Letter from the Chairs

Letter from the Chairs

We are pleased and honored to welcome everyone to the 52nd Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival. Considering the horrific events of October 7, the ongoing war in Israel and the devastating rise of antisemitism around the world, including at our college campuses, the importance of proudly celebrating Jewish authors and Jewish themes is more critical today than in years past. Through our desire to be proudly Jewish in the face of so much pain, the theme of this year’s Festival quickly emerged: from start to finish, the 2024 lineup is a celebration of the Jewish experience and our collective and positive impact on our world. Fighting hate by spreading the joy of Judaism is a priority; to achieve that, we decided to shake things up a bit. Our exciting schedule includes diverse voices, historical stories and contemporary programming. While we cannot describe every program in this letter, here are some highlights.

Our Community Read event precedes the official opening night programming to introduce Houston to Israeli author and the 2024 Marilyn Hassid Emerging Author selection Maya Arad with her first-ever English translation novel. If you have not read The Hebrew Teacher yet, you still have time to join the collective experience of reading and discussing the story and characters with the author on October 29, 2024. Then, just a few days later, rather than having an Opening Night – we have an Opening Day on Sunday, November 3. What a day it will be! It will begin with the Oliver Lapin Family Day followed by a cooking class with chef Micah Siva in the Cramer-Jacobs Family Culinary Studio and then Daniel Schulman explaining how Jewish Immigrants shaped Wall Street with his book The Money Kings.

As if that were not enough, we are beyond excited to announce that we will officially kick off the Festival that first night with keynote speaker Noa Tishby, two-time New York Times bestselling author and Israel’s former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization, and co-author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew. Through her bestselling book with co-author/former NFL athlete Emmanuel Acho, Noa Tishby will share her research on the origins of antisemitic tropes, contemporary antisemitism, and what it means to be Jewish today. In a tremendous show of community collaboration, Noa Tishby’s appearance at this year’s Festival is underwritten by the J, the Jewish Federation, Congregations Beth Israel, Beth Yeshurun and Emanu El. Her opening night remarks will set the stage for more Festival programming around present-day antisemitism. A masterful work of investigative journalism by acclaimed Haaretz reporter Lee Yaron, 10/7 chronicles the massacre that ignited a war through the stories of more than one hundred civilians; join us on November 13 to hear these stories and honor the victims’ memories. After that, on November 14, we will have the unique opportunity to hear from R. Derek Black, the son of a Klansman and former white nationalist, as they share their astonishing memoir of a childhood built on fear, and their breaking from a community of hate. A heads up: we anticipate having exceptionally large crowds for Noa Tishby, Lee Yaron and R. Derek Black; be sure to register early to attend.

Over the next two weeks, we will hear many inspiring stories about notable Jewish characters, both real and fictional. With his Texas connection, Robert Steinfeld will share his sports newscast experiences from his book 3..2..1…We’re on the Air. From Samantha Woodruff and her historical fiction book, The Trade-off, we’ll hear the story of Bea Abramowitz and how she secretly crunched numbers as a Wall Street broker in the 1920s well before women were allowed to have such powerful jobs. We invite you to learn more about the private life of one of the most prolific and controversial authors of the 20th century by watching the film How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer on November 11. Wrapping up the Festival on November 16, we will celebrate Jazz. Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie all overcame racism and violence to go on and become some of the most popular entertainers on the planet. Larry Tye, with his book The Jazzmen, will masterfully reflect on their lives off the bandstand and explore the Black-Jewish alliance of the time. Plan to stay later that night as our event chairs and committee have planned a fun evening with live music and refreshments.

We all know that the joy and success of the Jewish people is a remarkable story of perseverance; we stay strong because we remember the lessons from and honor the memories of our ancestors. The J’s Book & Arts Festival could not be complete without Holocaust remembrance, and for that, we have two unique programs. First, we will hear from the internationally bestselling author, Mitch Albom, on November 9! His latest book, The Little Liar, is a beautiful, albeit fictional, telling of the Greek experience during the Holocaust. Then, on November 10, Jason Bell will share the thrilling true story of Agent A12, the M16 spy who cracked Hitler’s deadliest secret code, the framework of the Final Solution, in Cracking the Nazi Code.

The breadth and depth of the 2024 Festival could not have been accomplished without the help of so many critical individuals and community partners. First, Vice-Chair Vicki Teller’s knowledge of and passion for Judaism was a guiding light throughout the planning process. As next year’s chair, Vicki will undoubtedly lead the charge for an equally amazing Festival! Similarly to last year, our Festival committee capitalized on the institutional memory of veteran members while drawing on the energy and creativity of our newcomers. A special thank you to our brilliant J staff partner, Amy Rahmani, who, as Director of Arts & Culture, gives her heart and soul to this project. We also want to thank Marissa Cardona, Guy Cohen, Barbara Lindenberg, Idit Gottlieb, Laurie Pickei and all the J staff who supported the Festival with their time and boundless energy.

A special thank you goes to our Patrons of the Arts, our underwriters and community partners. Without everyone’s support, the opportunity to open the eyes and minds of all authors showcased this year would not be possible. Thank you for your truly special gift.

In this time of uncertainty, we hope to see you at the 52nd Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival, where our shared stories will bring light, through education, into the world.

Jeryl Golub and Christine Laskin
Co-Chairs, 52nd Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival