Jewish Book Council

1 week ago | jewishbookcouncil.org | Simona Zaretsky

Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible is a bold, new collection of twenty-three writers’ responses to biblical stories. Through fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, these invigorating pieces invite readers to reconsider and reflect on storytelling itself. JBC spoke with the editors of the volume, Sara Lippmann and Seth Rogoff, on the origin story of the project, the similar themes that emerged across pieces, the the power of retelling, and more.

2 weeks ago | jewishbookcouncil.org | Shirley Russak Wachtel

At the heart of Shirley Russak Wachtel’s new novel, The Baker of Lost Memories, is Lena, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, who grows up in the shadow of both her parents’ trauma and the absence of her murdered sister, Ruby. As the story unfolds, Wachtel weaves together themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, culminating in a surprising and emotionally satisfying conclusion. Lena’s childhood is shaped both by her parents’ resilience and their emotional distance.

2 weeks ago | jewishbookcouncil.org | Daniel Taub

As a former ambassador and peace negotiator, Daniel Taub is no stranger to hard conversations. Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish Art of Constructive Disagreement is the culmination of his many years of practice. In it, Taub lays out a pathway out of today’s divisive, intractable political logjam and toward compromise, dialogue, and acceptance. In his introduction, Taub explains that most people have two approaches to conflict, flight or fight.

2 weeks ago | jewishbookcouncil.org | Jaime Herndon

Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, my Jewish day school and synagogue were Conservative, but not egalitarian. At the time, this meant that I was mostly not allowed to be on the bimah for any religious ceremonies except for my bat mitzvah. It was simply a given that girls didn’t read the Torah at their bat mitzvah (every girl in my class had a Sunday bat mitzvah and chanted haftarah instead).

3 weeks ago | jewishbookcouncil.org | Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Libraries are repositories of knowledge, havens for scholars, promoters of literacy. In Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Selina Alko’s picture book, the role of these institutions is even more fundamental. They are keepers of stories, essential to the communities that they serve. In 1966, a fire destroyed many of the books in the library of New York City’s Jewish Theological Seminary.