Dear Friend,

Chanukah is arriving in early December this year, and it is perhaps fitting that we have this holiday of light and reminder of hope in what is currently a difficult and dark time. We join with you in feeling pain surrounding the very overwhelming news: the ongoing war in Israel, concern about rising antisemitism in the United States and elsewhere, fears for the safety and security of Israel and its people, and the ongoing angst over the missing hostages.   

All of these events serve to remind us how important it is that we work to build community and connections with one another. JBI wants you to know that we are here and working on ways to bring the people we serve from around the world together. Some of you have already joined our new book group meeting for the first time on December 6. We are planning another book group starting in early 2024—if you are interested in hearing more, please be in touch and we will make sure to send you information about our book choice and dates. We are also planning other virtual gatherings to bring us together in 2024. And we are always looking for more people to join our Patrons’ Council, a wonderful way you can become involved with JBI and share your thoughts and ideas with us.

In terms of our library offerings, we continue to work with the Jewish Book Council to provide audio recordings of essays and commentary by Israeli writers on our website, and we will continue to include articles about the situation in Israel in our JBI Voices (audio) and JBI Review (braille).

To sign up for one of our book clubs, join our Patron’s Council or to be added to our Voices or Review distribution list, contact our librarians by calling 800-433-1531 or emailing library@jbilibrary.org.

As we celebrate the festival of lights and the miracle that Chanukah represents, we want to also remind you that JBI has Chanukah prayers and other materials available on our website for download, and we can also send you a hard copy if you contact our librarians (information below). For those of us with children or grandchildren, Hanukkah at Monica's by Varda Livney is ready for you to borrow.
 

You can also request audio versions of The Hanukkah Cat by Chaya Burstein, The Chanukkah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel, and The Littlest Candle: A Hanukkah Story by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky and Rabbi Jesse Olitzky. 

We hope that you and your family feel the warmth of the Chanukah candles, and that we can all lean into the story of the miracle that took place in Israel long ago. May the next miracle see the hostages safely home soon and Israel at peace. 

Warmly, 

Livia

Livia Thompson, Executive Director

Get in touch!

We are committed to serving you, and want to hear from you:

Visit our website—www.jbilibrary.org

Call us at: 212-889-2525 or 800-433-1531 

Email: 

Livia Thompson, Executive Driector at LThompson@jbilibrary.org 

Librarian, Arlene Arfe at AArfe@jbilibrary.org

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