Events

In his memoir, Jordan Rich, longtime host of WBZ AM 1030 Radio's The Jordan Rich Show, talks candidly about his experiences behind the microphone and shares stories of challenges in his personal life. He writes about his love of theatre, film and music, the mercurial world of radio employment (and unemployment) and the support and love of his family. From doing gigs on the road, interviewing celebrities, and operating a successful recording studio for over four decades, On Air: My 50 Year Love Affair with Radio chronicles one lucky guy’s career and more than a few life lessons he’s picked up along the way.

In conversation with Matthew Robinson, professional writer, editor, and educator.

Price - $25, includes reception and book signing

Join us for a talk with two prolific award-winning authors, sharing behind the scenes details about their latest WWII historic novels.

In Defend­ing Brit­ta Stein, Ole Hen­ryks is well known for his actions in Nazi-occu­pied Den­mark dur­ing World War II, and most consider him a hero. Nine­ty-year-old Britta Stein, however, does not, and accu­ses the pop­u­lar restau­ran­teur of war crimes and is tak­en into cus­tody for defacing his prop­er­ty. Stein becomes the tar­get of a bit­ter law­suit filed by Hen­ryks and his son, accus­ing her of defama­tion and inten­tion­al inflic­tion of emo­tion­al distress. Defend­ing Brit­ta Stein is a thrilling take on a mod­ern-day court­room dra­ma and a mas­ter­ful ren­di­tion of Den­mark’s wartime heroics.

The Woman with the Blue Star takes place in 1942 while Sadie Gault is living with her parents amid the horrors of the Kraków Ghetto. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city. One day when Sadie looks up through a grate she sees Ella Stepanek, an affluent Polish girl living with a stepmother who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. Their unlikely friendship begins, and their lives are tested in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspired by harrowing true stories, The Woman with the Blue Star is testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive.

In conversation with Patti McWeeny, JBM Committee Member.

Price - $12

Join the Jewish Book Council and internationally best-selling Israeli author David Grossman in a conversation about love, trauma, and healing. More Than I Love My Life is the story about three generations of women on an unlikely journey to a Croatian island and a secret that needs to be told. Written by Booker Prize winner, Sapir Prize winner, and two-time National Jewish Book Award winner David Grossman, More Than I Love My Life was inspired by the true story of one of his longtime confidants. Grossman will be joined by Jewish Book Council’s Marilyn Hassid, in a conversation that will allow the audience a peek inside his inspiration for writing this book and more.

Thursday, October 21, 12:30PM on Zoom

Price - FREE - register online

Mahjong: A Chi­nese Game and the Mak­ing of Mod­ern Amer­i­can Cul­ture illus­trates how the spaces between tiles and the moments between games have fos­tered dis­tinct social cul­tures in the Unit­ed States. This mass-pro­duced game crossed the Pacif­ic and created waves of pop­u­lar­i­ty over the twen­ti­eth cen­tu­ry. Heinz nar­rates the his­to­ry of this game to show how it has cre­at­ed a vari­ety of mean­ings, among them Amer­i­can moder­ni­ty, Chi­nese-Amer­i­can her­itage, and Jew­ish-Amer­i­can wom­en’s cul­ture. Mahjong has become a quin­tes­sen­tial­ly Amer­i­can game, traveling from Chi­na to the Unit­ed States, and is a favorite among Hol­ly­wood star­lets, high soci­ety, mid­dle-class house­wives, and immi­grants alike.

Wednesday, October 20, 6:00PM in person at the JCCNS (the author will be presenting virtually)

Price - $25, includes Chinese dinner, wine, and mahjong!