Museum of Jewish Heritage to host its first-ever New York Jewish Book Festival
© John Halpern Courtesy of the Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is hosting its first-ever New York Jewish Book Festival this weekend. Kicking off on Sunday, December 11 at 10 a.m., the full-day event will feature talks, panels, author signings, and other programs that explore themes of Jewish heritage, culture, history, and more. The festival is free to attend and will be held at the museum’s location at 36 Battery Place in Battery Park City.
Other themes that the festival will reflect on include modern life, literature, food and cookbooks, books and activities for kids and families, and the Holocaust.
The museum kicked off the festival on Thursday with the screening of Fleishman Is in Trouble, a new FX miniseries streaming on Hulu. After the screening, guests took part in a conversation with Taffy Brodesser-Akner, the creator, writer, and director of the show, and A.O. Scott, a film critic at The New York Times.
Keynote events at the festival include talks with author Maira Kalman on her new book Women Holding Things, Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends, and a conversation with Michael Twitty, a Southern Jewish television personality, blogger, and author of Kosher Soul.
The festival will also feature panels with renowned photographers Martin Schoeller, B.A. Van Sise and Jonathan Alpeyrie, who will discuss their work in photographing Holocaust survivors, a new biography about Edmon J. Safra, after whom the museum’s theater is named, and a conversation with Sloane Crosley, Isabel Kaplan, and Stephanie Butnick.
“Literature shapes us as a people, our history, our faith, our culture, and our future,” Bruce Ratner, Chair of the Board at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, said. “The New York Jewish Book Festival will be an opportunity to both celebrate and educate about the Jewish experience.”
There will be a variety of events for children and their families, including an interactive reading of The Very Best Sukkah: A Story from Uganda, Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up, and more.
Besides partaking in the festival’s events, festival attendees can visit the museum’s other exhibitions, and grab a bite to eat at the LOX Cafe.
Books will be available for purchase at the museum’s Pickman Gift Shop throughout the day, along with Judaica (Jewish ceremonial art), perfect for the holiday season.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. A full schedule and more information on reserving your spot for the keynote events can be found here.
“We are proud to present this inaugural event featuring an exciting lineup of authors, panels, and activities that will touch on a range of topics that will appeal to diverse audiences of all ages,” Jack Kliger, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, said. “We fully expect this to become an annual tradition, one that highlights our commitment to celebrate Jewish life.”
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