So many of us either grew up with Arthur the aardvark, his family and friends either in the books by Marc Brown or the long running television show. The series is finally ending its PBS run as the longest running children’s show EVER, according to Mira Fox of the Forward. Did you know that Francine, Arthur’s friend was Jewish? Read the article here. Continue reading →

My friend and fellow Association of Jewish Library member Lisa Silverman does such a good job gathering interesting websites that for this week and next I am copying parts of her article that appears in the Jewish Journal, a California publication.  I’ve also added some events that look interesting. Continue reading →

January 27 is International Holocaust Day, established by the United Nations on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The United Nations urges all 193 members of the organization to use this day to plan programs to memorialize the six millions Jews and millions of other victims of Nazism and World War II and to educate to prevent future genocides.

Here are some programs and websites to help you make this day and depend your knowledge. Continue reading →

It may be cold and even snowy outside but inside it’s perfect for curling up with a good book or discovering something new on an informational or entertainment website.

Here are some resources for these cold winter days.

The Museum of Tolerance  over the next few  days will be offering FREE virtual screenings of Oscar and other award winning short films. Click here for information and registration. Continue reading →

Short stories are powerful and versatile. They take tremendous skill as every word counts. A reader can’t skim a short story or skip over the boring parts.

What is a short story?  It is a fully developed piece of writing that can generally be read in one sitting. The upper limit is about 20,000 words, which isn’t really that short.

A book of short stories can consist of stories by one author or many and may cover many time periods.

Enjoy stories from this brief selection of stories from the library’s collection. Books of short stories have the word STORIES on the spine label. Continue reading →

We still have several days of Hanukkah left.

Here are some website programs to enjoy during the rest of the holiday. Continue reading →

It’s that time of year again- the holiday season. This time of year has always been fraught with tension for many Jewish families as the carols sing out and the lights twinkle.

As a child, I would gaze at the festive trees in the windows of the houses as I walked home from Hebrew School after a day in public school where music class might have been a period of Christmas carols (we Jewish kids NEVER sang the name of Jesus), we listened to a passage from the Bible, and made Christmas decorations. In fact, when my parents moved from the big family home and divested themselves of the accumulation of many years, there were the Santas and construction paper wreaths made in elementary school.

Continue reading →

There are lots of links to share as November passes its midpoint and lots to do. Thanksgiving is only a week away; a few days after we welcome Hanukkah.

So there will be much entertaining, many family gathering, and loads of cooking going on.

But before getting into that, here are some sites to share. They are in no particular order, so browse away. Continue reading →

TAKE NOTE: The Library is open for browsing and borrowing during building hours.

November and the Jewish month of Kislev have arrived. Both months are filled with special days and celebrations.

Jewish Book Month runs until Hanukkah. Hanukkah this year begins just a day or two after Thanksgiving. It’s not quite Thankgivakkah, which occurs rarely, but close enough to extend the sense of awe and miracle.

More Hanukkah and Thanksgiving ideas  and links will follow in the next library column. For now these may whet your reading appetite. Continue reading →