2014 Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival Brochure

HYMAN S. & FREDA BERNSTEIN JEWISH LITERARY FESTIVAL OCTOBER 19 to 29, 2014

dcjcc.org/litfest

dcjcc.org/litfest || 202.777.3251 202.777.3251 dcjcc.org/litfest

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Presented by the DCJCC’s Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 7:00 PM Local Author Fair: Discover a New Book MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 7:30 PM The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book with Geraldine Brooks TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 7:30 PM, The Chaim Kempner Author Series Zachary Lazar, I Pity the Poor Immigrant: A Novel TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 8:00 PM Art Spiegelman’s WORDLESS! with music by Phillip Johnston, at Lisner Auditorium WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 7:30 PM Hilma and Meg Wolitzer: Like Mother, Like Daughter, moderated by Deborah Tannen THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 7:30 PM Film: Fifth Heaven FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, NOON Nick Kotz, The Harness Maker’s Dream: Nathan Kallison and the Rise of South Texas SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 8:00 PM, The Gerald L. Bernstein Memorial Lecture Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Jerome E. Singerman, Myths of Love: Echoes of Ancient Mythology in the Modern Romantic Imagination SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 10:00 AM The Great Children’s Read: Bringing Books to Life SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 7:00 PM S. Bear Bergman performing Machatunim MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 7:30 PM Mathew Klickstein, Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 7:30 PM, The Bernard Wexler Lecture on Jewish History Martin Goldsmith, Alex’s Wake: A Voyage of Betrayal and a Journey of Remembrance WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 7:30 PM Gary Shteyngart in Conversation with NPR’s Alan Cheuse, Little Failure: A Memoir All events at the DCJCC unless otherwise noted.

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

LOCAL AUTHOR FAIR: DISCOVER A NEW BOOK FEATURING

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 7:00 PM, FREE AN ANNUAL FESTIVAL FAVORITE: Meet and greet authors at the Local Author Fair! Fifteen DC-area authors will introduce you to their books with short presentations. Buy a locally grown book and chat with area readers and writers at a wine and cheese reception.

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OPENING NIGHT SPONSORED BY TAMARA AND HARRY HANDELSMAN

THE SARAJEVO HAGGADAH: MUSIC OF THE BOOK WITH GERALDINE BROOKS MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 7:30 PM

$25, Discounted $20, VIP $50 (Priority Seating) Join Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks, author of People of the Book: A Novel, for the Washington, DC debut of an ambitious multimedia concert based on the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah. Bosnian-born composer and accordionist Merima Ključo, pianist Seth Knopp and video artist Bart Woodstrup trace the treasured manuscript’s phenomenal journey. Brooks will introduce the program and join Ključo and Knopp for a post-concert discussion.

Commissioned by the Foundation for Jewish Culture’s New Jewish Culture Network

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

ZACHARY LAZAR I PITY THE POOR IMMIGRANT: A NOVEL

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 7:30 PM

$15, Discounted $12 | The Chaim Kempner Author Series In 1972, American gangster Meyer Lansky petitioned the Israeli government for citizenship. Though his request was denied, he continued to dream about returning to Israel. Lazar, author of the hit novel Sway, intertwines Lansky’s story with the tale of a modern-day journalist caught in a web of violence involving the American and Israeli mafias, King David and Lansky himself.

Supported by the Chaim Kempner Collection Library Fund, the Chaim Kempner Author Series brings authors of recently published books to the DCJCC for the learning and enjoyment of the entire community.

dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

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ART SPIEGELMAN’S WORDLESS! with music by PHILLIP JOHNSTON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 8:00 PM

Tickets starting at $35, Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street NW Art Spiegelman and Phillip Johnston unite in WORDLESS!—a new and stimulating hybrid of slides, talk and musical performance. With original music by Phillip Johnston and live narration and text by Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman, this live performance delves into Spiegelman’s premise around comics, their history, and their capacity for images to go right to the brain as wordless messages. Experience the art of comics as Spiegelman probes further into the nature and possibilities of his medium.

In Partnership with GW Lisner

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

HILMA & MEG WOLITZER LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

Moderated by DEBORAH TANNEN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 7:30 PM $15, Discounted $12

Hilma Wolitzer, author of An Available Man: A Novel, and her daughter Meg, author of the literary sensation The Interestings and the new young adult novel Belzhar, sit down to discuss their writing and the family influences that have shaped their work. Moderated by Georgetown University Professor Deborah Tannen, author of You’re Wearing That?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation.

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FILM: FIFTH HEAVEN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 7:30 PM $11

Dir. Dina Zvi-Riklis 103 min, Israel, 2012 In Hebrew with English Subtitles In this beautiful coming-of-age drama, a 13-year-old orphan struggles to adjust to a new life in British-controlled Palestine in 1944. Maya lives in an orphanage for Jewish girls on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, where she develops forbidden feelings for an anti-British resistance fighter. Based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Eytan, winner of the prestigious Brenner Prize.

NICK KOTZ THE HARNESS MAKER’S DREAM: NATHAN KALLISON AND THE RISE OF SOUTH TEXAS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, NOON $12, Discounted $10

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nick Kotz tells the sweeping and personal story of one family and the pioneer rancher, Nathan Kallison, who helped develop modern Texas. A Russian immigrant in the 1890’s, Kallison, Kotz’s grandfather, eventually settled in San Antonio, where he turned his one-room saddlery into the largest farm and ranch supply business in the Southwest. Bring a bag lunch!

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

THE GERALD L. BERNSTEIN MEMORIAL LECTURE

DR. RUTH K. WESTHEIMER & JEROME E. SINGERMAN MYTHS OF LOVE: ECHOES OF ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY IN THE MODERN ROMANTIC IMAGINATION SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 8:00 PM

$25, Discounted $20, VIP $50 (Priority Seating)

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s favorite sex therapist, analyzes the irrational, cruel and often deadly world of classic myths—from Narcissus to Helen of Troy to Venus and Adonis. Dr. Ruth and co-author Jerome E. Singerman examine the underlying psychology of ancient myths, and trace how they have endured in literature and art throughout the centuries, influencing how we think about love even today.

This annual lecture is made possible by a generous endowment from Tamara and Harry Handelsman in honor of the memory of Tamara Handelsman’s brother, Gerald L. Bernstein.

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PERFORMANCE:

MACHATUNIM BASED ON S. BEAR BERGMAN’S BLOOD, MARRIAGE, WINE AND GLITTER SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 7:00 PM

$18, Discounted $15 — Bring your bubbe for free!

S. Bear Bergman understands family—original, chosen, and a hearty blend of the two. Bergman joins us to perform stories about the lives of his grandparents, his Shabbat table, the hilarity of planning his wedding, and the survival story of Chanukah set against Trans Day of Remembrance. He also makes space for those complex relationships for which we must create our own names—drag mothers, step-parents emeritus, your sperm donor’s parents and other queerly-related loved ones—all redefining the notion of what family is and can be.

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

THE GREAT CHILDREN’S READ: BRINGING BOOKS TO LIFE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 10:00 AM FREE

The Great Children’s Read returns with crafts, a sing-along and a storyteller!

We’ll also have a book fair with a wide selection of Jewish and other children’s books and a special guest: Clifford the Big Red Dog™! We are collecting new or gently used books to donate to Reading Partners, an organization that helps children become lifelong readers. Ages 2 - 8

MATHEW KLICKSTEIN SLIMED!: AN ORAL HISTORY OF NICKELODEON’S GOLDEN AGE MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 7:30 PM $15, Discounted $12

Did you know Alanis Morissette before she was “ironic”? Do Rugrats, Clarissa Explains It All and The Adventures of Pete & Pete conjure up memories of Saturday night SNICK marathons? Then you grew up in the golden age of Nickelodeon! Mathew Klickstein interviewed hundreds of Nickelodeon insiders, including actors Melissa Joan Hart and Kenan Thompson, to uncover the origins of green slime, how Ren & Stimpy managed to get on the air and much more. Followed by Nick-themed trivia!

dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

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THE BERNARD WEXLER LECTURE ON JEWISH HISTORY

MARTIN GOLDSMITH ALEX’S WAKE: A VOYAGE OF BETRAYAL AND A JOURNEY OF REMEMBRANCE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 7:30 PM FREE

In 1939 the MS St. Louis, loaded with Jewish refugees eager to escape Nazi Germany, sailed from Hamburg. Denied entry to Cuba and then the United States, the ship and its passengers were returned to Europe. Author and radio personality Martin Goldsmith details his six-week quest to retrace the journey his grandfather and his uncle made from the St. Louis, to French concentration camps, to murder at Auschwitz. With an introduction by Scott Miller, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The Bernard Wexler Fund for Jewish History, established in 1996, supports an annual lecture that brings outstanding speakers, scholarly research and contemporary issues to the forefront of learning at the DCJCC.

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

CLOSING NIGHT SPONSORED BY LOUIE AND RALPH DWECK

GARY SHTEYNGART In Conversation with Alan Cheuse

LITTLE FAILURE: A MEMOIR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 7:30 PM

$25, Discounted $20, VIP $50 (Priority Seating)

From the author of the bestselling novels Super Sad True Love Story and The Russian Debutante’s Handbook comes an epic American immigrant story starring a lovable, stumbling, lusting hero—Gary Shteyngart himself. In his newest hit, Shteyngart explores what it means to be an immigrant, a son, an American, a boyfriend and a writer. In conversation with NPR’s “Voice of Books” Alan Cheuse.

dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

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Thank you!

GIFTS EPIC HERO

Louie and Ralph Dweck Tamara and Harry Handelsman

EDITOR

Elizabeth Berry Faye and Jack Moskowitz Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Michael Singer David Bruce Smith Family Foundation Judith Weintraub

AUTHOR

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz Deborah Carliner and Robert Remes Rose and Robert Cohen Craig Pascal and Victor Shargai Anne & Henry Reich Family Foundation Lee G. Rubenstein, co-President Beverly and Harlan Sherwat Tina and Albert Small Jr. Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Diane Abelman Wattenberg Ann and Stephan Werner Susan P. Willens

AS OF AUGUST 15, 2014

CRITIC

Anonymous Lois and Michael Fingerhut Naomi Freeman Dina Gold Paula Seigle Goldman Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy Shoshana and Peter Grove Gilbert Holland Martha Kahn and Simeon M. Kriesberg Maryla Korn Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin Paula Veiner McMartin Myra and Allen Mondzac Michelle Sender Shirley and Jack Serber Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt Deborah Tannen and Michael Macovski Rivka Yerushalmi

READER

Dava Berkman Ryna and Marcella and Neil Cohen Marsha Dubrow Diana Engel Myrna Fawcett Lorraine Gallard and Richard Levy Jay Gerard Dr. Kenneth* and Cheryl Gorelick Fund Jim Hambuechen Elizabeth Hodes Carole Lerner Deborah Prigal David Pugh Renay and Bill Regardie Naomi and Peter Rosenblatt Madelyn R. Shapiro Lynnette Spira *of blessed memory

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dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

Discounted: Members, Seniors 65 & older, Students with ID and Groups of 10+

More information!

DETAILS

VOLUNTEER Sign up to help at one event and attend another for free at dcjcc.org/litfest.

BOOKS

Featured books will be sold at the events and in our online store. The authors will sign books following each program.

TICKETS

Purchase tickets at dcjcc.org/litfest or 202.777.3251.

Discounted tickets are available for members, seniors 65 and over, students with ID and groups of 10 or more.

Purchase a Festival Pass and save 30%.

All ticket sales are final.

All events are general admission unless otherwise noted.

Reserved seating is available for patrons with special needs upon request.

All events are at the DCJCC unless otherwise noted.

1529 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

DIRECTIONS TO THE DCJCC

Via Metro Red Line, exit the Dupont Circle station via the north (Q Street) exit.

Walk east to 16th Street.

Via bus, take the S1, S2 or S4 along 16th Street.

DIRECTIONS TO LISNER AUDITORIUM

Via Metro Orange and Blue Lines, exit the Foggy Bottom-GWU station at 23rd and I Streets. Walk straight along I Street for two blocks to 21st Street.

Turn right and walk one block to H Street.

PARKING AT THE DCJCC

Limited street parking available.

Colonial Parking Garages at 1616 P Street NW and 1515 15th Street NW. Limited paid parking in the DCJCC’s lot.

dcjcc.org/litfest | 202.777.3251

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Washington DCJCC Irwin P. Edlavitch Building 1529 Sixteenth Street NW Washington, DC 20036

dcjcc.org/litfest WASHINGTON DCJCC STAFF Carole R. Zawatsky, Chief Executive Officer Lili Kalish Gersch, Director of Literature, Music & Jewish Life Alena Kranzberg, Festival Coordinator Rachel Feingold, Festival Assistant FESTIVAL CHAIRS Faye Moskowitz & Michael Singer FOUNDING CHAIR Tamara Handelsman WASHINGTON DCJCC PRESIDENT Rose H. Cohen MEDIA SPONSORS

OFFICIAL BOOKSELLER

PROGRAM CO-SPONSORS

Adas Israel Congregation Bet Mishpachah Foundation for Jewish Culture Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington Ohev Sholom—The National Synagogue PEN/Faulkner Foundation Washington Hebrew Congregation The Writer’s Center Writing Program at Johns Hopkins University

PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS

Member of

Casa Ruby Embassy of Israel Foundation for Jewish Studies The Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital Jewish Study Center Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue Moment Magazine PJ Library Temple Micah