A Day at the Library

Thank you to my friend Tanya for inviting me to join her and her colleagues from ETAI (English Teachers Association of Israel) at their winter event at the National Library of Israel.

 My interesting and informative morning began with a presentation by AJL colleague Nachum Zitter about the history of the library and its collections. From there, the first stop was the map room, where Ayelet talked about the maps. While some of the originals are in huge books, many posters have been made, and it was interesting to see the different depictions of Israel, some of which included bible personalities and sea monsters.

Part of the map collection at the National Library of Israel

From the second floor,there is a great view of the stained glass windows. It was a rainy day, so I did not see them in their full glory (another reason to return for another visit). 

From there, it was on to one of the nine reading rooms.

After the short tour, the group heard about the resources available, in English, at the National Library: classes, programming and tours and their website - 

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF ISRAEL ENGLISH WEBSITE

The site includes an open access digital primary resource database and educational activities and games. To give students and library patrons a multimedia experience, you can check out the audio recordings available at the Bella and Harry Wexner Libraries of Sound and Song and find songs and chants.

Another project, also available online is "Time Travel," which is a collection of Israeli ephemera (posters, pamphlets, menus, etc.). The collection is searchable by company, time period, language and more.

At one time the library had a program for bar and bat mitzvah-age students to do research on a subject of interest. A video showed the delight of one boy who was interested in the Bermuda Triangle and discovered the magic of the library. Another student did her project on Surika (Sarah) Braverman, the "first lady of the IDF," Braverman parachuted into Nazi-occupied Hungary with Hannah Senesh, but was able to escape. The girl was able to travel to Kibbutz Shamir and interview Surika as part of her library project. While the one-on-one program is no longer available, classes and groups can arrange to do research at the library.

A plug for ETAI and then some real cats:

"Founded in 1979 by teachers for teachers, ETAI's aim is to provide professional support, advice, teaching ideas and background knowledge to teachers of English."

Happy Reading!

THE SECRET'S OUT (AGAIN)!

In Secret Restaurant Recipes (Mesorah, 2014), Leah Schapiro and Victoria Dwek learn the secrets of the best kosher restaurants around the world and pass them on to readers. Recipes include Deviled Kale Salad, Duck with Sour Cherry Reduction, and other sumptuous dishes.

In Everyday Secret Restaurant Recipes (Mesorah, 2015), the dynamic duo of kosher cookbooks present recipes "from you favorite kosher cafes, takeouts and restaurants." Using the same format, there are chapters for Starters and Sides, Soups and Salads, Sandwiches, Chicken and Meat, Fish, Brunch and Lunch, and Baked Goods and Desserts. In the Table of Contents, each recipe is listed with the restaurant where it was created; the back matter includes a list of restaurants by country, state, and city, and a detailed index.

The recipes are presented on double spreads with clear color photographs that will have our mouth watering -- Morning Scramble from Boeuf and Bun in Brooklyn, made with with a burger, beef fry, an egg (on a bun) with sauteed mushrooms, potato sticks and horseradish mayo quickly comes to mind. The assembly of this one is beyond my culinary skills, but the Harvest Twist Salad from  The Pantry in Toronto, made with sweet potato and feta (yum!), served with a Tomato Rice Soup from the Sunflower Cafe in Brooklyn, makes for an easy weeknight meal. A Tuna Melt (from Bagels and Greens in Brooklyn) becomes a gourmet meal with a cheese/garlic sauce and made with tortillas. And as for inventive names, the Cali Love Panini from Holy Schnitzel is made with chicken breast, roasted eggplant and a pesto mayonnaise, topped with avocado and sun-dried tomatoes (good thing you can't see drool on the computer as I think about making these for dinner). The Asian Noodle Salad from Rimon in Israel sounds amazing, although I would probably skip the housemade teriyaki sauce and use my mother's, z"l, secret recipe. Zucchini Pasta, sometimes called "Zoodles," is full of vegetables (from Alice's in Brooklyn), and in the comfort of my home, I would not have to go across town to Crawford's to get a Creme Brulee Freezer.

How about some authentic Gong Bao Chicken from Dini's in Beijing?

1 lb chicken breast, cubed

3 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

Pinch coarse black pepper

oil, for frying

2 Chinese leeks or scallions

3 Tbsp salted peanuts

Sauce:

2 tsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp vinegar

2 tsp hot sauce

4 tsp ketchup

Place chicken into a small bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; top with water and black pepper. Mix to coat the chicken. Let stand for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or sauté pan over high heat. When oil is very hot, add chicken cubes in batches; fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Drain oil from the pan. Add soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, and ketchup. Cook until sauce thickens slightly, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and scallions; toss to coat. Top with peanuts.

Tidbit: Dini makes her own version of hot chili sauce to use in the restaurant. She says it’s the Asian equivalent of Israeli red schug.

Home Cook: We’ve tested this with all different types of hot sauce and they’ve all been successful. Halve the quantity if serving this dish to children.

Recipe from Everyday Secret Restaurant Recipes by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek

Reprinted with permission from the copyright holders: ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications

http://www.artscroll.com/Books/srr2h.html

There are tips for home cooks, interesting descriptions of the restaurants, and insightful advice between the chapters about cooking fish, plating, and sandwich tips. The chefs who shared their secret neither received nor gave remuneration ($$) for the inclusion of recipes in this volume.

On the one hand, part of the restaurant experience is eating things that you cannot or would not prepare at home due to lack of time, equipment or inclination. Some of the recipes require ingredients that are not available in some places -- golden tomatoes, artisanal breads, and more unusual kosher fish.

On the other hand, its very cool to recreate favorite dishes in your own kitchen and impress family and friends with tastes and textures from restaurants. My rule of thumb is usually no more than 10 ingredients and no more than 5 steps in the instructions, and happily, most of these recipes conform, so I will be using it quite often. It is a rather large tome (336 pages), so it will be a challenge as I keep it FAR from the cooking area. For those of us who don't get out much, Everyday Secret Restaurant Recipes is a great way to travel the world of kosher cuisine.

!בתיאבון

(Be-tai-avon - healthy appetite in Hebrew)

As always, some real cats of Israel:

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Reading!

Yet Another Literary Day in Jerusalem

First stop: Sefer V'Sefel (Book and Mug), my favorite used bookstore. It's located off Jaffa Road in an alleyway and up the stairs, which adds to its charm. It's full of all kinds of English language books: new, used, fiction and non-fiction.  The best part is looking through all the volumes and finding treasures.   This visit I picked up a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, a book I wanted to read (but not buy at full price), and a bunch of recent magazines.

Although "mug" is in the name of the store, sadly there are no mugs of beverages, so...

Next stop: Coney Island Bakery on Jaffa Road for some coffee and pastries. Yet another reminder of America, the storefront looks a little like a subway:

    
From there, it's a quick ride on the light rail to Yad Vashem.

"Children from the Holocaust" is currently in the Exhibition Hall.  Through video testimonial, artifacts, and recent artwork inspired by the stories of Holocaust survivors, their experiences evoke a mix of feelings - sadness for their suffering and for those that did not survive, happiness for their brief moments of happiness, and awe for both the creativity and the strength of spirit. A case of dolls and stuffed animals that survived the war was particularly touching, as the stories of the owners accompanied each toy.

As Yogi Berra said "It was like deja vu all over again" in the main hall and the art gallery:

In One Jew's Power, One Jew's Glory: The Life of Rav Yitzchak Shumuel Eliyahu Finkler the Rebbe of Radoschitz in the Ghetto and Concentration Camps (Feldheim,1991), Yechiel Granatstein recounts a story about Reb Yitzchak'l that took place in the Skarszysko Labor Camp: the Rebbe was able to obtain, at the expense of the inmates' secret valuables, a ram's horn, out of which another inmate, Moshe Waintreter, at the risk of his life, formed a shofar. "The Rebbe was beaming with joy that they were able to keep the mitzvah of blowing the shofar." Remembering these passages, I was taken aback when I saw the actual shofar on display:

Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin (Holiday House, 2000) tells the story of a trained art therapist who brought her supplies to the concentration camp and brought hope and enjoyable diversion to the bleakest of environments. Dicker-Brandeis' "Figures" is on display. Alas, no photographs in the gallery and no images online, but this pastel, "View of Theresienstadt" was recently on display at the University of New Mexico Art Museum.

 Then it was back home. With shorter days and the blessing of rain here in Israel, it's a perfect time to catch up on my reading.

On the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, I am enjoying Killing a King by Dan Ephron. It is fascinating to see how much has changed in 20 years, and how events are put in perspective with the passage of time. 

I finished Heather Streltzer Gelb's From Hilltop to Hilltop: My Path from Rwanda to Israel. While the details of her time with the Peace Corps made for interesting reading, her path meandered through Rwanda for about 90 percent of the book and the next 20 years of her life were wrapped up pretty quickly. For this reader, a map of Rwanda would have been very helpful.  

My book club read Lovingkindness by Anne Roiphe, which I had reviewed for Fig Tree Books.  Although it was published in 1987, the group found the mother-daughter relationship and the Israel experience fertile topics for discussion.


A Whole Lot of Wholeness

I recently received two books for review with "Wholeness" in the title:  Increasing Wholeness by Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz and Everyday Wholeness by D.B. Estrin. Thinking "wholeness" may have replaced "mindfulness" as the new buzzword, I did a quick scan of Amazon: 3,535 books.  In the Jewish category, there are 125, but Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein Halevi is included, and that one doesn't quite fit. It's definitely trending, but it means different things to different people.

D.B.Estrin's book is subtitled "Self-Coaching for the Jewish Family." The author, a life coach with an Orthodox perspective, looks at many aspects of life and offers some tips for managing the household cheerfully and efficiently, developing healthy habits (eating and exercise), organizing the home, and enhancing prayer.

Rabbi Spitz is the rabbi of a conservative congregation in California, has authored several other books, and focuses on spirituality.  The subtitle of his book is "Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen and Calm Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit." His goal is "to surprise you with ancient wisdom and imaginative insights that move you toward greater inner ease and effectiveness" -- a wholeness that means "a fuller sense of awareness of your inner life and greater integration and strengthening of the physical, emotional, intellectual and intuitive dimensions of self."

While I ponder what I will need to do to achieve wholeness (am I currently at half-ness?!), I will leave you with some Real Cats of Jerusalem.  Happy Reading!

Of Making Many Books There Is No End

Note: This blog is based on/inspired by a presentation I gave at the 2008 Jewish Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Seminar in New York City. I chose to update it for several reasons: during the holiday of Sukkot, we read the Book of Ecclesiastes -- from which this quote is taken, so it is timely. Also, the 17th Annual Jewish Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Seminar, sponsored by the Jewish Book Council, will take place on Sunday, November 15th, 2015 (in New York City), again timely. Also, this month's deadline sneaked up very quickly, so I wanted to post in a timely fashion. Enough with timeliness and onto the books!

Of Making Many Books There Is No End - Ecclesiastes Chapter 12, Verse 12 

The Book of Ecclesiastes is a journal of King Solomon’s attempt to answer a difficult question: what is the purpose of life? Near its conclusion, he warns, “Beware, of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” As a reviewer, editor and book lover, I see hundreds of books every year. While we all know the pleasure of  reading a great book, it is very hard to have to read bad books, books with errors that could have been corrected with a Google search, books about Israel with a political agenda, or books that include graphic details inappropriate for children.  As the weather starts to turn colder and it starts to rain in Israel, I've put these books on my reading list:

In 2013, I had the pleasure of representing AJL at the World Congress of Jewish Studies (see E-Reading and Jerusalem). My topic was "Off the Derech and Onto the Page," and I talked about books by and about people who left their Orthodox Jewish Communities. Since then, the market as been flooded with even more books. Here are a few of the memoirs:

All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen (Graywolf Press, 2015)

Becoming Un-Orthodox: Stories of Ex-Hasidic Jews by Lynn Davidman (Oxford University Press, 2015)

Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood by Leah Vincent (Penguin Books, 2014)

Uncovered by Leah Lax (She Writes Press, 2015)

There is a certain sadness to all of these stories, so I try to alternate between sad books and happy or funny books, which leads to a book I'm enthusiastically anticipating:

Yes! Mirka is back in this 3rd book of the series by Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner Barry Deutsch. This time Mirka is a travelling baby-sitter. A magic fish, sibling rivalry, and some Jewish wisdom - I can hardly wait!

Of Making Many Book There Is No End – Rashi notes that it is not possible to  commit everything to writing, and Rabbi Yisroel Salanter cautions that not everything that man thinks must he say; not everything he says must he write, but, most important, not everything that he has written must he publish. Here's a title that came to mind: The Book of Jewish Secrets: and Why Most of Jews are Not Real Jews. I guess it would be worth $2.99 for a Kindle edition to learn the secret. I also think about this when I see Clifford, Grover, and mice celebrating Hanukkah. I didn't even know they were Jewish. But, if Hello Kitty starts celebrating, I just might have to read about her. 

In the meantime, Leslea Newman's Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed will fit the bill for feline reading -- cats, music, friendship - MEOW!

Of Making Many Books There Is No End - The Midrash comments on this verse that there are 24 books in the Jewish canon, and that it should be ample reading material.  Indeed, Jewish culture is full of potential topics. I just started a book by Heather Streltzer Gelb about her path from Rwanda to Israel - From Hilltop to Hilltop. So far I am reading about her experiences working for the Peace Corps in Rwanda in the early 1990s (before the genocide), and while there is a tiny bit of Jewish content, her daily life in Africa makes for interesting reading.

Next month: more on Heather's path and some Lovingkindness.

And Yet...

Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, zt"l, said that the most hopeful phrase contains just two words -- and yet.

Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa also expresses this in his haiku:

露の世は露の世ながらさりながら
Tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara
The world of dew –
A world of dew it is indeed, 
And yet, and yet . . .”


while the world is fragile, it is the only world we have.


Last summer three teenage boys were kidnapped and murdered. Operation Defensive Shield led to the discovery of tunnels and a heinous terrorist plot.  More than 70 people, most of them young soldiers, were kill in the operation.  The sirens went off and I spent some time in the bomb shelter.  This summer has been just as emotional: a toddler and his parents were killed because of an arson attack on their house, and a 16-year-old girl died as the result of stabbing wounds inflicted by someone opposed to the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade.

And yet, this evening I am sitting outside recalling the song I sang at summer camp and thinking how it came true:

Next year we'll sit on the porch and count the birds;
Children on vacation will play tag between the house and the fields...
(Bashana Haba'ah - lyrics Ehud Manor; music Nurit Hirsch)

Elul is the time in the Jewish calendar when we reflect on the past year and hope to do better in the coming year. I try to find reading at this time of year that will inspire this goal:

Koren has published The Neuwirth Edition of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) with translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and commentary by Rabbi Marc D. Angel. One of my favorite Jewish texts, it is customarily read on the long summer afternoons between Passover and Rosh Hashanah. At this time of year, the words of Rabbi Tarfon has particularly meaningful:

The day is short, the task is great, 
the laborers are lay, the reward is much, 
and the Master insistent.

He used to say:

It is not for you to complete the task, but neither are you free to stand aside from it. 

(Ethics of the Fathers, 2:20-21)

Rabbi Tarfon's kever in the Galilee

I've been reading a lot of review books, and I have not been impressed with any of them.  Taking a break, I read an ARC I picked up at Book Expo in 2013: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan (Dial Books for Young Readers). Though I am assuming the author is Jewish, there is no overtly Jewish content. But the story of a quirky genius who unites other quirky people into a community and a family has so many Jewish values laced through it -- kindness to others, tikkun olam, treating everyone with respect and acceptance of others, quirks and all -- that it was a perfect pre-Rosh Hashanah read. 

Shana Tova!

That's Why We Pray

This month's theme is prayer, which is even more appropriate with all that is going on in the world.

Although MC Hammer will ultimately be remembered for "Hammer Time" and those silly pants, one of my all-time favorites is "Pray:"


We're sending this one out to the Lord
And we thank You and we know we need to pray
'Cause all the blessings that are good they come from above
And once again we want
To say "thank You" to the Lord with all our love


That's why we pray, ah, yeah, pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today.






Wikipedia defines prayer as "an invocation that acts or seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication." This sounds rather cold, distant and technical, and not really what Jewish prayer is about. 

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks waxes most eloquently in the introductory essays in the Koren siddurim: "Prayer is the language of the soul in conversation with God. We talk to God. We bring Him our thanks and our hopes, our fears and our dreams."

Anne Lamott grew up atheist and considers herself a "born again, left-wing Jesus lover." But her thoughts about faith and prayer are universal. She shares her insights in Help, Thanks, Wow: the Three Essential Prayers (Riverhead Books, 2012). "Asking for assistance, appreciating the good we witness, and feeling awe at the world...get us through the day and show us the way forward."  Filled with her hallmark honesty and wit, Lamott reminds us that "prayer is talking to something or anything with which we seek union, even if we are bitter or insane or broken. (In fact, these are probably the best possible conditions under which to pray.)"




Koren has embarked on a new project: the Koren Magerman Education Siddur Series includes age appropriate prayer books for several levels. "With emphasis placed firmly on the critical foundations of Reflection, Connection, and Learning, this series of siddurim creates an impactful prayers experience that places God and the user at its center."

The siddur for ages five to seven-year-olds (kindergarten through second grade) is very cute, with mixed media illustrations, large clear print, and a key at the bottom of each page that indicates the part of the service (Morning Blessings, Amida, Shabbat Morning). It is also filled with questions and comments, like "How can we show that Hashem is King?"

The second siddur in the series is for ages eight through eleven (grades three through five), and has fewer and more "mature" illustrations, but continues with the easy-to-use format with the key at the bottom of the page. While the prayers are not translated word-for-word, key phrases are highlighted, and there are more questions and comments, as well as stories and parables.

Both of these come with an "Educator's Companion" for teachers and parents that includes explanations of the text of the prayers, the significance of the accompanying illustration, and the kavanot or intentions. The Youth Siddur companion also includes a review of the educational themes and thought questions.

Young daveners graduate to a prayer book suite to twelve to fifteen-year-olds (grades six through eight), and then to the Ani Tefilla Siddur, which is for grades nine through twelve (ages fifteen and up). Thank you Koren for the beautiful "Summer Camp Siddur and Chumash for reflection, connection, and learning. One of my not-so-fond memories of camp was scrambling through a pile more suited for shaimos (a repository for sacred texts to be disposed of respectfully) than for daily use. Alas that this volume did not exist with its Foreword by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and diagrams of the structures of the prayer service. The commentary are divided into four sections: one that explains the context or words and phrases of the prayer; a look at the deeper meaning of the prayer; the laws of prayer; and selections to "encourage connection and tefillot in a direct and personal way. I think I am going to use this one myself to enhance my daily prayers.

In another volume from Koren Publishers, Holistic Prayer: A Guide to Jewish Spirituality (Maggid Books, 2014), Rabbi Avi Weiss shares "ideas, concepts, themes, and approaches that have helped him on his personal journey to realize the infinite depth and power of prayer." The book is divided into three sections: Goals of Prayer, Why Set Tefilla? (time, place, text) and Spirituality. This is such a great choice for people looking to enhance their experience, and must like the holistic approach to medicine, it encompasses the whole person - mind, body and spirit.

We pray for the Ultimate Redemption -- may it come speedily and in our day!

Male and Female

Life got in the way of making the deadline for this month's Jewish Book Carnival, but please be sure to check out the great selections there.

About the time that Bruce Jenner decided he was Caitlyn,

and the Supreme Court ruled on marriage equality,

I started reading one of the most erudite pieces I've read in a long time. Circle Arrow Spiral: Exploring Gender in Judaism (Mekor Press, 2014) is a thought-provoking study of how the male and female impact every aspect of our lives. Author Miriam Kosman looks at three levels. "First, reality in its ideal sense -- the way things were meant to be; second, reality in its compromised, sociological sense -- the ways things actually are; and third, and most importantly, a path to the perfection of the hoped-for and long-awaited future." While the book has nothing to do with Caitlin Jenner or the Supreme Court, it looks at how male and female manifest in the world: through giving and receiving, through the external and the internal, and the interplay between opposite forces that also have an attraction to each other. Although some topics were challenging -- why women don't learn Talmud, why men control divorce in Jewish law, part of my enjoyment of the book was the author's way of laying out the topics and arguments in an orderly way, pulling in many references and presenting clear and cogent points. 

This lead me to another very intelligent and very deep analysis of male and female in the world - not man or woman, but archetypes and interactions. Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine & Feminine by Sarah Schneider (Jason Aronson, 2001) "is based on two equivalences, the correspondence of sun with all things masculine, and moon with all things feminine." In some ways the books present the same approach -- woman's sexual center is circular and man's is linear. But Schneider delves in the Kabbalah and its commentaries to look at how the diminishment of the moon caused so much inequality in the world, and how this inequality will only be rectified with the coming of Mashiach (the Messiah), when the moon will be restored to its (her) full glory. Very esoteric, but full of points to ponder:

"God intentionally designed each person with a unique combination of male and female attributes and each must discover a place on the continuum of gender that integrates all the disparate parts of him or herself in healthy and productive ways."

I don't think she had Bruce/Cait in mind!

June Jewish Book Carnival

It is my pleasure to host this month's Jewish Book Carnival, a selection of  book reviews; interviews with authors, publishers, librarians and others about Jewish books; and essays about Jewish books and literature. 

The purposes of the Jewish Book Carnival are to build community among bloggers who feature Jewish books on their blogs and to promote Jewish reading, and fields supporting this reading such as publishing and library services.


Without further ado, here are this month's selections:

At Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, Deborah talks with author Barbara Stark-Nemon about Barbara's new book, Even in Darkness, a novel based on her great-aunt's concentration camp experiences. 

At The Best Chapter, Diana Bletter interviews Michelle Brafman on her first novel, Washing the Dead, about how participating in a tahara ritual helps the narrator turn her life around.

The Fig Tree Books blog celebrates what would have been Saul Bellow's 100th birthday (June 10th) with some notes gleaned around the Web and three writers' discussions of Bellow novels.

Erika Dreifus shifts from the page to the screen as she recommends "Above and Beyond," a documentary about the (mostly) American pilots who helped Israel win its independence. Find her review at her blog --  My Machberet.

Photojournalism and romance are the topics of interest at Lorri M. Writings and Photography, where Lorri reviews Waiting for Robert Capa by Susana Fortes.

Heidi at The Book of Life blog hosts a podcast interview with filmmaker Ian Rosenberg about his documentary "Welcome to Kutsher’s," a loving tribute to the last Catskills resort.

At the Whole Megillah, Barbara Krasner interviews Tracy Newman about her new picture book, Uncle Eli's Wedding.

Finally, I left the comfort of my reading spot and ventured into Jerusalem for Hebrew Book Week and The Festival of Light. You can "picture" it at Life Is Like a Library.


I'd like to thank all the contributors for sharing, and for making my first time hosting much less daunting than I thought it would be.  One of the benefits:  I got to see all these great blogs first!

Book Week and the Festival of Light

Hebrew Book Week takes place every June in Israel. While I will rant another time about why every event has to take place at First Station when they are many beautiful venues around Jerusalem, it is always nice to see so many people enthused about books, especially children. Alas for me, but maybe good for my wallet, almost everything was in Hebrew. Equally impressive was the variety of books for so many different interests.






I missed seeing Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner Penina Moed Kass when she was there, but I spotted her Berele the Snail books:

I also enjoyed seeing the Hebrew versions of the Minions from Despicable Me and, of course, Captain Underpants:

From First Station, it was on to the Old City for dinner and a dose of bad grammar:

As the sun began to set, the lights came on and the crowds teemed.  Although I did not get to see all the installations and displays, I really enjoyed "The Large Pendulum Wave" and "Tower of David Ramparts:"

This month's reading did not include any standouts, but my book club read The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman. We had a lively discussion about the sadness of this story and what an amazing job Friedman did in laying out the saga with its cast of characters and cultural nuances. I had read the book when it first came out in 2012, and one of the first things I did was go see (what's left of) the Codex in the Israel Museum:

This manuscript was beautifully "written out" in 925 and was used by the Rambam as a reference.  Although "stranger than fiction" and "non-fiction that reads like fiction" are quite trite and overused, the book is both of these and more.

More pictures than words this month, but looking ahead:

A book about challah

A memoir

Beating the Elul Rush

Happy Reading!

2015 Jerusalem Women's Writers' Seminar

It was another beautiful day in the united and eternal capital of Israel as I attended the Jerusalem Women's Writers' Seminar. Once again, Tamar Ansh and Esther Heller did an amazing job in every way.  I love going to a "women's event" with the coordinating napkins and the little pastries in the relaxation corner sponsored by Menucha Publishers. I love me some swag, which at this gathering meant free magazines and a beautiful mug, healthy muffin and notepad from Israel Bookshop.

But obviously the best part of the day was the packed (and on time!) schedule of speakers and workshops throughout the day. I met some of my favorite authors and "celebrities" of the Orthodox publishing world:

Mrs. Yaffa Ganz, is a Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award Winner and author of the ever-charming Savta Simcha books, the Bina and Benny Holiday Series, and Mimmy and Simmy books. Her latest is a soon-to-be released book of poetry, but while you're waiting, adults should read  Cinnamon and Myrrh (Feldheim, 2013), a "delicious" collection of essays, while Bubbleglum Glue and Other Adventures with Dr. Emmanuel J. Mitzva (Feldheim 2014) is a great choice for kids.

Miriam Zakon is the acquisitions editor at Artscroll Publications.  She is also the author of the 1986 Sydney Taylor Notable Book The Floating Minyan of Pirate's Cove (Judaica Press, 1986).  Emmy Zitter, PhD, is the Chair of the English Department at Michlala Jerusalem College. They are also twin sisters who, with their other sister, Marcia Meth, write the monthly "Sister Schmooze" for Mispacha Magazine/Family First. Their excellent presentation "A Schmooze You Can Use: Turning Everyday Life into Good Writing" explained their process for coming up with topics for the column. Taking random words, the audience came up with different stories.  While the sisters discussed double meanings and metaphors they were informative and entertaining.  Their ending with "you've been a great audience" reminded me of how many comics end their stand-up routines because the sisters were so funny and engaging -- and encouraged writers to look for humor in situations.


Shout out to Libi Astaire, another Sydney Taylor Notable Book author.  Her charming Jewish Regency Mystery Series continues to grow, and my bookshelf (and Kindle) include The Disappearing Dowry, The Ruby Spy Ring, Tempest in the Tea Room, The Doppelganger's Dance, Too Many Coins, General Well'ngone in Love, and her most recent, The Moon Taker. Libi gave a workshop on self-publishing at the Seminar, but for those who did not attend, Libi's Is Self-Publishing for You? (self-published!) provides great suggestions. 

I met a sort-of, kind-of neighbor who has some great books to share.  Leah Chana Rubabshi starting out writing poetry.  Like KRS, she is "using her gift to uplift" and her rhyming children's books are very cute. A Kosher Fish Tale (Menucha Publishers, 2014) is about a boy and his father discovering all the kosher fish on a boating trip with the refrain "'Cause we know that they're not kosher if they don't have fins and scales." Librarian and teachers: use this book for rhyming, for "boy" stories, and definitely for Parshat Shemini, which details the laws of kashrut. Fins and Scales (Kar-Ben, 1992) is one of my all-time favorites, but Rubabshi's book is illustrated with vibrant colors by award-winning Israeli illustrator Nurit Yuval and has a nifty "Kosher Fish Key" at the end.

From the same author, The Hidden Artist (Hachai, 2014), introduces emunah (faith) to young readers. "With all this beauty, great and small, 'I wonder, Who's behind it all?" is the question a young boy ponders as he sees animals, plants and trees. A Rainbow World (Feldheim, 2014) is the story of a boy discovering the colors all around him.

Another sort-of, kind-of neighbor also authored an excellent book. Who Is Annie White (Fish)? by Judy Belsky (Menucha Publishers, 2014) is a question asked by the 14-year old titular character. Her parents are international engineers, and their current project has taken them to Micronesia. Annie decides to stay with her Aunt Becka, an artist who lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Small-town life gets boring real fast for Annie.  But much like her world travels, when she meets Esty Krystal, she is intrigued by a new and interesting culture: Orthodox Judaism. Annie and Aunt Becka start to explore their own heritage and find relatives in Brooklyn, learn why their name was changed, and grow closer to each other and to Judaism.  I was finding the free verse a little overused in secular publishing, but I am happy to see that an Orthodox publisher took the bold step of using this format. Dr. Belsky, whose many hats include writer, artist, and psychologist, has obviously drawn on her knowledge to explore early teenage self-consciousness, family interactions, art, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. Annie is often wise beyond her years, but this is chalked up to her world travels.  The free verse also highlighted some great imagery:  the mother of a large family who was "like a great ringmaster at a circus," and the thoughtfulness of the characters: "I could not turn the page onto the next chapter of my life when so many chapters were missing the story did not make sense."

Achrona, Achrona, Chaviva (saving the best for last), Rebbetzin Sara Meisels attended the event.  The Bobover Rebbetzin is an avid reader and book lover, but the Rebbetzin is the kind of woman whose strength of character and warm heart literally fills the room.  

Thank you again, Esther and Tamar for a day that left me feeling more connected, more informed, and uplifted.


A Deocat of J-Town: