Temple Library
Notes from the Levy Library by Annette Goldsmith
More October 7th Memorials
– column updated 10/16/26
Three October 7th Tributes: Poetry, a film, and an online exhibit
Since this month we are all thinking of the October 7th attack, I would like to share this tribute in poetry from Israel: “The October 7th Project gives a poetic voice to the attack on Israel. Ten Hebrew poems written following the events were chosen by Poetry Place to be translated into four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian. The project was launched in honor of the 76th Independence Day of Israel.” Here is the link to the page in English; you can choose your preferred language at the bottom of the page: https://poetrytreasure.com/?page_id=8670. It looks like the poems have now also been translated into Russian.
You can also watch a Moment-sponsored screening and discussion of the short film, Soul Connections, about the making of the Nova Festival Memorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teA0AfBeYxw&t=8s.
After I posted this item last week, another memorial came to my attention. The National Library of Israel just opened an in-person exhibit that also has a digital component: “Bound in Memory,” a display of memorial books and booklets created in the wake of October 7th, now preserved at the Library: https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/books/7-october-books?blm_aid=48104619. The items float across the screen and you can click on them for more information.
Fischmann Family Distinguished Lecture — Oct. 20th, 7 pm
This free, in-person lecture at the William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University by Zion Ozeri opens his new photography exhibition, Jewish Identity/Jewish Diversity.
“From Uzbekistan to Tunisia, India to Argentina, Yemen to the United States, this exhibition explores the breadth of Jewish experience through photographs that reveal how Jews have absorbed elements of local cultures while seeking a sense of home, familiarity, and shared identity. By showcasing the diversity and complexity of Jewish life across the globe, Ozeri challenges stereotypes and assumptions about how Jews look, think, and live, while inviting us to consider the connections and commonalities that unite people across cultures.” Kosher reception to follow. To register: https://lmu2.wufoo.com/forms/2026-fischmann-family-distinguished-lecture/.
Second Sunday Book Club recommendations
Seven of us met in Zoom on Sunday for our usual wide-ranging discussion of topics raised by our books, including a very interesting focus on banned books. Come join us next time — if you like to read and learn what others are reading, this is the group for you! Here are a few selections from our shared reading….
As I’ve mentioned before, we each decided to read at least one banned book this year. Every month the notes that I send out after our meeting include a section of banned books resources – please ask me if you would like a copy. We have looked at Art Spiegelman’s books before but we were happy to revisit his Pulitzer-Prize winning Holocaust graphic novel, The Complete Maus. Sometimes a book that one person presents piques the interest of a second – or third – reader, so they read it and when we meet we talk about it again. I really like this aspect of the book club, because new readers always have a different perspective on the book, enriching everyone’s understanding.
Something else that often happens in our group is that one person will talk about a book, and others will chime in with additional books that speak to the subject or theme. For example, this month we talked about four books connected with The Jewish Daily Forward, the Yiddish paper in New York, and its founder and editor, Abraham Cahan.
A Living Lens, a coffee table book edited by Alana Newhouse, is full of photos of Jewish immigrant life from the pages of The Forward. That brought to mind Cahan’s advice column, “A Bintel Brief” (a bundle of letters), where he answered questions that helped the letter writers better understand American customs. We have in the library Isaac Metzger’s A Bintel Brief: Sixty Years of Letters from the Lower East Side to the Jewish Daily Forward. No time to read? Borrow this book and dip into the letters! About ten years ago Liana Finck, an illustrator and writer for The New Yorker, published a graphic novel, A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York, which brings to life some of those letters, along with an imagined conversation with Cahan. And just two years ago, Norman Finkelstein’s Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan’s Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants, was released. This picture book biography of Cahan, illustrated with verve by Vesper Stamper, was chosen as a Sydney Taylor Honor Book the year that I was on the award committee.
Our next meeting is Sunday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m. Email me for the Zoom link if you’d like to join us to talk about your reading.
Shabbat Shalom and happy reading!
Your Librarian, Annette
Do visit our online catalog https://stti-hl.mimas.opalsinfo.net/bin/home#0. 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!
Librarian: Annette Goldsmith. Email: library@sephardictemple.org