part 2 "Making Your Case" - a Word document for you to fill in

Strategy for Communication document - a Word document, fill in the blanks with your specifics

Resource List, Part 2 - with links

"Dear Mayor" Impact Letter Example

If you have questions or comments, please contact our instructor, Joanne Roukens, at jroukens@hrlc.org.

Additional Stops on the Blog Tour

2009-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce two additional stops on the Blog Tour! Valerie Zenatti, author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, will appear at Lori Calabrese Writes on Tuesday, January 20, and Natascia Ugliano, illustrator of Sarah Laughs, will appear on Write for a Reader on Thursday, January 22.

Here is a full, updated schedule for you:

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Karen Hesse, author of Brooklyn Bridge
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Monday, January 19, 2009
Richard Michelson
Author of As Good As Anybody, Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
and
Author of A is for Abraham, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Well-Read Child

Monday, January 19, 2009
Ron Mazellan, illustrator of A is for Abraham
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Valerie Zenatti, author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Lori Calabrese Writes

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jane Yolen, author of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Boston Bibliophile

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Anna Levine
Author of Freefall, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category
and
Author of Jodie's Hanukkah Dig, Notable Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Abby (the) Librarian

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jim Burke, illustrator of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Page Flipper

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jacqueline Jules, author of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Chicken Spaghetti

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Natascia Ugliano, illustrator of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Write for a Reader

Friday, January 23, 2009
Deborah Bodin Cohen, author of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Becky's Book Reviews

Friday, January 23, 2009
Shahar Kober, illustrator of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour

2009-01-09T10:01:00.001-05:00

The Sydney Taylor Book Award, AJL's annual prize for Jewish children's and teen literature, will be celebrating and showcasing its 2009 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour! Here is the preliminary schedule:

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Karen Hesse, author of Brooklyn Bridge
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Monday, January 19, 2009
Richard Michelson
Author of As Good As Anybody, Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
and
Author of A is for Abraham, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Well-Read Child

Monday, January 19, 2009
Ron Mazellan, illustrator of A is for Abraham
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jane Yolen, author of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Boston Bibliophile

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Anna Levine
Author of Freefall, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category
and
Author of Jodie's Hanukkah Dig, Notable Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Abby (the) Librarian

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jim Burke, illustrator of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Page Flipper

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jacqueline Jules, author of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Chicken Spaghetti

Friday, January 23, 2009
Deborah Bodin Cohen, author of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Becky's Book Reviews

Friday, January 23, 2009
Shahar Kober, illustrator of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Please be sure to visit these blogs on and after these dates to read interviews with these amazing authors and illustrators.