Jewish Author Series 2023 - Form - Beth Shalom Congregation

Beth Shalom's
Jewish Author Series

February 1, March 19 & April 27 2023

Join us for one or all of these amazing authors.
Virtual and in person options. Beverages and snacks will be served at the in person programs.

The Choice: A Novel of Love, Faith and the Talmud
by Maggie Anton
Wednesday, February 1 at 7:45 p.m., in person

This novel has both religious and secular themes, including romance, baseball, history and Talmud. Anton takes characters inspired by Chaim Potok and ages them into young adults in Brooklyn in the 1950s. She “creates a rich tapestry of characters, situations, and conundrums that imaginatively envisions how, if women had been welcomed into Talmud study and decision-making, conversations might have unfolded and decisions been made.” (Rabbi Amy Scheinerman).

Maggie Anton is an award-winning author of historical fiction, as well as a Talmud scholar with expertise in Jewish women's history. She was born Margaret Antonofsky in Los Angeles, California, where she still resides. In 1992 she joined a women's Talmud class taught by Rachel Adler. There, to her surprise, she fell in love with Talmud, a passion that has continued unabated for thirty years. Other books published include Rashi’s Daughters and Rav Hisda’s Daughter: Apprentice and its sequel, Enchantress. Anton came to Beth Shalom a few years ago, and gave an author talk for her book, Fifty Shades of Talmud.

Purchase this book from Amazon Smile here.

Purchase Maggie Anton's book The Choice at a discounted rate.

No Thank youYesMaggie Anton is selling her book through Beth Shalom for a discounted rate of $15/book ($16.99 on Amazon). She will sign purchased books at the February 1 program.

Impact the World: Live Your Values and Drive Change As a Citizen Statesperson

By Carrie Rich
Sunday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m., in person

From poverty and homelessness to violence and corruption, we often see challenges in the world around us and ask, “Why doesn’t someone do something?” We look to people with more experience, or people with more influence, or people with more time or resources than ourselves to step up and find answers to some of our biggest problems. But what if we didn’t wait for others? What if we stepped up, and looked for ways to employ our skills to solve the biggest and most complex problems of our time?

This book is a call to action. From local to global, from the private sector to government, and to the frontlines of social entrepreneurship, authors Carrie Rich and Dean Fealk explore the benefits and challenges of becoming a citizen statesperson, showing how to pull together disparate threads to solve pressing social, political, and economic challenges.

Carrie is a member of Beth Shalom. She is an entrepreneur who has a passion for creating a positive impact on the world. In 2012 she co-founded The Global Good Fund which aims to empower leaders capable of enacting long-term sustainable change . This Fund is a nonprofit which seeks to identify high potential, overlooked social entrepreneurs and to offer them executive mentorship, professional leadership, coaching and capital.

In 2016 Carrie founded the Global Impact Fund, which is dedicated to investing for equity in socially impactful businesses primarily led by people of color and women. Carrie is the recipient of the many awards including POLITICO Women Who Rule Award and Entrepreneur.com Top 30 start-ups to Watch.

On a more personal note, Carries is a member of our congregation. She lives with her husband and three young children (ages 1, 5 and 7).

Purchase this book from Amazon Smile here.

A Bend in the Stars

By Rachel Barenbaum
Thursday, April 27 at 7:45 p.m., on Zoom

In 1914, Russia was on the brink of war, and Albert Einstein was on the brink of proving his theory of relativity.

These two threads intertwine in a new novel called A Bend in the Stars. The story centers on Vanya and Miri, Jewish siblings who are in fear for their lives and have one opportunity to escape Russia — Vanya has been promised a position at Harvard and a life in America for his family if he can prove Einstein’s theory with equations and photos of the coming eclipse.

With plenty of drama, adventure and romance, this novel also touches upon the difficulties women physicians in Russia faced as pioneers in their field and the harsh reality of daily life for Jews in Russia before World War I.

Rachel is a prolific writer and reviewer. Her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, the LA Review of Books, and more. She is a Scholar in Residence at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis and her podcast, Check This Out, is sponsored by the Howe Library and A Mighty Blaze. She has degrees from Harvard in Business, and Literature and Philosophy.

Purchase this book from Amazon Smile here.

Member price for the author series:

1 session ($10); 2 sessions ($18); 3 sessions ($25)

Non-Member price for the author series:

1 session ($15); 2 sessions ($27); 3 sessions ($38)