• News
    • News
    • Bay Area
    • U.S.
    • Israel
    • World
  • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Editorials
  • Jewish Life
    • Jewish Life
    • Community
    • Lifecycles
    • Obituaries
    • Food
    • Religion
    • Education
    • Kids & Family
    • Seniors
    • Philanthropy
  • Culture
    • Culture
    • Books
    • Art
    • TV & Film
    • On Stage
    • Music
  • Calendar
  • Donate
  • Subscribe/Renew
  • Contact
  • Readers’ Choice 2020
  • Jewish Resource Guide
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

The Jewish News

of Northern California

  • DONATE
  • Subscribe/Renew
  • Contact
  • Jewish Resource Guide
  • News
    • Bay Area
    • U.S.
    • Israel
    • World
  • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Editorials
  • Jewish Life
    • Community
    • Lifecycles
    • Obituaries
    • Food
    • Religion
    • Education
    • Kids & Family
    • Seniors
    • Philanthropy
  • Culture
    • Books
    • Art
    • TV & Film
    • On Stage
    • Music
  • Calendar
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
From the cover of “Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America” by Esther Amini.

Off the Shelf

Family histories open new windows on historical events

Books coverage is supported by a generous grant from The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund. What makes books on family history so compelling for me is that…
By Howard Freedman Feb 16, 2021
Oakland's own Daveed Diggs in the filmed version of "Hamilton" and Missy, a Black Jewish character on "Big Mouth."

Culture

Image Awards: Jewish nominees, from Daveed Diggs to Doja Cat

Several Jewish stars are among the nominees for the 2021 NAACP Image Awards, which celebrate Black achievement in movies, television, music and…
By Emily Burack, JTA Feb 8, 2021
Professor Rachel Gross of San Francisco State University's new book is "Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice." (Photo/Gary Sexton)

Religion

In ‘Beyond the Synagogue,’ Jews find religion in delis and museums

Books coverage is supported by a generous grant from The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund. Rachel B. Gross can pinpoint the exact moment the idea for her book…
By Alix Wall Jan 28, 2021
Evan Wolkenstein is the author of "Turtle Boy." (Photo/Fred Greene; detail from book cover)

Books

Bay Area authors win Jewish children’s book awards

A teacher’s coming-of-age novel and a rabbi’s picture book about Jewish yoga are among the books by San Francisco authors named in this year’s Sydney…
By J. Staff, JTA Jan 27, 2021
From the cover of “The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate” by Martin Puchner.

Off the Shelf

Two new books burrow into Yiddish and the ‘language of thieves’

Books coverage is supported by a generous grant from The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund. As languages have lives of their own, with arcs that dwarf the…
By Howard Freedman Jan 15, 2021
From the cover of "To Be a Man" by Nicole Krauss.

Off the Shelf

Short stories deserve our attention — especially these

Books coverage is supported by a generous grant from The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund. While the short story is a classic literary form, it can also feel…
By Howard Freedman Dec 21, 2020
San Francisco State University professor Marc Dollinger (left) and Jews of Color Initiative founder Ilana Kaufman at discuss Dollinger's book at Temple Sinai in Oakland, Oct. 2018. (Photo/Sue Fishkoff)

Bay Area

SF State historian splits with publisher over Jews and 'white supremacy'

Marc Dollinger’s book, “Black Power, Jewish Politics,” sold more than expected in this year of racial reckoning, and by September, there were only 150…
By Ari Feldman, Forward Dec 21, 2020
A completed page in “The Kabbalah Coloring Book: A Book of Creation.”

Art

No time to study Kabbalah? Try the coloring book

The complex teachings of Kabbalah can take years to learn, much less master. Why not start by coloring them in? Tzfat-based artist David Friedman has…
By Alix Wall, Forward Dec 17, 2020
a black and white picture of a man and a woman sitting on a bench. she is holding flowers which have been artificially colored bright purple

Books

A harrowing tale of survival wrapped around a love story 

Fela Kuvent, born in 1919 in the Polish town of Gostynin, was a smart, vivacious, dark-eyed girl who loved to sing, dance and enjoy life in her Jewish…
By Laura Paull Dec 15, 2020
Previous PageNext Page
  • Readers’ Choice 2020
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers at J.
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms of Use
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram