Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

Joheved

Wednesday our book discussion group will talk about the first volume of Maggie Anton‘s Rashi’s daughters trilogy: Joheved. I am happy to report that Ms. Anton will join us via telephone. Our meeting starts at 10 o’clock and she will call in at 10:30 so we’d have some time to gather our thoughts and prepare our comments and questions.

I wrote a blog entry last October introducing the Secret Scholar volume of the series. Last May, when we got the the second volume, on Miriam, I wrote about that too.  Now, that we will talk about it in two days it is time to establish the first item of the series, the one on Rashi’s oldest daughter Joheved. Here is the official description from the book’s website:

In 1068, the scholar Salomon ben Isaac, today known as “Rashi,” returns home to Troyes, France to take over the family winemaking business and embark on a path that will indelibly influence the Jewish world—writing the first Talmud commentary, and secretly teaching these intricate discussions of Jewish law to his daughters.

Joheved, the eldest of his three girls, finds her mind and spirit awakened by religious study, but knowing the risk, she must keep her passion for learning and prayer hidden. When she becomes betrothed to Meir ben Samuel, she is forced to choose between marital happiness and being true to her love of the Talmud.

Join us Wednesday 10 AM to talk about this exciting historical fiction.