United Jewish Federation of Tidewater & the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival 2020–2021*
*events shown only through December 16
All events are open to the community with RSVP or tickets required and will take place virtually until further notice. For more information about the Festival, to register, sponsor, or volunteer, contact Patty Shelanski at 757-452-3184 or Pshelanski@ujft.org or jewishva.org.
To register for events, go to Jewishva.org/bookfest LATKEPALOOZA! The Ninth Night of Hanukkah with author Erica Perl
JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL Saving Free Speech...From Itself with author Thane Rosenbaum
Tuesday, December 15, 6 pm, free
Wednesday, December 16, 12 pm, free
JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL’S COMBATING HATE TASK FORCE AND HOLOCAUST COMMISSION Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech For All with author Suzanne Nossel Tuesday, January 12, 12 pm, free
E
rica Perl will share her new book, The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, and lead everyone in song and movement activities that will get the entire family up and moving. Perl writes picture books, novels, chapter books, plays, and articles. Her books have received accolades and awards, including the National Jewish Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Honor. They’ve also landed on State Book Award lists, “Best Books” lists, and library lists. Her author visits—in person and virtual—are energetic, educational, and engaging. This may be because she has a theater background, a law degree, and an ice cream truck driver’s license. In The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, it’s Hanukkah, and Max and Rachel are excited to light the menorah in their family’s new apartment. But, unfortunately, their Hanukkah box is missing. So now they have no menorah, candles, dreidels, or, well, anything. Luckily, their neighbors help, offering thoughtful and often humorous stand-in items each night. And then, just as Hanukkah is about to end, Max and Rachel, inspired by the shamash (“helper”) candle, have a brilliant idea: they’re going to celebrate the Ninth Night of Hanukkah as a way to say thanks to everyone who’s helped them! The story is heartwarming and fun, as well as an invitation to join in a beautiful new Hanukkah tradition.
24 | JEWISH NEWS | December 14, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
I
n an era of political correctness, race-baiting, terrorist incitement, the ‘Danish’ cartoons, the shouting down of speakers, and, of course, ‘fake news,’ liberals and conservatives are up in arms both about speech and its excesses, and what the First Amendment means. Speech has been weaponized. Everyone knows it, but no one seems to know how to make sense of the current confusion, and what to do about it. Thane Rosenbaum’s provocative and compelling book helps make clear this important issue at the heart of society and politics. Rosenbaum is an essayist, law professor, and author. His articles, reviews, and essays appear frequently in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Haaretz, Huffington Post , and Daily Beast , among other national publications. He serves as the Legal Analyst for CBS News Radio and as a Columnist for the Jewish News Syndicate— JNS.
O
nline trolls and fascist chat groups. Controversies over campus lectures. Cancel culture versus censorship. The daily hazards and debates surrounding free speech dominate headlines and fuel social media storms. In an era where one tweet can launch—or end—a career, and where free speech is often invoked as a principle but rarely understood, learning to maneuver the fastchanging, treacherous landscape of public discourse has never been more urgent. In Dare To Speak , Suzanne Nossel, a leading voice in support of free expression, delivers a vital, necessary guide to maintaining democratic debate that is open, and freewheeling, but at the same time respectful of the rich diversity of backgrounds and opinions in a changing country. Nossel currently serves as the chief executive officer of PEN America, the leading human rights and free expression organization. Nossel is a featured columnist for Foreign Policy Magazine and has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Foreign Affairs, Dissent, Democracy, and other journals.
GO TO JEWISHVA.ORG/BOOKFEST
