How the love of reading ties in beautifully with Jewish DNA
I love being Jewish. And I have felt this way my entire life. Even as a child, I knew that Judaism was an essential part of who I was. And even in the face of the growing antisemitism and anti-Jewish sentiment that we are seeing take hold all across the country, I still feel fortunate and honored to be part of a faith, culture, and history as rich and vibrant as Judaism.
Through our traditions and teachings, our faith has provided a wealth of examples of how we should live our lives. From how to mourn the passing of a loved one to how to treat a stranger and everything in between, Judaism lays out an incredible plan of how to be a good person. It goes even beyond this by emphasizing the importance of values like tikkun olam (our responsibility to repair the world) through social action, social justice, and helping and caring for those less fortunate. These ideals are rooted in Judaism’s DNA.
Another vital aspect that Judaism stresses is the value of education and lifelong learning. I believe that one of the many reasons we are instructed to read and study the Torah each year is to gain greater insight and perspective than we did the previous year. This love of learning goes far deeper than just studying our Torah and the great teachings of our heritage.
National Jewish Book Month is an annual celebration of Jewish literature that takes place each November. It began as Jewish Book Week in 1925, started by librarian Fanny Goldstein, and was expanded to a full month in 1943. It is why, 27 years ago, our Jewish Federation launched our annual Jewish Book Festival to run during this time. Over the years, we’ve had a wide breadth of Jewish authors (or authors who have written on Jewish issues and topics). Throughout our program’s history, our over 250 authors have covered essentially all genres of literature – from historical fiction, sports, humor, children’s books, young adult books, cookbooks, self-help, Holocaust, history… the list could go on and on. And this year’s author lineup illustrates our Jewish Book Festival committee’s continued desire to offer “something for everyone.”
I am proud that our Jewish Federation, with the support of an incredible group of current and past volunteers, along with community members who have become members of our Literary Circle by donating each year to support and ensure we can sponsor this program, has exemplified the ideals of Judaism’s recognition of the value and importance of lifelong learning.
I hope you will join us at an upcoming Jewish Book Festival event, or at the very least, commit to picking up and reading a Jewish book during National Jewish Book Month. And if you need a recommendation or suggestions, give us a call. Our Jewish Federation staff will be happy to go through past festival brochures and provide you with a list of authors we have featured over the years.
Jason Moss is executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Greater
San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
