Library
Read in the library, or borrow to take home, any of the hundreds of books in our Library.
The library, consisting almost entirely of Jewish books, is located on the Sanctuary level opposite the lounge. The entry room contains the adult biography, fiction, and the bulk of the non fiction. The connecting Reading Room houses the children's books from preschool picture books through high school, both fiction and non fiction. This room also holds the rest of the adult non fiction, reference, and music collection. The library is a good resource for anything to do with Judaism and its relationship to the world around us. The card catalog in the Reading Room lists books by author, title, and subject matter. The library is open whenever the Temple is open and operates on the honor system. On top of the card catalog are directions for borrowing materials. The library is maintained by Temple volunteers and is supported by contributions.
For questions or requests please contact Florence Goldberg and/or Elsa Weinstein.
Special Subjects Section
Our Temple library has a special subjects section containing books on various sensitive topics. The Bereavement section has books for adults on various aspects of death ranging from practical to the most sensitive. There are also books on this subject for children and teens. These cover the loss of a parent, grandparent, relative and friend.
Most of the other books in the special subjects section are geared to children and teens. They cover such topics as adoption, ethics and serious situations such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, accidents and their aftermath.
These books are located in the reading room near the music shelf and are circulating. Please stop in and see what we have to help guide you through difficult times.
Reviews of Some of the Library's Newer Books
By Florence Goldberg
The Genizah at the House of Shepher, by Tamar Yellin. This fascinating novel appears to be more than slightly autobiographical. Visiting her grandparents' home in Jerusalem after many years absence, this biblical scholar, Shulamit, becomes embroiled in a family feud over a so called Shepher Codex. The Codex is said to have been consulted by Maimonides when he was writing his Mishnah Torah. The mystery behind this Codex, desired by many scholars, forms the basis for this exciting novel.
Omaha Blues Joseph Llelyveld, the longtime New York Times correspondent and columnist, has written this memoir of his early years. As the son of Rabbi Arthur Llelyveld, he met and interacted with many important people both in Judaism and the American government during his formative years. The author attempts to interpret his personal feelings and remembrances with historical information now available. He finds that the dichotomy between his early feelings and historical reality are difficult to balance. The conflict that he describes is challenging not only to the author but also to the reader.
In Stars of David, Abigail Pogrebin has asked 62 prominent Jews from many fields of endeavor to talk about how they feel about being Jewish. They come from different backgrounds and levels of observance, but all feel connected to their Judaism in some way. Some of the topics covered are their present relationship with religion, encounters with anti-Semitism, intermarriage, social issues and feelings about Israel. Among the people Pogrebin interviewed are Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Mark Spitz, Mike Nichols and Alan Dershowitz.
Striking Back by Aaron J. Klein. During the 1972 Olympics, Palestinian members of the Black September group murdered 11 Israeli athletes as the world watched the crisis unfold on their television screens. Klein, who is Time magazine's military and intelligence affairs correspondent in their Jerusalem bureau, had access to key players who had never before spoken, members of Mossad and those with knowledge of Israeli intelligence. Utilizing these sources he is able to give a complete picture of the massacre and Israel's thirty year long campaign to track down the killers.
Batya Gur is credited with making the detective novel a flourishing genre in Israel. In her last novel, Bethlehem Road Murder, the body of a woman is discovered in the attic of a house in a Jerusalem neighborhood known for its impenetrability to outsiders. As
Chief Superintendent Michael Ohayon searches for the killer the reader is exposed to many of the tensions that beset the neighborhood and also Israel – the relations between the Ashkenazim and the Mizrahim, the second intifada and the hostility between Jews and Arabs.
Books for Older Children
The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela by Uri Shulevitz. In 1159, more than 100 years before Marco Polo, a Jew, Benjamin from Tudela in northern Spain, wanting to see Jerusalem and other places mentioned in the Bible, undertook a journey to the Middle East that would last 14 years. Read about his adventures, with long journeys by ship, animal and on foot, and tales of pirates and robbers; the places he visited -- Rome, Constantinople, Baghdad and Egypt; and some of the wonderful stories he heard. Shulevitz's imaginative and colorful illustrations add another dimension to this story that is based on Benjamin's actual writings.
In the Promised Land by Doreen Rappaport tells of the importance to our history of 13 Jewish Americans by describing one of the defining moments in each of their lives. We see how as a young nurse Lillian Wald learned of the deplorable conditions immigrant Jews were living under, the discrimination Ruth Bader Ginsburg faced as a young woman, and how Steven Spielberg's childhood informed some of the movies he has made.
B'Nei Mitzvah Recommended Reading
Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah
By Jeffrey Salkin
Salkin addresses this important Jewish life cycle occasion; illuminates the meaning of the bar mitzvah ritual; and explains its significance as a link in the unbroken chain of Jewish tradition as well as a rite of passage.
For Kids--Putting God on Your Guest List: How to Claim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah
By Jeffrey Salkin
A companion book for the one above, just for the kids.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Basics: A Practical Family Guide to Coming of Age Together
By Helen Leneman
A practical guide that gives parents and teens the "how-to" information they need to navigate the bar/bat mitzvah process and grow as a family through this experience.
Make Your Own Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Personal Approach to Creating a Meaningful Rite of Passage
By Rabbi Goldie Milgram
Promises to transform parents from "taskmasters to team members supporting an exciting and motivated student" preparing for bar or bat mitzvah.
Whose Bar/Bat Mitzvah Is This, Anyway?: A Guide for Parents Through a Family Rite of Passage
By Judith Davis
The psychological and developmental issues of the bar/bat mitzvah year. Dr. Davis shows you what you can do to create magic and meaning for the whole family.
Library News
Book reviews, etc. Content provided by the URJ.
