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2011 Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair

Presented by the St. Paul JCC in partnership with the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library with generous support from the George Kaplan Memorial Foundation.
The St. Paul JCC is proud to celebrate the significant contributions of today's finest authors: seasoned writers, well known among scholarly or literary circles, and fresh voices newly emerging. We believe in the power of the arts to inform and engage us, subtly and deeply, and give meaning to our shared experiences.

We invite you to laugh, to think, to feel, to reflect, to debate, to celebrate, and to Get Inspired!
Bruchim haba'im, Welcome!

Tickets are available at the door, or by calling 651-698-0751, or online.

People of the Book Series Pass
$50 members, $75 community
The People of the Book Series Pass is a ticket package for the Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair.


Opening Night: Party Like a Bookworm!
Sponsored by Bremer Bank
Tuesday, October 25, 7:00pm
David Bezmozgis, The Free World
$10 members, $15 community
2011 Community Reads Selection

© David Franco

Bezmozgis became an overnight success after the publication of his collection, "Natasha and Other Stories". He was named one of The New Yorker's 20 Under 40; "Natasha" hailed a New York Times Notable Book, was one of New York Public Library's 25 to Remember, and was among Amazon's Top 10 for 2004.
His new novel, tells the story of the Krasnansky family, Soviet Jews in 1978 passing through Rome on their way to the free world. He captures the struggle to keep their identities while letting go of their pasts and preparing for an uncertain future.Join the rest of the community in reading this heartfelt multigenerational novel that is an intimate portrait of a tumultuous era.

Author Links:
David Bezmogis Website
Hear David Bezmogis

Community partners: St. Paul Chapter of Hadassah, RAJMN: Russian-American Jews in Minnesota, TCJewfolk.com, University of MN English Department.

Holocaust Studies
Wednesday, October 26, 7:00pm, at Coffman Theater, Coffman Memorial Union,
U of M East Bank
Deborah Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial
Free admission with reservation*

Courtesy of Emory University

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota proudly presents the Bernard and Fern Badzin Lecture featuring Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University and author of internationally acclaimed books related to the Holocaust. Dr. Lipstadt will speak on Holocaust Denial: "A New Form of Anti-Semitism" and her recent critically acclaimed book The Eichmann Trial.
*The event is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. To reserve your tickets please visit www.chgs.umn.edu or call 612-626-2587.


Author Links:
Debroah Lipstadt Website
Listen to Debroah Lipstadt on NPR's All Things Considered
See Deborah Lipstadt speak about "The Eichmann Trial"

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education at St. Cloud State University is the initiating sponsor of Deborah Lipstadt's visit to Minnesota. University of Minnesota Sponsors: Institute for Global Studies, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, Program in Health and Human Rights, Center for Jewish Studies, Human Rights Program, Department of German, Scandinavian & Dutch, and Institute for Advanced Study Community Sponsors: Jewish Community Relations Council, St. Paul JCC, CHAIM_Children of Holocaust Survivors Association in Minnesota, and Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest.

Children and Young Adult Book Festival
Sunday, October 30, Noon-4:00 pm
Free Admission

Local companies Kar Ben and Yotzeret Publishing are setting up shop at the St. Paul JCC. With their broad array of Jewish-themed books for children and young adults, you're sure to find something for all your young readers. Bring the family--children of all ages will enjoy presentations by our guest authors, readers, and a professional illustrator.

12:00 noon Deborah Lakritz, author of Say Hello, Lilly

1:00pm Carrie Hartman, children's book illustrator

2:00pm Amy Ariel, author of Friends Forever

3:00pm Dori Weinstein, author of YaYa & YoYo: Sliding Into the New Year

Community partners: Bet Shalom Congregation, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Jacob Congregation, Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School, Knesseth Israel Congregation, Minneapolis Talmud Torah, Mt. Zion Temple, Talmud Torah of St. Paul, Temple of Aaron, Shir Tikvah Congregation.

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Wednesday, November 2, 7:00pm
John Pollack, The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics
$6 members, $9 community

Courtesy: David Turnley

Wordplay pundit, John Pollack, winner of the 1995 O. Henry Pun-Off World Championship, discusses puns, how they impacted the development of language, drove creativity and progress, and why they still matter. Yes, he is going to speak up for the lowest form of humor. We all know someone who loves and someone who hates puns; bring them all along for what promises to be a punderful discussion on the importance of having fun with language.

Author Links:
"The Pun Also Rises" Website
Join John Pollack on a Pun Safari

Community partners: Common Good Books, Friends of the St. Paul Public Library

Wednesday, November 9, 7:00pm at Sabes JCC
Meir Shalev, My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner
Tickets $12*
*Not included in People of the Book series pass

One of Israel's most celebrated novelists, Shalev's books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have been best sellers in Israel, Holland, and Germany. He received the 2006 Brenner Prize, one of Israel's top literary awards, for A Pigeon and a Boy. His latest novel is a lighthearted tale of family ties, over-the-top housekeeping, the sport of storytelling, and his Grandma Tonia's constant battle with the family's biggest enemy: dirt.
Meir Shalev's appearance is part of the Culture Boulevard Israeli Author's Series at Sabes JCC. (Don't miss Eshkol Nevo on Dec. 1)

Author Links:
Meir Shalev talks about his book A Pigeon and a Boy

Sponsored by: Sabes JCC, Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and the St. Paul JCC.

Thursday, November 10, 7:00pm
Adina Hoffman & Peter Cole, Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza
$6 members, $9 community

Courtesy of the Authors

MacArthur-winning poet and translator Peter Cole and acclaimed essayist Adina Hoffman tell the story of the retrieval from an Egyptian geniza-a repository for worn-out texts-of the most vital cache of Jewish manuscripts ever discovered. Presenting a panoramic view of nine hundred years of vibrant Mediterranean Judaism, Hoffman and Cole bring modern readers into the heart of this little know trove, whose contents have rightly been dubbed "the Living Sea Scrolls." A gripping tale of adventure and redemption.

Autor Links:
Authors discuss the book "Sacred Trash"

Community partner: Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, Center for Jewish Studies--University of Minnesota.

Tuesday, November 15, 7:00pm
Izzeldin Abuelaish, I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Sacrifice on the Road to Peace
$6 members, $9 community

Dr. Abuelaish captured hearts, headlines and humanitarian awards for his response to the death of his daughters in a bombing in 2009. He calls for the people of the Middle East to start talking to each other. His deepest hope is that his daughters will be the last sacrifice on the road to peace between Palestinians and Israelis. This is a story of unshakable courage, optimism, and belief in the healing power of love.

Author Links:
Dr. Abuelaish speaks at the University of Toronto
Dr. Abuelaish speaks at the Oslo Freedom Forum

Community partners: Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, Twin Cities Maimonides Society, Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Bet Shalom Congregation, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Jacob Congregation, Knesseth Israel Congregation, Mt. Zion Temple, Shir Tikvah Congregation, St. Paul Interfaith Network, Temple of Aaron, Temple Israel.

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Wednesday, November 16, 7:00pm
Susan Orlean, Rin Tin Tin: The Life And The Legend
$6 members, $9 community

A staff writer at the New Yorker, Orlean is the author of The Orchid Thief, which has been adapted into the film Adaptation. Her goal as a writer is to write long stories about interesting things. With her new book, she succeeds. The talented storyteller takes us on a tour through American pop culture in a biography of the dog actor Rin Tin Tin. At the heart, this book explores the enduring bond between humans and animals. This is more than the story of a dog, or even a series of dogs, this book explores what it takes to create an icon.

Author Links:
Susan Orlean Website
Orlean talks about "Rin Tin Tin"

Community partners: Common Good Books, Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, Animal Humane Society

Saturday, November 19, 7:00pm
Closing Night Celebration
Sponsored by RBC Wealth Management
Michael Wex, , The Frumkiss Family Business
$10 members, $15 community

Author of Born to Kvetch, a New York Times best-seller, Wex is a well-known speaker on all things Yiddish and an accomplished translator of works both from and into the mamaloshen. His new novel touches on the lives of four generations of one big, hapless family. It is a corrosive, smart and laugh-out-loud funny kaleidoscopic portrait of middle class Canadian life at the beginning of the current century.
Local band Judith Eisner Klezmorim provide the backdrop for Wex's unique blend of learning, stand-up comedy and probing investigation into the nature of Yiddish and Yiddishkayt.

Author Links:
Michael Wex Website

Community partner: United Jewish Fund and Council of St. Paul, TCJewfolk.com.

But wait. There's more...
Sunday, December 4, 7:00pm
Marc Agronin, How We Age: A Doctor's Journey into The Heart of Growing Old
$6 members, $9 community

Dr. Agronin presents his experiences counseling the residents of Miami Jewish Health Systems. Drawing on personal experiences and in-depth interviews with pioneers in the field, he explores what aging means today and how well we do, or don't, understand it. A Harvard University graduate with a degree in psychology and philosophy, Dr. Agronin received his medical degree from Yale University. His articles have appeared in the New York Times and many other publications.



Author Links:
Marc Agronin Website
Marc Agronin on the Today Show

Community partners: Twin Cities Maimonides Society, Sholom, Jewish Children and Family Service of Minneapolis, Jewish Family Service of St. Paul.

Thursday, January 19, 2012, 7:00pm
Myla Goldberg, The False Friend
$6 members, $9 community

Courtesy: Jason Little

Goldberg is author of the best-selling debut Bee Season, a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the Borders New Voices Prize among other honors-later adapted for the screen. Goldberg's new novel, deeply resonant and emotionally charged, explores the complexities of moral judgment, the fallibility of memory, and the adults that children become-leading us to question the truths that we accept or reject, and the lies to which we ultimately succumb.


Author Links:
Myla Goldberg Website
Myla Goldberg discusses "The False Friend"

Community partners: National Council of Jewish Women--St. Paul Section, Common Good Books, Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.

Thursday, February 9, 2012
Lisa Miller, Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination With the Afterlife
$6 members, $9 community

While eighty percent of Americans say they believe in heaven, few can articulate what exactly they believe. Miller offers a serious investigation of heaven through interviews with religious leaders, academics and everyday people.

See how your perceptions of heaven compare to traditional and popular ideas. Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine's religion coverage and writes the weekly "Belief Watch" column. She also is a regular contributor to the Washington Post's "OnFaith," an online global conversation about religion and faith.


Author Links:
Lisa Miller Website Lisa Miller discuses her book

Community partners: Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning

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

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