Mandel JCC to Host Several Fascinating Literary Events in December

Ellen Wedner, Vice President of Arts & Culture at Mandel JCC, today invited book buffs to several literary events next month at which authors will discuss his/her work and respond to comments and questions from the audience.

For more information or to register for any of the following book events, please go to: www.JCCOnline.com/bookfestival.

Saturday, December 3

Boynton Beach Jewish Book Fair:

A Day Long Celebration of Books

At the Mandel JCC at 8500 Jog Road in Boynton Beach

** 10:30 am

Book: THE BOOK OF SEPARATION

Author: Tova Mirvis

Synopsis:

This is a memoir of a woman who leaves her faith and her marriage, and sets out to navigate the terrifying, liberating terrain of a newly mapless world. "Tova Mirvis has already established herself as a first-rate novelist with The Ladies Auxiliary, The Outside World, and Visible City. With The Book of Separation: A Memoir, Mirvis shifts genres, reveals some of the autobiographical germs of her fiction ... Beautiful and poignant," praises Lilith Magazine. "We've all daydreamed about walking away from it all. Mirvis actually did, after years of soldiering through a good-enough life. This is the moving story of her life, post-divorce and post-Orthodox Judaism. She's an inspiring example of living and loving, on your own terms," hails Glamour.

** 10:30 am

Book: THE TRIAL OF ADOLF HITLER: The Beer Hall Putsch and the Rise of Germany

Author: David King

Synopsis:

This is the never-before-told story of the scandalous courtroom drama that paved the way for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Based on trial transcripts, police files, and many other new sources, including some 500 documents recently discovered from the Landsberg Prison record office, The Trial of Adolf Hitler is a gripping true story of crime and punishment, and a haunting failure of justice with catastrophic consequences. According to The Wall Street Journal, this gripping book "provides a textbook example of how a determined demagogue can turn defeat into victory. It is also a disturbing portrait of how an advanced country can descend into chaos and of the human cost that this chaos entails."

** Noon / Keynote Lunch

Book: THE TRUST

Author: Ronald Balson

Synopsis:

When his uncle dies, Liam Taggart reluctantly returns to his childhood home in Northern Ireland for the funeral. When he arrives, Liam learns that not only was his uncle shot to death, but that he'd anticipated his own murder: In an astonishing last will and testament, Uncle Fergus has left his entire estate to a secret trust, directing that no distributions be made to any person until the killer is found. Ronald H. Balson is a Chicago trial attorney, an educator, and writer. His practice has taken him to several international venues. He is also the author of Karolina's Twins, Saving Sophie, and the international bestseller Once We Were Brothers.

** 2 pm

Book: THE SATURDAY EVENING GIRLS CLUB

Author: Jane Healey

Synopsis: For four young immigrant women living in Boston's North End in the early 1900s, escaping tradition doesn't come easy. But at least they have one another and the Saturday Evening Girls Club. The club is a social pottery-making group offering respite from their hectic home lives, and hope for a better future. "From the first word to the last, this un-put-downable novel celebrates the art of overcoming oppression and cultural prejudice, and embracing the strength found in female friendships ... (and) is mandatory reading material for every feminist," according to Ms. Career Girl.

** 2 pm

Book: MANAGING BUBBIE

Author: Russel Lazega

Synopsis:

Her devoted family only wants the best for their Bubbie. Mostly they want to ensure that their matriarch's twilight years are spent in comfort, safety, and serenity. But how do you manage an aging, immutably stubborn Holocaust survivor who has risen above the squalor of Poland's ghettos; fled across the war-torn German wilderness; and survived the winter-ravaged Pyrenees alone on foot with three children? You probably don't. Feathered Quill Book Review calls this book an "emotional, hysterical and a downright must-read. In a world that only allows 5 stars, Bubbie deserves a million. Oy!"

** 2 pm

Book: GET OUT OF YOU OWN WAY GUIDE TO LIFE: 10 Tips to Shift Gears, Dream Big, Do It Now

Author: Justin Loeber

Synopsis: Dream big: Do you want to be known as a tremendous talent...or a lazy, unfocused slacker? Whether you're a Millennial yearning to join corporate America, a Boomer ready for reinvention, a closeted LGBTQ+ testing the gender pool or even a nerd nauseated with perfection, this book is an in-your-face, funny, no-nonsense, socio-business, coming-of-ageless handbook for anyone who is yearning for true, inner-personal success.

** 3:15 pm

Book: KASPER MUTZENMACHER'S CURSED HAT

Author: Keith Fentonmiller

Synopsis: The Mützenmacher family has been cursed to sell hats ever since their Greek ancestor stole Hermes' teleportation hat in the fourth century. Kasper, however, doesn't mind making hats, and he loves Berlin's cabaret scene even more. But his carefree life comes to a screeching halt when he must use the wishing hat to rescue his flapper girlfriend from the shadowy Klaus, a veil-wearing Nazi. Kasper dismisses the growing Nazi threat until the government reclassifies him as a Jew in 1938. His plan to emigrate unravels when anti-Jewish riots erupt and the Nazis start loading Jews on boxcars. Kasper, however, will face his most difficult battle in America. He must convince his wayward son and indifferent grandson to break the curse that has trapped the family in the hat business for sixteen centuries. Their lives will depend on it.

** 3:15 pm

Book: BRONX HEART, JERUSALEM SOUL

Author: Raya Sue Harris

Synopsis: Bronx native Tyra Miller grows up feeling inadequate, watching her domineering sister, Jessie, endure the pain of a disfiguring condition and a grueling regime of physical therapy. Tyra discovers acts of courage by her devoted Jewish family, leaving her wondering if she'd be capable of making similar sacrifices. Her guilt propels her on an academic journey to Israel where she falls in love with the country's rich ancient history, modern development, and people. This story of one young woman's search for her identity immerses the reader in an adventurous, heartbreaking, dangerous, and inspirational journey through life in all its multifaceted complexity.

** 3:15 pm

Book: WHEN THE HEAVENS KISS THE EARTH: Mystical Insights for Personal Growth

Author: Rabbi David Karmi Ingber

Synopsis: This book is life in an entertaining and user-friendly way. The purpose of life, fate, destiny, free-will and a grand plan, the spiritual universes, body and soul, and more, are explained from the perspective of the great Kabbalists, elucidated with analogies, metaphors and stories that open us up to the profundity of these topics. At the end of each chapter, Rabbi Ingber brings theory into action with exercises and practical applications to transform these life enhancing ideas into daily reality.

Note: For each time block (except the Keynote Lunch), choose one and enjoy the presentation.

Cost to Attend:

+ $40 JCC and Literary Society Members, $50 Guests for choice of three authors & the Keynote Lunch (Note: Includes a discount on all presenting author books.)

+ $27 JCC and Literary Society Members, $33 Guests for choice of three authors

+ $18 JCC and Literary Society Members, $21 Guests for Keynote Lunch

+ $10 JCC and Literary Society Members, $12 Guests for individual ticket per author presentation

Partners to the Boynton Beach Jewish Book Fair include the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.

Tuesday, December 5

Celebrating Sisterhood

At Temple Emanu-El, 190 N. County Road in Palm Beach

** 10 am

Book: MY JEWISH YEAR: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew

Author: Abigail Pogrebin

Synopsis: Although she grew up following some holiday rituals, Pogrebin realized how little she knew about their foundational purpose and current relevance. She wanted to understand what had kept these holidays alive and vibrant, in some cases for thousands of years. Her curiosity led her to embark on an entire year of intensive research, observation, and writing about the milestones on the Jewish calendar. According to Forward Reviews, "My Jewish Year is an amusing, intelligent, and often incandescent approach to modern religious practice.... [Pogrebin's] desire to connect more meaningfully to an ancient and learned tradition is infectious...My Jewish Year is an invaluable text, both for learning about Jewish holidays and for understanding how contemporary people work to find personal meaning in inherited traditions."

Cost to Attend:

+ $38 for Members of the Temple; Author & Reader Literary Society and JCC Members, $44 for Guests

Partners to Celebrating Sisterhood include Temple Beth Am, Temple Beth David, Temple Beth El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Israel, Temple Judea and Helen Bix, Vivian Lemelman, Vivienne Felberman-Ivry and Marilyn Mintzer.

About the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches:

The Mandel JCC has two locations in Palm Beach County. The Boynton Beach building is at 8500 Jog Road and the Palm Beach Gardens building is at 5221 Hood Road. For more information about the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches, visit www.jcconline.com.

The mission of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches is to build community and enhance connection to Jewish life. The Mandel JCC is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

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