Teacher's Holocaust Workshop with Author Doreen Rappaport

Friday, October 26 • 1:15pm • Alper JCC

Teacher’s Holocaust Workshop, Doreen Rappaport,

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust

1:15pm - 3pm

Russell Theater

Dave and Mary Alper JCC

11155 SW 112 Avenue

Miam, FL 33176

Doreen Rappaport is the author of numerous award-winning nonfiction books for young readers. In her latest book, Beyond Courage, The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust, she illuminates the defiance of tens of thousands of Jews across eleven Nazi-occupied countries during WWII. Author presentation is open to the community and there is no charge.

Call 305-271-9000 z268 or email Marcy Levitt at mlevitt@alperjcc.org for more information.

Website: http://jewishmiami.org/resources/community_directory/events/teacher_s_holocaust_workshop_alper_jcc_jewish_book_festival 

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Film Showing: House of the Generals

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

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.

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.

Author Event: My Father's Final Journey

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.

Author Zoe Heller at Books & Books

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.

Growing Up Comix: JT Waldman

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.

The Red Leather Diary Coming to Parkland

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.

• Click here to visit The Red Leather Diary web page.
• Click here to visit Lily Koppel's blog.

Storyteller Diane Wolkstein Coming to South Florida

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

Jewish Kultur Festival 2009

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