Mandel JCC to Host a Series of Eclectic Art and Culture Events in October & November

Ellen Wedner, Vice President of Arts & Culture at Mandel JCC and Director of the Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, today invited the book buffs and movie fans to several literary and cinematic events this fall in Boynton Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. At many of these events, the author of a featured book will be on hand to discuss his/her work and respond to comments and questions from the audience.

The Mandel JCC is located at 8500 Jog Road, in Boynton Beach and at 5221 Hood Road in Palm Beach Gardens. For more information or to register for any of the following book events, please go to: www.JCCOnline.com/bookfestival.

Saturday, October 21

+ 6 pm at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach

Book: MY MOTHER'S KITCHEN: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and the Meaning of Life

Author: Peter Gethers

Synopsis:

The author wants to give his aging mother a very personal and perhaps final gift: a spectacular feast featuring all her favorite dishes. The problem is, although he was raised to love food and wine, he doesn't really know how to cook. So he embarks upon an often hilarious and always touching culinary journey that will ultimately allow him to bring his mother's friends and loved ones to the table one last time.

Note: The evening includes light dinner with recipes from Ratner's and a copy of Gether's book, which the author will sign.

Tickets: $18 Literary Society and JCC Members; $21 Nonmembers

Holocaust Memorial Week, November 6-9

Monday, November 6

+ 4:30 pm at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach

NOT THE LAST BUTTERFLY PROJECT

The Mandel JCC is inviting people to sip some wine, nibble on some munchies, and unleash the artist within by painting ceramic butterflies. The butterflies will commemorate the 1.5 million children lost during the Holocaust. The painted butterflies will become part of a large visual arts installation at both of the Mandel JCC Locations (Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach). Be part of this international project of hope and remembrance.

Butterfly Donation: $14 Film and Literary Society and JCC Members; $18 Nonmembers

Tuesday, November 7

+ 10 am at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach

+ 7 pm at the Mandel JCC in Palm Beach Gardens

Book: A WORLD ERASED: A Grandson's Search for his Family's Holocaust Secrets

Author: Noah Lederman

Synopsis:

This poignant memoir by the grandson of Holocaust survivors transports readers from his grandparents' kitchen table in Brooklyn to World War II Poland. In the 1950s, Noah's grandparents raised their children on Holocaust stories. But these Holocaust tales gave his father and aunt constant nightmares, so in Noah's adolescence his grandmother used a PG version. When his Poppy died, it seemed Grandma could do little more than mourn. Then Noah travels to Poland, and cautiously told Grandma about his time in Warsaw, fearing this would bring up painful memories. But, instead, remembering the Holocaust unexpectedly rejuvenated her, ending five years of mourning. Together, they explored the memories that his grandmother had buried for decades. Following his presentation, Lederman will sign copies of his book.

Tickets: $12 Literary Society and JCC Members; $14 Nonmembers

Wednesday, November 8

+ 7 pm at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach

Thursday, November 9

+ 7 pm at the Mandel JCC in Palm Beach Gardens

YIDDISHKAYT, GOD AND THE HOLOCAUST

Presenters: Avi Hoffman & Miriam Hoffman

Synopsis:

A multimedia presentation, including film clips, on life in the European Jewish world both Pre and Post-War. A highlight of this evening focuses on the depiction of God in Holocaust literature and the arts. Presenters are renowned entertainer and Jewish cultural activist Avi Hoffman, and his mother, retired Columbia University professor, author, journalist and playwright, and Columbia University Professor Miriam Hoffman.

Tickets: $12 Literary Society Authors & Readers, and Film Society Actors; $14 Nonmembers

Note: Special Combo Ticket Discount for both A World Erased and Yiddishkayt: $20 Literary Society Authors & Readers, and Film Society Actors; $24 Nonmembers

(To order tickets for Holocaust Memorial Week events, please call 561.509.0117 or 561.712.5232.)

Signature Book Festival Luncheon with Special Performance

Wednesday, November 15

Book Luncheon at the Kravis Center, Cohen Pavilion

+ 11 am for shopping boutique; noon luncheon

Book: AFTER ANATEVKA

Author & Broadway Performer: Alexandria Silber

Synopsis:

A sweeping historical novel in the grand tradition of Russian literature that imagines what happens to the characters of Fiddler on the Roof after the curtain falls. The world knows well the tale of Tevye, the beloved Jewish dairyman from the shtetl Anatevka of Tsarist Russia. In stories originally written by Sholem Aleichem and then made world-famous in the celebrated musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye, his wife Golde, and their five daughters dealt with the outside influences that were encroaching upon their humble lives. But what happened to those remarkable characters after the curtain fell?

Tickets: $136 Literary Society Members; $136 Guest

Note: All tickets include a copy of the book.

Co-Chairs: Sheila Engelstein and Zelda Mason

The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival

Reel Matters: Issues, Heroes & Happenings

Tuesday, November 28

+ 7 pm at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach

Thursday, November 30

+ 7 pm at the Mandel JCC in Palm Beach Gardens

Film: AN AMERICAN CONSCIENCE: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story

Director: Martin Doblmeier

Synopsis:

Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer remains one of the most quoted writings in American literature. Yet Niebuhr's impact was far greater, as presidents and civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. often turned to Niebuhr's writings for guidance and inspiration. Niebuhr rose from a small Midwest church pulpit to become the nation's moral voice - an American conscience - during some of the most defining moments in American history. From award-winning director Martin Doblmeier comes this powerful, insightful and inspiring documentary, rich in archival material and featuring interviews with a host of notable historians and theologians. As David Brooks wrote in The New York Times, "Niebuhr had audacity. He wrote big books on big subjects. He took big public stands." (USA, 2017, 60 minutes plus after film discussion.)

Tickets: $10 Film Society Member; $12 Nonmembers

(For Tickets, call 877-318-0071 or visit www.pbjff.org.)

Wednesday, November 29

+ 10 am at Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach

+ 7 pm at the Mandel JCC in Palm Beach Gardens

Book: TWENTY-SIX SECONDS: A Personal History of the Zapruder Film

Author: Alexandra Zapruder

Synopsis:

On November 22, 1963, Abraham Zapruder left his office hoping for a glimpse of President John F. Kennedy's motorcade as it passed by Dealey Plaza. A Russian Jewish immigrant who wholeheartedly loved his home in America, Abe thrilled at the chance to see the young president in person - and perhaps to bring back a home movie of this once-in-a-lifetime moment for his family. The 26 seconds of Abraham Zapruder's footage depicting the JFK assassination is now iconic, forever embedded in American culture and identity. The first major instance of citizen journalism, this amateur film forced Abraham Zapruder to face unprecedented dilemma: How to handle his unexpected ownership of a vitally important yet unspeakably terrible piece of American history?

Tickets: $14 Literary Society Member; $16 Nonmembers

(For Tickets, call 561-509-0117 or 561-712-5232.)

About the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches:

The Mandel JCC has two locations in Palm Beach County. The Boynton Beach building is at 8500 Jog Road and the Palm Beach Gardens building is at 5221 Hood Road. For more information about the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches, visit www.jcconline.com.

The mission of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches is to build community and enhance connection to Jewish life. The Mandel JCC is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.