Posts Tagged ‘Add new tag’

The Past, Present & Future of Jewish Children’s Literature

Monday, May 18th, 2009

This panel presentation on the history, current trends, and hope for the future of Jewish children’s literature was the opening session at the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s 40th anniversary celebration, held at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention on June 25, 2008. Panelists included Evelyn Freeman, Rita Soltan, and Joni Sussman, and the session was chaired by Rachel Kamin and moderated by Heidi Estrin.

Dr. Evelyn B. Freeman is the Dean and Director of the Ohio State University at Mansfield and a Professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology. She is also President of the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Rita Soltan has been a public librarian in New York and Michigan for over 30 years. She regularly reviews children’s books for major publications including School Library Journal, Horn Book, and Kirkus. She is the author of several books from Libraries Unlimited on reading clubs and summer reading.

Joni Sussman is Publisher at Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

1 hr 4 min 39 sec

 
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Worth a Thousand Words: Jewish Picture Books

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

L-R: Deborah da Costa, Jane Breskin Zalben, Sarah Marwil Lamstein

Picture book authors Deborah da Costa, Sarah Marwil Lamstein and Jane Breskin Zalben provide insight into their creative processes. Learn about their most recent books and their upcoming projects.  This panel was part of the Celebration of Jewish Children’s Literature held in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Taylor Book Award on June 25, 2008.

Among their other books, our speakers highlighted recently recognized titles. Deborah da Costa is the author of Hanukkah Moon, a 2008 AJL Notable Children’s Book. Sarah Marwil Lamstein is the author of Letter on the Wind, a 2008 Sydney Taylor Honor Book. Jane Breskin Zalben is the author of Light, a 2008 Sydney Taylor Honor Book.

54 min 52 sec

 
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Tales of a Tank Secretary: IDF Comix with a Twist

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

Although several comic book stories have tried to describe life in Israel (Joe Sacco’s Palestine; Peter Kuper’s Promised Land; Uri Fink’s Fink!), very few of them have been written by women and none of them have tried to show what life is like for those who work behind the scenes in the Israeli army, working desk jobs and performing menial tasks (the so-called “jobnikim”). Miriam Libicki, who spent two years as a volunteer in the Israeli army, is currently completing work on her self-published comic book series jobnik!, while also writing illustrated essays such as “Towards a Hot Jew: The Israeli Soldier as Fetish Object,” “ceasefire,” and “Jewish Memoir Goes Pow! Zap! Oy!” Miriam discusses her influences, what led her to choose comics as a format, why she started the jobnik! series, her self-publishing experience, and how her work has been received thus far in Israel and elsewhere.

Miriam Libicki was born in 1981 in Columbus, Ohio. After living in Jerusalem and Seattle, Washington, she is now based in Vancouver, BC. She completed her BFA from Emily Carr Institute in 2006. She is the creator of the comic series jobnik! and the drawn essays “Towards a Hot Jew,” “ceasefire,” and “Jewish Memoir Goes Pow! Zap! Oy!” (in The Jewish Graphic Novel, forthcoming from Rutgers University Press). See her blog at www.realgonegirl.com

23 min 45 sec

 
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Flying Solo: The Jewish Librarian’s Freshman Seminar

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Even Batgirl had help, but the superhero librarian survives with a small space and a staff of one. The solo librarian is alone in the trenches, balancing many responsibilities. During this session, we discuss the tricks of the trade for surviving in the library alone. We discuss how to schedule your day, week, and year, so that you do not feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities. We will also share techniques that you can take back to your library so that it can be run in a more efficient manner. The second half of the presentation will look into collection development tips such as weeding, purchasing, and electronic alternatives that enable a library with minimal space to meet the needs of its patrons.

Michal Davis has an MLS from Queens College and a Masteres in Education and Curriculum from Capella University. She is a permanently certified New York State K-6  teacher as well as a K-12 School Library Media Specialist. Michal spent two years teaching at Yeshivat Ohr Haiim before she began working for the Nassau BOCES School Library System, Library Automation and Resource Sharing division as a Program Specialist. Since leaving BOCES, she has worked at the Yeshiva University High School for Girls Library as a solo librarian for four years, and also spent a year as librarian at Shelter Rock Jewish Center. She is now librarian at Temple B’nai Sholom of Rockville Center.

1 hr 7 min 43 sec

 
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The Theology, Halakhah, Politics and Esotericism of the DSS Essene Sect Compared with Normative Rabbinic Practices and that of the Second Temple Sadducees

Monday, April 20th, 2009

As well as a brief general overview of the DSS library, the differences revelaed by the contents of DSS texts in theology between Essenes, Sadducess and Pharisees is illustrated by looking at the topics of predestination, immortality, dualism, apocalyptic messianism, and angelology. Differences in halakhah are illustrated by touching on the laws regarding halah, peru u-revu, pikuah nefesh, li-fenim mi-shurat ha-din, oils, mikvaot immersions, harvesting the omer, tevel yom relating to the parah adumah, and some differences in Shabbat observances. The method of approach is to compare DSS theology, politics and halakhah with the evolution of mainstream Rabbinic traditions across history in order to illuminate, enhance, and increase our knowledge about Rabbinic observances, history and practices.

David B. Levy received a Ph.D. in Jewish philosophy, rabbinics and biblical studies in 2002. In 1994, he received an MLS from UMCP. He previously served as a librarian and taught in thehigh school at Ner Israel.

25 min 36 sec

 
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