Arts & Entertainment

A WORLD OF BOOKS / ON THE COVER

Around The World In 14 Days

The JCC's 59th Annual Jewish Book Fair offers guests a chance

to see, hear, learn and experience a little of everything.

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Elizabeth Applebaum
Special to the Jewish News

M

yrtle could hardly believe it
when she saw Jack — the man
she had never met (never even
seen in real life!) but was determined to
make her own — on the train.
She'd seen his photo at the home of an
acquaintance in St. Louis and gosh, he was
handsome. She announced: "That's the man
I'm going to marry." And then there he was
on the train heading to Chicago in 1918.
She went right over and introduced herself
"Miss Myrtle Adkins. How d'ya do?"
So begins the true story of a Kansas
City couple at the center of the most
infamous bridge game in history and a
curious case of murder, passion, regret
and mystery.
Gary Pomerantz's The Devil's Tickets
is one of more than 60 titles to be fea-
tured at the Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit's 59th Annual Jewish
Book Fair (Pomerantz will speak 1 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 4, in West Bloomfield).
Events will be held at both JCC buildings,
in West Bloomfield (WB) and in Oak Park
(OP), and will include author presenta-
tions, one of the largest Jewish bookstores
in the world, workshops and much more.
"This year's Book Fair is going to be
absolutely incredible,' said Carol Weintraub
Fogel, who is chairing the event for the first
time (see below). "The Book Fair is one of
the premier events in our community —
an event that brings everyone together for
two amazing weeks
Book Fair will include a theme —
Mind, Body and Soul — which, says
Fogel, "captures the very essence of
the function of the JCC." It opens 7:45
p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, with Neil Sedaka,

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a man best known for his songwriting
skills but who also is the author of a new
children's book, Waking Up Is Hard To Do.
So just how diverse is this year's Book
Fair? Consider a brief sampling of guests.
If you're looking for an evening of mys-
tery and intrigue, along with an insightful
history of Arab-Israeli contact, consider
Book Club Night on Thursday, Nov. 4, with
author Avner Mandelman.
Mandelman's book The Debba is the
story of David Starkman — a man who left
Israel years ago and has yet to return. Then
his father, Isser, is murdered. When David
comes back for the funeral, he is surprised
to discover a will in which Isser stipulates
that upon his death, a play he wrote years
ago must be performed — for only the
second time ever. The play is called The
Debba, and it makes reference to a hyena
that walks like a man. Despite opposition
from many who are convinced the play
should never see the light of day, David is
determined to grant his father's wish.
Avner Mandelman is a native of Israel
whose previous book, Talking to the
Enemy, was named one of the 25 best
books of 2005 by Kirkus Reviews.
Book Club Night is open to the com-
munity (you do not need to be part of
a book club to attend). The cost is $25,
which includes a pre-sale copy of the
book, along with a private 7 p.m. book
signing and dessert reception with the
author (dessert reception only is $18).
Reservations are required by Oct. 29. The
7:45 p.m. speaker presentation is free and
open to the public.
On Nov. 8 at the JCC in West Bloomfield,
at 8:15 p.m., Jake Ehrenreich will discuss
his book A Jew Grows in Brooklyn: The
Curious Reflections of a First-Generation
American. Ehrenreich is a Broadway per-

former (Barnum, Dancin', They're Playing
Our Song) certain to charm anyone who
ever had a dream, or grew up with immi-
grant parents, or lived for baseball. A
companion to his hit musical comedy of
the same name, Enrenreich's book is like
a gentle and funny song that celebrates
days gone by.
At noon Wednesday, Nov. 10, the JCC will
host Matthew Aaron Goodman, author of
Hold Love Strong, as part of Lunch with the
Authors. In Hold Love Strong, Goodman
tells the story of Abraham Singleton, whose
mother was 13 when he was born and who
grows up in the Ever Park Projects in New
York City with one wish: to be part of The
Cosby Show family.
Heeb magazine named Goodman one of
the 100 young Jewish people to watch, and
the Michigan Citizen raves: "This book is
a classic, written so masterfully that it will
inspire its reader in more ways than one'
Finally, anyone who has ever wanted
to crawl under a rock upon hearing the
name Bernie Madoff or Fred Neulander
(the New Jersey rabbi convicted of hiring
a hitman to kill his wife) will not want to
miss Erica Brown, author of Confronting
Scandal: How Jews Can Respond When
Jews Do Bad Things.
Brown, adjunct professor at American
University and George Washington
University, tackles a tricky subject. Of
course Jews do and should feel shame and
horror at the idea of a rabbi who murders;
but what about the concept that all Jews
are responsible for one another?

❑

Elizabeth Applebaum is a marketing

specialist at the Jewish Community Center
of Metropolitan Detroit. Unless otherwise
noted, she is the writer of all Book Fair

stories in this section.

All events will be held at the JCC in West Bloomfield (WB), 6600 W. Maple Road, or in Oak Park (OP), 15100 W.10 Mile
Road. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public. To view the complete brochure and to register
for any event, visit www.jccdet.org . For more information, call (248) 432-5692.

C

arol Weintraub
Fogel, a native of
Montreal and then
a resident of Kentucky,
was in Israel when she
decided she had to make
Detroit her home.
It was 1989 and with
Carol
the Palestinian intifada,
Weintraub
the country was too quiet, Fogel
tourists opting to stay
away. But Carol came with her husband,
Ron, and children, and in Jerusalem
they saw a large sign announcing a mis-
sion from Detroit.
"That's when I knew I wanted to
come here, because that's the kind of
community I wanted to be in," says
Fogel, of West Bloomfield.
Her wish came true when her hus-
band, a gastroenterologist, was offered
a position in Metro Detroit.
It didn't take long for Fogel, who
believes firmly in giving back to her
community, to join the boards of, or
serve as a volunteer with, just about
every Jewish agency in the area, from
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit to National Council of Jewish
Women to Adat Shalom Synagogue to
the Jewish Community Center, to name
a few. One of her favorite local events
has always been Book Fair, "because
it brings the community together; it's
a real happening." So when she was
asked to serve as chair, she said, of
course, yes.
Fogel really does love everything
about Book Fair.
"It was an honor to represent
Detroit" at the Jewish Book Council
network meeting (where authors pres-
ent their latest books for consideration
at Jewish book fairs nationwide), says
Fogel, who loves all kind of books
"with substance, both fiction and non-
fiction," and is famous for her ability
to get lost in a book, reading an entire
text in a single sitting.

❑

October 28 • 2010

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