Braun Library

THE FOUR QUESTIONS, library-style

“We have a library??????”
“We have a book club?????”
“We have a monthly movie day…..??????
“… and movies that I can take home to enjoy??????

Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes, as Rabbi Dorsch might say.

The Braun library is open on Wednesdays and Sundays when the Torah school is in session. Please come in and say hello. You’ll probably walk out with your arms full — carrying novels by Israeli authors, biographies recounting amazing life stories and movies with Jewish themes.

We roll out the book cart — loaded with new and notable material — for special events including the new Kol Tefillah musical service and, of course, Shir Chadash and Midrash Shabbat. A volunteer from the committee is always on hand to answer questions and help you check out books.

And……there’s more!

Committee members read to children from our pre-school every month. Torah school students and their teachers come in to check out books, and watch videos. (We were also delighted to host their music classes last year when the social hall was busy).

The book club meets in the library on the first Sunday every month.

The Braun Library Film Series screens a movie once a month in the social hall.

We have a much-anticipated book sale at the annual membership appreciation event whose proceeds help support the library.

And speaking of money: The library is run by volunteers and we rely on donations to buy books and DVD’s as well as pay for our computer catalog system and update our technology. See below for how you can help.

A Fifth, Difficult Question…………

One of the many harrowing questions that arose after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was “How do I talk to children about this?” The Association of Jewish Libraries responded with “Standing Up for Each Other,” a list of books can be accessed here for teens and younger readers. The Braun library already owns many of these; they will be on the book cart for the next couple of months, along with a complete list of the recommended books.

Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser, ages 4-8. In 1883, the Jewish poet Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet that is now inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, defining the United States as a nation that welcomes immigrants.

As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson, ages 6-9. The story of the friendship between these two remarkable men and how they turned their personal experiences of discrimination into a message of love and equality for all.

The Whispering Town by Jennifer Elvgren, ages 7-11. During the Holocaust, neighbors in a small Danish fishing village sheltered a Jewish family, devising a clever plan to help them be ferried to safety in Sweden. Based on a true story.

Refugee by Alan Gratz, Scholastic, ages 9-13. An action-packed novel about a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany, a Cuban girl in 1994 and a Syrian boy in 2015 who are driven from their countries and must find new homes.

Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust by Leanne Lieberman, ages 13-18. Lauren, a Jewish teenager, is sick of Holocaust memorials. But then some of her friends- —including Jesse, a boy she likes begin playing Nazi war games.

Five ways you can help our library grow

Join the library committee.
Contribute to the Library Fund. The library is entirely dependent on contributions to add new books and DVDs to the collection. We want to continue adding the best new literature for Jewish children as well as popular and worthy material for adults. A gift to the Library Fund is a heartfelt way to honor someone or express your sympathy. Library Fund donations are acknowledged in the Shofar, a book plate is placed in a new book noting your gift, and an appropriate letter is sent. To contribute to the Library Fund, contact the synagogue office or select the “Library Fund” from the online donation options.
Celebrate a child or teen’s birthday with a Birthday Book Club purchase.
Purchase a book or DVD from our Amazon Wish List .
Let us know what you want in the library.

Contact

The Library Committee

Susan Keller, chair
Beth Barbour
Susan Braun
Abe and Bea Goldberg
Ellen Lorang
Judith Springer
Edith Standler