GUESS WHO? (THE ANSWERS)
03/21/2024 07:44:38 AM
March is Women’s History Month. To expand your horizons beyond women named Ruth or Anne, here’s a match up quiz of accomplished but lesser known women.
The library is a resource for information about many of them, either through single biographies, collected biographies or reference works such as Jewish Women in America which is updated on the Jewish Women’s Archive website....Read more...
GUESS WHO?
03/17/2024 10:02:54 AM
March is Women’s History Month. To expand your horizons beyond women named Ruth or Anne, here’s a match up quiz of accomplished but lesser known women.
The library is a resource for...Read more...
DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE
01/18/2024 11:01:09 AM
We Jews have so many holidays and days of remembrance. From Nissan 1, the first day of Passover, marking the beginning of the year (Yes, Nissan actually is the first month of the Hebrew calendar) through Purim in the month of Adar, there are scores of...Read more...
T-DAY TRIVIA
11/20/2023 10:45:15 AM
Did you know that the Hebrew word hodu means both turkey and give thanks? So hodu for hodu.
In Yiddish, the word for turkey is indik which is related to India -- perhaps because the...Read more...
NOAH's ark
10/20/2023 10:52:25 AM
I can’t imagine any Torah story that has been interpreted so many times and in so many ways. It’s a cute animal story for young children; it’s a devastating story of destruction; it’s a hopeful story of how to carry on.
A broad...Read more...
TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT ISRAEL
10/11/2023 10:02:13 AM
We don't have the words to properly express how we are feeling. For me personally I have never been so confused and so clear at the same time. I have never been so numb and so emotional at the same time. And, while this is difficult for all Jews, those of us with children still at home take on an extra burden: how do we explain all of this to our children?
How do you help kids (of almost all ages) understand...Read more...
GENERATIONS
09/08/2023 09:46:08 AM
Family lore has it that Grandpa Julius, my father’s father, was the only man in the shtetl of Skidel with a gun and that he was spirited out of town in a coffin because ”they” were after him. It’s hard to believe that this man of few words, whom I never...Read more...
ANNIVERSARIES
09/06/2023 09:39:11 AM
Anniversaries are something to look forward to with joy, sadness, appreciation, or awe.
On August 29th, we marked the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the...Read more...
TIME TO PREPARE
08/24/2023 07:46:59 AM
When you see this at Costco, you know that the Days of Awe, the High Holidays, will soon be upon us.
All kidding aside, we are right in the middle of the month of Elul, the prelude to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The shofar sounds each day (except...Read more...
The Jewish Catalog Turns Fifty
08/22/2023 11:13:52 AM
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to The Jewish Catalog. How old are you now?
This year The Jewish Catalog: A Do-It-Yourself Kit reached the venerable age of fifty, right smack in middle...Read more...
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Read more... Important Community Literary Resource
12/06/2022 01:07:35 PM
In addition to recommending books and calling your attention to informative websites, I like to share information from the greater library world.
The following information is from the latest issue of Bookmark, the publication of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians: If you or someone you know has a problem accessing print for educational or pleasure reading, you are eligible to use the resources of the New Jersey State...Read more...
Genesis-related books in the Jacobs Library
10/20/2022 04:56:58 PM
Check out the display of Genesis related books found in the Jacobs Library. As we begin the Torah cycle , you may find new insights into the oft told tales of human emotion, intrigue, and tangled relationships.
Formats are as varied as the stories: graphic novels, heavily researched tomes, poetry and for the younger set, of course, picture book interpretations of some very adult...Read more...
For Elul and Beyond
09/01/2022 01:29:28 PM
Cool books for hot days
07/26/2022 12:52:26 PM
As I write this, the long term forecast shows predicts that the heat will last. I can think of nothing better- except maybe having a swimming pool in my backyard- to while away the days and escape the heat, than a good book.
Try some of these new arrivals in the Jacobs Library. They may not physically cool you off but they may take your mind off the heat.
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The Family of Roe
06/21/2022 10:00:13 AM
With the Supreme Court on the verge of issuing a decision that will affect Roe vs Wade, I’d like to bring to your attention a most timely book. The Family Roe by Joshua Prager is not a “Jewish” book. However, the topic of abortion is of interest to many Jews and is, in fact, a Jewish...Read more...
A.B. Yehoshua, Israeli Literary Giant and Ardent Humanist, Dies aged 85 (The Times of Israel)
06/15/2022 02:50:53 PM
This headline from The Times of Israel sums up the life of one of Israel’s foremost authors. A.B. (Abraham Gabriel, called Boli) Yehoshua was born in Jerusalem in 1936. His father, an author and translator, was a fourth generation Jerusalemite while his mother was a Moroccan immigrant. This “mixed” marriage was not successful leading Yehoshua to vow that his marriage would be for love.
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Women of note
03/10/2022 03:41:28 PM
It’s March and Women’s History Month. With Purim occurring in March this year-although it’s always celebrated on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar- it’s appropriate to call to mind Jewish women of achievement.
Don’t be put off by children’s books if you are an adult. Children’s and young adult books cut right to the heart of a topic and are an excellent way...Read more...
Worth marking in march
03/03/2022 04:02:23 PM
So many of us either grew up with Arthur the aardvark, his family and friends either in the books by Marc Brown or the long running television show. The series is finally ending its PBS run as the longest running children’s show EVER, according to Mira Fox of the Forward. Did you know that Francine, Arthur’s friend was Jewish? Read the article here.
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Timely topics
01/27/2022 09:14:33 AM
January 27 is International Holocaust Day established by the United Nations on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The United Nations urges all 193 members of the organization to use this day to plan...Read more...
January links to love
01/13/2022 12:17:38 PM
January Links to Love
It may be cold and even snowy outside but inside it’s perfect for curling up with a good book or discovering something new on an informational or entertainment website.
Here are some resources for these cold winter days:
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Short stories for long nights
01/06/2022 12:11:36 PM
Short stories get short shrift. They are one of the beauties of literature. In just a few pages- sometimes even one- a whole world may be revealed or a mere fragment of a world or character.
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Short Stories for Short nights
12/16/2021 10:57:25 AM
Short stories get short shrift. They are one of the beauties of literature. In just a few pages- sometimes even one- a whole world may be revealed or a mere fragment of a world or character.
Short stories are powerful...Read more...
Seasonal musings
12/02/2021 03:58:36 PM
It’s that time of year again- the holiday season. This time of year has always been fraught with tension for many Jewish families as the carols sing out and the lights twinkle.
As a child, I would gaze at the festive trees in the windows of the houses as I walked home from Hebrew School after a day in public school where music...Read more...
november notes (and some december, too), part II
11/24/2021 12:34:54 PM
Thanksgiving weekend is usually the lead in to a frenetic few weeks of shopping, entertaining and family. With Hanukkah so closely following turkey day this year, the days may be even more jam-packed than usual.
Here are some Hanukkah and other related links, activities, and a...Read more...
November library notes part 1
11/04/2021 02:40:03 PM
TAKE NOTE: The Library is open for browsing and borrowing during building hours.
November and the Jewish month of Kislev have arrived. Both months are...Read more...
Biblical Fiction
10/21/2021 01:22:02 PM
Biblical Fiction
Three thousand three hundred twelve (3312). That’s a pretty big number and it’s not arbitrary. That’s the approximate number of languages that at least part of the Bible (Jewish and other) have been translated into. As of September 2020, the...Read more...
