Posts Tagged Awards

February 27th, 2011—A Big Jewish Night

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on February 10, 2011

Like many, I have great ability to see as many potentially Oscar nominated films as possible.  Journeying through the 83rd Academy Awards Season, I could not help but smile at the Jewish talent on display.  I have certainly been aware of the powerful Jewish presence in Hollywood since I was a kid, but only now do I find myself noticing what this presence means for Jewish viewers- specifically young viewers.  Eagerly anticipating the award ceremony on February 27th, I find myself wondering if this year’s line-up would have made the cut for my adolescent Jewish education through film.

Curly-headed Jessie Eisenberg tackles ego and self-success as (Jewish darling?) Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.  Eisenberg shares the screen with Andrew Garfield, a British Jew, who was snubbed by the Academy, but will make us all proud as the new Peter Parker.  Written by a fellow Jew, Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network would have been ideal for my confirmation class.  We would have been told to pay attention to the leading men, the Jewish fraternity highlighted, and of course, the ethical questions raised.

I went to see Black Swan to support two of my favorite Jewish actresses- Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.  I knew the buzz surrounding their film, directed by Conservative Jewish Brooklyn native Darren Aronofsky, and though I was warned against it, I took the plunge.  I cringed, cried a little, closed my eyes, and thought: now here is a movie we should have watched in my confirmation class at shul.  Ms. Portman and Ms. Kunis explore human passion and mental drive, topics not exactly covered in my days of Conservative Hebrew school, but today more openly talked about.  The steamy scenes between the Jewesses would certainly have gone untouched by my teacher, but the boys in my class would have made up for the omission.

Young Halie Steinfeld rocks the screen in Jewish writer/director gods Joel and Ethan Coen’s re-make of True Grit.  The film focuses on family, self-determination, and the bond between comrades.  Studying for my bat mitzvah at times felt something like searching for a killer (played by Josh Brolin in the film, whose stepmother is none other than Barbra Streisand).

Helena Bonham Carter is nominated for The King’s Speech, written by David Seidler, which brings to mind Jewish themes of familial competition and again, self-determination.  Knocked for treating King George VI with too much sugar, The King’s Speech makes no mention of the Nazis or any other Holocaust related themes.  In fact, The Jewish Journal points out that the 2010-2011 Oscar season managed to ignore the Holocaust all together   Though not overtly Holocaust related, I imagine my teacher would have liked to slip this film in between The Pianist and Schindler’s List for some relief.

The final – and most exciting for those looking to please their mother with a Jewish man – mention for this entry is the unexpected James Franco.  His mother is Jewish, and though I associate him with grungy roles such as Daniel Desario in Freaks and Geeks and Saul Silver (the drug dealer) in Pineapple Express, his performance in 127 Hours is enough to make any mother proud.

The 83rd Academy Awards is not only going to be Jewtastic, but representative of topics discussed in Jewish homes and classrooms alike.  Though my years of Hebrew school are long gone, other lucky adolescents will one day enjoy this year’s scintillating and Jewish-filled film line-up.  Watch this year’s Oscars- whether it be for the fashion, the suspense, or James Franco in a tuxedo.

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We Received a Blogger Award!

Posted by admin in Jewish Knowledge, JPS History on July 28, 2010

The JPS blog just received a Beautiful Blogger Award from our friends and co-authors of JPS title Dictionary of Jewish Words: A JPS Guide, Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, who blog at Schmoozing with the Word Mavens.

To claim our reward, we have to share 7 little known facts about JPS and pass the award on to 7 other blogs.

Things you might not know about The Jewish Publication Society:

  1. On July 28, 1893 (exactly 117 years ago today), the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent announced that Henrietta Szold would be moving to Philadelphia from her home in Baltimore to serve as the secretary and first paid employee of JPS. Although she worked under the title and salary of secretary, she served as translator, indexer, fact checker, proofreader, statistician, administrator, and editor, overseeing the publication of 87 books during her tenure. Prior to working for JPS, Szold was elected as the only female member of its publication committee when JPS was founded in 1888.
  2. The first Jewish Publication Society was initially founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, but was dissolved 6 years later after a fire destroyed the building and the entire JPS stock. The American Jewish Publication Society was then established in 1871, but folded only a few years later as a result of an economic downturn and organizational neglect.
  3. The organization was originally called The Jewish Publication Society of America, but later dropped “of America” in 1986.
  4. In the early years, JPS brand tag line was “Israel’s Mission is Peace,” which was written on the organization’s original seal (right). The seal depicted a scene from the book of Isaiah and was only used until 1906.
  5. The extensive index for the original edition of Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg was written on 70,000 index cards. Henrietta Szold fell in love with Ginzberg while working with him on the book. On a trip to Europe, he returned engaged to a younger woman, named Adele Katzenstein, which devastated Szold.
  6. In the beginning stages of World War II, JPS rushed into print Cold Pogrom (1939) to bring greater attention to the plight of European Jewry. In 1941, at the request of the U.S. government, the Society undertook a secret mission by printing in Greek, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, and Rumanian pamphlets that were dropped from planes behind the enemy lines.
  7. The very first JPS book was Outlines of Jewish History, by Lady Katie Magnus, though JPS’s best selling book of all time is the JPS Tanakh, which was first published in 1917 and later updated in 1985.

And here are our choices for blogs to receive the beautiful blogger award:

  1. The Book of Life: A podcast & blog about Jewish books, music, film & web
  2. Jewish Book Council Blog: A blog about trends in the Jewish literary scene, interesting new titles, etc. It also features a bi-weekly author blog series with guest posts by emerging authors.
  3. People of the Books: A blog by the Association of Jewish Libraries dedicated to Jewish book news and reviews as well as information about AJL’s projects
  4. Mixed Multitudes – My Jewish Learning: A blog by My Jewish Learning that explores current events and issues related to Judaism.
  5. The Scroll – Tablet Magazine: Tablet Magazine’s daily blog covering Jewish news around the world.
  6. Jewish Treats: The National Jewish Outreach Program’s blog that offers daily “Juicy Bits of Judaism” including bite-sized facts, actions and prayers that are easy to digest and are a great way to make a daily connection to Judaism in two minutes or less.
  7. Jewish Literary Review: A blog about Jewish books, Jewish novels, Jewish writing, news about books and the occasional author interview.

-Jill Finkelstein

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The 59th Annual Jewish Book Awards

Posted by Carol in Jewish Books on March 11, 2010

My goodness, what a week: first, the Oscars on Sunday night, and then the Jewish Oscars on Tuesday! The Jewish book Oscars, that is: the 2009 National Jewish Book Awards.

Jewish Book Council

Dozens of Jewish literary notables were there: Joseph Telushkin, James Kugel, Lawrence Schiffman, Ari Goldman, Alana Newhouse, Yitz and Blu Greenberg, just for starters. Lots of other familiar faces, too, including two former JPS interns Naomi Firestone and Miri Pomerantz Dauber, now with the Jewish Book Council, which hosted the event.

It was quite a night for JPS, with more award winners than any other publisher: Editor Emerita Ellen Frankel and Avi Katz took a prize for the best Illustrated Children’s Book, for their JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible; Paul Steinberg and Janet Greenstein Potter’s Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays won for best Jewish Family Literature, Judy Klitsner’s Subversive Sequel in the Bible took the award for Scholarship. Frauke von Rohden’s Meneket Rivkah: A Manual of Wisdom and Piety for Jewish Women was a finalist for in the Scholarship category, and Frankel and Katz also were finalists in Jewish Family Literature. Below you can view a slideshow of our winners at the event!

I’m a big fiction fan, so I’ve added Joseph Kertes’ Gratitude: A Novel, the fiction award winner, to my (50+ book!) reading list. If you want to add winners to your reading list, check out wwww.jewishbookcouncil.org and add your comments and suggested book list titles below in response to this posting.

-Carol Hupping, Interim Director

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Follow our authors on tour!

Posted by Alx in Jewish Books on January 26, 2010

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2010 recipients with a blog tour February 1-5, 2010!

What is a blog tour, you ask? A blog tour is like a virtual book tour. So instead of going to a library or bookstore to see an author speak, you go to a website on or after the assigned date, and read the author’s interview in the comfort of your own home (or office!) Imagine that – being up close and personal with our winning authors without even leaving your chair!

JPS authors that will be a part of the blog tour are Judy Vida, author of Naomi’s Song (winner of the Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the teen readers category), and Ellen Frankel, author of the JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible (notable Sydney Taylor Book in the category of all ages). The interview with Juda Vida will be posted on The Book Nosher on February 3rd, 2010. The interview with Ellen Frankel will be posted on the Deo Writer on February 5th, 2010.

Make sure you tune in to see what our accomplished authors have to say!

-Emily

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JPS rakes in the awards!

Posted by Alx in Jewish Books on January 26, 2010

JPS is proud to announce its National Jewish Book Award and Sydney Taylor Book Award recipients! As a 120-year old publisher with a rich history, a broad spectrum of books, and accomplished authors, JPS continues to thrive in the publishing industry by creating and reviving literary works that enhance Jewish culture around the globe.

We’re honored to have received major awards from two venerable organizations:  the National Jewish Book Awards, sponsored by the Jewish Book Council (www.jewishbookcouncil.org), honor some of the best and brightest books and authors in the field of Jewish literature. The program is the longest running awards program of its kind in the field of Jewish literature. The Sydney Taylor Book Awards, presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries, are given each year to outstanding books for children and teens that portray the Jewish experience.

The conversation about books, both print and digital, has reached new heights as the technological revolution brings e-books to center stage. As writers and publishers adapt to this rapidly changing world, JPS remains at the forefront of Jewish literature and culture – in whatever mediums readers use to access text.

Here is a list of JPS works recognized in 2009:

  1. The JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible – is a recipient of the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Illustrated Children’s Books and a Finalist in the category of Jewish Family Literature.  It has also been named a Notable Book for Readers of All Ages by the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee.
  2. Celebrating the Jewish Year, the Spring and Summer Holidays – recipient of the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Jewish Family Literature.
  3. Subversive Sequels in the Bible – recipient of the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Scholarship.
  4. Meneket Rivkah: A Manual of Wisdom and Piety for Jewish Women – a National Jewish Book Awards Finalist in the category of Women’s Studies.
  5. Naomi’s Song – named a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Books for Teen Readers.
  6. Elvina’s Mirror – named a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book for Older Readers.

We congratulate our esteemed authors, and thank our readers for their support!

-Emily

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The National Book Awards – celebrating reading in the ipod age

Posted by Naomi in Publishing on November 15, 2009

60thcelebrationlogoBack in September, New York City played host to the illustrious Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.  I didn’t blink an eye.  (What do I know about Jimmy Choos?  I’m more of a flip-flops girl…)  This week, though, the book world descends upon the Big Apple.  And I’m getting very excited!

Now, I don’t think that I can really afford to attend the $1000 a plate dinner at the prestigious National Book Awards ceremony on November 18th (I also don’t think that they’d appreciate gate crashers).  So I’ll probably have to content myself with checking out how the nominees stack up (you can read more about them here), and keeping an eye on the Publisher’s Weekly website to see who’s won.

With book reading on the decline across the nation, it’s nice to have big, annual events like the National Book Awards – or the National Jewish Book Awards, the American Library Association Awards, the Pulitzer Prize… – to remind the public that there are still great books out there, waiting to be read.  In an age where portable devices allow us to watch movies on the go, where television programs can be streamed over the internet, and where the average attention span seems to have been reduced to -

10-tip-reading-books-knowlegde-seo-dota-read- Hey!  Over here!  I’m not done yet… as I was saying, in an age where your average American no longer seems willing to sit still for long enough to read an actual book, it’s good to remind people that great literature didn’t end with The Great Gatsby.  Great literature and powerful works of nonfiction are still being churned out every day, folks.  The National Book Awards give us a moment to recognize that.

Now all we need to do is go the next step beyond recognizing that great books are still being published today, and actually get out and read them!

So if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my paperback.
-Naomi

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