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Literary awakening: Book Fest at JCC promotes awareness of Jewish culture through literature
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Jewish authors and writers whose books highlight themes of universal appeal will take part in the 2024-2025 Book Fest & Author Series at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque.
The event, which takes place from Sunday, Sept. 8, through June 1, 2025, will feature 10 authors whose works range from fiction, memoir, religion, cuisine and history, at the JCC, 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE.
Literary awakening: Book Fest at JCC promotes awareness of Jewish culture through literature
鈥淲e really do try to appeal to a wide audience and our goal is to present authors and books that encourage learning and community conversation,鈥� said Phyllis Wolf, chief programs officer at the JCC. 鈥淲e hope to promote reading, writing and awareness of Jewish culture through books of all genres and offer a variety of rich and stimulating in-person programs with wide appeal.鈥�
Wolf said there are two factors for authors to make the JCC鈥檚 cut for its book festival.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e got to have a really good, well written, engaging book, and they also have to be exciting speakers,鈥� she explained. 鈥溾�� We鈥檙e looking for both of those (things) and that鈥檚 how we pick who we invite to Albuquerque, who we feel will resonate and entertain, inform and engage audiences.鈥�
She added, though the authors tend to be Jewish, they鈥檙e not always Jewish, but their works provide insights about an aspect of being Jewish, which is part of the JCC鈥檚 mission to educate and invite the community to learn about the Jewish experience.
Wolf said the decision was made to expand the book festival and not squeeze it into a three-week period as other festivals tend to do.
鈥淲e鈥檝e heard feedback and we know for ourselves that it鈥檚 hard for people to come to six events in three weeks,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 the kind of a thing where there is one event a month, 鈥榊eah, I can do that.鈥� 鈥�
Season passes will be available for access to the 10 author events for $125 and will include the Oct. 23 luncheon.
鈥淚f folks do get a season pass, we are recording all of the events,鈥� Wolf explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e videoing them and anybody who has a ticket will have access to that, whether they鈥檝e attended the event or not. That鈥檚 kind of a plus, I think.鈥�
The festival kicks off with Benyamin Cohen and his presentation 鈥淭he Einstein Effect: How the World鈥檚 Favorite Genius Got Into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds鈥� at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8.
鈥淏enyamin Cohen, he鈥檚 an engaging and humorous and extremely knowledgeable journalist,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 also written for the HuffPost, the Daily Beast, the Washington Post, Slate, and so he鈥檚 a very established journalist and writer.
Cohen is the news director of a publication called 鈥淭he Forward,鈥� which features news that matters to American Jews. The publication has been around since 1897.
Cohen also manages the official social media accounts of Albert Einstein.
鈥淚鈥檓 assuming that鈥檚 kind of a labor of love,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淗e (has) 20 million followers. (That is) more than most living celebrities ... So this one person who鈥檚 kind of still a celebrity decades after his death, has one of the world鈥檚 most recognizable faces, and what he seeks to do, and I think does very well in this book, is examine the influence that Einstein鈥檚 research and theories still have on our everyday lives today, for example, GPS, remote controls, weather forecasts, scientific discoveries that continue to shape so much of what we have in our world now.鈥�
Wolf said Cohen went on a global quest to unearth Einstein鈥檚 ongoing relevance today. Cohen met and describes in his book scientists and celebrities, including Mandy Patinkin, who is quoted as saying, 鈥淚鈥檝e tried to read other books about Einstein, but I never finished them. Benyamin has a tremendous sense of humor and he displays it in the telling of our universal connection to one of the greatest gifts to humanity, Albert Einstein, I promise, if you pick this book up, you鈥檒l never want to put it down.鈥�
Next month, Moshe Basson will discuss his work, 鈥淭he Eucalyptus Cookbook,鈥� during a luncheon at 11 a.m., on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
鈥�(He) is a renowned Israeli chef who鈥檒l present his unique story about the Eucalyptus Restaurant in Jerusalem,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淚t is a gorgeous cookbook. The luncheon will include recipes from the cookbook.鈥�
In 2025, author R. Derek Black, opens the year with their presentation, 鈥淭he Klansman鈥檚 Son: My Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism鈥� at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12.
鈥�(Black) is somebody that went from the Deep South, from a completely white nationalist, racist background to basically transforming (themself) and becoming a humanist, and (they鈥檙e) also (transgender),鈥� Wolf said of Black.
She added, Black鈥檚 book is an astonishing memoir of a childhood built on fear, of breaking from a community of hate.
鈥淔ew understand the ideology, motivations, or tactics of the white nationalist movement like Derek, and even fewer have ever made so profound a change to becoming antiracist,鈥� Wolf said.
Another notable author, Lauren Grodstein, will discuss her World War II novel, 鈥淲e Must Not Think is Ourselves,鈥� at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 9. The novel was one of Jenna Bush Hager鈥檚 鈥淩ead with Jenna鈥� picks on NBC鈥檚 鈥淭oday with Hoda & Jenna.鈥�
鈥淭he goals of the Book Fest are to present authors and books that encourage learning and community conversation,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淭o promote reading, writing and awareness of Jewish culture through books of all genres and to offer a variety of rich and stimulating in-person author programs with wide appeal.鈥�
