Download Otter for your meeting notes

November Throwback: Jewish Book Month | Otter.ai

November Throwback: Jewish Book Month

AJL Holly Zimmerman22min

Heidi Rabinowitz

00:00

[INTRO] This is The Book of Life, a show about Jewish kidlit, mostly. I'm Heidi Rabinowitz. Continuing the celebration of my 20th year of podcasting, I've got another archival episode for you, from 2006, about Jewish Book Month. In the early days of The Book of Life, I usually had multiple guests in each episode, and this one includes four: folklorist Howard Schwartz; Carolyn Starman Hessel, whose nickname was the Jewish Oprah; Esme Raji Codell; and David Levithan, author of the 2006 young adult novel Wide Awake, which was reissued as Wide Awake Now in 2024 because its message about politics and protest is more relevant than ever.

Heidi Rabinowitz

00:48

I also want to let you know that I'm celebrating Jewish Book Month by participating in the Jewish Book Council's "Share Your Shelf, Share Your Story" project. I will post a photo on social media each day of Jewish Book Month, November 13 through December 13, 2025, showing a Jewish book from my personal collection with a comment about why the book is special to me. I'd love to see your comments about which Jewish books are special to you.

Heidi Rabinowitz

01:13

If you enjoy this blast from the past, please check out other old episodes of The Book of Life from any time in the last two decades, go to BookofLifePodcast.com and click on Archive in the sidebar, or just go to the episode list on your podcast player and keep on scrolling down, down, down. [END INTRO]

Heidi Rabinowitz

01:34

[MUSIC, OLD INTRO] Welcome to The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read. I'm Heidi Estrin. The Book of Life is a podcast service of the Feldman Library at Congregation B'nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida. Additional support comes from the Association of Jewish Libraries. I

Heidi Rabinowitz

01:58

n this November, 2006 episode of our podcast, we celebrate Jewish Book Month. We'll start by talking to Howard Schwartz, author of Before You Were Born, winner of the 2006 Koret International Jewish Book Award in the Babaganewz children's literature category. We'll learn about the history of Jewish Book Month from Carolyn Starman Hessel, director of the Jewish Book Council. We'll stretch the definition of a Jewish book as we speak to Esme Raji Codell about her middle grade novel Vive la Paris. Finally, we'll explore new territory with David Levithan and his young adult novel Wide Awake. We'll also introduce a Hanukkah book drawing. So keep your ears peeled! [END MUSIC, END INTRO]

Heidi Rabinowitz

02:40

Howard Schwartz is a renowned storyteller and expert on Jewish folklore. He has written or edited over 30 books related to Jewish themes. His most recent book, Before You Were Born from Roaring Brook Press, is a picture book that retells the legend of the angel Lailah. Howard will receive the Koret International Jewish Book Award this month in a ceremony in San Francisco. We spoke to him by phone at his home in St Louis, Missouri.

Heidi Rabinowitz

03:10

Howard, tell us about Before You Were Born.

Howard Schwartz

03:12

Before You Were Born is the story of the angel Lailah, the angel of conception, and how it takes the soul from heaven, brings the soul to a seed. The Angel stays with the child inside the womb, teaching the child all the secrets in existence. And when the child is born, the angel taps the child right on the upper lip. That's how we all get that indentation. It's the angel saying, shh, don't tell anyone. And from that moment on, we forget everything that the angel has taught.

Heidi Rabinowitz

03:12

Where did you find the legend that the book is based on?

Howard Schwartz

03:45

Actually, I heard it as a child from my mother. In more recent years, I went searching for its sources. It's first mentioned in the Talmud, and then later on, the story becomes expanded in Midrash Tanhuma.

Heidi Rabinowitz

03:58

Is your version of the story, different in any way from the original?

Howard Schwartz

04:02

One of the interesting things about Before You Were Born is the question, is Lailah a male angel or a female angel? Angels are supposed to be sexless in Jewish tradition, but the fact is that they all have male names, like Michael or Gabriel. Lailah doesn't have a name like that. I did a great deal of research on this, I consulted with some of the world's top experts, and they were all stumped. They agreed that her functions were feminine, but that they had never heard of a female angel. So I simply made a decision, kind of a midrashic decision, that because her role was feminine, that I would identify the angel as feminine. And I feel that that was exactly the right decision.

Heidi Rabinowitz

04:40

What was your reaction when you learned that Before You Were Born had won the Koret International Jewish Book Award?

Howard Schwartz

04:46

Well, I was very happy to learn that. I think a large reason for this is not just a story, which is a very beautiful story, but I also feel that the artist, Kristina Swarner, did an exceptionally beautiful job with the illustrations which are rather Chagall-like. I think that her illustrations really brought the story to life in a lot of ways.

Heidi Rabinowitz

05:04

Can you tell us a little about your book Tree of Souls, which won the 2005 National Jewish Book Award?

Howard Schwartz

05:10

This is my magnum opus. I worked on it for 12 years. It contains nearly 700 Jewish myths in 10 categories, myths of God, creation, heaven, hell. Myths of the holy word, the holy time, the holy people, the holy land, exile, and the Messiah. Jewish myths from the full range of Jewish sources, from the Bible, rabbinic literature, Kabbalistic literature, Jewish folklore and Hasidic literature.

Heidi Rabinowitz

05:38

Howard Schwartz, thanks so much for speaking with us and mazel tov on your achievements!

Howard Schwartz

05:43

Hey, thank you very much, and I enjoyed talking to you.

Heidi Rabinowitz

05:45

[MUSICAL STING] Carolyn Starman Hessel is the Director of the Jewish Book Council, which works to promote reading, writing, and publishing of Jewish books across North America. The Jewish Book Council is the official sponsor of Jewish Book Month. We spoke to Carolyn at her office in New York City.

Heidi Rabinowitz

06:17

Carolyn, what is Jewish Book month?

Carolyn Starman Hessel

06:19

Jewish Book Month is a one month celebration to heighten awareness of Jewish books. Its history is very interesting. It started in 1925 by Fanny Goldstein. She was a librarian in a public library in Boston, and she noticed that they had an Irish book week and an Italian book week, and they didn't have a Jewish book week. And she, being Jewish, wanted a Jewish book week. So she did a display for Jewish Book Week, and it was around the time of Shavuot, which is the scholars' holiday. So it was very fitting. People got excited about it, and news traveled around the country. Well, within five years, there was a National Jewish Book Week. That lasted until about 1941, I believe. More and more Jews became Americanized. The influence of Christmas was felt, so Hanukkah became a bigger thing. Jewish Book Week moved to November and became Jewish Book Month, because one week was not long enough, so that now Jewish Book Month is always 30 days before Hanukkah: book buying season!

Carolyn Starman Hessel

07:21

I think what's interesting is that Jewish books have grown. When Jewish Book Week and then Jewish Book Month first started, books of Jewish interest were published in Europe, and then the Shoah, or the Holocaust, came and it decimated the entire Jewish publishing industry in Europe, and it had to be restarted all over again in America. So just 60 years ago, the industry began, and today it's a tremendous industry. I don't know of a general publisher out there that doesn't have a list of Jewish books, which means that we are the People of the Book.

Heidi Rabinowitz

07:53

How does the Jewish Book Council help us to celebrate Jewish Book month?

Carolyn Starman Hessel

07:56

We are the sponsor of the Jewish Book Month. We prepare a poster and bookmarks, and it's sent out to synagogues and JCCs and Hillels around the country. We coordinate authors traveling the country and making appearances. This year, we're coordinating 160 tours going on over 1000 different stops, and we help coordinate the Jewish book fairs. Jewish books are a wonderful entree to Jewish life for people who are new to Judaism. We also find that with all the intermarriage, the non Jewish partner very often wants to know about Jewish life and therefore buys a book about Judaism. We find that people who maybe have lost their feeling for organized religion will come back to it through the books because books are non threatening, so they'll join book clubs, or they'll go to a book fair or a book reading, and they'll be turned on and start all over again. It's a wonderful time to be associated with Jewish books.

Heidi Rabinowitz

08:48

Carolyn Starman Hessel, thanks so much for speaking with us.

Carolyn Starman Hessel

08:51

Thank you. It's been an honor.

Heidi Rabinowitz

09:05

[MUSIC, PROMO] As Carolyn mentioned, this is book buying season. Enter our drawing and you may win an autographed copy of the new book, Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes and Dreidels by Deborah Heiligman, published by National Geographic with their typically gorgeous, multicultural photographs. We'll speak to Deborah about her book in our next podcast. This book will make a beautiful gift or a keepsake for yourself. Here's how to enter: send in an email telling us your name, where you live, and your favorite Hanukkah book. We'd also love to hear why it's your favorite and what part of the book world you hail from. Email the information to me at heidi@cbiboca.org, or use the form on our website at JewishBooks.blogspot.com. Please send in your entry by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, November 26. Good luck!

Heidi Rabinowitz

10:12

Speaking of Hanukkah, the music you hear in the background is from Woody Guthrie's Happy, Joyous Hanukkah, performed by The Klezmatics. Tune in next month for our interview with Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie's daughter, about this amazing CD. [END MUSIC]

Heidi Rabinowitz

10:32

Esme Raji Codell is an author and certified "readiologist." She's been a teacher, a librarian, and now runs her own website, blog, and children's literature salon. Her new chapter book, Vive la Paris from Hyperion ,is a companion to her earlier book, Sahara Special. Paris is an African American girl whose faith in God and humanity is shaken when she learns about the Holocaust. Funny, realistic, and touching all at once, this is a book with a strong spirit of tikkun olam at its core. We spoke to Esme by phone at the Planet Esme Bookroom in Chicago, Illinois.

Heidi Rabinowitz

11:03

Esme, Vive la Paris is not, at first glance, a Jewish book. In fact, Paris herself is African American. What happens to Paris that makes her identify with Jewish history?

Esme Raji Codell

11:20

Vive la Paris was inspired by some experiences I had as a Jewish educator working with African American children. In Vive la Paris, I wanted to describe the change that happens in a child once he or she realizes that adults can't always be counted on to make the right choices in the world. And the Holocaust, of course, is one of the most perilous examples of that. So although this is a book about an African American child, the events that really bring her into the fold of humanity is her knowledge of Jewish history, which she learns from Mrs. Rosen, her piano teacher.

Heidi Rabinowitz

12:02

What was the genesis of this rather unusual story?

Esme Raji Codell

12:05

I was teaching a class of predominantly African American fifth graders in Chicago, and I had read aloud Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, an award winning book about the Danish resistance to the Nazis during World War II. And it's a very tidy little book because it doesn't really go into the camps or any of the atrocities, and I tried to skirt around all of these points, feeling that the particulars were not age appropriate. But one little girl had delved independently into the subject, and one afternoon, I noticed that she was crying at her desk, but her pencil was moving across the paper really feverishly, and I found she was creating a word search for the class using vocabulary relating to the war, such as "crematorium," "Hitler," and "hate," and she was just crying all over it. And that's when I realized that I had tried to avoid something, and by doing that, I had put this child in a position of taking on more than she could handle by herself.

Esme Raji Codell

12:05

Ten years later, I was reading aloud in bed with my own little boy. I had just finished a wonderful book called King Matt, the First by Janusz Korczak , who ran orphanages in Poland, and he perished with his charges. They were in the Warsaw ghetto and had been evacuated into the gas chambers. This wasn't part of the story, but when I closed the cover of King Matt the First my son had questions about the author, and I told him, and he just rolled over in bed, and he started to cry. And when he was able to speak, he choked out the words "too much." And I, of course, again being chicken, said, "what's too much?" And he said, "Everything needs fixing, and I can't do it all." And I think that that is a moment in child development, when you realize there's a lot that needs fixing and that it really is too much for one person to fix all alone, and we need to be able to count on each other fix it all together. So I wrote Vive la Paris... you asked the genesis of the book, I wrote Vive la Paris for children, to acknowledge that moment of change that happens in their minds and hearts when they realize that so much needs fixing and that they're going to need help doing it.

Heidi Rabinowitz

12:25

Was it scary for you as the author to present these ideas to young readers? How do you keep the reader feeling safe while exposing them to these frightening ideas?

Esme Raji Codell

13:58

I hope that the book is balanced with other aspects of Paris's life. This isn't just a story of a girl who learns about the Holocaust. It's the story of a girl who finds family within her own apartment, within the people she meets, within the friends she makes, and in the end, even the enemies she has. It's about making peace and moving forward. And since I knew from the get-go that was the thing I really wanted to share, it made me a little bit braver to deal with the material at hand. A lot of the books that I've written in the past, Sahara Special and Sing a Song of Tuna Fish, they're very funny. So I've had to sort of put the Lenny Bruce side of myself on the back burner and be brave enough to tell a story that isn't about one liners, but about real feelings. And that was the scariest part for me.

Heidi Rabinowitz

15:25

Tell us a little bit about Planet Esme.

Esme Raji Codell

15:29

Well, Planet Esme is my website. I didn't just name it after myself like a crazy person. I was teaching Library, and I didn't run my library in a typical way when I was working with the Chicago Public School. I ran it more like a children's literature course. I gave assignments, and really expected children to study this field of children's literature. And a kid transferred in from another school mid year and entered the library, and of course, immediately started complaining: "At my old school, we didn't have homework in library. At my old school, the teacher didn't read aloud to the big kids." And a child turned around and said to this boy, "Well, you're not at your old school now, you're on Planet Esme." [LAUGHTER] And so that's how I got the name planetesme.com, which is one of the most highly trafficked independent children's literature websites on the net. There's a book-a- day blog, there's over 1000 reviews of children's literature. An extension of the website is Planet Esme, which is a little storefront in which children's books are celebrated. We have great guest authors, book talks, workshops. People use the space for anything to do with literacy and children. And for the past two years, everything has been free of charge. It's been a way of sharing an incredible collection of about 12,000 children's books with the community, with the teachers and parents. I really do believe that children's literature is our best hope for equalizing education in this country, because a great book in the hands of a poor child is the same book in the hands of a rich child. And there's not a lot of resources we can look to that have that kind of equality intrinsic in them. I feel, frankly, very blessed to be working on this project that allows me to get great books into the hands of great kids.

Heidi Rabinowitz

17:20

Esme Raji Codell, thanks so much for speaking with us!

Esme Raji Codell

17:24

Well, thank you, and thank you for all the wonderful work you do in the world, Heidi.

Heidi Rabinowitz

17:28

[MUSICAL STING] David Levithan is an award winning author of young adult fiction and a founding editor for Push, a YA imprint of Scholastic. His breakthrough book was Boy Meets Boy, and his new novel, Wide Awake from Knopf, is a sort of sequel and spirit to that book. Wide Awake begins with the election of the first gay Jewish president and explores the reactions of a group of politically involved teenagers. It's a story about love, friendship, tolerance, and taking a stand for what you believe in. We spoke to David at his office in New York City.

Heidi Rabinowitz

18:18

David tell us about your novel, Wide Awake.

David Levithan

18:21

Well, Wide Awake is the first gay Jewish teen political novel. It starts with the election of the first gay Jewish President of the United States. It is set in the near future. First the election, and then a challenge to the election, when the governor of Kansas tries to disqualify enough votes to throw the electoral race to the other candidate. And it's told through the spectrum of this gay Jewish teenager and his boyfriend.

Heidi Rabinowitz

18:46

Can you talk a little about the title? What do you mean when you say "wide awake"?

David Levithan

18:50

The inspiration for the title was from many different musical sources. There's a Bright Eyes album called "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning," which was released shortly after the election of 2004 and sort of meant to sort of articulate all the feelings that were swirling around there. Also, there's a U2 song called "Wide Awake in America," which I listen to a lot. And it's about sort of waking up to your beliefs. It's about becoming involved and trying to shape the direction of the world, not just the direction of your life, and being wide awake to what's going on around you and not falling into the narcolepsy of selfishness that could happen.

Heidi Rabinowitz

19:24

Judaism plays a role in the story because it's one of the factors that makes the President-Elect a target. But can you talk about how Jewish ideas and values are important in this book?

David Levithan

19:35

Oh, absolutely. I think certainly the sense of mission and the sense of being active about your belief and engaging with the world is a very Jewish concept, and having both the main character and the President-Elect be Jewish as well as gay was really meant both to sort of say where they're coming from and what their values would be, and also to position them as outsiders for being gay, but also outsiders for being Jewish.

Heidi Rabinowitz

20:00

I tell us about Elwood, the young boy whose parents won't let him convert to Judaism.

David Levithan

20:04

Oh, I love Elwood! Elwood is one of the characters that the boys meet on their way to Kansas. He runs away from home because his parents won't let him be Jewish. His parents are not Jewish, but he is fascinated by Judaism, and very much wants to learn about it, and they don't want to indulge that part of his identity. Just as having a Jew reflecting upon the Christian culture gives sort of an outsider status, I wanted to have the additional step of then having this teenage Christian boy who wants to be Jewish, which allows the main character, who is Jewish, to see his Judaism in a different way, so he learns more about his outsider status from an insider who wants to be an outsider.

Heidi Rabinowitz

20:43

Early in Wide Awake, you talk about the fact that words matter. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

David Levithan

20:49

I think so much of the conflict that we have is really over terminology. I mean, the battle over whether gays can marry, a lot of it hinges solely on the word "marriage." When you call it a "civil union," when you say it's the same exact rights as marriage, but we're going to call it something else, people will support it. If you call it "marriage," then they don't. And so it's all about the definition of the word, and that's ultimately what we're fighting about.

Heidi Rabinowitz

21:16

What's the most important message that you want to convey through this book?

David Levithan

21:21

I think again, just that you have to get out there for the things you believe in, and don't take things for granted. Ultimately, I do believe that the force of love and kindness and the inclinations and the belief in love and kindness and equality and tolerance is the predominant one in our society, and that we just have to embrace it.

Heidi Rabinowitz

21:41

David Levithan, thanks so much for speaking with us.

David Levithan

21:43

Well, thank you!

Heidi Rabinowitz

21:46

[MUSIC, OUTRO] If you'd like to share a page from your own book of life, or to express your opinion on our show about a particular book, CD, or video owned by the Feldman Library, email me, Heidi Estrin, at heidi@cbiboca.org. The Book of Life is supported in part by the Association of Jewish Libraries, promoting Jewish reading by supporting Judaic libraries and librarians. Visit them on the web at JewishLibraries.org. Our background music is provided by the Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band from Sacramento, California, whose CDs feature upbeat music from the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions with Brazilian, Gypsy, and Celtic influences. Borrow their CDs at the Feldman Library or buy your own copies at freilachmakers.com. To download episodes of the Book of Life podcast, visit us on the web at JewishBooks.blogspot.com: that's JewishBooks, one word, dot, B, L, O, G, S, P, O, T dot com. Links to the books and CDs mentioned on the show are available on this website. Thanks for listening and happy reading. [END MUSIC]

00:0000:00