Sign up for Weekday J and get the latest on what's happening in the Jewish Bay Area.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5 Rabbi Harold Schulweis will discuss faith that's plagued by doubt as described in his book "For Those Who Can't Believe."

Another speaker, Cody's Books Judaica expert Ira Steingroot, penned "Keeping Passover," a guide to the holiday. He will talk about haggadot, food, songs and Pesach preparations at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6.

Ariel Bloch, professor emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at U.C. Berkeley, and Chana Bloch, professor of English at Mills College, co-wrote the book "The Song of Songs: A New Translation." They'll talk about the poetic voice of this ancient Biblical verse at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Ahad Ha'Am was the pen name of activist Asher Ginsburg, whose writings and criticism of early Zionism helped define the Jewish homeland. Steven Zipperstein, director of Stanford University's program in Jewish Studies, won the National Jewish Book Award for his biography of secular Zionism's leading advocate. He'll speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Deborah Lee Rose's inspiration for "The Rose Horse" came from Coney Island's Jewish carousel carvers. She'll talk about her book at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Even the happiest intermarried couples can fight over hard-to-break cultural loyalties, said psychologist Joel Crohn in his book "Mixed Matches." He'll address the challenges of interfaith partnerships at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9.

Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, author of "God's Phallus: and Other Problems for Men and Monotheism," will explore the imagery of God's gender at noon Friday, Nov. 10.

A Kristallnacht commemoration at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 will feature Ernest Glaser, author of "Eyewitness Account," Rene Molho, author of "They Say Diamonds Don't Burn," and Lucille Eichengreen, author of "From Ashes to Life." Molho lost his brother to Dr. Josef Mengele's experiments. Eichengreen's sister died in the Lodz ghetto.

Keynote speaker will be novelist Faye Kellerman, who wrote the murder mystery "Justice," at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13.

A Jerusalem 3000 celebration will take place from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. Photographer Robert Holmes, whose work appeared in the book "A Day in the Life of Israel," will speak at 2 p.m. Cost for that event is $3 for CCJCC members, $5 general admission.

Lecture prices range between $4 and $20. Co-sponsor with the CCJCC is the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay and its Endowment Fund. The festival bookstore will stock featured authors' books. For information on the festival, call CCJCC at (510) 938-7800.