Always Car­ry Salt: Saman­tha Ellis in Con­ver­sa­tion with Jor­dan Salama

Thursday, January 15, 2026
7–9pm

New York City

Join acclaimed authors Saman­tha Ellis and Jor­dan Sala­ma as they dis­cuss Ellis’s pow­er­ful new mem­oir Always Car­ry Salt. In this mov­ing med­i­ta­tion on lan­guage and resilience, Ellis — the daugh­ter of Iraqi Jew­ish refugees — sets out to reclaim her fad­ing moth­er tongue, Judeo-Iraqi Ara­bic. Along the way, Ellis uncov­ers a fas­ci­nat­ing and large­ly for­got­ten world of ances­tral recipes, fam­i­ly lore, and ancient arti­facts. Togeth­er, Ellis and Sala­ma will explore the rich­ness of Iraqi Jew­ish cul­ture, and reflect on what we inher­it, what we pass on, and how sto­ries shape us across gen­er­a­tions. A Q&A will follow. 

This event is pre­sent­ed in part­ner­ship with the 14th Street Y and cospon­sored by Be’chol Lashon, the HUC Jew­ish Lan­guage Project and Kanisse.