About Jewish Book Month
Jewish Book Month
Nov. 25 - Dec 25, 2024
Jewish Book Month, an annual tradition dedicated to promoting Jewish literature, originated in 1925 through the efforts of Boston librarian Fanny Goldstein. It first began as “Jewish Book Week,” and in 1943, the celebration expanded to a full month.
Sponsored by the New York-based Jewish Book Council (jewishbookcouncil.org), it takes place each year during the thirty days leading up to Chanukah.
Annotations for the books listed at right are derived from publisher descriptions.
Other Recommended Reading
The following links will lead to external sites.
Jewish Book Council - Books Reviewed
Books from Booth's Collections
Judaism for the World by Call Number: BM580 .G693 2020xISBN: 9780300249989Publication Date: 2020An internationally recognized scholar and theologian shares a Jewish mysticism for our times in this "humane, accessible" book (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review). Winner of the National Jewish Book Award (2020) in the Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice category.
The Jewish Book of Why by Call Number: BM700 .K59ISBN: 0824602560Publication Date: 1983Explains the reasons for Jewish customs concerning marriage, mourning, diet, prayer, worship, and the celebration of religious holidays.
The Magic Dreidels by Call Number: BTC Juv 800 K5713maISBN: 9780823412563Publication Date: 1996In this illustrated children's picture book, when an old lady swindles Jacob out of his magic dreidels, Jacob tries to get them back in time for the family's Hanukkah celebration.
The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia by Call Number: DS102.8 .B88 2019ISBN: 9781579658939Publication Date: 2019From the hosts of Tablet magazine's wildly popular Unorthodox podcast, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia is an edifying, entertaining, and thoroughly modern introduction to Judaism. It offers everything: from an illustrated guide to determining different Hasidic sects based on their garb to practical advice for throwing an unconventional Jewish wedding to humorous, accessible explanations of Judaism's myriad holidays.
The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton by Call Number: E302.6.H2 P67 2021ISBN: 9780691211152Publication Date: 2021The untold story of the founding father's likely Jewish birth and upbringing--and its revolutionary consequences for understanding him and the nation he fought to create.
America's Jewish Women by Call Number: HQ1172 .N33 2019ISBN: 9780393651232Publication Date: 2019Pamela S. Nadell weaves together the complex story of Jewish women in America--from colonial-era matriarch Grace Nathan and her great-granddaughter, poet Emma Lazarus, to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Recounting how Jewish women have been at the forefront of social, economic, and political causes for centuries, Nadell shows them fighting for suffrage, labor unions, civil rights, feminism, and religious rights--shaping a distinctly Jewish American identity.
Jewish Art by Call Number: N7415 .S4213 1997ISBN: 9780810935143Publication Date: 1997Covering nearly 4000 years, this extensively illustrated study traces the history of Jewish art from its origins - the Temple in Jerusalem, circa 2000 BC - to the work of the 20th-century artist, Marc Chagall. It offers a survey of the art produced within, and inspired by, Jewish civilizations on five continents, incorporating religious painting, sculpture and architecture, mosaics, frescoes, illuminated manuscripts, silver, textiles, and other decorative objects.
The Slaughterman's Daughter by Call Number: PJ5055.24.C94 T5513 2021ISBN: 9780805243659Publication Date: 2021An irresistible, picaresque tale of two Jewish sisters in late-nineteenth-century Russia.
Yaniv Iczkovits spins a family drama into a far-reaching comedy of errors that will pit the czar’s army against the Russian secret police and threaten the very foundations of the Russian Empire. The Slaughterman’s Daughter is a rollicking and unforgettable work of fiction.
How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish by Call Number: PJ5113 .S83 2020xISBN: 9781632062628Publication Date: 2020A momentous and diverse anthology of the influences and inspirations of Yiddish voices in America -- radical, dangerous, and seductive, but also sweet, generous, and full of life -- edited by award-winning authors and scholars Ilan Stavans and Josh Lambert.
The House of Memory: Stories by Jewish Women Writers of Latin America by Call Number: PQ7087.E5 H68 1999ISBN: 9781558612082Publication Date: 1999Stories that reflect influences that range from the folk stories of Eastern Europe to the Magic Realist fiction of Latin America to the testimonio of Latin American women writers.
The Lost Shtetl by Call Number: PS3607.R6553 L67 2019ISBN: 9780062991126Publication Date: 2020What if there was a town that history missed? For decades, the tiny Jewish shtetl of Kreskol existed in happy isolation, virtually untouched and unchanged. Spared by the Holocaust and the Cold War, its residents enjoyed remarkable peace. It missed out on cars, and electricity, and the internet, and indoor plumbing. But when a marriage dispute spins out of control, the whole town comes crashing into the twenty-first century. Winner of the National Jewish Book Award (2020) in the Book Club category.
Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food by Call Number: TX724 .F3715 2019ISBN: 9781479899333Publication Date: 2019Judaism is a religion that is enthusiastic about food. Jewish holidays are inevitably celebrated through eating particular foods, or around fasting and then eating particular foods. Through fasting, feasting, dining, and noshing, food infuses the rich traditions of Judaism into daily life. What do the complicated laws of kosher food mean to Jews? What does the Jewish relationship with food teach us about Christianity, Islam, and religion itself? Can food shape the future of Judaism? Feasting and Fasting explores questions like these to offer an expansive look at how Judaism and food have been intertwined, both historically and today.
