Podcasts about jewish libraries

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/bonus-passover-interview-next-year-in.html  Next Year in the White House: Barack Obama's First Presidential Seder, written by Richard Michelson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, is a nonfiction picture book that gives us the true backstory of how Passover first came to be celebrated in the White House. It's a stunning book; it received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, and was named to the Association of Jewish Libraries' Spring 2025 Holiday Highlights list. Because this is a true story, I was able to interview one of the "characters" -- Eric Lesser, seen in the photo above, walking with President Obama. Lesser worked on the Obama campaign trail in 2008, and later became a White House aide. He's also served as a Massachusetts State Senator. He agreed to answer ten questions about the events covered in Next Year in the White House. Read the interview on The Book of Life blog. LEARN MORE: Buy or borrow Next Year in the White House Websites of author Richard Michelson and illustrator E.B. Lewis Article in The Forward about the book Eric Lesser's Instagram A history of Passover celebrations in the White House Spring 2025 Holiday Highlights booklist (includes Next Year at the White House) Subscribe to The Book of Life's Substack newsletter

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2025/01/one-of-kind-life-of-sydney-taylor.html  TRANSCRIPT:  https://otter.ai/u/pOzW-X6i92Kh4g_Ou-vEKIAGWcM?utm_source=copy_url Sydney Taylor was the first author to write kids books that served as windows into Jewish life, not just mirrors. Her All-of-a-Kind Family series was game changing. These were the first books about Jewish characters to become popular with readers of all backgrounds, and they are still popular today. Jo Taylor Marshall, Sydney's daughter, sponsors the Sydney Taylor Book Awards that recognize the best Jewish kidlit each year. And now, Richard Michelson has written a picture book biography of Sydney Taylor. It's called One of a Kind. This book has inspired the Association of Jewish Libraries to create a Sydney Taylor portal on their website, to curate information and resources relating to Taylor, her writing, and the Sydney Taylor Book Awards. The project is in the works, and I'll be sure to let you know when it goes live. I spoke with Jo and Rich at the 2024 Association of Jewish Libraries conference in San Diego, where we were celebrating the 120th birthday of Sydney Taylor. If you'd like to hear more from Jo after listening to this podcast, you're in luck! I recorded an oral history with her for the Association of Jewish Libraries. And don't forget to subscribe to my new newsletter on Substack to join my community of Jewish kidlit fans. Get show notes, transcripts, Jewish kidlit news, and occasional calls to action right in your inbox! LEARN MORE: Buy / borrow One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor by Richard Michelson Richard Michelson's website Oral history with Jo Taylor Marshall The "All-of-a-Kind Family Companion" from the Association of Jewish Libraries The Sydney Taylor Book Awards The Sydney Taylor Shmooze mock award blog The Book of Life Podcast Substack Newsletter CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Twitter: @bookoflifepod Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.  

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-bubbe-of-them-all-kar-ben-publishing.html  TRANSCRIPT: https://otter.ai/u/K9B8p4G3Nr-quRj9KYrkhRaGZio?utm_source=copy_url  Appropriately, as we kick off this podcast's 20th anniversary year, in this episode we are going to think about change and continuity. We say goodbye to an old friend, Joni Sussman, who is retiring after twenty years of leading the Jewish children's publishing company Kar-Ben. And we'll say hello to a new friend, Fran Greenman-Schmitz, who will be taking up the reins at Kar-Ben.  I've been in this business a long time, so I remember when Joni started at Kar-Ben! This is her fourth live conference interview on the show, and of course it's Fran's first. Joni is the winner of the Sydney Taylor Body of Work Award, for her many contributions to the field of Jewish kidlit. To give you some context, the oldest publisher of Jewish books in English is the Jewish Publication Society, founded in 1888, but Kar-Ben is the oldest publisher to exclusively focus on Jewish children's books. It was founded fifty years ago, in 1974 - so happy anniversary to Kar-Ben! Now there are half a dozen presses that exclusively publish Jewish children's books, but Kar-Ben is the Bubbe of them all. I spoke with Joni and Fran at the 2024 Association of Jewish Libraries conference to hear all about this exciting time of transition. LEARN MORE: Kar-Ben Publishing website "Kar-Ben's New Publisher Is on a Mission" Publishers Weekly 9/17/24 Joni Sussman's past appearances on The Book of Life 2010 - Book Expo: Jewish Presses 2015 - Diversity in Jewish Kidlit 2019 - The Book of Life Live Show NEWS!  The Book of Life is now on Substack!  Sign up to receive show notes, transcripts, Jewish kidlit news, and occasional calls to action in your Inbox!  SIGN UP HERE CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Twitter: @bookoflifepod Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.  

Join Ocean House owner and author Deborah Goodrich Royce for a conversation with our featured authors. This week, New York Times bestselling authors Allison Pataki and Emily Franklin discuss their books Finding Margaret Fuller (Pataki) and The Lioness of Boston (Franklin). About Allison Pataki: Allison Pataki is the New York Times bestselling author of FINDING MARGARET FULLER, THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST, THE QUEEN'S FORTUNE, THE TRAITOR'S WIFE, THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS, SISI: EMPRESS ON HER OWN, WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS, as well as the nonfiction memoir BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES and two children's books, NELLY TAKES NEW YORK and POPPY TAKES PARIS. Allison's novels have been translated into more than twenty languages. A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News and other outlets. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago and MSNBC's Morning Joe. Allison graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a major in English. About Finding Margaret Fuller: A “sweeping” (Entertainment Weekly) novel of America's forgotten leading lady, the central figure of a movement that defined a nation—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post About Emily Franklin: Emily Franklin is the bestselling author of more than twenty books. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Kenyon Review, and The Journal of the American Medical Association among many other places as well as featured and read aloud on National Public Radio, and named notable by the Association of Jewish Libraries. She lives outside of Boston with her family including four children and two dogs large enough to be lions. Her novel The Lioness of Boston, based on the life of trailblazer Isabella Stewart Gardner is in its sixth printing. About The Lioness of Boston: “Brings Isabella Stewart Gardner fully, intimately alive—irrepressible and avid for life. In this richly compelling novel, Emily Franklin beautifully conjures this extraordinary woman and her world.”—Claire Messud, author of The Emperor's Children. For more information about bestselling author Allison Pataki, visit allisonpataki.com; for Emily Franklin, visit emilyfranklin.com. For information on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/09/our-jewish-emotional-support-books.html TRANSCRIPT: https://otter.ai/u/LVQ-f8Gwpfw2LLKvE4Y7TGOzHes?utm_source=copy_url At the Association of Jewish Libraries 2024 annual conference in San Diego, CA, I met up with Sheryl Stahl, host of our sister podcast, Nice Jewish Books. Inspired by the cartoon seen here, Sheryl and I interviewed our friends and colleagues about their Jewish "emotional support books" and the results turned into this podcast episode (cross-posted on Nice Jewish Books). We got a very wide variety responses, listed in the Show Notes in case you'd like to read any of the books that are so meaningful to your fellow Jewish book-lovers. ENTER THE DRAWING Need a tote bag to carry around your emotional support books? Enter our drawing! Post a review of The Book of Life or Nice Jewish Books, or BOTH, on social media or on any podcast player such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take screenshots of your reviews and email the images to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com. You'll be entered into a drawing for a special tote bag with the logo of The Book of Life on one side and Nice Jewish Books on the other. Every review you send is an entry in the drawing, and multiple entries are allowed. The deadline to email us is October 24th, 2024, the beginning of the ultimate Jewish celebration of reading, Simchat Torah. Or, if you'd like to order a tote bag right now, we've got you covered: The Book of Life tote Nice Jewish Books tote Ella & Henny & Sarah & Charlotte & Gertie tote

Rachel Barenbaum discusses the first pages of her second novel, Atomic Anna, and how she discovered what those first pages had to be after drafting the full book. We also talk about loud openings, how to hand time and pov jumps, and the all important CLOCK.Barenbaum's first pages can be found here.Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the audio/video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.Rachel Barenbaum's debut, A BEND IN THE STARS, was named a New York Times Summer Reading Selection and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. It was a Boston Globe Bestseller. Her second novel, ATOMIC ANNA, was a Massachusetts Book Award “Must Read”, was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, and was named an Honor Book in Fiction by the Association of Jewish Libraries. She is a prolific writer and reviewer whose work has appeared in publications such as the LA Review of Books, Harper's Bazaar, and more. She has been a Scholar in Residence at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis and Ucross and is a graduate of GrubStreet's Novel Incubator. She founded and runs the popular podcast, Check This Out, which is produced and sponsored by the Howe Library and features new and diverse writers. She lives in Brookline, MA and is an elected Town Meeting Member.Thank you for reading The 7am Novelist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2023/02/shohams-bangle.html Sarah Sassoon's debut picture book Shoham's Bangle (Kar-Ben) was named a 2023 Sydney Taylor Notable Book by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Based on Sarah's family history, it's the story of a Jewish family's escape from Iraq to Israel, and a rare example of Mizrahi representation in kidlit. See SHOW NOTES for links to Sarah's website, a transcript, and more.

Introducing the winners and honors of the Sydney Taylor Book Award (2023), presented annually by the Association of Jewish Libraries to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.   ADDITIONAL LINKS: Sydney Taylor Book Award Website - link 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour - link Purchase any of the Books - link   TALK ABOUT THE EPISODE: What types of stories are honored by the Sydney Taylor Book Award? What other book awards have you encountered? And what kinds of special stories or characteristics do they celebrate? What was one of the books that stood out to you from the 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award winners and honors? What made this book sound especially appealing to you?   CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com.  Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com.  Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/).  Our music is by Podington Bear.  Podcast hosting by Libsyn.  We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org.

Need help curating a list of Holocaust books for your students or library patrons? What's on your shelf? What should be there? This podcast episode explores: The most commonly assigned Holocaust books. Why some of them are books you should never assign. Recommendations for books to assign, read, and share. Gaps in the literature. Gatekeepers of higher education. Susan's wish-list. Our guest is: Susan Kusel, who is the Library Director at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia. She is also an author, a children's book consultant and a former independent bookstore buyer. She has served on multiple book award committees including the Caldecott Medal and as the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. She is a former board member of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Her debut picture book, The Passover Guest won the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender. Listeners to this episode may also be interested in: Deborah Hopkinson, We Must Not Forget Dita Kraus, A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz Susan Kusel, The Passover Guest Primo Levi, The Periodic Table Doreen Rappaport, Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust David Safier, 28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto Hana Volavkova et al, I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 Liza Wiemer, The Assignment Elie Wiesel, Night Susan's wish list The Blog: The Sydney Taylor Schooze The Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Welcome to The Academic Life! We reach across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish a project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. On the Academic Life channel we embrace a broad definition of what it means to lead an academic life. We view education as a transformative human endeavor and are inspired by today's knowledge-producers working inside and outside the academy. DMs us on Twitter: @AcademicLifeNBN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Need help curating a list of Holocaust books for your students or library patrons? What's on your shelf? What should be there? This podcast episode explores: The most commonly assigned Holocaust books. Why some of them are books you should never assign. Recommendations for books to assign, read, and share. Gaps in the literature. Gatekeepers of higher education. Susan's wish-list. Our guest is: Susan Kusel, who is the Library Director at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia. She is also an author, a children's book consultant and a former independent bookstore buyer. She has served on multiple book award committees including the Caldecott Medal and as the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. She is a former board member of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Her debut picture book, The Passover Guest won the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender. Listeners to this episode may also be interested in: Deborah Hopkinson, We Must Not Forget Dita Kraus, A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz Susan Kusel, The Passover Guest Primo Levi, The Periodic Table Doreen Rappaport, Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust David Safier, 28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto Hana Volavkova et al, I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 Liza Wiemer, The Assignment Elie Wiesel, Night Susan's wish list The Blog: The Sydney Taylor Schooze The Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Welcome to The Academic Life! We reach across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish a project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. On the Academic Life channel we embrace a broad definition of what it means to lead an academic life. We view education as a transformative human endeavor and are inspired by today's knowledge-producers working inside and outside the academy. DMs us on Twitter: @AcademicLifeNBN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Need help curating a list of Holocaust books for your students or library patrons? What's on your shelf? What should be there? This podcast episode explores: The most commonly assigned Holocaust books. Why some of them are books you should never assign. Recommendations for books to assign, read, and share. Gaps in the literature. Gatekeepers of higher education. Susan's wish-list. Our guest is: Susan Kusel, who is the Library Director at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia. She is also an author, a children's book consultant and a former independent bookstore buyer. She has served on multiple book award committees including the Caldecott Medal and as the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. She is a former board member of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Her debut picture book, The Passover Guest won the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender. Listeners to this episode may also be interested in: Deborah Hopkinson, We Must Not Forget Dita Kraus, A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz Susan Kusel, The Passover Guest Primo Levi, The Periodic Table Doreen Rappaport, Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust David Safier, 28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto Hana Volavkova et al, I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 Liza Wiemer, The Assignment Elie Wiesel, Night Susan's wish list The Blog: The Sydney Taylor Schooze The Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Welcome to The Academic Life! We reach across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish a project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. On the Academic Life channel we embrace a broad definition of what it means to lead an academic life. We view education as a transformative human endeavor and are inspired by today's knowledge-producers working inside and outside the academy. DMs us on Twitter: @AcademicLifeNBN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies

Need help curating a list of Holocaust books for your students or library patrons? What's on your shelf? What should be there? This podcast episode explores: The most commonly assigned Holocaust books. Why some of them are books you should never assign. Recommendations for books to assign, read, and share. Gaps in the literature. Gatekeepers of higher education. Susan's wish-list. Our guest is: Susan Kusel, who is the Library Director at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia. She is also an author, a children's book consultant and a former independent bookstore buyer. She has served on multiple book award committees including the Caldecott Medal and as the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. She is a former board member of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Her debut picture book, The Passover Guest won the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender. Listeners to this episode may also be interested in: Deborah Hopkinson, We Must Not Forget Dita Kraus, A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz Susan Kusel, The Passover Guest Primo Levi, The Periodic Table Doreen Rappaport, Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust David Safier, 28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto Hana Volavkova et al, I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 Liza Wiemer, The Assignment Elie Wiesel, Night Susan's wish list The Blog: The Sydney Taylor Schooze The Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Welcome to The Academic Life! We reach across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish a project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. On the Academic Life channel we embrace a broad definition of what it means to lead an academic life. We view education as a transformative human endeavor and are inspired by today's knowledge-producers working inside and outside the academy. DMs us on Twitter: @AcademicLifeNBN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to our favorite librarian, Michelle Margolis. Michelle is no stranger to the 18Forty Podcast — she was one of our first guests, and today, she returns to debut our new Show & Tale series, and talk with us about the role of a librarian and the hidden world of Judaica and rare books. Show & Tale is a new 18Forty video series that will take you inside some of the great libraries—both public and private—to explore books and treasures from Jewish history.Michelle Margolis is the Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies at Columbia University. We spoke with her at Columbia University's Rare Book & Manuscript Library, located in Butler Library.- Where's the best place to buy rare Jewish books?- Why would a siddur need to be politically correct?- Where should rare Judaica live? Tune in to hear a conversation about edible glue, fake ivory, and death masks. Interview begins at 15:04 Michelle Margolis is the Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies at Columbia University; co-director of Footprints: Jewish Books Through Time and Place; and President of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Michelle is a favorite past guest at 18Forty and joins us to talk about the work of a librarian. References:Harry Potter by J.K. RowlingThe Story of Dovid Bashevkin by Meaningful People PodcastRav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution by Yehudah MirskyGershom Scholem: Kabbalah and Counter-History by David BialePursuit of Heresy, Rabbi Moses Hagiz and the Sabbatian Controversy by Elisheva CarlebachPulp FictionMaking of a Gadol by Nathan Kamenetsky Columbia Hebrew ManuscriptsFootprints: Jewish Books Through Time and PlaceThe Sarajevo HaggadahThe Prince of the Press by Josh TeplitskyEncyclopedia of Jewish Book Cultures edited by Emil Schrijver The Hebrew Book in Early Italy edited by Joseph R. Hacker and Adam ShearA Sign and a Witness: 2,000 Years of Hebrew Books and Illuminated Manuscripts by William Gross, Orly Tzion, and Falk Wiesemann“Books Weeping for Someone to Visit and Admire Them: Jewish Library Culture in the United States, 1850–1910” by Robert Singerman“Top Five” by Dovid Bashevkin“Top 5 Stuff that Get Yeshiva Guys Into Jewish Studies”Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, 1884-1966 by Marc B. Shapiro“The Dual Role of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Chajes: Traditionalist and Maskil” by Bruria Hutner David “Rupture and Reconstruction” by Haym Soloveitchik“Facing the Truths of History” by Jacob J. SchacterLithuanian Yeshivas of the Nineteenth Century: Creating a Tradition of Learning by Shaul Stampfer Jew Vs Jew: The Struggle For The Soul of American Jewry by Samuel G. FreedmanAmerican Judaism: A History by Jonathan D. SarnaThe Shul without a Clock: Second Thoughts from a Rabbi's Notebook by Emanuel Feldman Tales Out of Shul: The Unorthodox Journal of an Orthodox Rabbi by Emanuel Feldman “The Haredim: A Defense” by Aharon RoseBy His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God by Aharon LichtensteinThe Book and the Sword: A Life of Learning in the Shadow of Destruction by David Weiss Halivni

Special Episode 26 Nathalie chats with Susan Kusel about THE PASSOVER GUEST, Susan's beautiful book set in Washington D.C. during the great depression. Nathalie and Susan also chatted their favorite Passover traditions and other Jewish holidays they hold dear. Sydney Taylor Shmooze: https://www.sydneytaylorshmooze.com/ Facebook group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Association of Jewish Libraries: https://jewishlibraries.org/

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2022/04/holiday-highlights-best-new-passover.html Regular listeners will remember my friend Susan Kusel, a librarian/bookseller/author who partners with me frequently to promote Jewish children's literature. In this episode, we discuss Holiday Highlights, a project we set up through the Association of Jewish Libraries. Our expert committee, Amy Lilien-Harper, Robbin Friedman, and Sylvie Shaffer, compile seasonal Holiday Highlights lists representing the best Jewish children's holiday books each Spring and Fall. We tell you all about the project, and about the amazing Passover picture books on the Spring 2022 Holiday Highlights list.

 Lisa and guest Heidi Rabinowitz discuss The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a Holocaust fictional middle-grade book by John Boyne. Heidi shares her thoughts on how the book is offensive to her. She runs The Book of Life Podcast, a podcast about Jewish kid literature. She has been the Director of the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, Florida since 1998.  She participates in the Sydney Taylor Shmooze, mock award blog. She has served as a member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee and a member of the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award committee.Links:  ·      This article in Sparknotes discusses how the book isn't truly a fable. ·      Teen Vogue writes an in-depth about numerous problems with the book.  ·      The Guardian writes about the backlash that Boyne has received and includes his response. ·      The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre  shares its problems with the book.  ·       Check out a list of literature about the Holocaust recommended by the Association of Jewish Libraries. ·      On The Book of Life Podcast, Heidi's blog post recommends a number of Jewish kid-lit books.  Books Discussed:  People Love Dead Jews by Dara HornWe Must Not Forget by Deborah HopkinsonThe Assignment by Liza WiemerLinked by Gordon KormanSome Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman. Available Nov. 1, 2022. Pre-orders open now.* After the recording of this episode, Lisa and Heidi learned, there would be a sequel to this book. Here are articles about the sequel from The Literary Hub and The Times of Israel.   For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission. 

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-2022-sydney-taylor-book-awards.html Martha Seif Simpson is the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries. She joined us to discuss the 2022 winners of the award, which annually recognizes the best Jewish literature for children and teens.   

Our current podcast features the picture book Kayla and Kugel's Happy Hanhukkah (Apples and Honey Press, 2020). The author, Ann Koffsky is the author and illustrator of more than thirty books, including Creation Colors, Sarah Builds a School, the Kayla & Kugel series, Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor and Shabbat Shalom, Hey. Several of her books have been PJ library selections, and her book Noah's Swimathon received a Sydney Taylor notable designation from the Association of Jewish Libraries. "In Koffsky's clear verse, the spunky Kayla explains the origins and traditions of the holiday to Kugel. Koffsky's color-rich, lively illustrations, including many of the mischievous Kugel, are sure to spark smiles." --Penny Schwartz, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Mel Rosenberg is a professor of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is also the founder of Our Boox, an app that allows anyone to create and share awesome flipbooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our current podcast features the picture book Kayla and Kugel's Happy Hanhukkah (Apples and Honey Press, 2020). The author, Ann Koffsky is the author and illustrator of more than thirty books, including Creation Colors, Sarah Builds a School, the Kayla & Kugel series, Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor and Shabbat Shalom, Hey. Several of her books have been PJ library selections, and her book Noah's Swimathon received a Sydney Taylor notable designation from the Association of Jewish Libraries. "In Koffsky's clear verse, the spunky Kayla explains the origins and traditions of the holiday to Kugel. Koffsky's color-rich, lively illustrations, including many of the mischievous Kugel, are sure to spark smiles." --Penny Schwartz, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Mel Rosenberg is a professor of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is also the founder of Our Boox, an app that allows anyone to create and share awesome flipbooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Our current podcast features the picture book Kayla and Kugel's Happy Hanhukkah (Apples and Honey Press, 2020). The author, Ann Koffsky is the author and illustrator of more than thirty books, including Creation Colors, Sarah Builds a School, the Kayla & Kugel series, Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor and Shabbat Shalom, Hey. Several of her books have been PJ library selections, and her book Noah's Swimathon received a Sydney Taylor notable designation from the Association of Jewish Libraries. "In Koffsky's clear verse, the spunky Kayla explains the origins and traditions of the holiday to Kugel. Koffsky's color-rich, lively illustrations, including many of the mischievous Kugel, are sure to spark smiles." --Penny Schwartz, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Mel Rosenberg is a professor of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is also the founder of Our Boox, an app that allows anyone to create and share awesome flipbooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Introducing writer Jeff Gottesfeld His current book THE CHRISTMAS MITZVAH The message and themes the book conveys Jeff writes for page, stage, and screen. He has won awards from the American Library Association, the Association of Jewish Libraries, the Writer's Guild of America, the National Council for Social Studies, and the American Alliance for Theater and Education. His current focus is picture book texts for children. His picture books are The Tree in the Courtyard (Knopf, 2016), illustrated by Peter McCarty, No Steps Behind (Creston, 2020), illustrated by Shiella Witanto, and Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Candlewick Press, 2021), illustrated by Matt Tavares. Born in Manhattan and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, he currently lives in Los Angeles. Visit him at: www.jeffgottesfeldwriter.com Jeff's books: https://amzn.to/3Eeu3Lm Brought to you by J.C. Cooley Foundation "Equipping the Youth of Today for the Challenges of Tomorrow". Support the show: http://www.cooleyfoundation.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest today is Jeff Gottesfeld. Jeff writes for page, stage, and screen. He has won awards from the American Library Association, the Association of Jewish Libraries, the Writer's Guild of America, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the American Alliance for Theater and Education. His current focus is picture book texts for children, and he just published his latest title, Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 1) It is interesting how we each grow and change through our life experiences and the historical events that happen during our lifetimes. When you were younger your views were different than they are today. So, how did a former Vietnam War protestor like yourself come to write a book like this? - I'll talk about my upbringing in the liberal (not leftist then, but liberal) bastion of Teaneck NJ, first school system in the country to voluntarily integrate, and my skepticism (at best!) in high school and early college about American institutions and the military. Then came the American resupply of Israel in the 1973 war, the Beirut bombing against our Marines in the early 1980s, Gulf War I, and a lot of travel on my part through the USA and Europe. In short, my vision of our country's institutions and its military changed. Drastically. 2) This book runs so counter so much else going on in children's literature these days. What do you have to say about that? - I'll want to talk about how much of children's lit these days focuses on certain values like kindness, tolerance, and compassion, and how those are important values, but not the ONLY values. Also, how there's a ton of focus on issues of identity after so much neglect for so long, which is a good thing...but it's not the only thing. This book is about another way to look at identity, which is selflessness, selfless service, and self-effacement. It's radical in that way. 3) Can you read us your favorite passage, and give us some insight into why it's important? - I'll read from the section of the first Unknown lying in state in the Capitol, and how in our not knowing the identity of the Unknown, we can all have equal claim and love for him. The giving up of identity is actually the key to his emergence as a core American symbol.

JEFF GOTTESFELD, Award-winning Writer, American Library Association, Association of Jewish Libraries and Writer's Guild of America, Author, "The A-List," and "Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier," @jeffgottesfeld Jeff Gottesfeld: In that unknown solider is someone who belongs to all of us How do America's youth think of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider? FRANCES MARTEL, International News Editor, Breitbart News, @francesmartel Wuhan Lab Leak Proof Could Lead to Mass Lawsuits Against China Where did COVID-19 originate Vs. What steps did China not take to contain the virus in Winter/Spring 2020 Communist, Conservative Peruvian Presidential Contenders Tied a Week Away from Election Hong Kong, Facing Low Coronavirus Vaccination Rates, Plans Social Punishments SAM FADDIS, former Clandestine Operations Officer, CIA, former Congressional Candidate, Editor, ANDMagazine.com, Author, “Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA,” @RealSamFaddis The Real Commissar – The Thought Police Are Real And They’re Here Sam Faddis: There are "profound" compromises within the Biden-Harris administration Joe Gave China The South China Sea – Will He Give Them The Moon? Pennsylvanians Have Been Betrayed Again – Republican Leadership Pushing To Extend 95% Of Wolf’s Emergency Powers LANCE CRAYON, former Senior News Editor, Global Times (US edition), former Video Journalist, China Radio International, former Senior Editor, People's Daily English News app Chinese influence in Hollywood Chinese Dictator Xi Jinping increased foreign film quotas in China following a meeting with then Vice President Joe Biden in 2012 Lance Crayon: U.S. studios are answering to China

Visit https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2021/04/through-window-brave-with-beauty.html for full show notes. Or look for "Through the Window: Brave with Beauty" posted April 18, 2021 at BookofLifePodcast.com. Ambika Sambasivan is the publisher at Yali Books, which opens a window to South Asia –India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives —and invites the rest of the world to learn more about the incredible diversity of this region. Maxine Rose Schur is the author of Brave with Beauty, a picture book biography of the the 15th century Queen Goharshad of Afghanistan, published by Yali Books. She's also the author of several Jewish books for children, including the 1999 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner, The Peddler's Gift. This interview with Ambika and Maxine is part of the Through the Window Diversity Exchange sponsored by The Book of Life and the Association of Jewish Libraries, in which Jewish and  non-Jewish partners meet and converse to look through the window at each other's culture. Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

Visit https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-passover-guest.html for full show notes. Or look for "The Passover Guest" posted March 7, 2021 at BookofLifePodcast.com.  My good friend Susan Kusel has been on the podcast before, to talk about The Sydney Taylor Shmooze,  and to announce the Sydney Taylor Book Award winners in 2018 and 2019. She also appeared in Beyond the Holocaust and Holidays, a 2019 episode about the Highlights Foundation's writing symposium, and in the 2020 episode The Mitzvah of Voting: Part 1.  This time she's here along with illustrator Sean Rubin to talk about their debut picture book, The Passover Guest, an AJL Holiday Highlights book. See below for the list of fine Passover picture books recently recommended by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

Visit https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-2021-sydney-taylor-book-awards.html for full show notes. Or look for "The 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, Revealed" posted January 25, 2021 at BookofLifePodcast.com.  Rebecca Levitan is the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries. She joined us to discuss the 2021 winners of the award, which annually recognizes the best Jewish literature for children and teens.  The official 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award press release and the printable list of winners, honors, and notable books can be found at https://jewishlibraries.org/ Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

Please visit https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2020/06/through-window-lee-wind.html for extensive show notes with lots of great links, or look for "Through the Window: Lee Wind" posted June 28, 2020 at BookofLifePodcast.com.  Lee Wind is the author of Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill and blogs at I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the Hell Do I Read? He is Heidi's partner in the Through the Window diversity exchange program sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

SHOW NOTES:  https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2019/10/nancy-churnin-biography-queen.html   We are in a golden age of picture book biographies, and one prolific biographer is Nancy Churnin. She's got half a dozen bios out and more on the way, and each one is inspiring in its own way. Nancy attended the 2019 Association of Jewish Libraries conference to take part in the author luncheon, where she represented her Jewish interest books, Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing, and Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Anne Frank. I was happy to snag this live interview with her during the conference. Be sure to explore https://www.nancychurnin.com/ for the teacher guides and projects she describes in our interview, as well as her blog The Kids Are All Write,  https://www.nancychurnin.com/thekidsareallwrite.  When asked for Tikkun Olam recommendations, Nancy suggested supporting Room to Read, https://www.roomtoread.org/ a nonprofit that seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.   

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2019/09/bonus-episode-superfight.html   In May 2019 I posted an interview with Jonathan Auxier, the author of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster. In our interview we talked about the book, of course, but we also talked about our favorite board games. I met Jonathan at the 2019 Association of Jewish Libraries conference where he'd come to accept his Sydney Taylor Book Award, and we got to play one of those games together along with a roomful of other authors, illustrators, and librarians. Here's your chance to listen in as we play a round of Superfight: A Game of Absurd Arguments. First we'll hear the description of the game from Jonathan's May 2019 appearance on The Book of Life podcast. Then we'll hear a clip of me versus Jonathan Auxier in actual gameplay. Just so you know, the game was ultimately won by illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky, who was at the conference to receive the Sydney Taylor Book Award for All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah. His Superfight character was Gal Gadot (because he drew the card letting him pick a favorite actor), who was unaffected by impact, but who had no depth perception. He won a badminton challenge against a tween werewolf with jellyfish instead of hands. That's Superfight for you! Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473. 

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-book-of-life-live-show.html   At the 2019 Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Los Angeles, California, we recorded a Book of Life live show. My guests were Joni Sussman of KarBen Publishing, and author/illustrator/musician Barney Saltzberg. We discussed picture book illustration while recording our conversation in front of a live audience of Judaica librarians. Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473. 

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-2019-sydney-taylor-book-manuscript.html   Susan Kusel is the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries. She joined us by Skype from her home in Falls Church, VA. to talk about the 2019 winners of the award (and so did her dog Harry).  This year's Sydney Taylor Book Awards are being announced at the ALA Youth Media Awards press conference in Seattle, WA during the ALA Midwinter Meeting on January 28, 2019 at 8am PT.  Here's the official Sydney Taylor Book Award announcement with the full list of winners, honors, and notable books:  https://jewishlibraries.org/sydney_taylor_book_award/  Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473. 

Hillary Saxton is a children's librarian at the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Library, and the creator of the event series "Stand Up! Storytime for Social Justice." She was originally scheduled to participate in the "Social Justice and Jewish Children's Books" panel at the Association of Jewish Libraries conference, featured on The Book of Life in August 2018. She was sick and couldn't make it, so I caught up with her later by Skype. Find the titles used in the 2017-18 Stand Up storytimes at the Cambridge Public Library's collection of booklists here. And please share your own favorite social justice titles in the comments here at The Book of Life. Speaking of social justice, check out the Association of Jewish Libraries' series of "Love Your Neighbor" booklists, created to provide all children and their families with a greater understanding of the Jewish religion and its people.

Remember All-of-a-Kind Family? It's the classic chapter book by Sydney Taylor, of five sisters living on the Lower East Side in the early 20th century. Now Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky have created an original picture book based on those same characters, All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah. Illustrator Zelinsky attended the 2018 Association of Jewish Libraries conference where he gave us a sneak peek at his artistic process, as you can see in the photo above. I snagged his email address and arranged a conference call with him and author Emily Jenkins, and that's what you'll hear on this podcast. HANUKKAH TREATS FOR YOU: * Buzzfeed Quiz: Which All-of-a-Kind Family Sibling Are You? * Emily Jenkins' latke recipe * Coloring pages based on Paul Zelinsky's art * Teaching Guide for All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah

Jane Breskin Zalben is an artist/illustrator and the author of over 50 books for children. Her recent picture book, A Moon for Moe and Mo, was featured in the Missing Voice picture book discussion group on Facebook in September 2018. The Missing Voice group was created by another author, Lisa Rose, to bring books about under-represented populations into the limelight. You may be familiar with Lisa's book, Shmulik Paints the Town. I spoke with Jane and Lisa by conference call, in the week following the anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, because I felt it was the right time to talk about stories that model friendships between Jews and non-Jews, and to encourage people to read more books that offer windows into different cultures.  During that same week, I worked with a bunch of my favorite women, my posse of snarky Jewish kidlit nerds from across the world, to create a book list addressing anti-Semitism. We crafted a list of picture books and chapter books on the theme of "standing up for each other." It's the first in the Love Your Neighbor series of book lists published by the Association of Jewish Libraries. There's a great article at Tablet Magazine about the creation of the book list series. Please use and share the Love Your Neighbor book lists as widely as you can! bookoflifepodcast.com

The Girl with the Red Balloon is a magical time travel, historical fiction, kind-of-sort-of Holocaust book that won a Sydney Taylor Honor in the Teen Readers Category for 2018. I met the author, Katherine Locke, at the Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Boston, where we snuck into a side room to talk – please excuse the faint hubbub coming from outside. We discussed not only Katherine's book, but also her article on Medium.com, “Thinking about Jewish Children's Literature in a Time of anti-Semitism.”

At the 2018 Association of Jewish Libraries conference, I bumped into author Jacqueline Jules. She's been on the podcast before in 2014 to talk about Never Say a Mean Word Again. Her new picture book is Light the Menorah: A Hanukkah Handbook, which offers meditations for candle lighting. We grabbed a quick interview after lunch in the busy dining hall, so you will have a "you are there" experience listening to our conversation about this wonderful new holiday book!   https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2018/11/light-menorah-hanukkah-handbook.html

In June 2018, Book of Life Host Heidi Rabinowitz participated on a panel with author Leslea Newman and Horn Book editors Elissa Gershowitz and Shoshana Flax, at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual conference in Boston. The topic was “Social Justice and Jewish Children's Books.” Here's your chance to be a fly on the wall. Share your thoughts on the subject at bookoflifepodcast.com.   www.bookoflifepodcast.com

American Golem by Marc Lumer is a very funny picture book about a mud monster making a new life for itself in New York City. Vicki Weber of Apples & Honey Press told me all about it at the Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Boston in June 2018, and I was very flattered that she also asked for my advice about marketing the book. If YOU have any ideas for Vicki, give us a call or leave a comment at bookoflifepodcast.com.

Susan Kusel is the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries. She joined us by Skype from her home in Falls Church, VA. to talk about the 2018 winners of the award.  Here's the official Sydney Taylor Book Award announcement with the full list of winners, honors, and notable books: click here.  The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour will take place February 4-8, 2018. For details, click here. The Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award was mentioned in the interview: click here.   The National Jewish Book Award winners from the Jewish Book Council have also been announced! To see their winners, click here.

Rachel Kamin, children and teen book review editor for the Association of Jewish Libraries, discusses her criteria for selecting good books in the realm of Judaism and also books specific to the Hanukkah season.

Laura Amy Schlitz, award winning author of The Hired Girl, speaking at the Association of Jewish Libraries conference where she accepted the Sydney Taylor Book Award. www.bookoflifepodcast.com

Sylvia Rouss, Mira Reisberg, Joni Sussman and Ann Stampler spoke at the 2014 Association of Jewish Libraries conference on a panel responding to the Pew study "A Portrait of Jewish Americans" - and it all boils down to diversity.

Filmmaker Roberta Grossman offered a work-in-progress screening of her documentary on Hava Nagila at the Association of Jewish Libraries 2012 conference. Here we have her introductory remarks and the Q&A that followed the screening. bookoflifepodcast.com

A live interview with Dr. Reuven Firestone, recorded at the 2012 Association of Jewish Libraries conference. Please see show notes at bookoflifepodcast.com for links to more information about this guest and his work.

Why Be Social? To add a Jewish point of view to the social media landscape! Part 1 in the Why Be Social series considers the philosophical aspects of technology in our lives, during a breakfast chat at the Association of Jewish Libraries 2009 convention. bookoflifepodcast.com

Why be social? To add a Jewish point of view to the social media landscape! Attendees at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention come up with their own definitions of "blog" and "podcast." bookoflifepodcast.com

Mark Blevis, podcasting guru and kidlit fan, took a moment from running the Podcasters Across Borders conference to talk about his upcoming gig at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention, and about his podcast, Just One More Book.

The Book of Life celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month (May) with a focus on baseball! We hear from Carol Matas, author of the middle-grade historical novel Play Ball. We meet Aviva Kempner, the independent filmmaker behind the documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. We take a break to "say Chai" in celebration of our 18th episode. Then we hear a book review of Across the Alley from fellow podcasters Andrea & Mark of Just One More Book. Finally we speak to the author of Across the Alley, Richard Michelson. Baseball themed-music in this episode provided by hungryformusic.com; our regular background music provided by freilachmakers.com. The Book of Life is sponsored in part by the Association of Jewish Libraries, jewishlibraries.org. Visit the podcast webpage at jewishbooks.blogspot.com.

The Book of Life is a monthly podcast about Jewish people and the books we read. In this episode we explore the power of books to sustain the Jewish people. We hear from Jonathan Kirsch, author of God Against the Gods and A History of the End of the World, about his upcoming keynote address to the Association of Jewish Libraries. We meet Nancy Kalikow Maxwell, author of Sacred Stacks: The Higher Purpose of Libraries and Librarianship. We learn about WJEW, an online Jewish radio station managed by teens. And we hear about Milk & Honey Press, a new Hebrew/English publisher of children's books.