In celebration of National Jewish Book Month, we will present a special selection of books in the LJCC’s recently refurbished Hess Library. So starting Monday, Nov. 24, stop by to explore and celebrate the power of Jewish stories (and grab a cup of coffee).
The display, funded by the Ethel and Sam Mutchnick Memorial Fund for Books at the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, will serve as a “book tasting” for members to browse and enjoy, including cookbooks, historical fiction, young adult novels, memoirs, nonfiction, short stories, and more.
While the display books need to stay in our library, if you find a book you can’t put down we encourage you to visit O’Neal Public Library to borrow a copy or your favorite local bookstore (to order your own copy or a gift).
While you’re in the Hess Library, kids can color their own Jewish Book Month bookmark and you can grab a Jewish Book Month bingo card — and be sure to check out curated reading lists.
Celebrating Jewish authors
Originally founded by Fanny Goldstein, Jewish Book Month began as a celebration of Jewish authors and was first observed around Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah — when it is customary to stay up all night studying sacred texts.
In the 1940s, the event shifted to the month before Hanukkah in order to encourage the purchase and sharing of Jewish books. By 1943, Jewish Book Week had officially expanded into Jewish Book Month, and Goldstein helped transform this tradition into a formal organization — what we now know as the Jewish Book Council (JBC).
Today, the JBC Network includes roughly 120 member organizations across North America and provides more than 250 authors each year with opportunities to share their work. Together, they help coordinate more than 1,300 in-person and virtual programs featuring dynamic, wide-ranging, and engaging literary events.