People of the Book Speaker Series
Free and open to the Community.

Registration Required: https://www.jccbuffalo.org/arts-culture/people-of-the-book/

Local Author Spotlight – Wed Oct 12 | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Benderson Family Building | Omanut Building at Camp Centerland
Author Mark Goldman “City of my Heart” – Reception and Book Signing to follow

City of My Heart traces the origins of the local preservation movement. For more than 50 years, Mark Goldman’s life has been intertwined with the life of the City of Buffalo. His work as a historian, author, teacher, and creator of the Calumet Arts Café and the Allen Street Hardware Café, in addition to his extensive engagement in some of the most important public policy debates, has provided him with unique insights into the recent history of our city.

Zoom to You Author Event – Wed, Oct 19 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm (Zoom)
Author Glenn Kurtz “Three Minutes in Poland”

Painstakingly assembled from interviews, photographs, documents, and artifacts, Three Minutes in Poland tells the rich, harrowing, and surprisingly intertwined stories of seven Holocaust survivors and their Polish hometown. Named one of the best books of 2014 by NPR, The New Yorker, and The Boston Globe.

Creative Writing Workshop and Author Event – Wed, Oct 26 | 6:30 pm  – 8:00 pm
Benderson Family Building | Omanut Building at Camp Centerland
Author Sandra Block “Girl Overboard” – Book Discussion and Writing Workshop

This fast-paced thriller is about a girl who investigates her friend’s disappearance during their cruise ship vacation. Author, Sandra Block a graduate of Harvard, and a Buffalo native will discuss the book and lead a short workshop on writing fiction.

Community Book Read “The Chosen” – Wed, Nov 2 | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Maxine and Robert Seller Theater, JCC Benderson Family Building
Panel Discussion with Jewish Repertory Theater – Reception to follow

Chaim Potok’s 1967 novel, The Chosen, mostly set during WWII, is a fascinating study of two families, linked by ethnic roots and religion. The Jewish repertory theater will be opening its 20^th Season with the stage version of The Chosen. Join the JRT for a panel discussion to compare and discuss themes in the book and stage version.

In Commemoration of Kristallnacht – Wed, Nov 9 | 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Wick Social Room (2^nd Floor of the wick Center) at Daemen University
Dr. Michael Bryant will present: Malevolent Intentions and the Play of Circumstance: the Pogrom of November 1938 and Hitler’s Plan for the Jews

Made possible through the Wise Democracy Fund and cosponsored by: Holocaust Resource Center, Robert H. Jackson Center, Global Studies Department at Daemen University, JCC, Academy for Human Rights, Jewish Commuunity Center and the Anne Frank Project. For more information, please contact Lauren Bloomberg at Lauren@buffalojewishfederation.org

Zoom to You Author Event – Wed, Nov 16 |6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (Zoom)
Co-editor Miriam Steinberg-Egeth “Warm and Welcoming”

Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century is the first book to tackle institutionalized biases and barriers to inclusion, offering not only stories and context about the issues facing Jews of all backgrounds, but more importantly offering practical and concrete advice that Jewish institutions can implement right away to change how they engage with diverse populations. Join us for a zoom discussion with Co-editor Miriam Steinberg-Egeth.