Arts nt rtai Jewish en Book Fair Finding Faith Three authors from different generations find spirituality in unexpected places. 'Today I Am A Boy' `Being Jewish' SANDEE BRAWARSKY Special to the Jewish News SUZANNE CHESSLER very morning, an orthodontist in New Jersey puts on tzitzit, the four- cornered fringed undergarment, under his shirt. He doesn't keep kosher, doesn't attend synagogue; in fact, this is the only Jewish ritual he does regularly. Asked by author Ari L. Goldman why he does so, he replies, "I feel naked without them." Goldman, a former reporter for the New York Times who is now on the faculty of Columbia University's School of Journalism, uncovers many true stories like this one, of people who connect to Jewish tradition in their own way. He tells of a family who build a sukkah for all their meals on Sukkot but don't keep kosher, a man who drives his car on Shabbat but not on the freeway — that reminds him of work. In presenting these examples, along with full explanations of Jewish rituals, traditions, lifecycle events and holidays, he paints a portrait of contemporary Judaism — truly in living color — in his new book, Being Jewish: The Spiritual and Cultural Practice of Judaism Today (Simon & Schuster; $25). A useful guide for people beginning to re-explore the Judaism they aban- doned, or those considering conversion, or people who are interested but feel intimidated or overwhelmed by Judaism's many laws and rituals, the book also provides new insights for those who already take their Judaism seriously, whatever denomination. For all, Goldman is a very appealing companion on the Jewish pathway. His writing is full of clarity, wit and love for his subject matter, with no pre- tensions and with the journalist's eye for rich detail. In some ways, Being Jewish grew out of Goldman's previous best-sell- ing book, The Search for God at Harvard. In that book — in which he reported on his sab- batical year at Harvard Divinity School — the author wrote about the world religions he studied, and the new under- standings he gained about his own past and about Judaism. D Special to the Jewish News E `BEING JEWISH' on page 88 avid Hays' theater career has helped take major productions around the world, but the performance he thought merited a book took place close to his Connecticut home. At age 66, center stage in his synagogue, Hays celebrated his bar mitzvah. Today I Am a Boy (Simon & Schuster; $23) is a first-person account of the religious experience and the person-to-person connection with the 12-year-olds in his bar mitzvah class. The recent release represents the author's second autobiographical proj- ect. The retired Broadway theatrical designer and founder of the National Theatre of the Deaf earlier wrote My Old Man and the Sea, which recounts how he sailed a tiny boat around Cape Horn with his son. "I hope Today I Am a Boy is an enjoyable book to read," says Hays, who spent three years working on it. "People may find [spirituality] in it, but I intended to make it a funny book about an adventure. I wrote about what I know, and I hope it strikes a chord." In part, the humor comes from meeting the people important to Hays' religious awakening — his family, Rabbi Doug Sagal and the friends who crossed generational borders. One chapter, for example, describes going to klezmer camp with his wife, Leonora. "I've been reading parts of the book as I go around the country on appear- ances," says Hays, who spent_time in Michigan through touring troupes from the National Theatre of the Deaf and previews of Broadway shows including No Strings, the Richard Rodgers musical starring Diahann Carroll. "My favorite chapter is on my friend who won the Nobel Prize. It describes a turning point in my own search for whatever spirituality I found. In order to make any of this sensible to the reader, I tried to make them care about the person going through this experience so things like friends, aspirations, successes and failures would come into it, and that's what this chapter is all about." Hays was the set and lighting designer for more than 50 Broadway plays and musicals, 30 dance programs for the legendary George Balanchine at the New York City Ballet and classical productions for the Metropolitan Opera Association. While leading the National Theatre of the Deaf for 30 years, he oversaw appearances on seven continents. `TODAY I AM A BOY' on page 88 TIM SPIBI • I► AL 'kV! ) Lt 3 1.1 Ult pi1ACTIA.V of Jt11).‘ ISM 'f'01) "Being Jewish is about feeling good. It is about finding meanzng." — Ari Goldman A I • 0 14 OMAN (