KOH Library and Cultural Center

Special Speaker

2012-02-29T18:58:00.002-08:00

The Jewish Experience In Small Towns: The Identity Issue - Special guest speaker, Professor Al Sokolow. Sunday, March 4th at 2pm.

Small town residence clearly has not been the dominant story of the Jewish existence in this country. We have been primarily an urban (big city and suburban) people in the United States. But there also has been a significant Jewish presence in small towns, an experience that reveals a great deal about retaining - or losing - Jewish identity. The KOH Library and Cultural Center is honored to present guest speaker Al Sokolow who will explore several aspects of small-town Jewish experi-ence. Much of this program will be audience driven and Dr. Sokolow especially wants to hear from folks who have experienced small town life as Jews, so please bring your personal stories to share. No fee and open to the community.

There is $5 suggested donation. Dr. Sokolow is a Public Policy Specialist Emeritus, University of California, Davis. He has a longstanding interest in the topic of Jews in small communities

KOH Special Exhibit

2012-02-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Haggadah Exhibit in the KOH Library and Cultural Center

The KOH Library and Cultural Center will be featuring a fascinating and varied exhibit of Haggadahs, on loan from personal collections, on display from February 13 through April 2nd. The exhibit can be viewed during regular KOH Library hours of operation or by appointment. Currently the library is scheduled to be open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00am to 1:00pm; Wednesday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and Sunday from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Please call before making your trip in to see the exhibit to confirm that the library hours have not been changed. For more information or to schedule a time to see the exhibit please contact Taliah Berger at 916-541-3720 or taliah@kohlcc.org.

KOH New Arrivals - February

2012-02-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

By Fire Possessed; Dona Gracia Nasi
     by Sandrak Toro
Jews and Booze - Becoming American in the Age of Prohibition
     by Marni Davis
A Book Forged in Hell; Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age
     by Steven Nadler
Good Living Street; Portrait of a Family, Vienna 1900
     by Tim Bonyhady

A Stranger in the Planet, a novel
     by Adam Schwartz
The House at Tyneford, a novel
      by Natasha Solomons
No One is Here Except All of Us, a novel
     by Ramona Ausubel
The Linen Queen, a novel
     by Patricia Falvey
The Flame Alphabet, a novel
     by Ben Marcus

In addition the following new receipts are related to the upcoming March 18 presentation by Dr. Robert Platzner on Women in the Bible:

Warrior, Dancer, Seductress, Queen; Women in Judges and Biblical Israel
     by Susan Ackerman
The Voices of the Matriarchs
     by Chava Weissler
Discovering Eve; Ancient Israelite Women in Context
     by Carol Meyers
In the Wake of the Goddesses; Women, Culture, and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth
     by Tikvah Frymer-Kensky
Did God Have a Wife; Archaelogy and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel
     by William G. Dever

February Happenings at KOH Library

2012-02-01T05:07:00.000-08:00

ADDITIONAL LIBRARY HOURS STARTING FEBRUARY 1st - We will now be open Wednesday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

KOH FILM CLUB - Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 2 p.m. "Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story". Jews and Baseball traces the Jewish involvement in the history of the sport from the earliest days, through the tumultuous was years to today's All-Star games. By bringing to life dramatic moments in this history, including Hank Greenberg's support of Jackie Robinson and how the legendary Sandy Koufax pioneered rights for the players, the film demonstrates how Jews shaped baseball, and baseball shaped them. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman. Suggested donation -$5

DISCUSSION GROUP - Discussion group with Rabbi Joseph Melamed on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 1:30-2:30 p.m. Open to everyone. Meets the second Monday of each month. No class fee.

KOH BOOK CLUB - Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 7 p.m. Fare Foreward by Wendy Dubow Polins. In the intersection of modern science and ancient mysticism, is a story about finding the things that transcend time. Gabriella Vogel's grandfather is about to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for his shocking proof that will change everything we take for granted. As she stands at the threshold of the beginning of everything in her own life, she knows that her future and that of the world, hangs delicately in the balance. She must decide: What are the things in life worth fighting for? Can we change our fate?

In this journey of a lifetime, Gabriella meets a mysterious, young scientist, then learns that he's been at the center of her grandfather's research for hundreds of years, met her grandmother eighty years earlier, and that he hasn't aged--at all. Inspired by theories in art and science and events in history, Gabriella's unforgettable quest for answers will reveal a secret hidden for generations by her family, and one moment--one choice, that will change everything.

HAGGADOT DISPLAY - Unique and unusual haggadot on display in the KOH Library from February 12th through March 31st,

KEEPING PASSOVER; CREATING A FAITHFUL AND PERSONAL SEDER CELEBRATION - Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. Guest speaker Ira Steingroot, one of the nation's leading Haggadah experts and author of "Keeping Passover" will be giving a lecture. Suggested donation $5.

KOH CHESS CLUB - Come to meet and play chess with others at 10 a.m. on March 4th. All levels of chess players welcome! Save the date for our 2nd annual KOH Chess Tournament on Sunday, March 25th at 10 a.m. For more information and/.or to register for the chess tournament, please contact Hillel Damron at shalomhd@comcast.net

FEBRUARY LIBRARY CLOSURES - February 5th for a private event;February 19th and 20th in observance of President's Day.

New (expanded) Hours

2012-01-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

Our new winter hours provide two additional time periods for your visits.
Tell your friends!

Sunday: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Monday:        10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Wednesday:   1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Thursday:      10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Friday:           10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

KOH Film Club presents

2012-01-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

BRIDE FLIGHT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2012

2:00 - 4:00 pm

$5 suggested donation

Bride Flight is a lavish romantic drama that charts the lives of three women who escape the gloom of post-WWII Holland for what they hope will be a better life in New Zealand. Ada, the shy but sensual farm girl; Marjorie, who dreams of a big family; and Esther, a Holocaust survivor who aspires to be a fashion designer, become fast friends during the long flight taking them to their waiting husbands, who have already settled in Christchurch. On the way the women also meet Frank, a dashing young man who will play a large role in each of their lives. Upon arrival they part ways to start their new lives, but their paths continue to cross with chance meetings resulting in adultery, betrayal and near tragedy up to a reunion fifty years later.

KOH New Arrivals - January

2012-01-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Sistern Secrets Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of Vatican by Benjamin Blech and Ray Doliner

Gretel's Story: A Young Woman's Secret War Against the Nazis by Gretel Wachtel

The False Friend by Myla Goldberg

The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

All Our Wordly Goods by Irene Nemirovosky

The Scattered Tribe: Traveling The Diaspora From Cuba To India To Tahiti & Beyond by Ben Frank

Mornings at the Stanton Street Shul: A Summer on the Lower East Side by Jonathan Boyarin

Brothers at War: Israel and the Tragedy of the Altalena by Jerold Auerbach

Chasing Shadows: A Special Agent's Lifelong Hunt To Bring A Cold War Assassin To Justice by Fred Burton

Einstein Before Israel: Zionist Icon or Iconoclast by Ze'ev Rosenkranz

Sinner on Trial: Jews and Sacrilege After The Reformation by Magida Teter

Palaces of Time: Jewish Calendar and Culture in Early Modern Europe By Elisheva Carlebach

The People of the Book: Philosemitism in England, From Cromwell to Churchill by Gertrude Himmelfarb

The God Who Hates Lies: Confronting & Rethinking Jewish Tradition by David Hartman

The Anatomy of Israel's Survival by Hirsh Goodman

The Synagogue in America: A Short History by Marc Lee Raphael

The Greening of American Orothodox Judaism: Yavneh in the 1960s by Benny Kraut

One Hundred Years of Kibbutz Life: A Century of Crises and Reinvention by Michael Palgi

Beyond The Facade: A Synagogue - Museum at Eldridge Street

KOH BOOK CLUB - 2012

2011-12-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

We have some great books for review this coming year, including two author appearances (Linda Frank and Michael David Lucas): *

After the Auction by Linda Frank - January 10th, 7 p.m. *
Fare Foreward by Wendy Dubow Polins - February 21st, 7 p.m.
The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman - March 20th, 7 p.m.
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson - April 17th, 7 p.m.
The Oracle of Stanbul by Michael David Lucas - May 15th, 7 p.m. *
Sweet Like Sugar by Wayne Hoffman - June 12th, 7 p.m.
Stations West by Allison Amend - July 17th, 7 p.m.
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson - August 21st, 7 p.m.
Drawing in the Dust by Zoe Klein - October 16th, 7 p.m.
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman - November 13th, 7 p.m.

Newcomers always welcome to join us anytime!

DECEMBER CLOSURES

2011-12-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

The KOH Library and Cultural Center will be closed December 25 through January 1.

Don't forget to make your reservations for the Bridge Players chamber music concert on January 8th! (916-485-4143).

A happy and healthy 2012 to everyone!

Fiction Book Club: Guest Author

2011-12-08T12:44:00.001-08:00

The KOH Fiction Book Club News:

We are starting out our first book club meeting of 2012 with a special guest author, Linda Frank who will speak about her book, "After the Auction" .

This book is about a woman who glimpses a family treasure looted by the Nazis at an art auction and her quest for justice and restitution spanning three continents. Books will be for sale and the public is welcome to attend.

The special date for this meeting is Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 7 p.m.

The KOH Library Fiction Book Club normally meets on the 3rd Tuesday evening of the month at 7 p.m. We have men and women in the group and anyone is invited to join us at any time.

Save the Date: Sunday, January 8, 2012

2011-12-08T12:38:00.001-08:00

Musical Program: The Bridge Players

We are very excited to invite you all to attend the KOH Library and Cultural Center's first professional musical program on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 2 p.m.

We are bringing in the professional chamber music group, The Bridge Players, who will perform the music of Mendelssohn. In addition, we will hear a commentary about the life of Mendelssohn.

The Bridge Players are Randall Weiss and Leslie Ludena (violins), Natalia Vershilova (viola), Victoria Ehrlich (cello). The Players reside in the San Francisco Bay Area and regularly perform chamber music throughout Northern California. Since 2001, they have been ensemble-in-residence for Music in the Mishkan chamber music series at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav in San Francisco.

Tickets cost $15 each and seating is limited. Advanced reservations are suggested. (916-485-4143).

KOH DECEMBER EVENTS

2011-12-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

We have two upcoming events in the KOH Library and Cultural Center this month that you won't want to miss!

On Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 2 p.m., we will be showing the film "Attention Aux Enfants!" . This is a documentary of the orphans and displaced children of the Shoah who were hidden in Montmorency (a suburb of Paris) during the Nazi occupation of France. For many years they refused to tell their stories of childhood, hidden from society, their separation from their families, and parents who were deported to death camps. The film has won several prizes and has been shown at film festivals in Paris, New York, and Atlanta. It is in French with English subtitles. We are privileged to have Margo Kaufman, who lived in two of these homes, and was responsible for translating this film into English. She will be leading a discussion and answering questions. Suggested donation of $5.00.

December 18th marks the first arts and crafts fair at KOH Library and Cultural Center. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The exhibitors will be featuring unique quality handmade crafts and fine arts, just in time for your holiday gift shopping. There will be something for everyone, including photo art, paintings, fused glass jewelry and art, tee shirts, and much more. Hot drinks and sweets for sale! This event is free to the public.

In addition to these events, we will have our monthly KOH Fiction Book Club meeting on December 13th. We will be choosing all of our books for 2012 at this meeting. We do know that to start 2012, our first book club meeting will be January 10, 2012 when we will welcome author, Linda Frank who will discuss her book "After the Auction" . This book is about a woman who glimpses a family treasure looted by the Nazis at an art auction and her quest for justice and restitution spanning three continents. Books will be for sale and the public is welcome to attend.

SAVE THE DATE!! - On Sunday, January 8, 2012, we are bringing the Bay Area Group "The Bridge Players" to perform music by Mendelssohn. In addition , this group of professional musicians will be presenting a commentary on Mendelssohn's life. Seating is limited and the cost is $15.00 per person. Advanced reservations are suggested.

I wish you all a very happy Hannukah and a happy, healthy 2012!

New Arrivals December 2011

2011-12-01T12:41:00.001-08:00

The Shovel and the Loom, A Novel
by Carl Friedman

The Devil Himself, A Novel
by Eric Dezenhall

The Listener, A Novel
by Shira Nayman

Sharon - The Life of a Leader
by his son, Gilad Sharon

My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner,
A Family Memoir
by Meir Shalev

Ben Gurion - A Political Life
by Shimon Peres in Conversation with David Landau

Jerusalem, the Biography
by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Fare Forward, A Novel
by Wendy Dubow Polins

Love and Shame and Love, A Novel
by Peter Orner

And three titles by acclaimed author, Ursula Hegi:
   Stones From the River, A Novel
   Floating in My Mother's Palm, A Novel
   The Vision of Emma Blau, A Novel

NOVEMBER EVENTS

2011-11-08T05:31:00.000-08:00

KOH Film Club - November 13, 2011 at 2 p.m. We will be presenting the comedy "Keeping Up With The Steins". This film is recommended for ages 12 and up. Suggested donation of $5.

All hilarity breaks loose in this heartwarming coming-of-age comedy when three generations collide in a crazy family reunion . . . and then begin to see that they are much more alike than they'd originally thought! Providing nonstop laughs In the tradition of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, KEEPING UP WITH THE STEINS stars Jeremy Piven (TV’s ENTOURAGE), Jami Gertz (ALLY MCBEAL), Daryl Hannah (KILL BILL) and Garry Marshall (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN). Also starring Doris Roberts (TV's EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND), Cheryl Hines (TV's CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM), and Larry Miller (THE PRINCESS DIARIES).

KOH Fiction Book Club - November 15th at 7 p.m. Valla Hoffman will be leading a discussion of the book "Siegfried Follies" by Richard Alther:

SIEGFRIED FOLLIES is the 30-year story of an unlikely pairing of two orphan boys, a German and a Jew, who together survive the loss of family, witness atrocities, and struggle for identity as adults. Blond, blue-eyed Franz, a Hitler youth, in fleeing his Nazi home as bombs destroy Munich, saves a filthy, speechless boy thrown from a train. At first squatting in an opera house cellar, they soon make a proper home for themselves. Despite Franz pursuing the American dream while J ventures from an Israeli kibbutz to New York City as a Hebrew storyteller and puppeteer, they forge a remarkable brotherhood. Both defying and affirming their past, their story is also of bonds broken, the worst kind of betrayal, tragedy, forgiveness, and redemption.

KOH Art Gallery - Don't forget to come and check out Roni Galon's art exhibit before it leaves at the end of November.

SAVE THE DATE: December 18th - KOH Arts and Crafts Faire! Perfect for Hannukah/holiday gifts. Featuring the art of Jewish artists in a variety of mediums. From 10 .m. - 5 p.m. More details to follow.

KOH NOVEMBER CLOSURES

2011-11-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

The KOH Library will closed on the following dates in November:

November 11 - Veterans Day

November 24 - 25 - Thanksgiving break

KOH NEW ARRIVALS - NOVEMBER

2011-11-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Come and check out/reserve our great collection of new books!

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Next to Love by Ellen Feldman

Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi

The List by Martin Fletcher

By Fire Possessed: Dona Gracia Nasi by Sandra Toro

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

Stations West by Allison Amend

The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg

Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life by Vivian Gornick

Sweet Like Sugar by Wayne Hoffman

The Little Bride by Anna Solomon

Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Garner

When We Danced on Water by Even Fallenberg

The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff

Girl Unwrapped by Gabriella Goliger

Black Elephants: a memoir by Karol Nielsen

In the Knight's Arms by Sonia Taitz

The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany

KOH BOOK CLUB - NOVEMBER

2011-11-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

KOH Fiction Book Club - November 15th at 7 p.m. Valla Hoffman will be leading a discussion of the book "Siegfried Follies" by Richard Alther:

SIEGFRIED FOLLIES is the 30-year story of an unlikely pairing of two orphan boys, a German and a Jew, who together survive the loss of family, witness atrocities, and struggle for identity as adults. Blond, blue-eyed Franz, a Hitler youth, in fleeing his Nazi home as bombs destroy Munich, saves a filthy, speechless boy thrown from a train. At first squatting in an opera house cellar, they soon make a proper home for themselves. Despite Franz pursuing the American dream while J ventures from an Israeli kibbutz to New York City as a Hebrew storyteller and puppeteer, they forge a remarkable brotherhood. Both defying and affirming their past, their story is also of bonds broken, the worst kind of betrayal, tragedy, forgiveness, and redemption.

Newcomers always welcome!

New Arrivals - October

2011-10-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Come and check out the following new arrivals:

BOOKS:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World by James Caroll

The Arab Lobby: The Invisible Alliance That Undermines America's Interests in the Middle East by Mitchell Bard

The Chosen Peoples: America, Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election by Todd Gitlin and Liel Leibovitz

The Lampshade by Mark Jacobson

Far From Zion: In Search of a Global Jewish Community by Charles London

Remembering Survival: Inside a Nazi Slave-Labor Camp by Christopher Browning

The Arrogant Years: One Girl's Search for her Lost Youth, from Cairo to Brooklyn by Lucette Lagnado

Jews and the Civil War - a Reader by Jonathan Sarna and Adam Mendelsohn

DVD:

Left Luggage

KOH FICTION BOOK CLUB - OCTOBER

2011-10-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Please join us on October 18th at 7 p.m. for our October book club meeting. Ben Glovinsky will be reviewing the book, "Friendly Fire: A Duet" by A.B. Yehoshua:

The wryly funny and morally inquisitive Israeli writer Yehoshua considers the implications of “friendly fire,” a fraught expression if ever there was one, in this many-tiered novel of a long-married couple separated during Hanukkah. The holiday candle flames are friendly, bringing loved ones together. But Israelis often celebrate Hanukkah in the midst of violence, and war has shadowed the otherwise colorful family of Daniela and Ya’ari. Daniela, a pixieish high-school English teacher, has gone to Tanzania to stay with her brother-in-law after the sudden death of her sister. Her husband is soon overwhelmed by the demands of his children, grandchildren, Parkinson’s-afflicted father, the family elevator-design business, and two baffling cases of wailing elevators. Deeply moved by Africa, Daniela is dismayed to discover that her brother-in-law is grieving not for her sister but for his son, killed years ago by so-called friendly fire. As in each of his wisely tragicomic novels, Yehoshua orchestrates nearly absurd predicaments that serve as conduits to Israel’s confounding conflicts, which so intensely and sorrowfully encapsulate our endless struggle for peace and belonging.

Newcomers always welcome!

October Events

2011-09-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for a wide array of events at the KOH Library and Cultural Center:

Sunday, October 9th at 2PM:
Every Survivor Has a Story to Tell, The Story of Frank Rothman
Frank Rothman and documentary producer, Ada Chochavi Ross appearing together to present Mr. Rothman's documentary film.

Sunday, October 9th at 7PM
Jews in the Civil War.
The Martin London Lifelong Learning Lecture Series proudly presents Professor Adam Mendelsohn speaking on his book, Jews and the Civil War.

Sunday, October 16th 2 - 4 PM
Left Luggage, A film starring Isabella Rossellini, Maximillian Schell, Chaim Topol set in Belgium in the early 70's - a secular Jewish college student takes a job as a nanny with a Hassidic family and, through her love of the youngest child, finds respect and acceptance of a culture steeped in traditions - and finds truly important values in life. A touching must-see film.

Sunday, October 30th 9:30- 3:00 PM 2011 USED BOOK SALE
Monday, October 31th 9:30- 3:00 PM 2011 USED BOOK SALE
To preview some of the sale selections, visit: kohusedbooks.gameserve.com or come into KOH to browse(and buy) anytime during Library hours.

Shana Tova!

2011-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

In observance of the High Holidays, we will be closed:
September 29 and 30     Rosh Hashana
October     13 and 14     Sukkoth
October 20 and 21     Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year from the KOH family to yours.

KOH September Closures

2011-09-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

The KOH Library will be closed on the following days this month (September, 2011):

September 6th - Labor Day
September 29 & 30 - Rosh Hashannah

KOH ART PROGRAM/ RECEPTION

2011-09-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 25, 2011 painter and hypnotherapist Roni Golan will open an exhibit in the KOH Library and Cultural Center as a part of the ongoing KOH Jewish Artist Series. The reception and program are scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM. Roni will be speaking on art, creativity and hypnosis and will be available to answer questions about his extraordinary art. His work is well known for its originality and creativity, bringing a fresh perspective into the contemporary art scene. Roni describes his paintings as both intentional and spontaneous; taking the viewer’s eye into shapes, patterns and colors that produce visual pleasure at first glance. Then, in the process of translating the elements in his art into the real world, one can discover the joy of ambiguity. The use of lines in his art is intended to serve as guides, leading the viewer’s unconsciousness towards a new experience and to convey the beauty awaiting us when our vision moves past both real and imagined demarcations. In his program Roni will explore the self-invented obstacles in our lives that prevent us from becoming more creative and how hypnosis and laughter can help us to move beyond those obstacles.

This event is open to everyone and there is no fee to attend. Roni's art will remain on exhibit in the KOH Library during regular library hours and by appointment through December 2, 2011.

KOH NEW ARRIVALS!

2011-09-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Books:

This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman
Maimonides as a Biblical Interpretor (Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah) by Sara Klein-Braslavy
Strictly Kosher: Popular Literature and the Condition of Contemporary Orthodoxy (Jewish Identity in Post Modern Society) by Yoel Finkelman

DVD's:

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Keeping Up With the Steins

Donated by the Sacramento Jewish Federation:

Genocide
Eagles Over Auschwitz "The Triumph of the Return"
Liberation
The Road to Jenin
One Survivor Remembers
Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century
Beautiful Music

KOH ONLINE CATALOG LINK

2011-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Please check out our online catalog by clicking the link below. You do not have to log in to search the catalog. Log in passwords have to be issued when you visit the KOH Library or call Jolie for more information.

http://koh.mysurpass.net

KOH Patron

2011-08-23T18:42:00.001-07:00

Lloyd Shaffer hard at work in the KOH Library. When taking a break from his work, Lloyd entertains the staff with his wonderful magic tricks!

VOLUNTEERS!

2011-08-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of our amazing volunteers:

from left to right: Gay Tanner, Andrea Paval (our newest volunteer), Ruth O'Rivia (queen of the used book room)

JEWS IN CHINA PANELISTS

2011-08-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Back Row (left to right): Inna Mink, Linda Frank
Front Row (left to right): Gertrude and Rabbi Ted Alexander

All of us who filled the KOH Library to hear these delightful and informative panelists, enjoyed hearing their stories and the history of Jews who lived for several years in China. We heard how they happened to end up in China, what their lives were like before and after that experience, and what they are doing today. Very inspiring!

May thanks to Frank and Janie Gumpert for hosting a wonderful lunch for our panelists before our event.

KOH Library Catalog Now Online!

2011-08-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that the KOH Library catalog is now accessible online. You can view our collection and see if the book/CD you want to check out is in the library or checked out. You do not need to log in to browse the catalog. Enjoy!

Feedback is always welcome!

http://koh.mysurpass.net

KOH BOOK CLUB - AUGUST

2011-08-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our book club meeting this month will be on August 23, 2011 at 7 p.m. Soni Meyer will be our discussion leader and will be reviewing the book, "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky.

Newcomers are always welcome!

KOH NEW BOOK ARRIVALS!

2011-08-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Come and check out our new books:

1. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: a memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin
2. Odessa: Genius and death in a city of dreams by Charles King
3. Frumkiss Family Business by Michael Wex
4. The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah
5. The Blue Mountain by Meir Shalev
6. Seven Blessings by Ruchama King
7. The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

John Rothmann Lecture

2011-08-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

What an inspiring, knowledgeable, charismatic, entertaining speaker! The KOH Library was filled to capacity. Mr. Rothmann was very impressed with our library collection, which was great to hear. A well deserved standing ovation followed his lecture.

SPECIAL ARTIST LECTURE AND EXHIBIT

2011-07-27T05:30:00.001-07:00

Please be sure to join us for a special evening to hear Anicca Bat Adam, an esoteric, contemporary, spiritual artist. Anicca will give a lecture about her art, play some music, introduce her art exhibit, and answer questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

DATE: August 21, 2011
TIME: 7 p.m.
PLACE: KOH Library and Cultural Center

For more information about this exciting lecture, reception, and exhibit, please contact Mehrnaz Halimi at KOHartsprogram@gmail.com or 916-508-4571.

Anicca's exhibit will be on display in the KOH Library through September 22, 2011.

JEWS FROM CHINA PROGRAM!

2011-07-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

"Jews From China: Personal Stories and Reminiscences"

A panel presentation featuring representatives of the Sephardic, Russian, and Holocaust refugee communities that lived in Shanghai and other Chinese cities before and during World War II.

DATE: August 14, 2011
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
PLACE: KOH Library and Cultural Center
COST: $5 suggested donation

Panelists:

Rabbi Ted Alexander, who descends from a long line of German rabbis, emigrated with his parents in 1939 to Shanghai, where he was ordained in 1946. He is rabbi emeritus of Congregation B'nai Emunah in San Francisco and a beloved teacher and spiritual leader in the Bay Area. In Shanghai he met and married Gertrude, a Vienna native who had first escaped to England on the kindertransport before joining her parents in China. Rabbi Ted and their daughter comprised the first US father-daughter rabbinate team.

Inna Mink was born in Harbin but moved to Shanghai with her Russian-Jewish parents when she was two years old. She came to the United States after World War II after marrying in Shanghai. Inna worked as the West Coast representative for a nationwide sportswear company while raising a family in the Bay Area. She appeared in "Exit Shanghai," a documentary directed by German film maker, Ulrike Ottinger, that traces the stories of Shanghai Jews through interviews, historic footage, and photos.

Matook Nissim, a retired banker, comes from a prominent Sephardic clan with Baghdadi roots that settled in Shanghai via India two generations before his birth. As British citizens, he and his family were interned in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. After the war, he worked in his family's business and served as an officer of the Jewish community before emigrating from China--first to Hong Kong. He settled in the US in 1952 after participating in the "Magic Carpet" operation that airlifted Yemenite Jews to Israel.

Linda Frank, panel moderator, chaired "Jews in Modern China," a 2010 exhibit at the Presidio of San Francisco, through her role as a board member of the American Jewish Committee San Francisco Region. Recently retired from a financial services career, Linda has published her first novel, After the Auction, about a woman pursuing a Seder plate looted from her family by the Nazis. She is working on her second novel, set mainly in China, and on a nonfiction work involving China, women, and Jews.

For more information, please contact Taliah Berger at (916) 541-3720

AMAZING BOOK COLLECTION DONATED TO KOH LIBRARY!

2011-07-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Pictured (left to right): Taliah Berger, Jolie Baron, Allison Coudert (Dr. Weiner's widow), Daniel Khazzoom

We are pleased to have been chosen to house the collection of 2,000 books that belonged to the late Dr. Gordon Weiner, retired director of Jewish studies at Arizona State University. We now have a premiere Jewish library equipped with books on every aspect of Jewish studies for anyone wanting to do research on any area of Jewish studies for school or pleasure. Come in and learn about the history of Jews in most countries around the world, the history (past and present) of anti-semitism, and read commentaries on all religious texts....just to name a few possibilities. Look for an upcoming article in the September Jewish Voice to read more about Dr. Weiner and our special collection.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER!!

2011-07-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

You will want to make sure to mark your calendars now for Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 2 p.m. when the KOH Library and Cultural Center proudly welcomes Mr. John Rothmann. Mr. Rothmann is an author, lecturer, teacher, activist, political consultant, and radio talk show host on KGO Newstalk 810 AM in San Francisco.

The title of his lecture will be" The Middle East at a Crossroad: What Next?"

Questions or to R.S.V.P. (suggested, but not required), please contact Taliah Berger at 916-541-3720.

Suggested donation - $10

KOH Film Club/Hadassah Event 7-10-11

2011-07-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had a very successful Hadassah/KOH film and speaker event today. We watched the very moving documentary, "The Children's Odyssey" , heard a lecture by an inspiring Joe Rosenbaum, and raised over $350 for Hadassah's Youth Alliyah Program.

Pictured (left to right) : Marlo Dewing (co-president of Sacramento Hadassah), Joe Rosenbaum, Rina Rosenbaum, Jolie Baron

KOH Library Volunteer Lunch

2011-07-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Check out our amazing, awesome, incredible library volunteers at our annual thank you lunch.

Front Row (left to right): Jasmina Girigan, Bob Zeff, Dwight Freund, Daniel Khazzoom, Mehrnaz Halimi
Back Row (left to right): Lloyd Rich, Sharyn Rich, Jolie Baron, JoAnn Freund, Leah Ezray
Not Pictured: Taliah Berger, Gay Tanner, Ruth O'Riva

KOH NEW ARRIVALS - JULY

2011-07-04T13:02:00.001-07:00

Come and check out the latest new books available now for your reading pleasure: **

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks

The Wizard of Lies by Diana Henriques

The White Space Between by Ami Sands Brodoff

Home in the Morning by Mary Glickman

Heart of the City: Nine Stories of Love and Serendipity on the Streets of New York by Ariel Sabar

**Remember, no matter how hot the weather is outside, the KOH Library is always a cool place to be:-)

KOH BOOK CLUB - JULY

2011-07-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

The July KOH Book Club meeting will be held Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 7 p.m. Leslie Cohen will be leading our discussion of the book , "The Frozen Rabbi", by Steve Stern.

Stern’s uproarious and trouncing romp through the anguish and ironies of the Jewish diaspora matches mysticism with mayhem, beatitude with organized crime, creativity with crassness. The madcap, at times, surreal action revolves around Rabbi Eliezer ben Zephyr, whose out-of-body journeys to the realm of the divine result in his being frozen in a block of ice in the Jewish Pale in 1889, a frigid relic that becomes one family’s problematic inheritance.

Newcomers always welcome!

SPECIAL FILM AND SPEAKER

2011-07-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 2 p.m. as we welcome Joe Rosenbaum to the KOH Library and Cultural Center. We will show Mr. Rosenbaum's film, "The Children's Odyssey".

This seldom told true story tells of Mr. Rosenbaum's Holocaust experience and the compelling story of a group of Polish Jewish children, mainly orphans, who are now known as the "Children of Tehran".

Mr Rosenbaum will speak after the film.

$5 suggested donation which includes light refreshments.

This program is co-sponsored by the Sacramento Chapter of Hadassah.

Back From Montreal

2011-06-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Gay, Taliah, Mehrnaz, and myself returned last evening from the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention in Montreal. We enjoyed our stay in the beautiful city of Montreal, attended many useful workshops, visited the rare books library (one of 13 libraries) at the amazing McGill University, visited the Jewish Library of Montreal which was very impressive, and met some wonderful librarians from all over the world. As Mehrnaz says, "We are now part of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Librarians!"

Calling All Chess Players!

2011-06-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

Come and play chess with your friends or meet new friends to play with! Bring your own set or use one of ours (we have 2). The library will be open on Sunday, June 26th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Of course, you may also come in and use the computer, check out a book and/or DVD or just say hello:-)

KOH Closures - June

2011-06-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

The KOH Library and Cultural Center will be closed on June 8 and 9 in observance of Shavuot. We will be open on Friday, June 10th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

We will also be closed on Monday, June 20th as we will be attending the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention in Montreal. We will resume regular hours on June 23rd.

KOH Fiction Book Club - June - Date Change!

2011-06-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

This month we will be meeting on Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 7 p.m. Harlan Goodson will be our discussion leader and will be reviewing the book, "Peep Show" by Joshua Braff. There are still a few copies of the book left for sale in the library for $12.00. See book review below:

In 1975, 16-year-old David Arbus, a photography buff about to graduate from high school, is fed up with attempting to straddle the chasm that separates his divorced parents' radically different worlds. His mother, a recent convert to a Hasidic sect, insists that David follow suit, while his father, who owns and operates a Times Square burlesque house, encourages his son to join him in the family business. Most 16-year-old boys would find this choice an easy one to make, and so does David, but he fails to foresee both the agony of separation from his mother and younger sister and the shocking similarity he will find in the two worlds. His father—drawing a rigid moral line between striptease and stripper and refusing to add a new revenue stream by installing peep shows in the lobby—turns out to be every bit as much a purist as his mother. Meanwhile, as David sits in the male-only room at a Hasidic gathering and peeks through the curtain separating men from women, he realizes that peep shows come in more than one variety. Braff makes the most of the comic potential inherent in his outlandish premise, but he sees well beyond the laughs. This is a powerful, sensitively told coming-of-age story about the ways in which rigid worldviews extract their pounds of flesh from us all, especially the young.

AJL Convention

2011-06-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

The KOH Library and Cultural will be well represented this year at the annual Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention. This year the convention will be held in Montreal,Canada. Jolie Baron, Taliah Berger, Mehrnaz Halimi, Hy Kashenberg, and Gay Tanner will be attending. The convention is June 19-22nd.

The KOH Library will be closed on June 20th and will reopen on June 23rd.

New Arrivals - June!

2011-06-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Books:

The Oxford Handbook of Holocaust Studies

Jewcentricity by Adam Garfinkle

Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV by Ben Shapiro

A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism by Daniel Byman

The End of the Holocaust by Alvin Rosenfeld

Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza by Adina Hoffman

The Eichmann Trial (Jewish Encounters) by Deborah Lipstadt

DVD's:

Newland
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
The Flying Camel

NCJW Mah Jongg Fundraiser

2011-05-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

We all had a great time at the May 12th NCJW Mah Jongg Fundraiser Event held in the KOH Library and Cultural Center.

Up Coming Events in May

2011-05-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Please join us at any or all of the upcoming events at KOH Lirary and Cultural Center

Thursday, May 12 6:30 - 9:30

Come play MAHJONG with National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)

Join the fun, enjoy desserts, and play Manj with friends, new and old

RSVP: jb6197@aol.com

Sunday, May 15 7 PM

KOH Film Club presents "LEMON TREE", an award winning Israeli film abount an Israeli woman, an Arab woman, the man in-between, over the background of Israel's unique political scenery.

Hillel Damron, founder of a local Jewish blog, www.good4jews.com will lead a discussion following the screening of the film.

Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, May 17 7 PM

Monthly meeting of the KOH Book Club. New members are always welcome.
This month Ruth Baron will lead a discussion of Anita Diamant's novel, Day After Night, a dramatic story of survivors and renewal at Atlit, the British-run internment camp in Palestine following World War II.
(See earlier post, below for more information.)

Reminder:

Monday, May 30
Library Closed for Memorial Day

Online References at KOH

2011-05-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Please avail yourselves of the following online reference materials installed on the computers in the KOH Library.

Encyclopedoa of Religion and Ethics
JPS Digital Torah Library
Judaic Scholar Digital Reference Library
The Jewish Encyclopedia
Rabbinic Bookshelf
S.R. Driver-U: Cassuto Collection
The International Critical Commentary of the Holy Scriptures: Tanakh

We are in the process of installing Webster's Online Dictionary

In addition, we have a Hebrew keyboard program (Dagesh) available - ask the Librarian for assistance next time you visit.

May New Arrivals

2011-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Books:

Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland
by Jan Gross

The Perfect Nazi; Uncovering my Grandfather's Secret Past
by Martin Davidson

For the Soul of France; Culture Wars in the Age of Dreyfus
by Frederick Brown

A Jewish Feminine Mystique?
Edited by Hasia Dinar, Shira Kohn, and Rachel Kranson

Why Mahler? How One Man and Ten Symphanies Changed Our World
by Norman Lebrecht

Operation Exodus: From the Nazi Death Camps to the Promised Land: A Perilous Journey That Shaped Israel's Fate
by Gordon Thomas

Confronting Scandal - How Jews Can Respond When Jews Do Bad Things
by Dr. Erica Brown

Vision and Valor - An Illustrated History of the Talmud
by Rabbi Berel Wein

We are Coming Unafraid: The Jewish Legions and the Promised Land in the First World War
by Michael Keren and Shulomit Keren

The Sabbath Word: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time
by Judith Shulevititz

DVDs:

The Flying Camel
Partisans of Vilna
Newland
Decoding the Past: Secrets of Kabbalah

May Book Club Meeting

2011-05-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 7 p.m. as Ruth Baron leads us in a discussion of this month's book, "Day After Night" by Anita Diamant.

Diamant's bestseller, The Red Tent, explored the lives of biblical women ignored by the male-centric narrative. In her compulsively readable latest, she sketches the intertwined fates of several young women refugees at Atlit, a British-run internment camp set up in Palestine after WWII. There's Tedi, a Dutch girl who hid in a barn for years before being turned in and narrowly escaping Bergen-Belsen; Leonie, a beautiful French girl whose wartime years in Paris are cloaked with shame; Shayndel, a heroine of the Polish partisan movement whose cheerful facade hides a tortured soul; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor who is filled with an understandable nihilism. The dynamic of suffering and renewed hope through friendship is the book's primary draw, but an eventual escape attempt adds a dash of suspense to the astutely imagined story of life at the camp: the wary relationship between the Palestinian Jews and the survivors, the intense flirtation between the young people that marks a return to life. Diamant opens a window into a time of sadness, confusion and optimism that has resonance for so much that's both triumphant and troubling in modern Jewish history.

Surprising Library Patron

2011-04-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed coming to the library last Thursday morning to find this little guy waiting to come in!

April New Arrivals

2011-04-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

BOOKS:

A Promise at Sobibor-A Jewish Boy's Story of Revolt and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland by Philip Bialowitz

The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism, edited by John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow

Hope Will Find You: My Search for the Wisdom to Stop Waiting and Start Living by Naomi Levy

Hush: a novel by Eishes Chayil

The Instructions: a novel by Adam Levin

DVD'S:

A Film Unfinished

Rape of Europa

Bob Alper: Rabbi/Stand-Up Comic

Guaranteed Funny: 101 Totally Clean Jokes by Bob Alper

KOH April Closures

2011-04-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

The KOH Library and Cultural Center will be closed April 17th through April 25th for Pesach. Regular library hours will resume April 28th.

There will be no book club or film club meetings during April. Our next book club meeting will be May 17th. The next film club will be May 21st at 8 p.m. Details in the May blog post.

Be sure to come and check out your books and DVD's before April 15th!

MORE NEW ARRIVALS!

2011-03-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Come and check out our most recent acquisitions available for checkout:

Twentieth Century Jews: Forging Identity in the Land of Promise and in the Promised Land by Monty Noam Penkower

An Italian Renaissance: Choosing Life in Canada

The Morning Star: A Novel by Andre Schwarze-Bart

The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Jonathan Schneer

I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections by Nora Ephron

A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History
of the Great Depression by Ted Gup

The Alhambra Decree by David Raphael

The Cavalier of Malaga by David Raphael

The Infidel: DVD
A Cantor's Tale: DVD

JEWS OF INDIA LECTURE

2011-03-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Please join us as we welcome Professor Mitchell Numark, PhD. who will speak about the ancient legacy and history of India's Jewish communities . Following his lecture, you will have an opportunity to ask questions of this Fulbright scholar with a doctorate in History.

Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: KOH Library and Cultural Center
Fee: NONE

Philip Bialowitz Lecture

2011-03-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Mr. Bialowitz is one of the 8 living survivors of the infamous Nazi death camp, Sobibor, and among those who carried out what is considered the largest and most successful prisoner revolt of World War II. He has written a book called "A Promise At Sobibor: A Jewish Boy's Story of Revolt and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland".

Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Kashenberg - Ostrow- Hayward Library and Cultural Center
Fee: NONE

For more information, please contact Andy Baron: ABaron9936@aol.com

KOH Special Guest Lecturer

2011-03-06T10:49:00.001-08:00

Please join us on Thursday, March 31st at 7 p.m. as we welcome Dr. Mitchell Numark who will speak on "The Jews of India".

Professor Numark will speak about the ancient legacy and history of India's Jewish communities followed by an opportunity to ask questions of this Fulbright scholar with a doctorate in History.

KOH Fiction Book Club - March

2011-03-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

Please join us for our March book club meeting on March 15, 2011 at 7 p.m. Carole Crowe will lead us in a discussion of the book "Sarah/Sara" by Jacob Paul:

An engrossing meditation on the meaning of faith, Sarah/Sara is the story of a young Orthodox Jewish woman who undertakes a solo kayaking journey across the Arctic Ocean after her parents are killed and she is disfigured by a terrorist bomb in a Jerusalem café. Haunted by her parents' death, and in particular by memories of her father, a 9/11 survivor whose dream was to kayak through the Arctic, Sarah embarks on her expedition unprepared for the strenuous physical and emotional trial that lies ahead. What begins as a series of diary entries on her struggle with faith ends in a fight for survival, as Sarah slowly comes to realize that she is lost in the Arctic wilderness with the ice closing in around her.

KOH Library New Arrivals

2011-03-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

New Books (available for checkout) received in February.

Memories of Eden; A Journey Through Jewish Baghdad - by Violette Shamash

Jewish Carpets - by Anton Felton

Esther's Children; A Portrait of Iranian Jews - edited by Houman Sarshar

The Torah; A Women's Commentary - edited by Eskenazi and Weiss

The Women's Torah Commentary;
New Insights From Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions -
edited by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein

Upcoming Lecture/Reception/Exhibit

2011-02-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

KOH Library and Cultural Center proudly welcomes honored guest Mansour Yaghoubian who will present a program about "Jewish Artisans and The Story of Persian Carpets". Be sure to mark your calendars as you will not want to miss this informative lecture and beautiful exhibit. Details below:

DATE: Wednesday, March 2, 2011
TIME: 7 p.m.
PLACE: KOH Library and Cultural Center

For more information, please contact Mehrnaz Halimi at KOHartsprogram@gmail.com

Barbara Mendes Lecture

2011-02-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

Please join the Jesse Yoshpe Hadassah Sh'arim Study Group, in the KOH Library and Cultural Center, for an exciting opportunity to hear dynamic artist and speaker Barbara Mendes. Barbara Mendes will speak about Dona Garcia Mendes, her family ties to this Jewish heroine, history, and art.

Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Time: Program begins at 10 a.m. (come earlier to enjoy Barbara Mendes' art exhibit)

FINAL FOUR CHESS MATCH!

2011-02-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Come cheer for your favorite chess players! The final four chess match will be Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the KOH Library and Cultural Center. The two winners will then face off in the final chess match on March 6, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the library.

KOH Book Club - February, 2011

2011-02-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

Come and join the KOH Book Club on February 15th at 7 p.m. Devi Eden will lead us in a discussion of the book, "City of Thieves" by David Benioff:

This hard-to-put-down novel is based on Benioff's grandfather's stories about surviving WWII in Russia. Having elected to stay in Leningrad during the siege, 17-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a German paratrooper's corpse. The penalty for this infraction (and many others) is execution. But when Colonel Grechko confronts Lev and Kolya, a Russian army deserter also facing execution, he spares them on the condition that they acquire a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. Their mission exposes them to the most ghoulish acts of the starved populace and takes them behind enemy lines to the Russian countryside. There, Lev and Kolya take on an even more daring objective: to kill the commander of the local occupying German forces. A wry and sympathetic observer of the devastation around him, Lev is an engaging and self-deprecating narrator who finds unexpected reserves of courage at the crucial moment and forms an unlikely friendship with Kolya, a flamboyant ladies' man who is coolly reckless in the face of danger. Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser.

New Arrivals - February, 2011

2011-02-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

Come and check out our newest books:

Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the Century by Ruth Harris

Walking Israel: A Personal Search for the Soul of a Nation by Martin Fletcher

Crossing Mandelbaum Gate: Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis by Kai Bird

Rich Boy by Sharon Pomerantz

KOH Fiction Book Club - January Meeting

2011-01-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

The next book club meeting will be Tuesday, January 18,
2011 at 7 p.m. Simone Clay will be leading the discussion
on the book, " The Fruit of Her Hands" by Michelle Cameron.
I do have a copy available in the library for checkout.
I will have the library open today (Sunday) from
10 a.m. - noon and Monday, Thursday, and Friday from
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Looking forward to seeing you all on the 18th!

Jolie

K-O-H Library New Arrivals

2011-01-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

New books (available for checkout) for January:

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
Peep Show by Joshua Braff
Siegfried Follies by Richard Alther
The Escape by Adam Thirlwell
My Race: A Jewish Girl Growing Up Under Apartheid in South Africa by Lorraine Abramson
Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II by Richard Goldstein
The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America's Food Answers to a Higher Authority by Sue Fishkoff
A Hidden Affair by Pam Jenoff
Blows to the Head: How Boxing Changed My Mind by Binnie Klein
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund De Waal

KOH Artist Lecture/Reception

2010-12-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

The KOH Library and Cultural Center is proud to announce that we will have the great privilege to view the art of acclaimed artist Barbara Mendes and hear her talk on Sunday, January 9, 2010. Her exhibit will be open through February 25, 2011 but you will not want to miss the opportunity to hear this woman, who is as vibrant as her paintings, speak at her opening about her life journey, philosophy about art and the path of ‘Teshuva’ that led her return to her heritage and faith. The center piece of this art exhibit will be the six foot by sixteen foot ‘Vayikra Mural’ which is a vibrant visual narrative depicting each of the 27 chapters (859 verses) of Leviticus. This piece alone took over three years to complete. Barbara Mendes has become known internationally for her epic paintings – large canvases filled with hierarchal, narrative imagery and brilliant colors; woven into intricate compositions.

Barbara Mendes will also speak about her familial ties to Dona Gracia Mendes who was the fifteenth century heroine of the Sephardic Anusim and is universally venerated for her strength and courage. Like her ancestor, Barbara Mendes believes in the courage of one’s convictions. She has devoted her life and art to the study, practice and celebration of Torah Judaism. To quote Ms. Mendes, “Torah is meant to be a light to the nations; these paintings are attempts to reveal in that light.”

Please mark your calendars and join us in the KOH Library and Cultural Center on Sunday, January 9, 2011 beginning at 4:00pm. To learn more about Barbara Mendes go to www.BarbaraMendes.org.

KOH Fiction Book Club, 2011 Books/Dates

2010-12-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of books, dates, and reviewers for 2011. Anyone is welcoming to attend any of our meetings. Our meetings start at 7 p.m.

1-18-11 The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron
Simone Clay - reviewer

2-15-11 City of Thieves by David Benioff
Devi Eden - reviewer

3-15-11 Sarah/Sara by Jacob Paul
Carol Crowe - reviewer

April - No Book Club Meeting

5-17-11 Day After Night by Anita Diamant
Ruth Baron - reviewer

6-21-11 Peep Show by Joshua Braff
Harlan Goodson - reviewer

7-19-11 The Frozen Rabbi
Leslie Cohen - reviewer

8-16-11 Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Soni Meyers - reviewer

September - No Book Club Meeting

10-18-11 Friendly Fire by A.B. Yehoshua
Ben Glovinsky - reviewer

11-15-11 Siegfried Follies by Richard Alther
Valla Hoffman - reviewer

12-13-11 Book Exchange and choose books for 2012

Please order the January book yourself through Amazon.com. You can
buy used copies for a few dollars plus shipping. I will have
the other books available for purchase the month before they are
scheduled. I wish you all a very Happy 2011!

First Annual Sacramento Jewish Chess Tournament!

2010-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

KOH Library and Cultural Center is proud to sponsor the first annual Sacramento Jewish chess tournament. All skill levels are welcome. Final four and championship matches. The final match will be held Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the KOH Library and Cultural Center.

Participants need to register in advance by contacting Hillel Damron at shalomhd@comcast.net. You may also contact Hillel to learn more about this event.

KOH New Arrivals!

2010-12-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Come and check out our new books:

Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman
The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
Palestine Betrayed by Efraim Karsh
Refugees and Reforms: Turkey's Journey by Arnold Reisman
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick
Comedy in a minor key by Hans Keilson
The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership by Yehuda Avner
When They Come For Us We'll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry by Gal Beckerman
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg

All books are now available for checking during regular library hours.

KOH Library Hours December 2010

2010-12-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

The KOH Library and Cultural Center will be closed from December 20th until January 5th. Regular hours will resume January 6, 2011. Anyone needing library assistance during these dates, please contact Barbara Gibson in the Mosaic Law Congregation's main office. (916) 488-1122.

Upcoming Event!

2010-12-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

John M. Efron, Koret Professor of History and Jewish Studies at UC Berkeley, will be speaking at the KOH Library and Cultural Center on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 7:00pm. The opportunity to hear this highly respected scholar, author and teacher is provided through the Martin London Lifelong Learning Series. Professor Efron will base his presentation on his book, "Medicine and the German Jews", as he traces the historical relationship between the Jews of Germany and the medical profession. This program will be a lecture of revealing insights into history followed by time for questions and answers. There will be no admission charge and everyone is welcomed. For more information please contact Andy Baron atABaron9936@aol.com.

KOH New Arrivals!

2010-11-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

Come check out our latest books and DVD's:

Books:

Rhyming Life & Death by Amos Oz
To The End of the Land by David Grossman
The Puzzle King by Betsy Carter
97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman
A Curable Romantic by Joseph Skibell
Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World by Harold Kushner
My Mother's Sabbath Days by Chaim Grade
The Measure of His Grief by Lisa Moss
Prisoner of his Mind by Ruth Rapaport
Great House by Nicole Krauss

DVD's:

Waltz With Bashir
Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
O Jerusalem
Among The Righteous: Lost Stories From the Holocaust in Arab Lands

KOH Fiction Book Club Meeting

2010-11-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

Please join us on December 14th at 7 PM to discuss "Isaac's Torah", by Angel Wagenstein.

Bulgarian author and screenwriter Wagenstein devotes his powerful novel to an affable Jewish tailor from a small town in Eastern Europe who survives the reigns of Hitler and Stalin. Wagenstein himself escaped from a concentration camp and was saved from execution when Soviets entered Bulgaria. Half a century later, he creates self-effacing narrator Isaac Jacob Blumenfeld, threading Jewish jokes throughout the narrative not only to sweeten the bitter material but also because they encapsulate the humanistic foundation of Isaac's philosophy. Isaac's mesmerizing voice charms through every disaster, and engages and delights the reader without distracting from Wagenstein's profound insights into life's absurdities.

Simone Clay will facilitate the discussion.

After our book discussion, we will be choosing our books for 2011.

November Book Club Meeting

2010-11-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

This month we will meet on November 16th at 7 p.m. Ruth O'Riva will lead our discussion of the book, "A Day of Small Beginnings" by Lisa Rosenbaum.

In rural Zokof, Poland, in 1906, young Itzik Leiber protects three small Jewish boys from a beating, resulting in the accidental death of a menacing Polish peasant. Itzik hides in a Jewish cemetery where he unknowingly draws the soul of Friedl Alterman—who died the previous year at 83. Friedl, childless in life, protects Itzik as he flees Zokof for Warsaw, then America. Fast forward 86 years as Itzik's son, Nathan Linden (name change), a scholar of international law, is a guest of the Polish government. He is drawn to his father's hometown (via a still-protective Friedl), and there he comes upon Rafael Bergson, "the last Jew in Zokof," who forces Nathan to confront his ambiguous feelings about religion and begs him to help restore Friedl's spirit through prayer and ritual. But it may be up to Ellen, Nathan's free-spirited choreographer daughter, to come to Poland to liberate Friedl's soul. Friedl's voice retreats after the early chapters, and Rosenbaum handles the shifts in voice, time and place smoothly.

Newcomers always welcome!

History and Art at the KOH Library and Cultural Center

2010-10-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Please join us for two special events this week at the KOH Library and Cultural Center:

First, an informative evening of local Jewish history on

Wednesday, November 3rd
7-9 PM

JEWISH MERCHANTS OF THE GOLD RUSH

With Guest Speaker, VICTORIA FISCH, Northern California Editor of the Western States Jewish History Journal.

For more information please go to jewsofthegoldrush.blogspot.com

Next, Art Exhibit Opening Reception on

Monday, November 8th
7-9 PM

Please join us to welcome local artist and educator, MARIA WINKLER at the opening reception of her exhibit in the KOH Art Gallery.

Maria Winkler, a contemporary painter and book artist, will be available to discuss her work and answer questions.

Additional information available at www.mariawinkler.com

(The current exhibition of work by Sam Liberman ends on Thursday, 11/4/10)

KOH Library New Arrivals

2010-10-13T16:42:00.001-07:00

The following books and DVD's have arrived and are available for check out during library hours:

BOOKS:

With Strength and Splender: Jewish Women as Agents of Change by Lisa Kogen
The Trials of Zion by Alan Dershowitz
If We Could Hear Them Now: Encounters With Legendary Jewish Heroines by Alice Becker Lehrer
Sarah/Sara by Jacob Paul
Nemesis by Philip Roth
Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant

DVD'S:

Off and Running
Autism: The Musical
The Sephardic Jews and the Pike Place Market

October Book Club Meeting

2010-10-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 7 p.m. as we welcome Barry Broad to speak about his book, "Eve of Destruction". A review and synopsis of his book is below:

This is a spy thriller set in the present about a set of circumstances that is all too realistic. At the same time that an Iranian-led team of terrorists is plotting to set off a radiation-heavy dirty bomb in Los Angeles, a U.S. team is working clandestinely inside Iran to set up what looks like a Chernobyl-style accident at a secret nuclear weapons site to discredit and set back the Iranian nuclear program and foment unrest against the government. We're taken through the training and back stories of the various operatives on all sides, and they emerge as reasonably full-bodied characters rather than stick figures in an action plot. The book is so intricately plotted and credibly researched that it is difficult to believe that this is a first book for the author, a labor lobbyist in Sacramento. Like any number of spy stories, this is a diversion that will hold your attention, but will also be informative for most readers, especially as to just how vulnerable the United States, and particularly its ports, still is after a half-dozen years of bureaucratic homeland security efforts.

Mr. Broad will autograph his book which is available for purchase in the library for $15.00.

Second Annual Used Book Sale

2010-09-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon - Mark the dates for KOH's second annual used book sale:

Sunday, October 10- Wednesday, October 13.
Sunday: 10 am - 12 pm
Monday: 10 am - 12 pm
4 pm - 6 pm
Tuesday: 10 am - 12 pm
Wednesday: 7 pm - 9 pm

KOH Library's Used Book Room has an extensive and eclectic collection of gently used books, all of which are available for purchase during regular hours as well as at our upcoming Sale.

Most books are priced between .50 to $2.00.

Visit kohusedbooks.gamaserve.com (no need for www or http) to preview many of the sale selections.

For additional information, please contact Ruth O'Riva at (510) 551-6332 or ruth2@oriva.net.

KOH Art Gallery Presents Renouned Local Artist

2010-09-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 4 p.m. for the opening and reception for artist Sam Liberman. Mr. Liberman will speak about his work and answer questions.

Sam Liberman has been painting colorful art work for over 35 years. He now works primarily with pastels, while also fashioning a number of oils each year and drawing on an almost daily basis.

His work is primarily landscapes, including seascapes, skies, mountains, flowers, swamps, architecture and almost any outdoor setting you can imagine. In the past two years he has also been painting figures on a regular basis.

Sam's work has been exhibited in over 50 competitive national and international art exhibitions. In June, 2009, he had a one person exhibition at The Butler Institute of American Arts, probably the top national venue for pastel artists in this country.

For a preview of his work, please visit his website at: http://samlibermanart.com

His work will be displayed at the KOH Library and Cultural Center through November 3, 2010. All work (originals and prints) is for sale, with a percentage going to the KOH Library and Cultural Center.

KOH New Arrivals

2010-09-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

KOH New Arrivals!

We are pleased to share some of our newest book and DVD arrivals with you. All of the following titles are available for check out during our regular library hours.

DVDs:

The Jewish People...a Story of Survival
Visions of Israel
A Yiddish World Remembered
Rafting to Bombay
The Darien Dilemma

Books:

Now I see the Moon: A Mother, a Son, a Miracle by Elaine Hall
Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: War and National Security
Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: Social Justice
The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria Angels Anglada
Dreams of Nationhood by Henry Srebenik

September Book Club Meeting

2010-09-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Please join us on September 21 st at 7 PM to discuss "Isaac's Torah", by Angel Wagenstein.

Bulgarian author and screenwriter Wagenstein devotes his powerful novel to an affable Jewish tailor from a small town in Eastern Europe who survives the reigns of Hitler and Stalin. Wagenstein himself escaped from a concentration camp and was saved from execution when Soviets entered Bulgaria. Half a century later, he creates self-effacing narrator Isaac Jacob Blumenfeld, threading Jewish jokes throughout the narrative not only to sweeten the bitter material but also because they encapsulate the humanistic foundation of Isaac's philosophy. Isaac's mesmerizing voice charms through every disaster, and engages and delights the reader without distracting from Wagenstein's profound insights into life's absurdities.

Simone Clay will facilitate the discussion.

We look forward to seeing you.

Introducing Music CDs

2010-08-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Music, Music, Music!

Thanks to Steve Turtletaub, the KOH Library now has a large and eclectic collection of musical CDs available for check-out. Enjoy Klezmer, Isaeli, Hebrew, Yiddish, contemporary or traditional music in the comfort of your home when you borrow any of these CDs. Artists and genres range from Even Sh'siyah (modern Hebrew Rock), to symphonic arrangements by Ofer Ben-Amots, to The Yeshiva Choir, and more.

While finding a CD, take time to browse our ever-expanding collection of books, DVDs, periodicals and used books.

Calling all "Gamesters"!!!

2010-08-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Calling all "gamesters":

There is so much more to the KOH Library and Cultural Center than books, DVDs, programs and Art Exhibits.

Do you enjoy playing cards? Are Jigsaw Puzzles your 'thing"? How about Board Games?

KOH Library is establishing a "Game Center". We will assist you in finding like-minded people to enjoy enthusiastic, but quiet, time playing card games, Cribbage, Scrabble, Backgammon, Mahj and more. Puzzle enthusiastic can spend a few minutes - or hours - adding those recalcitrant pieces to the current puzzle.

After enjoying your game-time, please take advantage of our facility and browse our fine collection of books and DVDs.

For more information, please come in during regular hours or call us at 485-4143.

KOH New Arrivals!

2010-08-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

For your reading and listening pleasure, I am proud to list below some new arrivals in books and DVD's. They are available for checkout during regular library hours:

DVD's: A Secret
Sixty Six
The First Basket

BOOKS: The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern
Torah In The Observatory: Gersonides, Maimonides, Songs of Songs by
Menachem Kellner
Something Red by Jennifer Gilmore
The Servants' Quarters by Lynn Freed
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine
Nechama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar by Yael Unterman
God's Water by Berel Arrow
When Money Was In Fashion: Henry Goldman, Goldman Sachs, and the Founding of
Wall Street by June Breton Fisher
Dreams of Nationhood: American Jewish Communists and the Soviet Birobidzhan
Project, 1924-1951 by Henry Felix Srebrnik

Introducing: KOH Used Book Room

2010-08-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

KOH's Used Book Room holds a treasure trove of gently used books of many genres - all with a Jewish connection. Peruse the shelves for novels, coffee table books, Judaic studies, Biblical and Rabbinic texts, biographies, memoirs, humor antholgies and more. Bargain prices start at 50 cents each.

You can browse our collection online at kohusedbooks.gamaserve.com or during regular library hours.

SAVE THE DATE: Second Annual Used Book Sale 10/10 - 10/13/2010.

Books for Israel Project!

2010-08-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

The KOH Library and Cultural center is joining with The Jade Bar Shalom to provide direct help to Israel's students and teachers (http://booksforisrael.wikispaces.com).

Israel has had to divert funding from its schools to National Defense. The Israeli public schools need English language books and educational materials to help the children prepare for life in our global community.

We are collecting new or gently used PAPERBACK children's books (pre-k through 12th grade). We hope to send our first shipment to Israel in December.

For more information, please contact Arlene Pearl at: kohbooksforisrael@yahoo.com

Donations to defray shipping costs are always welcome!

Famed International Artist Coming to KOH!

2010-08-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

Please join us in welcoming Norwegian artist, Daniel Eish, on Monday, August 23, 2010 at 7 p.m.

Daniel Eish was born in Israel and began drawing as a child prodigy with his parents' support. By the time he commenced his formal art studies at Haifa University's rural extension in 1981, his family home was covered with portraits and abstract works in various media - pencil, charcoal, pastels, oils, and acrylic. After completing his fine art studies in 1984, he continued to study the teaching of art at Beit Eshkol in Afula, Israel for two years before emigrating to Bergen, Norway.

Daniel has exhibited his paintings internationally in Israel and Holland, as well as Norway. His most recent exhibits were at the Sarvi Gallery in Oslo and the Vox Gallery in Bergen.

For a preview of his work, check out his website at: www.danieish.com

Questions about this event? Contact Mehrnaz Halimi at: KOHartsprogram@gmail.com

AJL Accreditation Celebration!

2010-08-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

Following our monthly library board meeting this morning, we had a celebratory luncheon in honor of our recent accreditation by the Association of Jewish Libraries. On July 5, 2010, Jolie Baron represented the Kashenberg-Ostrow-Hayward Library and Cultural Center at the 45th annual AJL convention held in Seattle, Washington. During a special awards ceremony, she accepted our accreditation certificate. The certificate is now framed and on display in the KOH Library and Cultural Center.

Upcoming Lecture and Book Signing!

2010-08-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 22nd at 2pm, Dr. Daniel Khazzoom, author of No Way Back - The Journey of a Jew from Baghdad, will be speaking in the KOH Library and Cultural Center. There are several First Edition, leather-bound copies available for purchase in the library, which Dr. Khazzoom will autograph on the 22nd.

Our blog features an excerpt from this upcoming publication. Click here to read it!

Please RSVP to Taliah Berger at taliah@thecenterat2300.com or (916) 488-4912.

Introducing the KOH Art Gallery

2010-08-07T10:02:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the KOH Library and Cultural Center is also a rotating art gallery?

Approximately every six weeks, we feature the work of local and international Jewish artists. Every exhibit opens with a reception and artist meet-and-greet. The works are available for viewing during regular library hours. Many of the displayed works are also for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the KOH Library and Cultural Center.

We have already featured the following artists:
Ellen Hulls, ceramics
Pamela Baron, watercolor
Jennifer Berg, multi-media
Arlene Toder, oil painting
Bar Schacterman, sculptor

Our next artist will be Norwegian painter Daniel Eish - keep an eye on this space for more information!

August Book Club Meeting

2010-08-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Tuesday, August 24th at 7pm for our monthly book club meeting.

This month we are discussing All Other Nights by Dara Horn

How is tonight different from all other nights? For Jacob Rappaport, a Jewish soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, it is a question his commanders have already answered for him - on Passover, 1862, he is ordered to murder his own uncle in New Orleans, who is plotting to assassinate President Lincoln. After this harrowing mission, Jacob is recruited to pursue another enemy agent, the daughter of a Virginia family friend. But this time, his assignment isn’t to murder the spy, but to marry her. In this eagerly awaited third novel, award-winning author Dara Horn brings us page-turning storytelling at its best. Layered with meaning, she presents the most American of subjects with originality and insight.

Jolie Baron will be facilitating our discussion.

All Other Nights is available for check out at the KOH Library.

Hope to see you there!

Introducing the KOH Fiction Book Club!

2010-08-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

We are a Jewish Fiction Book Club. Our members are men and women of all ages from the greater-Sacramento area Jewish community. We meet monthly to discuss a fiction book chosen by our members. Each December, we choose our books for the following year. Each month we invite a different member of our book club to serve as the facilitator.

So far, we have read and discussed:

Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok
The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Songs for the Butcher's Daughter by Peter Manseau
Portnoy's Complaint by Phillip Roth
Holding my Breath by Sidura Ludwig
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
The Golems of Gotham by Thane Rosembaum
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer

Our meetings are a combination of lively discussion, laughter, and debate. We welcome newcomers! We hold our meetings on Tuesday evenings from 7pm-8:30pm. Keep an eye on this space for the exact dates and the announcement of our book for the month. Hope to see you there!