The Book of Life

WJEW is an online radio station broadcasting live out of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The station is run by the students of Temple Israel and overseen by Cantor Michael Smolash. As the description on their broadcast page says, they play "the best new Jewish music, along with interviews with some of the most influential Jews in the world." WJEW will be broadcasting various interviews from The Book of Life's past podcasts. During their "talk hour" 8:00-9:00 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2007 they will be playing The Book of Life's interview with Steve Brodsky of Mah Tovu about the song "Pharoah Pharoah." The segment originally appeared in The Book of Life's April 2006 episode .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, we celebrate the holiday of Passover. We'll hear from: > dave horowitz (yes, he spells it lower case), speaking about his picture book Five Little Gefiltes (Putnam, 2007). The "Five Little Ducks" recording you'll hear on the show was provided by I CAN , a UK charity that supports children's communication. Please help them help more kids by adding your favorite (or "favourite") word to their Wall of Words. I added "gefilte." > Tami Lehman-Wilzig on her children's book Passover Around the World (Kar-Ben, 2007). > Sean Altman of the band Jewmongous about the song "They Tried to Kill Us (We Survived, Let's Eat)," written with Rob Tannenbaum (now of Good for the Jews ) during their tenure in the band What I Like About Jew .   FYI: W hile most materials discussed on The Book of Life are...

I will be attending the 3rd Annual Podcast and New Media Expo in Ontario, California (note - California, not Canada), September 28-30, 2007. Check it out at www.NewMediaExpo.com , and let me know if you'll be there too!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, we celebrate the holiday of Purim with jokes and interviews! We'll hear about: > The classic Purim picture book Queen Esther Saves Her People , by Rita Golden Gelman with illustrations by Frane Lessac . > Two recent Purim-related major motion pictures, One Night with the King and For Your Consideration , reviewed for us by film critic Kathryn Bernheimer, author of The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best. > Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People , a crazy comedy book by Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, based on the hit play Jewtopia.   FYI: while most materials discussed on The Book of Life are family-friendly, this book has some sections that are strictly for adults! > Jewish jokes submitted by listeners Pete Pollock, Nina Black, and Maureen Reister. Mazel tov to Nina,...

We love to know where The Book of Life is being heard, so please take a moment and click here to add yourself to our new listener map , provided by Frappr.

The Book of Life makes a guest appearance on Just One More Book , a fun podcast "about the children's books we love and why we love them." Check out Heidi's review of Hanukkah at Valley Forge , and take some time to listen to their other reviews and author interviews. Thanks to hosts Andrea & Mark for including us!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, we kick off the new year with new books and new music. We'll hear about: > The 2007 Sydney Taylor Book Awards for Jewish children's literature, presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries. We'll speak to awards chair Rachel Kamin, as she announces the winners at the Association's Midwinter Meeting. Many of the winning authors have been previously interviewed on The Book of Life; click below to find those interviews: 2007 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD: YOUNGER READERS CATEGORY Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky & Greg Harlin - December 2006 show 2007 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD: OLDER READERS CATEGORY Julia's Kitchen by Brenda Ferber - September 2006 show 2007 SYDNEY TAYLOR HONOR AWARD: OLDER READERS CATEGORY Vive la Paris by Esme Raji Codell - November 2006 show 2007 AJL TEEN BOOK AWARD (this is a new award, as ...

Howdy, Book of Life Listeners!  We are planning ahead for our Purim episode, and we need your help. In the spirit of Purim, the episode will focus on humor. WE WANT YOUR JEWISH JOKES! Some of the jokes submitted will appear on the show, and the very best jokester will receive a copy of Jewtopia, The Chosen Book for the Chosen People by Bryan Fogel & Sam Wolfson (yes, the same guys who created the hit play by the same name).  Sumbit your joke (clean jokes only, please!) by email to heidi@cbiboca.org . Even better, if your computer has a microphone you can tell us your joke out loud using MyChingo - just click on the MyChingo button on The Book of Life web page at www.jewishbooks.blogspot.com . It only allows 2 minute recordings, so be quick... or call back and tell your joke in segments if you need to. Can't wait to hear your jokes! Happy New Year!

December, 2006 For immediate release MEDIA RELEASE “THE BOOK OF LIFE” CELEBRATES ONE YEAR OF JEWISH PODCASTING The Book of Life, a monthly podcast about Jewish books and music, celebrates a year of successful podcasting this December. The first episode of the audio program was posted in December, 2005. This “Internet radio show” features interviews with authors and illustrators of Judaic books, and musicians who have produced Judaic recordings. “As a librarian, my purpose is to promote books and CD’s that people can borrow from libraries,” says podcast producer and host Heidi Estrin, who directs the Feldman Library at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida. “I am especially excited about the wonderful Jewish books being published these days for children and teens, and that is a major focus of the show. I hope that hearing the ‘backstory’ will get readers involved!” The Book of Life has received notice from other literary web pages, including PlanetEsme and Cynsat...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    Congratulations to Jason Gaines , winner of The Book of Life holiday book drawing! An autographed copy of Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes and Dreidels is on the way! Listen to an interview with the author in this month's podcast. SHOW NOTES: This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates the holiday of Hanukkah. We'll hear from: > Stephen Krensky and Greg Harlin , author and illustrator of Hanukkah at Valley Forge , a historical picture book about George Washington's encounter with a Jewish soldier > Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie's daughter and director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, about the new Klezmatics CD Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah . > Deborah Heiligman , author of the new nonfiction picture book Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes and Dreidels

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This brief "addendum" to The Book of Life offers timely information about a new book list of Hanukkah stories for children. The Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries has created the list Great Hanukkah Books for Kids , a recommended reading-and-shopping list for families, teachers, and librarians. The list has space at the bottom of the front page for libraries or booksellers to add local information, turning the list into a promotional tool for you!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    HOLIDAY BOOK DRAWING: Use this form to enter our drawing! and you may win an autographed copy of the nonfiction picture book, Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes, and Dreidels by Deborah Heiligman, new from National Geographic! Illustrated with beautiful multicultural photographs, the book makes a great gift or a keepsake for yourself. Tune in to The Book of Life in December to hear an interview with the author. You'll be asked to answer a few simple questions, including the name of your favorite Hanukkah book. Deadline for entry is Sunday, November 26, 2006 -- the end of Thanksgiving weekend.   This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates Jewish Book Month. We'll hear from: > Howard Schwartz , author of Before You Were Born , winner of the 2006 Koret International Book Award > Carolyn Starman Hessel, Director of the Jewish Book Council , on the ...

JBooks.com, The Online Jewish Book Community, has teamed up with The Book of Life, a popular podcast about “Jewish People and the Books We Read.” This monthly audio program features interviews with Jewish authors and musicians. The podcasts are moderated by Heidi Estrin, the Library Director at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida, and President of the South Florida Chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Much of the material featured on the podcasts is for kids and teens, but adult materials are sometimes included in the mix. The program showcases Jewish books, music and occasionally a web site or a movie. Each episode lasts for approximately 15-20 minutes. Estrin is the past chair of the Association of Jewish Libraries’ Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee and serves on the Book Selection Committee for the PJ Library, a project of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. She created The Book of Life in December of 2005. "I've been a JBooks.com reader for year...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, explores Jewish continuity. We'll hear from: ~ Alice Hoffman , best-selling author, about her new teen historical novel, Incantation ~ Abigail Pogrebin about her new book Stars of David , in which she interviews famous American Jews on their feelings about being Jewish ~ Steve Singer, founder of the contemporary Jewish a capella group LISTEN UP! ~ Leah Larson, the 15-year-old creator of the Jewish girls' magazine Yaldah

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates new beginnings. We'll hear from: Rahel Musleah , author of Apples and Pomegranates, a Family Seder for Rosh Hashanah and creator of the CD Hodu . Ken Gordon, editor of Jbooks.com , where The Book of Life will soon be broadcast. Brenda Ferber , first time author and winner of the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award for Julia's Kitchen . We also celebrate our new sponsorship from the Association of Jewish Libraries , which promotes Jewish reading by supporting Judaic libraries and librarians.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates the power of storytelling. We'll hear from: Simms Taback , author/illustrator of the beloved classic Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and the new sensation Kibitzers and Fools   Karen Golden , storyteller, about her CD's Tales & Scales and Pass It On   Sharon Elswit, librarian at Rodeph Sholom and author of the award-winning Jewish Story Finder Gali Cooks, director of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation's literacy project, The PJ Library

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    Thanks to everyone who participated in The Book of Life survey, and mazel tov to Miriam Intrator, winner of the drawing for a gift certificate to Powell's City of Books. Although the prize has been won, YOU can still do a mitzvah by providing us with feedback! Fill out the survey now! This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates Jewish life in America.   In this episode, we hear from: Linda Glaser and Phil Myzel, author and subject of the historical novel Bridge to America . CBI Music Director Susan Shane-Linder , reviewing the CD American Jewish Summer : Songs of the Jewish Youth Camping Movement. Susan Goldman Rubin , author of L'Chaim! To Jewish Life in America! "Super-Librarian" Nancy Pearl, whose book recommendations are featured in her Book Lust series, on her website , her podcast , and her TV show , and who is the only librarian to have her ow...

Cover Story: Wired for Words: Shul librarian creates Jewish book podcast Shalom Today , a marketing publication of the Sun-Sentinel , June 1, 2006 The Book of Life Podcast Brings Jewish literature, culture to youngsters by Michael W. Sasser, special to Shalom Today Congregation B'nai Israel librarian Heidi Estrin was exploring means to expand the library's audio-visual components, and ways to market the offerings, when she began to consider a technology that was in its fledgling days. "I knew about podcasts, and it occurred to me that might be a terrific way to reach people with audio content," Estrin said. "The initial idea was to promote new library products, but it grew. Still, it grew out of the library itself." Thus was launched "The Book of Life," a show about "Jewish people and the books we read." The podcast first appeared in late 2005, and there have been new monthly editions available since. A podcast is an Internet-...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates summer reading with an armchair trip around the world. Be sure to take the Book of Life Survey ! Help us out with feedback, and be entered into a drawing for an electronic gift certificate for Powells City of Books! (Must complete survey by June 30, 2006 to be entered into the drawing.) In this episode, we hear from: Holly-Jane Rahlens in Germany, author of Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me   Abigail Yasgur, Director of the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles' Summer Reading Club Jacob Edgar, ethnomusicologist for Putumayo and founder of Cumbancha , about Jewish recording artists and the CD, A Jewish Odyssey   Pnina Moed Kass of Israel, author of Real Time Sheryl Stahl, librarian at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles, and host for the Association of Jewish Libraries 2006 Convention Blog

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates Get Caught Reading Month, a campaign of the Association of American Publishers . Here's who we'll catch reading: Author Markus Zusak on his amazing new novel, The Book Thief Dianne Hess, executive editor at Scholastic , about Jewish books she has published Aley Sheer, musician and educator, on his new CD Sheer , based on Torah texts Mitchell Kaplan, owner of the independent bookstore Books & Books , a founder of Miami Book Fair International , and President of the American Booksellers Association which co-sponsors the upcoming convention Book Expo America along with the Association of American Publishers This month we debut our literary guessing game Jews' Clues ! See if you can guess the answer!