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   Martin Fletcher

2008 Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair

CLICK HERE to VIEW Book Fair brochure (PDF)

2008 Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair to Open with Gala Featuring Israeli Fine Art Sale
and Guest Speaker Martin Fletcher of NBC News.

Saturday, Nov 1 @ 7:00 pm, St. Paul JCC
Tickets: $10 JCC Members, $15 General Public

The Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair gets off to an exciting start this year with a special gala evening of food, wine, fine art, and a special appearance by prominent NBC News correspondent Martin Fletcher who will talk about experiences chronicled in his new book, Breaking News.
Martin Fletcher is one of the most respected foreign correspondents in television news. He has covered almost every conflict and natural disaster in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for thirty-five years, winning five Emmys, a Columbia University DuPont Award, several Overseas Press Club Awards, and a cameraman's award from Britain's Royal Society of Television. He is currently based in Israel, where he is NBC News Bureau Chief in Tel Aviv.

The evening begins with the opening of the Bar Kocva Israeli Fine Art Sale featuring the creations of 45 Israeli artists showcasing original paintings and serigraphs, Judaica, ceramic specialties, and a large array of handcrafted fine art. The art sale will continue through Wednesday, November 5. Don't miss this delightful evening to connect with friends, celebrate Israeli artists, discuss world affairs, and above all show our support for Jewish cultural arts at the St. Paul JCC.
For more information contact Jeffrey Richman, Jewish Cultural Arts Director at 651-255-4752 or e-mail jrichman@stpauljcc.org

Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair announces Community Read for 2008

We live in the age of speed. High speed internet, MySpace, text messaging--for many, typing out an entire sentence is just too time consuming. But amid this "Type A" activity, the book club has emerged as the modern day Salon.

Not long ago St. Paul JCC member, Lorraine Hertz was featured in the Star Tribune for maintaining a book club now in its fifty-third year! Participating in a book club provides us with an opportunity to exchange ideas and consider multiple perspectives. It requires us to dig just a little deeper, to make a few more connections than we might have before. Oprah knew the value inherent in encouraging a community, be it a group of twenty, or an entire nation to read and discuss a book. Not everyone will love the work, but the key is starting the conversation.

My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for his Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq by Ariel Sabar
Ariel Sabar's father, Yona, was born in a mud hut in the remote Kurdish region of Northern Iraq. Protected by towering mountains, the Jews of Zakho lived peacefully among Muslims and Christians for nearly three thousand years. Rugged lumberjacks and humble peddlers, self-made mystics and gifted storytellers, the members of this Lost Tribe of Israel were so isolated that they still spoke Aramaic. In My Father's Paradise, father and son travel to today's war-torn Iraq in a quest to rediscover a forgotten land. As Ariel retraces his father's footsteps, he brings to life the eccentric characters, extraordinary determination, and fascinating historical odyssey of the Kurdish Jews.

Read this book! Last year the St. Paul JCC book club paved the way for our annual Community Read. Help get the conversation started. Your book, purchased at the St. Paul JCC supports the book fair, and your participation helps strengthen our community. Ariel Sabar will talk and sign his book November 18th as part of the 2008 Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair.

Plan Ahead for an Exciting Book Month!
This year the Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair is packed with wonderful programs. Stop by the JCC to purchase books, get your reading glasses, and plan to welcome this year's authors:

Saturday, Nov. 1 @ 7:00 pm Gala Opening:
Martin Fletcher, author of Breaking News, offers his experiences as a correspondent in some of the world's most troubled regions.
$10 JCC Members, $15 General Public

Sunday, Nov. 2 @ 3:00 pm:
Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, demonstrate how easy home made bread can be. (Co-sponsored by BOND: Branching Out In New Directions).
$6 JCC Members, $9 General Public.

Wednesday, Nov. 5 @ 7:30 pm:
Joanna Hershon, author of The German Bride, describes life for Jewish immigrants who settled in the Southwestern United States. (Co-sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest).
$6 JCC Members, $9 General Public..

Sunday, Nov. 9 @ 3:00 pm at the Landmark Center, St. Paul-- RIMON Artist Salon:
The popular Salon series hosts Roger Bennett, author of And They Shall Know Us By the Trail Of our Vinyl: The Jewish Past As Told By the Music We Have Loved And Lost, for a moderated discussion led by St. Paul JCC Staffer and cultural commentator Beth Friend. (Co-sponsored by RIMON: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council).
$6 for all..

Tuesday, Nov. 11 @ 7:30 pm:
Bob Morris, author of Assisted Loving: True Tales of Double Dating with my Dad, charms with heartwarming stories of his eighty year old father's, (and his own) renewed search for love.
$6 JCC Members, $9 General Public..

Thursday, Nov. 13 @ 7:30 pm:
Reed Farrel Coleman, author of Redemption Street, introduces us to his brand of hard boiled mystery writing set in New York and the Borsht Belt.
$6 JCC Members, $9 General Public

Sunday, Nov. 16, @ 1:00 pm
Journey to Wellness, the Mental Health Education Project's eighth annual community-wide conference, Temple Israel, Minneapolis:
Elyn Saks, keynote speaker and author of The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, illuminates lessons from her hopeful memoir about coping with schizophrenia.
Free event

Tuesday, Nov. 18 @ 7:30 pm: The Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair "Community Reads" selection for 2008.
Ariel Sabar, author of My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for his Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq, brings us to war-torn Iraq to honor a forgotten land in which ancient Aramaic is still spoken.
$6 JCC Members, $9 General Public

Thursday, Nov. 20 @ 7:30 pm at Sabes JCC, Minneapolis:
Robin Gerber, author of Eleanor Vs. Ike, focuses historical fiction on the 1952 presidential election. Would the US have been ready for a woman as President?
$6 JCC Members, $9 General Public

Saturday, Nov. 22 @ 7:30 pm, Closing Event:
Kevin Odegard, author of A Simple Twist Of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood On The Tracks recalls the hey day of Bob Dylan's career and describes the experience of playing on this historical album. Odegard will be joined by local musicians for music and conversation.
$10 JCC Members, $15 General Public

People of the Book Passes will be available from the St. Paul JCC. Passes are good for all events except the Opening Gala with Martin Fletcher. People of the Book passes are $36 for JCC Members, $54 for General Public.
For more details contact Jeffrey Richman, St. Paul JCC Jewish Cultural Arts Director at 651-255-4752 or e-mail jrichman@stpauljcc.org for more details.

We'll provide more information as details settle.

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey Richman, Jewish Cultural Arts Director: 651-255-4752