Sustainability of the Jewish People — Miriam Book Project
After October 7th this is needed more than ever!
A few months ago I started sending some of my Holocaust books to the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, Illinois. I grew up in this city of one synagogue and very few Jews, and recently I have been doing Holocaust and antisemitism education projects with high school students there in connection to my nonfiction Holocaust play THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE. I realized that many of my Holocaust books could do more good at the library that sitting on my shelves.
I used LibraryThing to scan bar codes on the books I sent in order to have a list of what I sent — and off they went. (Check mailing rates — book rate is not necessarily the best.)
Then I was having a Zoom call with the president of the Jewish fraternity AEPi at a university that is a hotbed of antisemitic and anti-Zionist activities. During the call I realized that there seemed to be a lack of Jewish history knowledge on the part of some members, so I suggested starting a small library in the fraternity house. The president agreed.
I immediately sent a copy of my Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION written with Rabbi Karen L. Fox and found a used copy of the 1974 book CRYSTAL NIGHT by Rita Thalmann because I didn’t want to give up my copy of this book. Lack of knowledge of Kristallnacht — Nov. 9-10, 1938 — was one thing that came up in the conversation with the fraternity president.
I am particularly excited about having Jewish history books “sitting around” at a Jewish fraternity house where a book might just call out to be read.
Remember when there used to be lots of bookstores? You’d walk in to browse — and a book just fell into your hands that you had to have?
Introducing the Miriam Book Project*:
Yes, I am challenging all of us to choose a Jewish or non-Jewish location to donate new or used books in a specific Jewish history niche to encourage the sustainability of the Jewish people.
Books offer the opportunity for both Jews and non-Jews to learn about Jews, including the falsehoods of antisemitic tropes and the history behind many of these.
Your mission if you should choose to accept it:
Review your book shelves and then decide which group or location would be an excellent recipient of a small portion of your Jewish history or religion books on a specific subject. And send those books now.
One recommendation: Send books where they can do the most good. Jewish schools and synagogues that already have Jewish books are not the target audience for this project.
UPDATE AFTER OCTOBER 7TH ON HOW THIS COULD WORK:
I am looking for funding for the creation of a functionality to be a “Jewish Book Donation Exchange” in the vein of Craig’s List to “live” on the site of an existing nonprofit organization.
The purpose would be for 1) people to list books they would like to give away or buy for others and for 2) people to list books they would like to receive for pop-up or existing libraries. Then if people wanted to donate funds for the shipping of the books, this could be done through the nonprofit.
Now more than ever after Hamas’ brutal October 7th attack on Israel do young people need to be educated so they can intelligently answer the anti-Israel and antisemitic comments that are being directed at them!
P.S. It would be wonderful if Jewish organizations undertook to provide all Jewish college students with Noa Tishby’s book ISRAEL: A SIMPLE GUIDE TO THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD COUNTRY ON EARTH (not an affiliate link). Bulk purchases anyone?
If you are looking for recommendations for nonfiction books about the Holocaust for different ages, different countries, different topics — check out my non-fiction Holocaust reading list.
P.S. And if you’re looking for new ideas on how to engagingly teach about the Holocaust with non-Jewish or Jewish students, check out my co-produced 26-minute documentary TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST: BEYOND FACTS AND FIGURES. In September it was an official selection of the Silicon Beach Film Festival 2023 and awarded GRAND PRIZE — BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT!