The Mitzvah of Voting: An Edited Encore Presentation

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    🕮    Four years ago in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I ran a 3-part series called The Mitzvah of Voting. Here we are in 2024 in a presidential election year again and defending our democracy is more important than ever! Here's an edited encore presentation of that 2020 podcast, with all three parts combined and streamlined. You'll hear inspiring words and calls to action from some of your favorite authors, recorded in 2020 but as relevant as ever. We cap it off with Sarah Aroeste's Ladino song "Gracia" (English lyrics below), a tribute to the medieval Sephardic heroine, Doña Gracia Nasi who lived in the 1500's and saved hundreds of Jews from the Inquisition. The theme of the song is that activists of the past inspire us to activism in our own time. I hope you will be inspired to VOTE!

RESOURCES SUGGESTED BY GUESTS:

• Hold the Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy
• T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
• Jews for Racial and Economic Justice 
• The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
• VoteRiders.org  
• Become a poll worker
• Add your Representative and Senators to your cell phone and call regularly on issues you care about
• Confirm your voter registration at Vote.org
• The Matthew Shepard Foundation
• Reclaim Our Vote
• Doña Gracia Nasi

GUESTS INCLUDE:

• Marjorie Ingall, author of Mamaleh Knows Best and Getting to Sorry
  
• Linda Epstein, author of Repairing the World
• Jeff Gottesfeld, author of No Steps Behind, The Christmas Mitzvah, and Food for Hope
  
• Leslie Kimmelman, author of The Eight Knights of Hanukkah, Eight Nights of Lights, and Eve and Adam and Their Very First Day
  
• Susan Kusel, author of The Passover Guest
• Tziporah Cohen, author of No Vacancy and Afikomen
  
• Elissa Brent Weissman, author of The Length of a String, The Renegade Reporters, and Hanukkah Upside Down
  
• Lee Wind, author of Queer as a $5 Bill, No Way, They Were Gay?, The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie, and Red and Green and Blue and White
  
• Barbara Bietz, author of Sweet Tamales for Purim, Apples Apples All Year Round, and Challah Challah for You and Me
  
• Jane Breskin Zalben, author of A Moon for Moe and Mo, Beni's Tiny Tales, and Gingerbread Dreidels
  
• Jacqueline Jules, author of The Generous Fish, Never Say a Mean Word Again, The Hardest Word and Moses and the Runaway Lamb
  
• Anne-Marie Asner, author of the Matzah Ball Books series
• Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted and A Ceiling Made of Eggshells
• Lesléa Newman, author of Gittel's Journey, Welcoming Elijah, and Joyful Song
  
• Evan Wolkenstein, author of Turtle Boy
• Sue Macy, author of The Book Rescuer
• Sarah Aroeste, author of Buen Shabat, Shabbat Shalom and Mazal Bueno, and singer/songwriter of Gracia

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF GRACIA: 

You give us grace
You give us life
You give us promise
You give us bravery
You give us strength
You give us defiance

You give us command
You give us voice
You give us inspiration
You give us esteem
You give us value
You give us admiration

Chorus:
Because of you we have the
Honor, fight, effect;
Because of you we stand with
Power, height, respect

Some have the deeds, some have the fame–
You have both and the same.

CREDITS:

• Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
• Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries
• Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books
• Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
• Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens
• Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
• Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast
  
• Twitter: @bookoflifepod
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Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.