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Jewish Gangsters
And Mitzvah Mice

NECHEMIA MEYERS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

I

"Insofar as possible, we try to
wo of the most successful
books put out by the contact people and organizations
Gefen Publishing House that are likely to be interested
of Jerusalem concern pa- in the subject dwelt upon in a
per cuts and gangsters — but, particular volume," he says.
it must be added, both the pa- "Thus, when we put out Inter-
per cuts and the gangsters are country Adoptions, written by
Hebrew University Professor
Jewish.
Neither are Gefen's best sell- Eliezer David Jaffe, we mailed
er. That distinction belongs to flyers to thousands of adoption
Baby's First agencies and lawyers, pointing
Mazal Toy
Record Book, of which 25,000 out that it is the only book in ex-
copies already have been
sold.
However, the lavishly il-
lustrated Jewish Paper Cuts
has won prizes for its design,
and the one on gangsters,
But He Was Good to His
Mother, by former Detroiter
Robert Rockaway, probably
will be the first Gefen title to
be filmed.
Established in 1981,
Gefen is a family business,
originally founded by former
New Yorker Murray Green-
field and now run by his two
Sabra sons, Ilan and Dror.
The fact that the house has
lasted so long in an econom-
ically perilous field is due to
the fact that it has created
its own niche in the Jewish
book field, and because it op- Robert Rockaway's book is set to become a
erates on a shoestring'bud- film.
get. These factors allow it to
make a profit on a $29.95
book like The Jews of Lithuania, istence with extensive informa-
which sold 4,000 copies, or on tion on • adoption laws and
a $95 book like Chemical War- procedures around the globe."
Gefen is probably the world
fare Medicine, with sales of 500
leader
where publications on the
copies.
Obtaining manuscripts is no Holocaust and related events
problem. Two or three are sent are concerned, perhaps because
to Gefen — one-third from Is- Hana Greenfield, mother of Ilan
rael and two-thirds from other and Dror, is herself a former
countries — every week. Of concentration camp inmate who
these, about 15 percent eventu- wrote a book on the subject,
Fragments of Memory. Indeed,
ally are published.
Marketing is the real issue for some 15 percent of Gefen's 200
Gefen, as it is for every other titles relate to the Holocaust,
publisher. But the Jerusalem and an additional 10 percent to
firm has an extra burden to Jewish law and lore.
Contributing to the aesthetic
bear: Almost all its potential
customers are in North Ameri- cpislity of several "Jewish books"
ca, 6,000 miles from the Holy on the company's list is famous
City. So it employs almost as Israeli artist Yaakov Agam,
many salesmen in the United known for his multi-dimension-
States and Canada six as it does al graphics. Most of his creations
permanent staff in Jerusalem don't come cheap. Mr. Gefen
sells a special edition of the Five
eight.
"Selling books directly to cus- Books of Moses --- topped by an
tomers is best for us," Dror Agam rainbow cover — for
Greenfield explains. "That way, $1,800. At the same time, a pa-
a $30 book brings us $30. But perback Agam Haggadah is
we mostly sell through the big $12.95.
And if you don't want to pay
chains, where, if we are lucky,
a $30 book brings us $12. More- even that much for a "Jewish
over, a chain that orders, let us book," you can order The
albeit with-
say, 200 copies of a book, can re- Mitzvah Mouse
turn as many as it likes, even out Agam illustrations — for
$8.95. CI
the entire 200.

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