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Archive for category Jewish Books
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
Purim Literary Roundup!
Posted by Jillian in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge, Link Roundup on February 26, 2010
Julie Greenfield
It’s been awhile since we’ve brought you a literary roundup, so in honor of Purim we’re bringing you the best of the web devoted to this joyous holiday.
- The editors at Tablet Magazine have put together a handy guide about the holiday filled with FAQs and fun things to do to enhance your holiday.
- Looking for a new spin on the Hamentaschen? Ima on and off the Bima has posted some creative recipes. Also, good news for those with gluten allergies, she’s even included arecipe for gluten-free Hamentaschen!
- If you don’t feel like baking, but are looking for the best Hamentaschen out there, Jewcy has assembled a list of the 5 best Hamentaschen Bakers in America, including Lipkins in the native home of JPS, Philadelphia.
- Abby Wisse Schachter, associate editor of the New York Post, writes for Commentary Magazine about how feminism and progressive thinking have created a new meaning for the holiday.
- The Jew & the Carrot has put together a list of healthy and sustainable ways to celebrate Purim. Just because Esther saved the Jews, doesn’t mean you can’t take this time to save the Earth.
- Check out The Jewish Week’s interview with author Rabbi Yehuda Landy about his book Purim and the Persian Empire: A Historical, Archaeological & Geographical Perspective, which examines archaeological findings from where the Purim story takes place.
- Though it was yesterday, learn about the Fast of Esther and some other lesser known fast days from our friends at My Jewish Learning.
If you know of any other great Purim blog posts and articles that we forgot to mention, let us know in the comment section. And we would be remiss not to mention JT Waldman’s stunning graphic novelization of the story of Esther: Megillat Esther.
We hope you all have a Purim Sameach (a happy Purim)!
-Jill
One Month's Worth of Ideas
Posted by Alx in Jewish Books on February 16, 2010
Daniel Sieradski, a prominent blogger in the Jewish community, recently began a new blog called “31 Days, 31 Ideas.” The basic gist of this month-long blog was to present his innovative ideas of ways to improve upon the Jewish community at a time when our society is progressing forward at an unprecedented rate, and to ultimately generate support for these ideas in order for them to come into fruition.
For the most part, Daniel’s ideas are original and pretty novel in my opinion (although he does lend credit where credit is due); and most have something to do with the Internet. All of these ideas were fascinating and though-provoking, but several of them seemed worth creating conversation about.
I encourage you to check out Daniel’s blog for yourself, but in the meantime, here are a few of the ideas that I felt were worth sharing:
- Open Source Beit Midrash – an online study hall that uses web conferencing and video chatting in order to have multiple people looking at the same page of text, with a teacher guiding a live, video-enabled lecture. This type of website could forever change the study of Jewish texts across the world.
- Jew It Yourself: The Jewish Catalog 2.0 – This would provide online resources that facilitate self-directed Jewish learning and practice to those who do not affiliate Jewishly in traditional ways or who do not have access to a Jewish education
- Jewish Book of the Month Club – as an avid reader with a love for learning about the Jewish community, I am obviously a fan of this idea, and am confused as to why this never existed?
- Jewish Non-Profit Employees Union – a union for the tens of thousands of employees of all non-profit Jewish organizations, ranging from day schools, synagogues, JCC’s, to advocacy groups, with Jewish and non-Jewish employees alike.
These concepts definitely bring a new perspective to the Jewish community table. And with a new Jewish experience just at our fingertips, Daniel’s ideas could potentially be the change the community needs for revitalization.
-Emily
The E-Book Face-Off
Posted by Alx in Jewish Books on February 4, 2010
I’m sure most of you by now have read all about the Amazon-Macmillan face-off that happened over this past week. If not, I shall summarize.
On Friday afternoon, after months of debates over e-book pricing, Amazon drastically pulled all Macmillan (one of the top six American publishing companies) e-books and print books off of their virtual shelves.
Amazon e-books currently sell $9.99, and Macmillan wants to charge between $12.99 and $14.99. Macmillan and other publishers have criticized Amazon for this low price on best-selling e-books, saying the price could potentially hurt hardcover sales.
Just 3 days later, Amazon threw in the towel and agreed to sell Macmillan e-books at their demanded price. Amazon says it had no choice in the matter, having to cede pricing control to Macmillan even though that meant increasing its e-book prices, and therefore decreasing the attractiveness of the Kindle.
Now, let us not forget that up until Tuesday, a publisher like Macmillan had no real alternative if it was unhappy with Amazon’s e-book prices. But when 
Apple announced its iPad and an upcoming iBook store last week, the e-book landscape changed. Five publishers were announced to be working with Apple, and Macmillan is one of them.
The basic consensus of this weekend’s events is that Amazon was in the wrong, and in many ways. They (allegedly) toyed with antitrust federal laws, stealthily removed Macmillan books in a shady manner, acted not only against Macmillan but against its authors too, and failed to come out with a formal statement (as Macmillan’s CEO did).
Whichever side you’ve decided to take, we cannot deny the role the e-book will play in the future of the publishing industry. But is this faceoff a foreshadowing of what’s to come? And did Amazon mistakenly pave the way for the Apple iPad to take over?
Needless to say, the coming months will surely not be void of excitement in the world of e-books.
-Emily
Reviving the classics!
Posted by Alx in JPS Books, Jewish Books, Jewish Innovation, Jewish Knowledge on January 28, 2010
We’re going back to basics! As a part of our spring 2010 collection, we have re-launched five of JPS’s classic books! These classic books are for readers of all ages, and we hope that by bringing them back to the shelves, readers will be reminded of some timeless ideas that are essential to Judaism.
Lessons learned in these classic books carry as much weight as ever, containing information that, believe it or not, may be directly applicable to our lives today.
Here is a list of JPS works revived in 2010:
- Judaism as a Civilization by Mordecai Kaplan
This book introduced a new way of looking at Judaism, and is considered the origin of the Reconstructionist Movement. Kaplan felt that all Jews – traditional and liberal, religious and secular – could play a part in this “reconstruction.”
2. Book of Tradition by Abraham ibn Daud (author) and Gerson D. Cohen (translator)
This epic on Jewish history from ancient times to the 12th century eulogized Spanish Jewry and reminded readers of a once-thriving culture. No one before had ever attempted to write such a broad history of Jewish civilization, and this unique book is one of the first examples of Jewish historiography
3. Genesis: The Beginning of Desire by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Ph.D.
This epic breathes new life into the stories of Adam and Even, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Essau, Rachel, and Joseph. Zornberg brings biblical, midrashic, and literary sources together, illuminating the tensions that grip human beings as they search for an encounter God
4. The Life of Gluckel of Hameln by Beth-Zion Abrahams
Gluckel of Hameln’s memoir is widely viewed as one of the earliest major works written by a Jewish woman and has become a classic. This JPS book is the only English translation of Gluckel’s story from the original Yiddish and is widely considered the most accurate and complete translation available
5. Modern Poems on the Bible by David Curzon
This is a collection of imaginative and engaging contemporary responses to the Bible. Guided by the classic rabbinic genre of midrash conceived 1,500 years ago, Curzon chooses poems from Jewish and non-Jewish writers alike and places them besides the biblical passages that were their inspiration.
After all, Albert Einstein once said: “Somebody who reads only newspapers and at best the books of contemporary authors’ looks to me like an extremely nearsighted person who scorns eyeglasses.” We’ve certainly learned a lesson or two from Albert, so perhaps we should take his advice!
-Emily
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
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:
- 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.
- Celebrating the Jewish Year, the Spring and Summer Holidays – recipient of the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Jewish Family Literature.
- Subversive Sequels in the Bible – recipient of the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Scholarship.
- Meneket Rivkah: A Manual of Wisdom and Piety for Jewish Women – a National Jewish Book Awards Finalist in the category of Women’s Studies.
- Naomi’s Song – named a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Books for Teen Readers.
- 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
Think You Know Everything About Judaism? Think Again!
Posted by Sarah in JPS Books, Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge on January 11, 2010
Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, author of the JPS book A Shout in the Sunshine, guest blogs for JPS about the many forgotten cultures within Judaism.
Jews often forget that we are a multi-cultural community. American Jews, I believe, are particularly guilty of this, which is quite amazing considering the quilt of cultures we wrap ourselves in. We view American Jewishness as Yiddishkeit, and forget about the other ethnic groups that make up the community of Jews, like Yemini, Sephardi, etc. Before you pooh-pooh this idea, list Jewish ethnic food. Did you list: matzah balls, bagels, pastrami, rye bread, mandel brot, challah, or honey cake? Then you are an Eastern European ethnic Jew. What ever happened to humus, lahana, or halvah?
I grew up at a time when Sephardic Jews were only mentioned in history books (and I lived an hour from Mikveh Israel in the historic district of Philadelphia) and the only books for children about American Jewish children were the All of a Kind Family series. I loved those books, mostly because I imagined my grandmothers and their sisters as those girls. However, as I grew up I really wondered about all those other Jews. I wanted to know what Jews all over the world were like and there weren’t really books about them.
When I became a mother of a daughter with a Greek father, I desperately wanted her to know all of her history. I could find nothing for children about Greek Jewry. This began my series of novels. We know that Jews lived throughout history in almost every part of the world, but we don’t really understand what their lives were like. Here’s my pick of books for young and old that should get you started on seeing another part of Jewish culture:
1. I Remember Rhodes by Rebecca Amato Levy is a wonderful book of the author’s reminiscences about her childhood in the pre-Holocaust Jewish quarter of Rhodes. It is filled with celebrations, sayings, and songs. You can read it in English or Ladino! This woman was a foundation of the Rhodalisi community in California and started me on my interest in Greek Jewry.
2. Zayda Was a Cowboy by June Levitt Nislick, who would have thought? No, I’m serious. One of my grandfathers was a factory worker and the other, a postal worker, both lived in Brooklyn. Who had Jewish grandfathers who were cowboys? Never underestimate a children’s book. They may be short, but the story is just as good.
3. The Book of Jewish Food: An odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden was another inspiration for me. Anyone who has read my book knows there is an incredible amount of food in it. Every Jewish holiday is about food, even the fast days. My rabbi says that every time she reads my book she gets hungry. If you want to try making the food in my novel, get this book! This cookbook is amazing! The stories about the recipes are just as yummy as the recipes themselves.
4. The Life of Glückel of Hameln is a classic in women’s and Jewish studies. I love reading this memoir begun in 1690 by Glückel, a widow and mother of 14. Yes, I know, it is about an Eastern European Jew, but how many memoirs by women of this period are there? And how often do you get to read about life in the early 18th century. This book is part of the canon and should be on everyone shelves, just like Sydney Taylor’s books.
5. Rashi’s Daughters: Rachel, the third in Maggie Anton’s series, is another powerful look at cultural diversity. In this finale, Rachel’s husband lives in both France and Spain and there are few books where the comparison between the golden ages of the Sephardim and the Ashkenazim are so dynamically paralleled. I was especially intrigued by the internal conflicts of husband and wife over the question of polygamy, which was practiced by the Sephardim and not the Ashkenazi.
Have I reached my five? There are so many good books out there. I could write for days about the books I have sitting on my shelves and those I wish I did. Whatever you do, don’t forget to get yourselves some excellent CDs of music. Sephardic music is much sought after by scholars of medieval Spanish. Did you know that the language still spoken which is closest to medieval Spanish is Ladino? No? All the more reason to take the opportunity to discover the hidden sides of Jewish culture!
Jewish Rappers and Professional Basketball?
Posted by Emily in Jewish Books on January 7, 2010
Is this one for the books?
Jewish Hasidic rapper Matisyahu is scheduled to give a free performance after the Philadelphia 76ers play the New York Knicks in NBA play on January 13th, 2010. The free concert is a part of “Jewish Heritage Night,” an event that includes kosher catering in the concourse of the arena from a local Jewish kosher restaurant.
www.pagesonline.it/groupieblog
Well, the event is apparently not history in the making.
In my search to see if this was an original idea, I found that Jewish Heritage nights and Jewish themed sporting events are actually far from a new and novel concept. Who knew?
These events have been held in cities across the country, and in all types of different venues and sports. The Oakland Raiders, for example, held a Sukkot tailgate before a game last year, and just last month, the Miami Heat held a similar Jewish Heritage event with a free concert from 8th Day, a Jewish rock band from California.
Are these types of Jewish-themed events becoming trend worthy in the world of professional sports? It seems as if they’re certainly on their way.
To all you sports fans out there, I hope you enjoy getting your Jewish entertainment fix for free!
-Emily
Delayed E-Book Releases – Smart or Annoying?
Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books, Publishing on January 5, 2010
No one can deny it. The e-book is here and it’s here to stay. Whether you’re for or against the e-reader doesn’t change the heart of the matter. The question now is how will the publishing industry adapt to the advent of such a new and exciting technology?
Many are concerned that as devices like Kindle, Nook, and the Sony Reader continue to take over the reading world, printed books will cease to exist. A very scary thought.
So, what is the publishing industry to do?
Well, if you’re Simon & Schuster, you’ve already thought of a solution. The question is, is it the right one? In an effort to address new technologies while continuing to sell printed materials, Simon & Schuster has decided to delay the sale of their publications’ e-books, only making them available four months after the initial hardcover release. And, they’re not the only ones, with companies like HarperCollins and Hachette Book Group following suit.
So, is this an ingenious plan or a childish antic?
Some believe that this makes sense. Wait a few months, let the printed version sell, and then release the e-book for those who desperately want it for their electronic devices. That way, everyone wins. As Simon & Schuster spokesman Adam Rothberg states,
We understand that there is an urge with digital media to have it more, faster, now. We’re trying to hit upon a happy medium.
But, some don’t agree. They argue that waiting to release an e-book version doesn’t cater to what the public wants most. Instead, these people believe that publishers are sticking to an antiquated system of scheduled releases (hardcover first, paperback second, etc) that doesn’t fit with the public’s desire. And, after all, aren’t the customers’ needs supposed to be priority #1?
Whether you agree with the publishers’ plan or not, be prepared to wait a little while for the e-book version of some of 2010’s exciting new releases. And remember, it’s not so bad. Reading print books is still an experience all its own!
-Sarah
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