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Library eConnection July 2008 |
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JCC Maccabi Games – Be a Host Family!
By now, you are certainly aware that the Lawrence Family JCC is hosting the JCC Maccabi Games this August 3-8, 2008. 1,500 young athletes from Jewish communities all over the US and from Israel will compete and of course need home hospitality. We would like to invite you to be part of this so exiting community event and host at least two athletes for the week. The home hospitality experience is always so enriching and fun for both guests and hosts. This is also a way to keep our community together and give a gift of Jewish identity to our children. Please, contact us and let us know we can count you in! You will enjoy it! For more information or to register: Susan Hagler 858-362-1134 or susanh@lfjcc.com Thank you for forwarding this message to your friends who might be interested. San Diego Jewish Music Festival Sponsored by U.S. TRUST, Bank of America Private Wealth Management JOSHUA NELSON Prince of Kosher Gospel Music
Click here to purchase tickets Kosher Gospel Workshop 14TH ANNUAL SAN DIEGO JEWISH BOOK FAIR Sponsored by U.S. TRUST, Bank of America Private Wealth Management Sempra Energy Family Day – Sunday, November 9, 2008 San Diego Jewish Book Fair Special Events • Thursday, September 4, 2008 – 7:30 P.M. – Edgar M. Bronfman Jewish leader and philanthropist Edgar M. Bronfman presenting his new book “Hope, Not Fear: A Path to Jewish Renaissance”. Bronfman argues for openness and joy to reinvigorate Judaism in America. During this evening, he will present his book and open a dialogue with the audience. Followed by book signing • Friday, October 31, 2008 – NOON – Etgar Keret Director of “Jellyfish”, Cannes Film Festival award winning film, and very successful young Israeli author Etgar Keret will introduce us to his new book “The Girl on the Fridge: Stories”. Followed by book signing San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society Monthly Program 
Sunday, July 13, 2008 - 1:00 PM, in the Senior Activity Room, Lawrence Family JCC "Searching For School Records and What Can We Learn From Them" So you have your mother's year book from High School. If the school still exists are there accessible records this many years later? If the school is no longer there, does the district have information? Are there on-line data bases of school students from 1920 or 1930 and year book photos? These are just a few of the questions that could be answered in this innovative talk about looking for traces of your ancestors in unconventional places. Free to all. The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) conference on Jewish Genealogy will be held in Chicago, August 17-22, 2008. For more information, log on to the conference website: http://www.chicago2008.org/ FROM THE CHAIR The Annual Used Book Sale held last month was one of the best ever. The co-chairs, DJ Barliant and Heidi Farkash went “above and beyond” the call of duty overseeing every aspect of the sale. Heidi worked tirelessly, ignoring her injured knee and putting her crutches aside until it was over. DJ engaged potential buyers in conversation and before they knew what hit them, ended up with more books than they had planned to buy. A giant THANK YOU to you both. As I was reading an advance copy of Hillary Liber’s column, the names of two of the authors jumped out at me, Sadie Rose Weilerstein and Sydney Taylor. Weilerstein was a pioneer in the writing of books for Jewish children. The first of the K’tonton books, which she is best known for, was published in 1935. Weilerstein wrote fifteen children’s books and was the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award recipient in 1980. Sydney Taylor’s book, All-of-a-Kind Family, published in 1951, was the first book written for children that had both Jewish characters and universal appeal. The events in All-of-a-Kind Family remind me of the stories my mother and my aunts told me of their life growing up in New York’s Lower East Side. The Sydney Taylor Book Award was established in 1968 in her memory by her husband. The Association of Jewish Libraries selects the winners and presents the awards at their annual convention. Winners of the 2008 awards are: For Younger Readers: For Older Readers: The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman. For Teen Readers: Strange Relations by Sonia Levitin. Happy reading.
USED BOOK SALE – Thank you!
DJ Barliant and Heidi Farkash |
EDITOR'S CORNER |
Well, its summer at last. The kids are out of school and enjoying San Diegos great weather but when they need some quiet time, here are some suggestions for great reading fun.
Age 1: To Life by Harold S. Kushner Age 2: The Littlest Pair by Sylvia Rouss Age 3: 26 Big Things Small Hands Do by Coleen Paratore Age 4: The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan Age 5: Chicken Soup by Heart by Esther Hershenhorn and Rosanne Litzinger Says mother Rachel Herman, "What a treat to receive a book or CD in the mail every month! I cherish the time spent reading and singing with my little ones, sharing the stories and songs of Judaism while creating Jewish memories." Do you know a family who may be interested in the PJ Library and hasn't heard about it? Please invite them to join. It's easy - just have them go directly to the website, www.pjlibrary.org. Thank you for spreading the word. So what does the Astor Judaica Library have for your kids’ summer reading pleasure? There are a wide variety of picture books, easy-to-read books, school-age reading, and young adult material too. Some of the titles are intriguing, but I cannot possibly cover them all – so I’m going to focus on a few of my favorite Jewish children’s authors that have several volumes in the library. (Please note that the age/grade recommendations come from reviews and librarians. You will have to read each book yourself to see if it is age-appropriate for your child.) Let’s begin with Patricia Polacco. When my younger son Seth was in 2nd grade, his elementary school had a special author visit and the parents were given the opportunity to purchase the author’s book and have her sign it. Seth was not then as interested in reading as he is today, so I thought this was a great way to get him more excited about books. He came home with Patricia Polacco’s The library has five of Patricia’s many books. In The Butterfly (ages 4-10, depending on maturity), Patricia relates the story of her great aunt and the French family that hides her family in their basement and helps them escape to freedom during the occupation of their village by the “Tall Boots” (the Nazis). The Passover story Do you remember The First, Second and Third Jewish Catalog? If you do, you’re from the Boomer generation – and you may also recall Chaya Burstein’s catalogs for kids – The Jewish Kids’ Catalog, A Kid’s Catalog of Israel, and The Kids’ Catalog of Bible Treasures. These are great resources for families – with activities, recipes, music, and photos as well as the information packed into the pages. I remember my kids using them for school projects, as well as reading them just because they were interesting! The series is so popular it is continually revised and reissued – and there is material in each volume for a wide age range. Chaya Burstein has also written stories for children. Hanukkah Cat (for preschoolers) Another popular (and award-winning) author who began her career as my children were growing up is Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, the second woman ever to be ordained and the first rabbi to become a mother. She has been a pulpit rabbi in Indianapolis and a well-respected lecturer on the renewal of spirituality, and she has inspired children and their families and religious leaders of all faiths with her beautifully illustrated and well-written books. Explaining concepts of God, heaven, and multiple faiths to young children is a challenging task, and Rabbi Sasso doesn’t “dumb down” the concepts as many adults often do. She makes observations and poses questions to provoke discussion – without providing pat answers. Her books are not to be read in one quick sitting, or while children are drifting off to sleep, but rather to be used as a jumping off point for parents (or teachers) who want to explore religious ideas with their children. Do you remember Sammy Spider and his adventures in Jewish living? Sylvia Rouss is the award-winning author and early childhood educator who created the popular Sammy Spider books. Even with her success as an author, Sylvia has not given up what she loves most, teaching. She is currently a preschool teacher in Los Angeles, and says that she "is inspired by the children in my classroom." Sylvia also received awards as an educator and she conducts seminars for parents and teachers. Sylvia is a featured author and lecturer at book fairs throughout the United States and Israel – including our own San Diego Jewish Book Fair The Astor Judaica Library has several Sammy books – New Yorker Johanna Hurwitz has written over sixty books for young readers and has received many awards. She always wanted to be a writer, and began telling stories to her younger brother when she was just a child herself. She worked in libraries and told original stories to her own children, but her children were growing up by the time she wrote her first book, Her sensitive and thoughtful introduction to the Holocaust, Anne Frank: Life in Hiding (ages 8-12) deftly evokes the background of World War II while capturing the unforgettable spirit and tragedy of Anne's life. Leonard Bernstein: A Passion for Music (grades 4-8) is an interesting and readable biography of the brilliant, energetic and talented man who popularized classical music and introduced Wagner, Beethoven, and Bach to a generation of young people, despite his humble beginnings and other obstacles. Dear Emma (grades 3-7) is the coming-of-age story of Dossi, a twelve year-old girl living in 1910 New York City. On a lighter note, I enjoyed her books Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family is a favorite from my childhood. Like Laura Ingalls Wilder and Louisa May Alcott, Sydney Taylor made me want to be in a family like the one about which she wrote – she made poor New York immigrant life appealing – because her characters and their family relationships are so warm and loving. She weaves into that family life the wide tapestry of Jewish holidays and traditions, as well as the “highlights” of life in New York City from Coney Island to the Rivington Street Market. In the Astor Judaica Library, you will find All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown and Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family, both for ages 9-12 or grades 3-6, as well as A Papa Like Everyone Else, a picture book for younger children that deals with the families left behind (in this case, in Czechoslovakia) and waiting for “a papa like everyone else” to send for them to join him in America. The fact that many of Taylor’s books have been reissued in the past few years attests to their enduring popularity. If you grew up in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s, you probably remember the K’tonton stories of Sadie Rose Weilerstein. Born in 1894 Weilerstein was a renowned author of Jewish children’s stories for over 50 years. K’tonton first appeared in a story in 1930. His mother had prayed so long to become a mother that she promised Another collection of read-aloud tales comes from the renowned storyteller Peninnah Schram, who believes that stories form the link between the generations – and her stories do just that! Because she is an oral storyteller, her stories read as if told, so I highly recommend reading them aloud to your younger children, or with your older ones. Her books at the library include: Of course, no discussion of Jewish literature would be complete without including the work of Isaac Bashevis Singer, the 1978 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, so we will conclude this month’s book-hunt with his work. We are fortunate that the Astor Judaica Library has selections for all age groups in its Singer collection. In fact, most of Singer’s story collections can be considered to be for all age groups, so ignore the age recommendations you might find attached to his books for children and young adults. Of course, Singer wrote in Yiddish, so many of his books have been translated – often by Singer himself, but others by authors as renowned as Saul Bellow (Gimpel the Fool and Other Stories) – so you know you are getting a quality story, even in translation.
And while you are sharing the delights of Singer with your children, why not pick up something by Singer for yourself. Besides his three volumes of Collected Stories, the Astor Judaica Library has many of his novels. We all are familiar with Well, to be honest, I’d hoped to discuss Uri Shulevitz, Eric Kimmel, Molly Cone, Richard Ungar, and many other great children’s authors and illustrators with you. But I’ll have to save them for future columns in the e-Connection – or you might just come to the Astor Judaica Library with your children and find something that they choose themselves! I look forward to “meeting with you” in August and discussing more reading pleasures. In the mean time, have fun with your summer reading, and let me know what you recommend!
And in conclusion, we all wish Jackie Gmach BON VOYAGE and Be’Hatzlacha on her trip to Israel and her presentation of “DAVKA, The Survival of A People” at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. |
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About the Library |
Thank you to all of our Astor Judaica Library supporters and volunteers. LIBRARY CONTACTS: |
This year’s Used Book Sale was a thriving success and it certainly seemed like the biggest one we ever had. The income from the Used Book Sale is used for Astor Judaica Library needs.
About 5,000 volumes were donated, about 3,000 were sold, with the remainder donated to the Jewish Library being established in Vilnius, Lithuania (featured in the May issue of the San Diego Jewish Journal) and The Bookman, a San Diego charity, which “provides books to anyone who wants to read and learn.”
Before I share my ideas for children’s reading, I wanted to tell you (if you don’t already know) about a great program offered by Shalom Baby and the Astor Judaica Library, thanks to the generosity of the Viterbi Family Foundation of the Jewish
Community Foundation of San Diego – the PJ Library. 
Each month your child aged infant through five years receives a new book (or musical selection) in your mailbox. For example, June’s selections were:
is a great twist on the Talmudic instruction to make learning as sweet as honey. When Mary Ellen gets bored reading beside her Grampa, he offers a study break and they go on a bee-tree hunt across the Michigan countryside with a growing crowd of colorful neighbors. In the end, the bees provide the sweet honey that drips on her book, demonstrates the virtue of reading, and shows her that even the sweetest of things must be worked for. So come to the Astor Judaica Library and borrow a book. If it resonates for you and your child, you might become Polacco fans and read her entire collection.
tells the story of a shivering stray orange kitten who arrives on the first night of Hanukkah, wreaks havoc in the household, and yet endears herself to Lenny’s family. Three of Burstein’s books for children ages 9-12 are in the Astor Judaica Library. 
creatures and to God we all matter.” It might be interesting to take home a collection of different Noah’s ark books – Rouss’s, Sasso’s and others – and compare them to form a well-rounded look at the story
In a series of letters sent to her friend Emma who hosted Dossi for two summer weeks on her family’s farm in Vermont, Dossi shares not only the details of tenement life, but also the history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and her own process of self-discovery, as she learns the subtle balance between giving and receiving. In 
to love even a child “no bigger than a thumb.” And, like the Biblical heroines, Rachel and Hannah, she gave birth to a son within the year – only her son was exactly what she asked for – a child so tiny that his cradle was an Etrog box! In our library, you will find 
Many of his books for children are illustrated – 
and
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