Entertainment

Jewish Book Fair

IDEA from page 83

LaMed's intriguing suggestion in 1951 to his new
director: Ask the publishers of Jewish books to send
their authors to speak at the Center.
Shaw had worked in the WSU library and knew a
little bit about the publishing business.
"I knew I would have to go to New York to meet
with the publishers, but I didn't have a budget for
the trip or to cover the cost of bringing in speakers,"
he said. "Louis LaMed said he would cover the costs
himself on one condition — that I would not tell
anyone he was the donor." Shaw kept the confi-
dence until LaMed died.
Shaw's expenses — round-trip train fare, hotel,
food — totaled about $200. "It added up to a lot of
money in those days," he said.
He trudged up and down Fifth Avenue, crossing

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from one side of the
street to the other, visit-
ing dozens of publishers'
offices. "They didn't
want to underwrite the
authors' travel, but they
were willing to ship us
books," Shaw said. "We
would pay for those we
sold and send back those
we didn't sell, at our
expense."
That first Jewish Book
Fair 50 years ago, at the
Dexter-Davison JCC,
lasted a day and a half
Three authors came to
speak: Solomon Liptzin,
president of the national
Jewish Book Council,
who lectured in Hebrew
and Yiddish; Ruth Rubin,
author of A Treasury of
Jewish Folk Songs; and
Mary Long, a librarian
from the Detroit Public
Library who spoke on
"How to Tell Stories to
Children."
Social worker Matilda
Rubin, who lives in
Huntington Woods,
coordinated the activities
for the first five book
fairs, until she resigned
Volunteer committee from the JCC staff. A
chairman Pauline Jackson committee of about 20
addresses the First Annual volunteers, headed by
Jewish Book Fair.. Pauline Jackson, directed
the event. Henry Meyers
was the honorary chair. Of the original committee
members, only Milton Marwil, who owned a book-
store near Wayne University, is still alive, said Shaw.
Twenty-five organizations, mostly synagogues,
were listed as sponsors the first year. Now, just about
every Jewish organization in town wants to be con-
nected with Book Fair, including some informal
book clubs.
Shaw says he kept in touch with Sol Liptzin, one
of the first speakers, for many years. "He settled in
Israel, and every year I would send him a program

Philip Slomovitz
spoke on
"The Jewish
Literary Scene in
America"

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from Book Fair," he said. "About five years ago, I
went to Israel, and I brought a program with me so
I could give it to him in person. But as soon as I got
off the plane, I picked up a newspaper and read his
obituary. He had just died."

An Anticipated Event

Reaction to the Book Fair was so positive the Center
decided to repeat it. After a few years, people began
to expect it and look forward to it, Shaw said.
The second Book Fair, in 1953, featured Maurice
Samuel, author of The World of Sholem Aleichem,
and Abraham Klein, a Canadian poet and novelist.
Charles Angoff, Louis Golding and Dorothy Kripke
visited the following year.
Many of the authors spoke in Yiddish, and attract-
ed a sizeable audience of local Yiddish speakers.
Sarah Friedman, a member of the Book Fair corn-
mittee, coordinated the Yiddish part of the program
for many years.
Shaw said there was "no question" that Book Fair
accomplished its mission of bringing Jewish content
to the Jewish Community Center.
Book Fair's reputation grew as it attracted more
and better-known authors. In turn, famous authors
became more interested in attending as Book Fair's
reputation grew. Elie Wiesel, Amos Oz, Chaim
Potok, Wolf Blitzer, Howard Cosell — the list of
Book Fair speakers reads like a Who's Who of Jewish
literary and pop culture.
A "banner year" was 1996, said Sandy Stark, one
of this year's Book Fair co-chairs. "Our keynote
speaker was Neil Simon, and we had more than
1,500 people show up," she said. Overflowing the
main hall, the audience filled the Center's theater
and a large meeting room as well, where Simon
appeared on closed-circuit television. Dr. Ruth
Westheimer and Elie Wiesel also spoke that year.
As other Jewish communities became aware of
Book Fair's success, they copied the idea. Some even
gave in to authors' requests for speaking fees, which
the JCC has never paid (authors' expenses are cov-
ered by Book. Fair's sponsoring organizations).
This makes it difficult to convince some authors
to come here, but most are happy to speak for free,
knowing the publicity and audience contact trans-
lates into sales, said Stark.
"Just ask Mitch Albom. He spoke in 1997, the
year Tuesdays With Morrie was published, and we
sold 1,500 of his books."

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Chaim Potok,
then editor of the
Jewish Publication
Society of
America

Stephen
Birmingham,
author of Our
Crowd

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Elie Wiesel,
author of Legends
of Our Time

Esther Broner,
author of
Journal/Nocturnal
and Seven Stories

Simon
Wiesen thal,
author of
Sails of Hope

Lucy Davidowicz,
author of War
Against the Jews

Belva Plain,
author of
Evergreen