Books

Dutch Couple Find Forgotten Holocaust History in their Countryside Home

by Cnaan Liphshiz | Jan 4, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Despite its rustic charms, the dream home that Roxane van Iperen and her partner bought nearly ruined their marriage. Van Iperen, a 42-year-old novelist, underestimated the amount of renovating needed on the countryside estate east of Amsterdam. She...

New Book by Local Author Offers Humanistic Perspective on Israel

by Alex Holt | Nov 28, 2018 | Art, Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

Most of the news coming out of Israel these days tends to be negative, discouraging and less than flattering. Israela Meyerstein wants to do her part to change that. With this past year marking the 70th anniversary of Israel’s founding, Meyerstein, a psychotherapist...

13 Books to Gift Yourself or Someone Else This Chanukah

by Emily Burack | Nov 28, 2018 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

(Kveller via JTA) — A book is the best present — even if it is a present to yourself. That’s why they are the perfect gift for Chanukah. We’ve found 13 books released in 2018 for every type of person in your life. And because we could, they’re all...

Stan Lee Gave Comic Books Permission to be More Jewish

by JTA | Nov 16, 2018 | Art, Arts & Life, Books, The Arts, Visual Arts

By Arie Kaplan (JTA) — When Stan Lee died on Nov. 12 at 95, he left behind a vast legacy. Between 1961 and 1969, his greatest sustained burst of creative activity, he co-created a vast array of iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the...

Author Deborah Tannen Kicks Off Festival of Jewish Literature

by Simone Ellin, Associate Editor | Oct 24, 2018 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

If you’ve ever wondered where you’d be without your BFF, Deborah Tannen’s latest book “You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships” (Ballantine Books) is bound to resonate with you. Based on interviews with approximately 80 women and...

Writer A.J. Jacobs Traveled Thousands of Miles to Thank Everyone Who Had a Hand in His A.M. Coffee

by Cindy Sher, JTA | Oct 21, 2018 | Arts & Life, Books, Food, The Arts

(JUF News via JTA) — Author A.J. Jacobs has encouraged his three sons to be grateful for all they have. He and his wife urge them to write thank-you notes, to thank the bus driver — even thank their household robot Alexa for weather forecasts. Jacobs, who is...

Artist/Author Reveals her Special Relationship with the Animal Kingdom

by Anna Lippe | Oct 15, 2018 | Art, Arts & Life, Books, The Arts, Visual Arts

Animal lovers know full well that a furry companion can raise our spirits and lift our hearts. Betty Grodnitzky found an animal friend in the most unlikely of creatures — a deer on the lawn outside of her Pikesville residence whom she named Bambele, Yiddish for...

A Black, Orthodox Rabbi’s Novel Addresses Racism in the Jewish Community

by Josefin Dolsten, JTA | Oct 14, 2018 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

NEW YORK (JTA) — When Shais Rishon thinks of American Jewish literature, virtually no Jews of color come to mind — as characters or authors. “We’re invisible, pretty much,” he told JTA. As an African-American Orthodox rabbi, Rishon hopes to change that. He...

Kosher Cooking Guru Susie Fishbein Coming to Chizuk Amuno

by Natalie Jeffery | Oct 10, 2018 | Arts & Life, Books, Food

The Martha Stewart of kashrut is coming to Charm City. Best-selling kosher cookbook author and media personality Susie Fishbein will speak at Stevenson’s Chizuk Amuno Congregation on Oct. 17 and share some cooking tips and samples of her tasty creations. The cooking...

Yemeni Author to Speak at Beth Tfiloh about his Harrowing Escape

by Peter Arnold | Oct 10, 2018 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

Mohammed Al Samawi knows what it’s like to put his life on the line for peace. A native of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a and a practicing Muslim, Al Samawi, 32, fled his homeland three years ago because of his interfaith activism there, as well as that nation’s bloody...