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MJH Announces Dates for 2nd Annual New York Jewish Book Festival

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Wednesday, July 19, 2023 • Press room   Statements & Press Releases   
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Highlights include award-winning authors Mitch Albom launching his new book tour for The Little Liar, and Lois Lowry speaking on her classic Number the Stars with performance of songs from the Number the Stars musical by Sean Hartley

(New York, N.Y.)—The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust has announced that the 2023 New York Jewish Book Festival will be held from Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 19, featuring events for adults, kids, and families and programs connected to the Museum’s exhibition opening this fall, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark.

The festival – which will be held both in-person and virtually – will feature talks, panels, and author signings. The festival will touch on themes of Jewish heritage, culture, and history, modern life and literature, the Holocaust and the 80th anniversary of the Danish Rescue, food and cookbooks, books for kids and families, and more spread out over the 11 days of the festival.

Book talk events on Sunday, November 12 will be designed for adults, while those on Sunday, November 19 will be geared toward families and children and include and programs connected with the Museum’s newest exhibition, opening in October, about the Danish Rescue, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark. The Museum’s first exhibition for visitors age 9 and up, the exhibition tells the remarkable story of the rescue of the Danish Jews during the Holocaust, immersing visitors in age-appropriate themes of community, citizenship, bravery, and resilience. 

The full schedule will be announced in the coming months, but the Museum is proud to announce two keynotes that will headline the festival:

  • Award-winning author Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie) will launch the book tour for his new book, The Little Liar, at the Museum on Sunday, November 12; and,
  • Author Lois Lowry will speak about her book, Number the Stars, and songwriter Sean Hartley, from Kaufman Music Center, will present songs from his original musical based on Number the Stars.

Author, screenwriter, philanthropist, journalist, and broadcaster Mitch Albom is an inspiration around the world. Albom is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, which have collectively sold more than forty million copies in forty-eight languages worldwide. He has written eight number-one New York Times bestsellers — including Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time, which topped the list for four straight years and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. He also has written award-winning TV films, stage plays, screenplays, a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and a musical. He appeared for more than 20 years on ESPN and was a fixture on The Sports Reporters. His much-anticipated new novel, set during the Holocaust, is coming in the fall of 2023.

Lois Lowry is the author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including The New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.

The second annual New York Jewish Book Festival will once again be free to the public, and there will be books and Judaica for sale in the Museum’s Pickman Gift Shop, just in time for the winter holidays. The festival is held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, located at 36 Battery Place, New York, NY, 10280 and virtually.

More information – including a link to sign up to receive updates, and a form to submit authors or books for consideration to be included in the festival (deadline is September 1, 2023) can be found at nyjewishbookfestival.org. Please contact nyjewishbookfestival@mjhnyc.org with any questions about the festival or partnerships and sponsorships.

While visiting, attendees can nosh at the acclaimed LOX Café, visit Andy Goldsworthy’s Garden of Stones, and visit the museum’s inspiring and moving exhibitions. The Museum’s main exhibition, The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do and the upcoming exhibition Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark will be on view and open to book festival registrants.