December 2020
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Washtenaw Jewish News Presort Standard In this issue… c/o Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor U.S. Postage PAID 2939 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor, MI Yiddishland North Looking Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Permit No. 85 African for Feminist Rose Hanukkah page 5 page 7 page 8 December 2020 Kislev/Tevet 5781 Volume XX Number 4 FREE Three JCC book festival events moderated by Frankel Center faculty Kelsey Robinette Keeves, special to the WJN he 2020 Ann Arbor Jewish Book Fes- first time and written by both prominent and Sarah Stein is the Sady and Ludwig Kahn tival will be held online, with most lesser-known authors, this anthology spans Director of the Alan D. Leve Center for T events free and open to the public. the Yiddish-speaking globe — drawing from Jewish Studies and holds the Viterbi Family The annual festival celebrating Jewish au- materials published in Eastern Europe, New Chair in Mediterranean Jewish Studies at thors is organized by the Jewish Community York, and Latin America from the 1910s UCLA. She is the author or editor of several Center of Ann Arbor and is supported by the and interwar period up through the 1970s. books, including Extraterritorial Dreams: Jewish Federation of Ann Arbor. Go to book. With its vast scope, Honey on the Page European Citizenship, Sephardi Jews, and jccannarbor.org to see the full list of events offers a cornucopia of delights to families, the Ottoman Twentieth Century and Plumes: throughout November and December. Three individuals, and educators seeking literature Ostrich Feathers, Jews, and a Lost World of of this year’s events will be moderated by fac- that speaks to Jewish children about their Global Commerce. She is the recipient of the ulty of the University of Michigan’s Frankel religious, cultural, and ethical heritage. Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, three Center for Judaic Studies. Literature, an unprecedented treasury of National Endowment for the Humanities Yiddish children’s stories and poems with Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey Honey on the Page original illustrations. Through the Twentieth Century Julian Levinson, Samuel Shetzer Associate Honey on the Page holds nearly 50 On Dec. 15 at 7 p.m., assistant professor Professor of American Jewish Studies, stories and poems for children, translated Devi Mays will join author Sarah Stein as she will host an event with Miriam Udel on from the original Yiddish. Arranged presents Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey Sunday, Dec. 13, at 11 a.m. Udel is an thematically, the book takes readers from Through the Twentieth Century. The 2019 associate professor in German studies at the Jewish holidays and history to folktales and release was named one of the best books of Tam Institute of Jewish Studies at Emory fables, from stories of humanistic ethics to the year by The Economist, won New York University. She will be discussing Honey on multi-generational family sagas. Featuring Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and was the Page: A Treasure of Yiddish Children’s many works appearing in English for the a National Jewish Book Award finalist. Continued on page 3 From llamas to a Jewish superhero, these 8 children’s books bring new characters into the Hanukkah story Penny Schwartz, originally from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency ove over, Maccabees. This sea- Hanukkah with large festive gatherings, apartment, the Glasers stretch what they have llama. Lydia Nichols’ cheerful illustrations son’s crop of seven new Ha- round up the cousins on Zoom, light the to help their neighbors, the O’Malleys. When brighten the pages. M nukkah books for kids puts the menorah, nibble on sufganiyot and share in Hanukkah and Christmas coincide, Nate spotlight on new heroes, from playful llamas the joy of a new book. and Santa help each other out and surprise “Kayla and to brave and kind knights on horseback. both families with gifts. The hero’s name is a Kugel’s Happy An eighth book, “Honey on the Page,” “The play on the phrase represented with the four that shines light on Yiddish children’s Hanukkah letters on the dreidel, Nes Gadol Haya Sham Hanukkah” stories in new translation, makes a perfect Magic of Nate (“A great miracle happened there”). Ann D. Koffsky family gift. Apples & Honey Among this year’s highlights is Arthur Gadol” “Happy Press; Arthur A. Levine; A. Levine’s “The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Llamakkah!” ages 3 -8 illustrated by Gadol,” a superhero story that comes to life Laura Gehl; Kevin Hawkes The happy pair with Kevin Hawkes’ sparkling illustrations. illustrated by Over the years, as a leading children’s book Candlewick of Kayla and her rambunctious dog Kugel Press; ages 5-8 Lydia Nichols editor, scores of Hanukkah books crossed Abrams are back in Ann Koffsky’s latest title in the Levine’s desk, but many were retellings of Just when the Appleseed; delightful series. As Kayla gets ready to the same story. “Only a few writers … were world needs a dose of magic, along comes ages 3-5 celebrate Hanukkah, she and Kugel are telling imaginary tales that took Hanukkah Nate Gadol, a Jewish mythical superhero searching for the family’s Hanukkah box. as a jumping-off point,” he wrote in an email. who sparks joy for those in need. In Levine’s How does a family of llamas celebrate In Koffsky’s clear verse, the spunky Kayla Nate Gadol is the kind of story he longed warm-hearted tale, embellished with Hawkes’ Hanukkah? With Lllamakah, of course! explains the origins and traditions of the for, that enhances the cherished Hanukkah glorious art, the larger-than-life Nate Gadol Laura Gehl’s tender rhyming verse is holiday to Kugel. Koffsky’s color-rich, traditions with an aura of magic. swoops in to brighten the lives of the Glaser perfect for cozying up with the endearing lively illustrations, including many of the This year, as the COVID-19 pandemic family, poor but kind new immigrants. In the little llamas as they light the Hanukkah mischievous Kugel, are sure to spark smiles. prevents families from celebrating cold winter of 1881 in their urban American menorah, play dreidel and build a snow- Continued on page 6 IFrom the Editor his is a month of celebrating books! The JCC Jewish book festival, Ha- Portugal has T nukkah books, book reviews, book talks. My favorite use of Facebook: lists of 2935 Birch Hollow Drive books my friends are reading (and also TV naturalized 23,000 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 (734) 395-4438 series they are watching). Remember not so applicants under www.washtenawjewishnews.org long ago, we had a president who would rec- [email protected] ommend books? Look up those lists Presi- dent Obama compiled; there are some really Jewish law of return good books there. Most surprising book fact Cnaan Liphshiz, originally written for the I learned this week: Stacey Abrams is also Jewish Telegraphic Agency Editor and Publisher a romance novelist, under the name Selena ortugal has granted citizenship to Clare Kinberg Montgomery. about 23,000 people who applied I'm very excited that the Jewish Book under a 2015 law granting citizen- Advertising Manager Festival is hosting Sarah Abraveya Stein on P Gordon White ship to descendants of Sephardic Jews. Dec. 15. Sarah grew up in Eugene, a good That figure means that the government Design and Layout friend of my niece. Both Sarah and my niece has thus far approved about 30% of the Dennis Platte were raised in mixed families, one Sephardi/ roughly 76,000 applications submitted Mizrahi parent and one Ashkenazi parent, since 2015. Officials did not say how many Staff Writers Clare Kinberg which opens up the world of Judaic learning applications were declined. Lonnie Sussman and practice in such beautiful ways. Here I'd The Hebrew month of Kislev, Nov. 17 About 25,000 of applications were Contributing Writers also like to point out the interesting articles submitted in 2019 alone, many of which on Yiddish (page 5), and North African to Dec. 15 this year, is said to be a time Rabbi Jared Anstandig, Emily Eisbruch, of sleeping, dreaming, rainbows, and have not yet been processed. Ollie Elkus, Elliot H. Gertel, Rabbi Aharon Jewish traditions (page 7). Also in this issue The figures were released in a statement Goldstein, Kelsey Robinette Keeves, Adina of the WJN is a follow up to the article transforming: my best wishes that your Hanukkah include a good dose of all of on Oct. 22 from the Washington, D.C.- Lopatin, Jamie Meyers, Alison Reingold, Michael Appel and Carol Levin did on the Martin B. Shichtman, Margaret Schreiber, those! n based Sephardic Heritage International World Jewish Congress, see page 22. organization. Clara Silver, Laura Simon, Rachel Wall, Jes- sica Weil Both Portugal and Spain passed laws in 2015 granting citizenship to the descendants The Washtenaw Jewish News is published of Sephardic Jews, measures both monthly, with the exception of January and Letter to the Editor governments said were intended to atone for July by JCMWC, LLC. Opinions expressed the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of in this publication do not necessarily reflect Dear Editor, The edits also suggest that the leadership Jews from the Iberian Peninsula during the those of its editors or staff The Ann Arbor JCC’s article from struggled to move programs online. Inquisition. ©2020 by the Washtenaw Jewish News. November, which the WJN titled, “Ann This is inaccurate in two ways. First, The window for the Spanish law was All rights reserved. No portion of the Washtenaw Arbor JCC innovations and improvements,” every staff member at every level of the Jewish News may be reproduced without supposed to close last year, but has been was edited in a way that created inaccuracies organization contributed to the effort, not permission of the publisher.