Book Club
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Book Circle Explores Hidden Jewish History of Southwestern India
The Book Circle will meet on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m. at the shul to delve into a chronicle by Edna Fernandes, who explores the hidden Jewish history of Southwestern India in her book, The Last Jews of Kerala.
Two Thousand years ago, trade routes and the fall of Jerusalem took Jewish settlers seeking sanctuary across Europe and Asia. One little-known group settled in Kerala, in tropical southwestern India. Eventually, they prospered, numbering in the thousands, with eight synagogues, some possessing vast estates and plantations, and also enjoying privilege and influence. Yet the population was severed — black Jews and white Jews; the feud went on for centuries over who had arrived first.
Today, the combined group is in its dying days, numbering fewer than 50 Jews and only one synagogue. It is the story of the feud and its sad outcome, but also of family events, loyalty, individualism and hope.
The Book Circle meets monthly to discuss books by Jewish authors and/or writings on Jewish themes. For more information, email ctigreenport@gmail.org with a message for Susan Rosenstreich, coordinator of the group.
Book Circle Delves Into Memoir About A Family Secret Finally Revealed
The Book Circle will meet for a second time in September to delve into Dani Shapiro’s memoir, Inheritance. In this work, the writer uncovers a family secret through an innocent curiosity about her own genealogy. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m., in the shul’s community room.
In 2016, the writer submitted her DNA for analysis, and received the stunning news that her father was not her biological father, upending her entire history and the life she had lived. Inheritance is an audio book about secrets kept because of shame, self-protection, or from one another in the name of love. It is one woman’s quest to unlock the story of her own identity.
The Book Circle meets monthly to explore books with Jewish themes and/or those penned by Jewish writers. For more information about the group, email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Susan Rosenstreich, coordinator of the group.
Random reads
- Palestine 1936, Oren Kessler
Winner of the 2024 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, Oren Kessler delves into the roots of the Middle East conflict. Recommended by Booklist as “…key to understanding the current situation between Israelis and Palestinians.”
- Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical, Laurie Winer
Laurie Winer looks at Oscar Hammerstein, the man who, more than anyone else, invented the American musical. Among the most commercially successful artists of his time, he was also as fighter for social justice who constantly prodded his audiences to be better than they were.
- Judaism Is About Love, Shai Held
Rabbi Shai Held, one of the most important Jewish thinkers in America today finds the heart in Jewish tradition, making the case that Judaism is about love as much as it is about law.
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