Last night I had the sad honor of attending a program in memory of Jeremy Barkan z”l the late husband of dear friend Lisa Barkan. Jeremy passed away after a number of heroic medical struggles leaving behind a legacy of kindness, idealism and optimism. Lisa invited Natan Sharansky to speak and it was a deeply […]
Category: Authors
“This is the only chocolate cake you will ever need to make” – Levana Kirschenbaum Speaks Truth
“This is the only chocolate cake you will ever need to make” – this is how Levana Kirschenbaum introduces her Chocolate Cake recipe in her recent cookbook The Whole foods Kosher Kitchen. I am posting this picture to show that Levana is probably correct. I made the cake (it was fun). We served it to […]
2012 National Jewish Book Award Winners Announced….
Mazel tov! The Jewish Book Council has announced the 2012 winners of the National Jewish Book Awards. Two quick comments: One – Interesting that one of kids books (When the Hurricane Came) is a self published work. What does it mean? Not sure. It is not earth shattering news but worthy of attention. I did have […]
So, Read Any Good (Jewish) Books in 2012?
As you might imagine, all year long, I am in touch with scores of people who live and breathe books. The recent end of the secular year is a convenient time marker for looking back at the last 12 months (and trust me, we will likely do it again at the end of the Jewish […]
Hush….. a book (and video) about abuse reminds us of the power & value of books
Remember a book that you read which had serious impact on how you felt about something? Well….add Hush to your list. When I asked some Jewish media thinkers & writers which books they really enjoyed reading in 2012 (this list to be postedhere soon), Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein wrote to me explaining that one of the books he read, Hush […]
Important thoughts from author Sherri Mandell…….10 ways to help Newtown’s grieving families: from a mother who knows
The Blessing of a Broken Heart (Toby Press) by Sherri Mandell is the heartbreaking story of Sherri’s life during and after the murder of her son Koby by Palestinian terrorists. The book touched thousands and continues to do so. It was a winner of the National Jewish Book Award in 2004. I had the honor of being […]