Author Event: Eric Kimmel at Books & Books

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

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

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

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

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

The Hebrew Mamita

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

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

Author Visit: Anita Diamant

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.

Say You’re Sorry

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.

AJL Convention Blog

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!

Second Chance to Hear Jerry Glantz

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

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.

Publicity Opportunities through AJL

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

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.

Author Event: A German Life

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.

May 1 is Buy Indie Day

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.

AJL Goes Print-on-Demand

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

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

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

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.