The tradition of Jewish Book Month goes back to 1927, when librarian Fanny Goldstein launched a small exhibit at a branch of the Boston Public Library.
That was 84 years ago, which seems like a long time until one considers that the first Jewish book is 3,000 years old.
But why quibble over a few millennia? Jewish Book Month, promoted nationally by the Jewish Book Council, is upon us once again. The occasion is always eagerly anticipated and widely celebrated in the Bay Area.
Historically, the four weeks leading up to the first night of Chanukah have made up the official “month” of Jewish Book Month.
That’s not how the Bay Area rolls. JCCs, federations and the Bureau of Jewish Education will be hosting author meet-and-greets, panel discussions and other book-related events at various times, mostly in November and December but also in February.
The highlights include Meir Shalev, one of Israel’s most celebrated novelists, making appearances at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto and the JCC of San Francisco. He’ll be talking about his latest book, “My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner,” a memoir that reads like a novel.
The Jewish Book and Arts Festival, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the East Bay, will bring in authors throughout November to Walnut Creek, Berkeley and Pleasanton. Leading off on Thursday, Nov. 3 will be syndicated columnist Barry Rubin, talking about Middle East politics; Rubin’s newest book is a comprehensive history of the Jewish state, “Israel: An Introduction.”
Crime novelist Sheldon Siegel and NBC Middle East correspondent Martin Fletcher will also appear at the East Bay festival.
In San Francisco, the Bureau of Jewish Education isn’t hosting a festival, per se, but it will bring in several authors in the weeks and months ahead. Those include Yiddishist Paul Buhle, historian Rebecca T. Alpert talking about Jews and the Negro Leagues and Jewish studies professor Rachel Havrelock discussing the history of the shifting borders in the Middle East.
A couple of months after the current run of book events ends in December, the JCC of San Francisco will launch its Bookfest in February 2012. The lineup at the annual event includes keynote speaker Nicole Krauss (author of novels such as “Man Walks Into a Room” and “Great House”) and Cynthia Ozick (“Heir to the Glimmering World”).
This week and in the weeks to come, j. will highlight some of the visiting authors.
With so many different Jewish Book Month events — spread out over several months — Fanny Goldstein would be proud.
For more of this week’s cover articles, click the links below.
His bubbe’s zeal for neatness, and its role in Israel’s history
Journalist turns attention to son, self in ‘Buzz’ memoir
Harvey Pekar harbored dark attraction to Yiddishkeit