Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

Quick, what’s the correct spelling of Hanukkah in English? You are not the only one who is confused about this important issue. The LeeVees, a rock band from New York wrote a song about the topic of their frustration. They also posted a great animated video, just in time for Channukkahh.

“Imagine if [we] were reading books together that sparked lively debate on Judaism’s bedrock themes. Imagine discussion with friends, neighbors, and fellow parents about Maimonides, medical ethics, or the position of the Jew in medieval Muslim society and its relevance to today’s world. Or a conversation about Emma Lazarus that tackles critical questions about the role of immigrants in America. Picture a journey through the life and work of Marc Chagall and a discussion of the provocative questions he raises about Jewish identity.”

These are the opening lines of Nextbook‘s new “One Book Program.” Please read the rest of their description on their page. (In case you are not familiar with Nextbook: “[it] is a non-profit organization which commissions books on Jewish themes, sponsors public lectures, readings, and performances in cities around the country, and publishes an online magazine.“) The essence of their offer is that if we order at least 25 copies of their books we get a 40% discount plus free shipping. If we order 50+ books we get 50% off.

Currently they offer ten titles

• Benjamin Disraeli by Adam Kirsch
• Betraying Spinoza by Rebecca Goldstein
• Douglas Century by Barney Ross
• Emma Lazarus by Esther Schor
• Jews and Power by Ruth Wisse
• Marc Chagall by Jonathan Wilson
• The Wicked Son by David Mamet
• Resurrecting Hebrew by Ilan Stavans
• Maimonides by Sherwin Nuland (Our review)
• The Life of David by Robert Pinsky (Our review)

The last two books are available in paperback for $7.75. All of the above available hardcover between 11.95 and 12.95. Remember, if we have enough people interested we can get 40-50% of from these prices.
Please send the list of books (and how many copies you are interested in purchasing) to me and I will tally it up. I hope we can reach the sufficient number for the discount.

At PassThe Candle.com Michelle Citrin–a folk singer who became famous for her YouTube video showing 20 things to with matzah–and William Levin–a Jewish animator, known for his Shabot 6000 comic strip–, had a contest running for several weeks, asking people to videotape themselves as they pass a lit candle. The best entries were cut together to make up the visuals for their song. It is one of the most diverse and joyous Hanukkah video I have ever seen. See for yourself.

During Hanukkah I will post a few fun items that may have little to do with books, but hopefully you will enjoy them, anyway. For example, I came across a droidel. What is a droidel you may ask? Well it is a(n an)droid shaped dreidel of course. If you are a fan of Star Wars you are familiar with R2-D2. Bonnie Burton at StarWars.com created the blueprints (see a small version on the side) and shared instructions on how to make your own. Follow this link and the steps listed there and tonight you can play in science fiction style.

I received a wonderful PowerPoint presentation about the Jewish life in Harbin, a major city in northeast China. It consists of 31 pages, mostly photos by Charles B. The sources for the textual information are Shiri Lev Ari‘s “Harbin’s Jews: Isle of calm for embattled nation“, an online essay by Dr. Irena Vladimirsky, titled The Jews of Harbin. To view the presentation:

• Download it from here.
• Double click it. (You will need to have Microsoft PowerPoint or its player)
• Click the space bar or the right arrow to process from one slide to the next.

Enjoy!

Out of the seven books related to the Jewish experience in China we have, I would like to recommend one that actually mentions Harbin: “Jews in old China; studies by Chinese scholars,” edited by Sidney Shapiro. It contains 23 essays ranging from 4 to 50 pages. Shapiro and his Chinese colleagues detail their analyses to reveal that Jews were not only present in Kaifeng, known as Bianjing in the Song dynasty, but that they lived in large numbers in other Chinese cities as well. This scholarly volume includes not just an epilogue, bibliography and index, but also a chronological table, which came useful for me to get a big picture view of the history covered,

As you might have read in the Shofar or in yesterday’s post the Jewish Book Month, organized and promoted by the Jewish Book Council started right before Thanksgiving this year and will last till December 22. Yesterday we received this year’s poster. See below the small version or in our window the full size variety. We also have lots of new bookmarks for this occasion. One of them, the one with the pink background has lists and annotations of great new children and young adult books. The other, the blue bookmark is for adults and one size has novels, while the other lists non-fiction books. Come on in to the library and pick up one.

The Association of Jewish Libraries, of which our library is a proud and accredited member of, launched a podcast series. Right now these six podcasts are available from the site.

• Bergson, Steve: From Tintin to Migdal David: Representations of Israel and Israelis in Comic Books, Comic Strips, and Graphic Novels
• Frankel, Ellen: How the People of the Book Became the People of the Book Business: A History of Jewish Publishing in America
• Kampen, John: The Changing Face of the Study of the Qumran Texts
• Levitin, Sonia, Carol Matas & Margo Rabbl: Real Life, Real Teens: Jewish Literature for Life’s Challenges
• RAS Awards Committee: The 2007 Reference, Bibliography & Body-of-Work Awards
• Sydney Taylor Award Committees: The 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Award & Manuscript Award

I hope many of our patrons will listen to these and future recordings. Below is the program’s official press release:

ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES LAUNCHES PODCAST
For more info, contact: Heidi Estrin, AJL PR Chair heidi@cbiboca.org
For immediate release–November, 2008

Author talks, lectures on Jewish literature, panel discussions, and workshops are among the offerings of the newly launched Association of Jewish Libraries Podcast. Available at www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast, the program provides audio that enhances and enriches the listener’s appreciation of Jewish book culture.

The podcast will include material recorded at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention, as well as recordings of Jewish literary events across North America. A wide range of topics will be covered, from the academic to the hands-on, from children’s literature to technology.
“Jews are book lovers, and Jewish librarians even more so,” says Susan Dubin, President of the Association of Jewish Libraries. “The AJL Podcast gives us a way to share our enthusiasm with others, without geographical or scheduling restrictions. Now everyone can learn and enjoy!”

New podcast episodes will be posted every few weeks. Listeners can hear the show online at www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast, subscribe via iTunes or other feed readers (using the feed http://feeds.feedburner.com/ajlpodcast), receive episodes by email via FeedBlitz, or listen by phone at (651) 925-2538.
To celebrate the launch of the podcast, AJL is offering a Jewish book give-away. Forward this press release or post its contents on a blog or web page to be entered into a drawing for five Jewish interest books from Hachette Book Group. Be sure to CC jewishlibraries@gmail.com on any forwarded messages or to send a message about any posts to that same address. Complete contest rules and information about the give-away titles can be seen at jewishlibraries.org/podcast - click on the Contest page in the sidebar. Deadline for entry is December 12, 2008.

SephardicMusic.org is a brand new website, created by Joel Bresler, chronicling the first 100 years of commercial Sephardic recordings. It includes survey articles on the 78 and modern eras, a comprehensive discography of Sephardic 78s, and a sample of what a proposed discography of modern-era recordings could look like. I encourage you to explore this site’s resources, including its list of labels, songs, and artists and the sample MP3 files.

One of the singers featured on the site is Yehoram Gaon. Our library has one audio tape by him, titled Shabbath Songs–in the Sephardic tradition. At the website dedicated to Gaon you can listen in to 40 of his hits. Our tape, see the cover below, contains these 14 songs:

1. L’cha Dodee
2. D’ror Yikra
3. Hashkiveynu
4. Azamer Beshvachin
5. Mizmor l”David
6. Eyn Ke’Elokeyno
7. Yigdal
8. Yah Reebon
9. Adon Olam
10. Nakdishach
11. Tsur Mishelo
12. Eli-Eliyahu
13. El Dio Alto
14. Hamavdil

In preparation for Saturday’s Sonoma County Book Festival I reformatted a bibliography on thought-provoking books published from 1990 to present related to women and Judaism. It was originally put together two years ago by Susanne Batzdorff. In order to fit onto two pages and in order to avoid having to use smaller font than 10 point I had to remove a few books from the list. Later, I will re-add them and even more books to make the whole list a six or eight page booklet. But for now let me present this double sided, two page version (PDF, 200 kb). I hope you and the visitors on Saturday will find it useful.

As you prepare for the New Year of 5769 you probably look back what you accomplished this last year. You may realize though that you did not act or think always from the heart. I would like to offer help for your development in this area via the Jewish way: reading and contemplation. The library has a cornucopia of books that can inspire you and act as catalyst of the mind and heart in one or more of three kinds of relationships. As Reimer and Kates put it in Beginning Anew (page 272):

Teshuva demands honest self-scrutiny and reflection.
It is a process between me and my own self.
Tefila embodies my relationship with G-d.
Tzedaka regulates my relationship with my
fellow human beings.

I believe that improvement in any of these three enhances the others. If you manage to improve your self-knowledge and relationship with yourself, it will have positive effect: how you relate to other people and to the Eternal as well. Let me give you three examples from the many offerings we have.

Olitzky‘s and Sabbath‘s guide titled Preparing your Heart for the High Holy Days has the advantage that you can read and internalize it slowly. For every day, starting with Elul 1–a month before Rosh Hashanah–and ending with Yom Kippur you will find a Biblical or classical quote and two or three paragraphs of thought-provocative text. While reading them you may encounter truths that hit you like revelations about yourself.

Apisdorf‘s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Survival Kit is designed for personal growth. Through gaining a better understanding of the prayers you will appreciate more the hidden meanings and will be able to connect to them personally. The results will also include that you will be more compassionate to the people sitting next to you, because you have more of an inkling of what they are going through: same as you.

No matter how short I have to cut my recommended books for the holidays due to space considerations I cannot omit S. Y. Agnon‘s Days of Awe. It is the best and richest source in a single volume I know of that opens the gates of wisdom hiding the treasury of Jewish literature about the High Holidays. Agnon integrated quotes from more than 300 sources into a coherent and eloquent narrative. This overview of relations with G-d can help any open-minded person to fine-tune her/his own. As you can read on page 109:

‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found’ (Isa. 44:6). Said Rabbah bar Abuha: “He may be found” during the ten days between Rosh h-Shanah and Yom Kippur.

One of the best things you can do for yourself and for your various relationships is finding a book in the library that will grab your attention and can lift your spirit.