The Book of Life

The Book of Life's first-ever episode was posted in December, 2005, which means that we've been podcasting for three whole years! Here are the Chanukah episodes for 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005, so you can enjoy them all at once. Makes great background listening while you are wrapping presents or frying latkes!  

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    The Book of Life celebrates Chanukah! > Sylvia Rouss tells us about her Sammy Spider series of picture books, which began with Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah . We also hear about the upcoming Sammy Spider's First Simchat Torah, Sammy Spider's First Day at School , and an entry in Sylvia's "Littlest" series, The Littlest Maccabee . > FYI: You can now download mp3 audiobooks of The Chanukah Guest, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins , and The Magic Dreidels , read by author Eric Kimmel himself. Find them at Anansi's Store at www.ericakimmel.com . > Musician Josh Nelson (of The Josh Nelson Project ) tells us about the part he played in Craig Taubman's Lights Hanukkah concert, and about his own debut CD, Lift . Scroll down to watch a YouTube video of Josh performing L'Dor Vador during the Lights concert. And click to learn how you can get the CD of Lights , and find listings for the TV special . Note t

Way back in October 2006, The Book of Life featured an interview with Leah Larson , the teenage founder of the magazine Yaldah , which is written, edited, and published by and for Jewish girls. On September 24, 2008 , I blogged about how Leah's mother Evelyn had entered the Wells Fargo Someday Stories Contest, in hopes of winning money to support expansion of Yaldah . I encouraged you to vote for Evelyn, and it looks like many of you heeded that call. Evelyn has won the grand prize of $100,000! Mazel tov of Evelyn, Leah, and all the girls who contribute to Yaldah !

Along with hosting The Book of Life, I am now assisting the Association of Jewish Libraries with getting its own podcast up and running. Here's the press release we sent out to announce the launch of the podcast. Be sure to check out the book give-away promotion in the last paragraph! New Podcast Author talks, lectures on Jewish literature, panel discussions, and workshops are among the offerings of the newly launched Association of Jewish Libraries Podcast . Available at www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast , the program provides audio that enhances and enriches the listener's appreciation of Jewish book culture. The podcast will include material recorded at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention, as well as recordings of Jewish literary events across North America. A wide range of topics will be covered, from the academic to the hands-on, from children's literature to technology. "Jews are book lovers, and Jewish librarians even more so,"

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Are you a member of the tribe? Which tribe? What is a tribe, anyway? We explore the notion of "tribe" with several guests: > Aaron Kula is director of the Klezmer Company Orchestra , the ensemble-in-residence of the library at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. We spoke to him about the KCO's CD Beyond the Tribes . Scroll down for a video that includes music from the CD and commentary from the orchestra. > Tiffany Shlain is a documentary filmmaker , director of the Moxie Institute , and founder of the Webby Awards . We spoke to her about her short film The Tribe , which " enlists pop icon Barbie to tackle the challenging issue of Jewish identity." Scroll down to watch a trailer for The Tribe, the entire 18-minute film, or a promotional video for Tiffany's next film Connected : A Declaration of Interdependence.   > Rafael Goldchain is a professional photographer. His installation Familial Ground is

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Blog Action Day aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. On October 15, 2008, thousands of people are posting on the topic of POVERTY. The Book of Life is participating with this podcast episode, in which authors Davis and Kimmel explore themes of generosity and the tradition of tzedakah (charity). We also get an overview about Blog Action Day itself. The line-up includes: > Cyan Ta'eed, cofounder (with husband Collis) of Blog Action Day , FreelanceSwitch blogger and director of Envato > Aubrey Davis , author of Bagels from Benny (interviewed by our Canadian Correspondent Anne Dublin !) > Eric Kimmel , author of The Mysterious Guests: A Sukkot Story CREDITS: Our background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. Additional background music in this episode is courtesy of The Kle

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Meet The Book of Life's new Canadian Correspondent, author and librarian Anne Dublin ! Anne will be recording material for us in the enviably literary city of Toronto. She is the former librarian of Holy Blossom Temple, and the author of a number of children's books, including the Sydney Taylor Honor Book Bobbie Rosenfeld, the Olympian Who Could Do Everything (Second Story Press, 2004). She was interviewed about this title for The Book of Life's third-ever episode back in February of 2006. Check out Anne's website at annedublin.ca . In this episode, Anne introduces us to her Toronto writers' group as they discuss the Jewish elements of their work. The group includes: Anne Dublin Rona Arato Frieda Wishinsky Lynn Westerhout Sydell Waxman UPCOMING: Don't miss The Book of Life's Blog Action Day episode! It will be posted on October 15, 2008. CREDITS: Our background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezme

Way back in October 2006, The Book of Life featured an interview with Leah Larson , the teenage founder of the magazine Yaldah , which is written, edited, and published by and for Jewish girls. I just got an email from Leah, and this is what she said:   I wanted to share some exciting news with you. YALDAH has been chosen as one of five finalists in Wells Fargo Bank's "Someday Stories" contest. The general public is voting on their favorite story on www.wellsfargo.com/somedaystories, and on November 10th the story with the most votes will be awarded $100,000!! I'm sure you can imagine how far $100,000 will get YALDAH! We've been in first place since the contest opened, but others are catching up fast. If you could please let all your friends/family/contacts know how they can vote, that would be a huge help. Please consider supporting Leah's publishing efforts! Visit Someday Stories and vote for "Evelyn from MA" - that's Leah's

Once again this year, The Book of Life will participate in Blog Action Day. On October 15, 2008, we'll join the worldwide discussion on the topic of poverty . We'll interview the creators of Blog Action Day, as well as some Jewish authors whose books deal with themes of poverty and tzedakah (charity). If you have a blog, you can participate in Blog Action Day too! Sign up at blogactionday.org .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    This is the Book of Life's 2008 High Holidays Special! A Yiddish proverb says "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." In this episode, we lather up with books that show us how we can laugh with God! Then we get a little more serious as we have our handwriting analyzed to see what we can learn about ourselves. We meet: > Jacqueline Jules , author of the picture book Sarah Laughs , as well as other great books like Abraham's Search for God, Once Upon a Shabbos, The Hardest Word and more > Rabbi Sherre Hirsch , author of the self-help book We Plan, God Laughs: 10 Steps to Finding Your Divine Path When Life Is Not Turning Out Like You Wanted > Arlyn Imberman , graphologist and executive coach, analyzes the handwriting of these two authors as well as Book of Life Host, Heidi Estrin, to help us get into a self-reflective mode for the Jewish New Year   SURVEY: Do you prefer the regular half-hour shows that includes m

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, we talk to 2 Jews and get way more than 3 opinions! These two conversations are the last of the material recorded at Book Expo 2008 . > Kathy Bloomfield , owner of the former Jewish book fair company For Words, member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee , and Outreach Program Ambassador for the Union for Reform Judaism's Northeast Council talks about her life as a Jew by choice, and how it affects her reading. > Laurel Snyder , author of secular books for kids and adults and editor of Half / Life: Jewish Tales from Interfaith Homes , talks about growing up interfaith, raising Jewish children in an interfaith home, and about how questions of Jewish identity affect her writing. SURVEY:   Do you prefer the regular half-hour shows that includes multiple interviews? Or would you rather have shorter, single-interview episodes? Post a comment, e-mail bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com , or take the survey

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    What's new in Jewish books for adults? Follow me around the 2008 Book Expo America conference to listen in on publishers and authors talking about their new and forthcoming titles! This series includes four episodes: In Part 1 we heard about Jewish pictures books. Part 2 was about Jewish books for older kids and teens. Part 3 featured Jewish literature for adults. This final episode in the series, Part 4, is about books (for all ages) relating to the Holocaust. Part 4 also includes a non-Holocaust-related palate cleanser: an interview with the Jewish Publication Society that was accidentally left out of Part 3 (sorry, JPS!). SURVEY: Next time we'll return to our regular format of more in-depth interviews, but I do want to know YOUR preferences. Do you prefer the regular half-hour shows that includes multiple interviews? Or would you rather have shorter, single-interview episodes? Post a comment, e-mail bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com , or take the s

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    What's new in Jewish books for adults? Follow me around the 2008 Book Expo America conference to listen in on publishers and authors talking about their new and forthcoming titles! This series includes four episodes: In Part 1 we heard about Jewish pictures books. Part 2 was about Jewish books for older kids and teens. This is Part 3, and Part 4 will be about books (for all ages) relating to the Holocaust. Part 3, Jewish Books for Adults Coffee House Press Jealous Witness, Poems by Andrei Codrescu, with CD Maelstrom: Songs of Storm & Exile by the New Orleans Klezmer AllStars Harper Perennial Just Say Nu by Michael Wex Who by Fire by Diana Spechler Princeton Architectural Press I Am My Family: Photographic Memories and Fictions by Rafael Goldchain URJ Press (Union for Reform Judaism) The Torah: A Women's Commentary edited by Tamara Cohn Eskanazi and Andrea Weiss Gayla Gabriel, author Leaving with Love: Eternal Messages from the Heart

One of the hats I wear is that of reviewer for the PJ Library , a project that provides Jewish books for families with young children. I'm privileged to be on the book selection committee that determines which titles meet the project's unique goal, to introduce disconnected families to a taste of Judaism. The PJ Library's growth is having an exciting effect on the publishing industry too, by expanding the market for Jewish children's literature. I recently got ahold of a press release explaining this phenomenon, and though you all might find it interesting.   The PJ Library Creates Renaissance for Children's Book Publishing Industry SPRINGFIELD, MA, June 19, 2008 - Why are Simon & Schuster, Random House, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic and other top publishers listening intently to the opinions of a tiny group of Jewish educators? Because their decisions have directly triggered more than $1.5 million in children's book purchases in just two a

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    What's new in Jewish books for older kids and teens? Follow me around the 2008 Book Expo America conference to listen in on publishers and authors talking about their new and forthcoming titles! This series includes four episodes: In Part 1 we heard about Jewish pictures books. Part 3 will be about adult books, and Part 4 will be about books (for all ages) relating to the Holocaust. Again, thanks to all the publishers who graciously agreed to be interviewed on the spot! By the way, many of these books have not yet been published, so you may not be able to find the individual titles online. I've provided links to the publishers so you can keep an eye on until the books become available! Part 2, Jewish Books for Kids & Teens: Jewish Kidlit Blogger Barbara Bietz Annick Press The Apprentice's Masterpiece, A Story of Medieval Spain by Melanie Little Roaring Brook Press Penina Levine Is a Potato Pancake by Rebecca O'Connell Kar-Ben Publ

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    What's new in Jewish picture books? Follow me around the 2008 Book Expo America conference to listen in on publishers and authors talking about their new and forthcoming titles! I gathered so much audio that I'll be posting it over four episodes. Part 2 will be books for children and teens, Part 3 will be adult books, and Part 4 will be books (for all ages) relating to the Holocaust. Part 1, Jewish Picture Books: Tricycle Press The Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber Marshall Cavendish Cakes and Miracles by Barbara Diamond Goldin The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll The Rabbi and the 29 Witches by Marilyn Hirsh Tanglewood Press The Miracle Jar by Audrey Penn Sleeping Bear Press A is for Abraham by Richard Michelson Kar-Ben Publishing Jodie's Hanukkah Dig by Anna Levine Harvest of Light by Allison Ofanansky Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride by Deborah Bodin Cohen Sammy Spider's First Day at School by Sylvia Rouss Sarah Laughs

I am pleased to let you know about a Teleseminar on Jewish humor being taught by past Book of Life guest Rabbi Moshe Waldoks. Reb Moshe is the co-editor the The Big Book of Jewish Humor , and he was featured on our Purim episode in March, 2006. He was a hoot, and now he'll be sharing his secrets for two hours, live, on Thursday, June 12, 2008. The program is called Beyond "Laughter Through Tears": A Short History of Jewish Humor. You can participate by phone or through your computer. It'll be held twice that day, once at 1pm eastern, and again at 9pm eastern. Space is limited and registration is $20. I hope you all don't think that I'm doing a commercial here. Reb Moshe emailed me about this event and asked me to spread the word, and I obliged because it sounds really cool and because I like to support the use of technology and social media in Jewish education. And because, having interviewed him, I know he'll be a great speaker on this subject! Get more

The scene: Book Expo America in the sprawling Los Angeles Convention Center ME: Hi, I'm Heidi Estrin from the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee and The Book of Life podcast. Do you have any new Judaic titles I should know about? FRIENDLY PUBLISHING PERSON: Oh yes, let me show you this exciting book on our fall list... ME: Do you mind if I record you for my podcast while you tell me about the book? FRIENDLY PUBLISHING PERSON: Record ME???? NOW??? Wait, maybe I can get my colleague over here to do it.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's remarkable how much fear can be inspired by a tiny little handheld microphone, especially one with cute Mickey Mouse ears. But seriously, I really want to thank the many brave souls who spoke to me about their wonderful new books at BEA, and to reassure them that I will be editing the audio before I post it. Everyone sounded great in the first place, and I'll polish it up so we'll all sound even better, not to worry

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    I will be attending Book Expo America 2008 in Los Angeles, CA to record material for The Book of Life podcast and to promote the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Jewish children's literature. If YOU will be at Book Expo too, drop me a line at bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com ! (If we meet up, I'll even give you a shiny gold Sydney Taylor Book Award lapel pin! As always, background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. And also as always, The Book of Life is a production of the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel , with additional support from the Association of Jewish Libraries .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    The Book of Life celebrates Israel's 60th birthday with a musical extravaganza! > Composer Yuval Ron talks about the music he created for the Oscar-winning short film West Bank Story > Fran Manushkin discusses her book Come, Let Us Be Joyful: The Story of Hava Nagila > We learn about the 60 @ 60 concert tour with music promoter Michael Dorf , who tells us about the best in new Israeli pop music, including: Yael Naim (you know her from the MacBook Air ad ) Idan Raichel Habanot Nechama David Broza Rami Kleinstein Matisyahu Paul Shaffer John Zorn Noa CREDITS: Special thanks to Vaskez for the techno version of Hava Nagila , to John Zorn for permission to use the track "Nekashim" from the CD The Dreamers , and to Habanot Nechama for permission to use the track "So Far." Our regular background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. Books, DVD's and CD's mentioned

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮   The Book of Life takes you on a virtual trip around the world for Passover! > Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks discusses People of the Book , her fictional history of the Sarajevo Haggadah . > Basya Schechter talks about her band Pharaoh's Daughter , which mixes world music and psychedelic rock with Middle Eastern sounds. > Author Ilana Kurshan describes her compilation of translations, Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights? The Four Questions Around the World . > If you like Ilana's book, you may also like 300 Ways to Ask the Four Questions from Zulu to Abkhaz by Murray Spiegel and Rickey Stein. It comes with a CD and a DVD to demonstrate the translations!   NEWS: In our next episode we'll celebrate Israel@60! Don't miss it! CREDITS: Thanks to Dan Krimm for permission to use Ma Nishtana - The Blues Version ! Our regular background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer Str

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      > Author Amy Meltzer discusses her picture book A Mezuzah on the Door , an Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book and PJ Library selection > Author Eric Kimmel shares mezuzah memories > Author Sarah Gershman and illustrator Kristina Swarner talk about their Sydney Taylor Book Award winning picture book, The Bedtime Sh'ma: A Good Night Book . This book was also a National Jewish Book Award Finalist , and is a PJ Library selection. > Author Maggie Anton shares mezuzah memories Special background music for this episode is provided by The Bedtime Sh'ma Companion CD and by Cantor Jeff Klepper's "Mezuzah" song on the CD Shiron L'Yeladim . Our regular background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. Books and CD's mentioned on the show may be borrowed from the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    The Book of Life hosted a live, call-in show on February 7, 2008 with special guest Pamela Ehrenberg, author of Ethan, Suspended . Our discussion topic was "what makes a book Jewish?" This recording of the call-in show has been edited for clarity and sound quality, but is essentially the same show heard by those who listened live on the big day. Many of those who called in are well-known as authors or bloggers. Follow these links to learn more about the voices you hear on this episode (listed alphabetically): > Maggie Anton, author of the series Rashi's Daughters > Barbara Bietz , author of Like a Maccabee , and blogger at Barbara's Book Blog > Marie Cloutier, blogger at The Boston Bibliophile > June Cummins , Associate Professor of English & Comparative Literature at San Diego State University > Andi Davidson, past member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee > Pamela Ehrenberg , author of

The Book of Life's experimental live call-in show was held yesterday, and it was a success! A number of people called to share opinions about our featured book, Ethan, Suspended , and about what defines a Jewish book. The show was recorded, and I'm editing it now; soon it will be added to the regular podcast line-up. I apologize in advance for the sound quality. My own voice sounds kind of broken up, while other callers came through loud and clear. I may, in fact, try re-recording my own comments if I can get it to integrate with the rest of the conversation. Many of our callers were well-known figures within the Judaic literary community, so I will provide links in the show notes to lead you back to some of their special projects (blogs, books, and so on). Thanks so much to everyone who called and to everyone who listened live, and thanks again to featured guest author Pamela Ehrenberg!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    In this special "Bells & Whistles" edition of The Book of Life, host Heidi Estrin gives instructions for accessing the live Book of Life call-in show being held on Thursday, February 7, 2008, 3-4pm EST. The theme of the February 7 program is "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish" and our guest will be Pamela Ehrenberg, author of the middle-grade novel Ethan, Suspended . We'll take calls about Ethan, Suspended , and about what makes a book Jewish in general. What follows is a transcript of the podcast, for those of you who prefer written to auditory instructions: On Thursday February 7, 2008 from 3 to 4 pm eastern standard time, The Book of Life will host a live call-in show using the Talkshoe service. The show is entitled "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish." Our special guest will be Pamela Ehrenberg, author of the middle grade novel Ethan, Suspended , and our discussion topic will be what make

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This January 2008 episode offers themes of empowerment with these interviews: > Raz Godelnik, founder of Eco-Libris , planting a tree for each book you read > Chana Rothman , whose debut album We Can Rise shows off her "female-fronted earthy groove" > Linda Silver, creator of The Jewish Values Finder, a database and book identifying values in Jewish children's books > Rachel Kamin, chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, describing the 2008 winners of this award for Jewish lit for kids and teens NEWS: February 7, 2008, 3-4pm EST The Book of Life will host a live call-in show on the theme "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish!" Pam Ehrenberg , author of the middle-grade novel Ethan, Suspended , will be our guest, and we'll take calls for YOU, the audience! Please join us by calling in - instructions for particpating will appear on our web site: www.bookoflifepodcast.com CRED

The winners of the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Awards for the best in Jewish literature for children and teens have just been announced! Rachel Kamin, award committee chair, will be our guest on the January episode of The Book of Life. While you are waiting for that interview, please enjoy this video announcement of the awards! More info at www.SydneyTaylorBookAwards.org or www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.blogspot.com .