The ninth National Jewish Book Week in America will be observed this year during Lag B’Omer, the week of May 19 to 25. While the observance is of comparatively recent origin, it has now found a lasting place in the life of the modern Jew.
It serves to focus attention on the contribution of the contemporary Jew to the world’s civilization through literature, and it reminds him of the permanent influence of the ethics of the fathers and the old sages of Israel. It is but one aspect of modern Jewish education to reawaken race-consciousness and bring about familiarity with the history and the civilization of a people.
The purpose of this festival is to bring to the attention of both Jews and non-Jews the importance of reading, and especially the importance of reading good Jewish books. A knowledge of the literature of one’s own people plays an important part in the education, culture and self-respect of every Jew. Jewish Book Week is one way to follow in the paths of learning which our great teachers in Israel pursued.
The sponsors of Jewish Book Week feel that the annual celebration has brought about a keen interest and tolerance in things Jewish. It is especially fitting in these turbulent and discordant days, when civilization seems to be sitting on a keg of gunpowder, that attention should be focused on the far-reaching potentialities of the book as a messenger of peace and good-will.
This year especially offers two opportunities for centering on Jewish culture and literature. First, world Jewry is observing the 800th anniversary of the birth of Maimonides. The second event is the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus.
A bibliography of books of Jewish interest and significance, issued by the Boston Public Library, is available on application to Miss Fanny Goldstein, librarian, West End branch, Boston Public Library. This bibliography should be serviceable in connection with the observance of Jewish Book Week.
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