Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival

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

KoNiKoff CeNter for LearNiNg Can robots Be Jewish: inspirational rabbis answer Pressing Questions of Modern Life with Moment Magazine’s editor of “ask the rabbis” amy Schwartz Wednesday, December 2, 7:30 pm, free the Last Kings of Shanghai with author Jonathan Kaufman Monday, December 7, 12 pm, free PJ LiBrary going rogue (at Hebrew School) with author Casey Breton Sunday, December 13, 11:30 am, free

When Moment Magazine arrives, loyal readers turn to its longrunning “Ask the Rabbis” feature. In this column, rabbis of different denominations consider some of the most provocative questions of the day. Their responses span the range of modern Jewish thought. Sometimes they agree, but not often.

In these Solomon-like deliberations, the rabbis answer some of modernity’s pressing questions: Do science and Judaism conflict? Are there things that cannot be forgiven? Is Judaism good for women? Is there a Jewish way to parent? Should we edit our children’s genes? Can a robot be Jewish? Does Jewish law forbid racism? Do Jews believe in an afterlife? Should there be an 11th commandment and if so what should it be?

Amy E. Schwartz is a longtime editorial writer and op-ed columnist at The Washington Post, is Moment Magazine’s Books and Opinions Editor, as well as editor of the magazine’s popular Ask the Rabbis section. Schwartz is president of the multidenominational Jewish Study Center in Washington, DC. In the 1930s two powerful Jewish families, the Sassoons and the Kadoories, rival one another in wealth and influence. Originally from Baghdad, these families stood astride Chinese business and politics for more than 175 years, profiting from the Opium Wars; surviving Japanese occupation; courting Chiang Kai-shek; and losing nearly everything as the Communists swept into power. At the height of World War II, these families joined together to rescue and protect 18,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazism. Though their stay in China began as a business opportunity, the country became a home they were reluctant to leave, even on the eve of revolution.

Jonathan Kaufman is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, editor and author, and served as the Wall Street Journal’s China Bureau Chief, based in Beijing. As a reporter, Kaufman covered race and class issues in the workplace and on college campuses and race and women’s issues in the 2008 presidential campaign. Ten-year-old Avery Green has always hated Hebrew School. And why shouldn’t he? Not only does it mean he has to spend extra time inside of a classroom, but also Hebrew school has absolutely nothing to do with his three most favorite things: Star Wars, science, and football. But everything turns upside down the day Avery begins to suspect that the mysterious new rabbi just might happen to be…an actual Jedi master! Armed with nothing more than a curious mind and an endless supply of questions, Avery sets out to reveal the truth about Rabbi Bob.

Casey Breton lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with her husband and three sons. A former elementary school teacher, Breton is a recipient of the PJ Our Way Author Incentive Award, and the 2020 Storyteller-in-Residence for Gloucester’s Fish Tales, a series of live storytelling events for grown-ups.

go to JeWiSHVa.org/BooKfeSt

JEwISh book fEStIval what’S happENINg

LatKePaLooZa! the Ninth Night of Hanukkah with author erica Perl tuesday, December 15, 6 pm, free JeWiSH CoMMUNity reLatioNS CoUNCiL Saving free Speech...from itself with author thane rosenbaum Wednesday, December 16, 12 pm, free

Erica 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. In 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.

Special campaign match incentive for Giving Tuesday Tuesday, December 1

Asuccessful Community Campaign is essential to ensure the strength An anonymous and well-being of Jewish Tidewater’s agencies and donor has community members. Understanding that the provided an longer the COVID-19 crisis drags on, the greater will incentive grant become the needs of Jewish Tidewater’s community to match ALL agencies and individuals, the 2021 campaign was grateful increased gifts to receive a special incentive grant to help boost the made during impact of ALL first-time and increased gifts made during Thanksgiving Thanksgiving week. Through GIVING week. TUESDAY, December 1, the grant will match donor increases (of any size) dollar-for-dollar. It will also match gifts made by new donors 100%.

The match will apply on gifts made to the 2021 UJFT Community Campaign. (NOTE: There are additional grants to match gifts directed to the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Community.)

A donor, for example, who increases his or her gift from say $118 to $180 will be matched dollar-for-dollar on the $62 increase. Their total impact will then be $180 + $62, or $242 to the 2021 campaign. The greater the increase, the greater the impact on the Campaign.

For more information, call Amy Zelenka, campaign director, at 757‑965‑6139. You can make a gift over the phone by calling Amy; online at Jewishva.org (click United Jewish Federation of Tidewater then “Give Now” at the top of the screen); or by writing a check to UJFT and mailing it to:

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

Attention: 2021 Campaign 5000 Corporate Woods Dr., Suite 200

Virginia Beach, VA 23462.