Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

Betty Friedan passed away three years, on February 4, 2006 on her 85th birthday. To understand her role in the feminist movement I recommend Justine Blau‘s biography of eponymous title, written for young adults. The 100 page book contains many black and white pictures and covers Friedan’s life in 8 logical and chronological chapters. Friedan as the author of The Feminine Mystique and founder of NOW was the most influential feminist in the US. The last lines of the book sums up her significance:

Friedan has already taught millions of women–and men–to understand the ideas that constrained them and thus has helped them to change themselves, as well as the laws and attitudes of America, so that women now are closer than ever to living in full equality with men. In doing so, she has fundamentally altered the course of life in America. Throughout her career she has moved from analyzing her personal experience as a woman and as an aging American to thinking, writing, and teaching about larger public issues that affect all women and the aged.

She and her work deserves to be remembered. Read the book and be awed how much has changed thanks to her efforts.

Yesterday was Martin Buber‘s birthday. He was born February 8, 1878 and became undoubtedly one of the most influential 20th century Jewish thinker, theologian, author educator. Before listing the 20 books we have written or edited by him (and the 9 books about him.) Let me quote from the introduction of Pamela Vermer‘s short biography of Buber:

He himself emphatically refused to accept that he was a philosopher at all… He similarly rejected the suggestion that he was a theologian… Was he a mystic? Many think so. He undeniably passed through a phase in which mysticism was deeply attractive to him… Another question which may reasonably be asked is whether Buber was basically a teacher. This would seem difficult to contradict. Yet he wished to make sure that his role was interpreted as that of a guide rather than an instructor. Was Buber then a biblical scholar? … Buber aimed primarily at an existential understanding of the text, and thought cold critical methods by themselves to be inadequate for such a task. … At least there can be no doubt that Buber was a Zionist. Can he have been a Hasid?

As you can see from the short excerpt above he was a complex character. But beyond reading about him, let me recommend his books themselves.

• A believing humanism: My testament, 1902-1965
• Between man and man
• Eclipse of God
• For the sake of Heaven
• Good and evil
• Hasidism and modern man
• I and thou
• Israel and the world; essays in a time of crisis
• The knowledge of man
• The legend of the Baal Shem (We have it as a book and as an audio tape.)
• Moses: The relevation and the covenant
• On Judaism
• On the Bible
• Origin and meaning of Hasidism
• Paths in Utopia
• The prophetic faith
• Tales of the Hasidim
• Ten rungs
• Two types of faith
• The way of response

Our books of/about Buber

• Vermes: Buber
• Brown: Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Buber and Barth
• Friedman: A dialogue with Hasidic tales; hallowing the everyday
• Friedman: Martin Buber and the eternal
• Friedman: Martin Buber; the life of dialogue
• Herberg: The writings of Martin Buber
• Hodes: Martin Buber, an intimate portrait
• Rothschild: Jewish perspectives on Christianity
• Schaeder: The Hebrew humanism of Martin Buber

Jewish High School students throughout Sonoma County are invited to submit essays for the ninth annual contest, established by her children, in honor of Susy Raful, a survivor of concentration camps and an infamous Death March.

The contest seeks the writer’s reflections on the Holocaust (Shoah) by considering a number of questions about their thoughts on the images and impact of the Shoah; what the writer has learned; and how the history of that era will be passed on to future generations.

Detailed information and rules covering the $500 prize can be found here (PDF). Essays are due no later than April 1, 2009. More information 360-3000.

With our attention to all the books and DVDs we have sometimes it is easy to forget that we have great periodicals, newspapers and magazines as well. For example today the latest issue of Lilith magazine has arrived. Its 48 pages are filled with “independent, Jewish & frankly feminist” topics according to its tagline. The detailed table of contents is posted on the magazine’s website. From the numerous interesting articles I would like to draw your attention to the six stories daughters wrote on/about/in relation to their mothers.

Two stories, by Laurie Mozian and Esther Moritz, are about coming of age against the backdrop of strong Jewish mothers; two, by Amy Katz and Rebecca Himber Berg, limn the intense emotional partnership between mother and daughter in the absence of men; two by Berg and Litwak, are about desperately, magically wanting to compensate Mom for her losses; and one by Eva White, is about the huge nexus of meaning that falls away in the absence of mom.

Come on in check out this issue to read these stories and more or browse through precious issues. And unlike at the public library you can borrow copies of magazines from us.

Who would not want free books, particularly if they are of good quality? What if your child could get a free one every month? There is no catch, no strings attached. This is exactly what PJ Library does. It “sends Jewish-content books and music on a monthly basis to children from age six months to ages five, six or seven years depending on the community.” I happen to have a six months old daughter and we have just received our first installment. It is the soundtrack of the “Oy baby” DVD. Our daughter clearly enjoys it and so do we.

You can sign up for the program here or come by at the library to learn more about it and pick up a brochure.

Last month I attended the first PJ Library committee meeting in San Francisco and found myself in the position for being the volunteer in spreading the world in Sonoma County. In the coming months I will try to reach as many families as I can. I think this is a great program with benefits only, no reason for every Jewish family to sign up.

Bent Objects is a blog showing objects and scenes using bent paperclips and other wires. Below is it Hanukkah edition, including latkes, dreidels and gelt.

This was the final piece of our Hanukkah fun series. I hope enjoyed the holiday and the pieces we shared.

No matter what your opinion is about Adam Sandler‘s movies his Hanukkah song became a classic song for younger generations by now .

Last week, in the NPR show, Speaking of Faith, Scott-Martin Kosofsky was interviewed. He is a book designer who “decided to revise the Book of Customs, adapting it for modern use in English.” In the show, available as a downloadable podcast (MP3), he talks about what “he learned about the ancient and evolving world of Jewish practice. Also, what he calls the ‘surprising’ season of Hanukkah.” One of the accompanying pieces from the well-designed website of the show is an 1879 newspaper advertisement for a Hanukkah related event. Click here for all the details about the poster below.

Here are some objects for interfaith couples to combine the two holidays the family might celebrate:

Hanukkah Kippah

Bib

Treenorah

Decoration

Many more at chrismukkah.com