Temple Library
Notes from the Levy Library by Annette Goldsmith
Celebrating Pesach! – column updated 4/5/24
Accessible Haggadot
For over 90 years, JBI has helped people who have visual impairment, are blind, or have a print disability to participate in the most treasured of Jewish rituals, the Passover Seder, by providing FREE large print, Braille, and audio format Haggadot.
If you or someone you know needs a large print, Braille, or audio format Haggadah this year, please visit JBI’s website or call JBI toll free at 1-800-999-6476 before April 11 and they will be happy to send you your Haggadah, completely free of charge. They have many different versions available—request yours today!
JBI, founded in 1931 as the Jewish Braille Institute, is a nonprofit organization that enables people of all ages and backgrounds who are blind, have low vision, or are print disabled to connect to and participate fully in Jewish cultural, literary, educational, religious, and communal life. JBI creates, produces, and distributes thousands of Jewish-interest materials in audio, braille, and large print formats that are provided free of charge and delivered directly to patrons’ doorsteps.
Books for Pesach
All of the following books, if not checked out, will be in the third-floor hallway display cases by the classrooms. The children’s books are on one side of the hallway and the adult books are on the other side. If you would like to borrow any of the Pesach books – or anything else in the cases – just take them and send me your name, the book title, and the Levy Library barcode on the back of the book, top right-hand corner. You can even take a picture of the front and back of the book rather than typing out the information. These instructions are also posted on the display cases.
Do stop by these cases even if just to look. I’ve set up a small display of very beautiful haggadot that you can browse.
We also have haggadot for younger readers, including one that teens will gravitate to, like the Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel.
You can read about Pesach in different times and places: The Passover Cowboy in Argentina in the early 1900s, The Passover Guest in Depression-era Washington, DC – notice the Sydney Taylor Book Award gold medal on the cover — and time travel back to Egypt in Max and Emma Cross the Red Sea (Torah Time Travel, Book 2).
Second Sunday Book Club meets May 19
The Second Sunday Book Club is a no-stress monthly book club for STTI adults and friends – we meet in Zoom and talk about whatever we are reading, Jewish or not, for an hour or two, depending on how many people attend.
Intrigued? The next meeting is Sunday, May 19 at 1:00 pm. We are skipping April because I will be out of town. Please note that we are meeting on the THIRD Sunday in May because the second Sunday is Mother’s Day.
Email me at to rsvp and I will send you the Zoom link. If you just want to be on the mailing list in order to receive the booklist after each meeting, that’s fine too. You will see lots of great recommendations!
Chag Sameach, and Shabbat Shalom!
Your Librarian, Annette
Do visit our online catalog http://stti.hl.scoolaid.net/bin/home. You can also get there via the Temple web site https://sephardictemple.org/ — click on the “Learning” tab and choose “Temple Library.” Get to know your Levy Library – there’s lots to discover!