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Celebrate Jewish Books
This year, as we’re honoring Jewish Book Month in the month before Hanukkah (November 24-December 24, 2024), let’s come together to celebrate Jewish books and support Jewish authors!
In this difficult year — when we’re experiencing worry and grief, looking for joy and connection, and maybe diving a little deeper into ideas and history — books and the authors who write them are an invaluable resource, to provide comfort and meaning, to challenge us and spark debate and dialogue. To bring us together as the people of the book. And as we’re turning to the books we love and the stories we haven’t yet discovered, authors are putting pen to paper and fighting to have their voices heard.
In 1925, Fanny Goldstein, a librarian at the Boston Public Library, decided that Jewish books and Jewish pride were worth celebrating, so she set up a display of Jewish books and initiated the first Jewish Book Week. Ninety-nine years later, we still think Jewish books are worth celebrating!
Ways to Celebrate
- Read a Jewish book.
- Buy a book by a Jewish author.
- Organize a community read.
- Join or start a book club.
- Read a Jewish book to children in your home or community.
- Create a bulletin board dedicated to Jewish Book Month in a public community space.
- Invite an author to speak in your community.
- Attend an author event at a local synagogue, JCC or Jewish Federation.
- Display a table of Jewish books in your library, synagogue, JCC.
- Send out a bookmark template to your community, and have members create a Jewish Book Month bookmark.
- Sign up to get weekly book reviews and news from Jewish Book Council.
- Ask your local library to stock Jewish books that you love.
- Ask your local book store to stock Jewish books that you love.
- Recommend a book to friends, your book club or your social media network.
- Find a new book to love on Jewish Book Council’s website.
- Organize a school read-a-thon.
- Invite your local school to join one of JBC’s school author events.
- Visit the Yiddish Book Center online or in Amherst, MA to explore thousands of works by Yiddish writers.
- Have a delicious meal and read at book at Lehrhaus in Somerville, MA.
- If you will be in Jerusalem, visit the beautiful new National Library of Israel.
- Get Shabbat inspiration, and host a Shabbat dinner with OneTable for Jewish Book Month.
- Find a book by one of the many alumni and staff from the Bronfman Fellowship.
- Attend a Covenant Foundation virtual salon.
- Listen to a podcast, like the newest one that’s all about Jewish books, The Five Books, or the Jewish kidlit podcast The Book of Life.
Community Partners
See Jewish Book Month events across the country