Libraries
offer much more than books in today’s world. Spring Lake District
Library will be offering the community a taste of Jewish history and
culture from December 28, 2011, to February 24, 2012, the dates the
library will be hosting “In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice
Sendak” “In a Nutshell”is a traveling exhibit about
renowned children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak.
Maurice Sendak
is best known as the illustrator of more than 100 picture books,
including Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night
Kitchen. He was born to Polish immigrants in Brooklyn in 1928,
and his childhood was typically American in a number of ways. He
became fascinated as a child with the worn black-and-white
photographs of his European relatives, and the influence of both of
these worlds – the threads of Jewish family, geography, and culture
– can be seen in his imaginative works.
The colorful
exhibit feature illustrations of ferocious creatures, curious
children and vibrant neighborhoods, all which serve to explore
Jewish culture and history, influences on Sendak’s work I would like
to extend an invitation to the community to visit the library to
view the free exhibit during the upcoming months and attend the
accompanying Sendak Program Series which explores some of the
exhibit’s themes.
The exhibit
can be viewed anytime during the library’s open hours which are 9:30
a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday, and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The spectre of the
Holocaust is one of the themes included in the Sendak exhibit and will be the
topic of the first of the program in the Sendak Program Series.
Meet Author and Holocaust
Survivor Dr. Maria Orlowski
Holocaust
survivor Dr.Maria Orlowski, born
Miriam Winter, shares her story of survival. Hear how 8 year old Miriam was
turned over to a stranger on a train in an attempt to keep her safe in war-torn
Poland during WW II. Copies of Maria’s book
Trains: A Memoir of a Hidden Childhood During and After World War II
will be available for purchase and signing following her presentation.
Thursday, January 5, at 7:00 pm.
Oompa!
Live
Klezmer Music featuring Heartland
Klezmorim. Experience traditional Klezmer music at its best. Klezmer
originated in the shtetl' (villages) of Eastern Europe where Jewish troubadours
known as 'klezmorim' performed at happy events such as weddings.
Sunday, January 8, at 3:00 pm.
Learn about this staple of Jewish culture in the third
program in the Sendak Program
Series
Brundibar
The music
and images from the children’s opera, Brundibar, composed by Hans Krasa are
featured in this program. This opera was performed 55 times by children in the
Terezin concentration camp. Speaker Don Hoogenstyn Jr. shares the unforgettable
history of the children’s opera. The opera was later the basis for the book
Brundibar, which was illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Monday, January 16, at 7:00 pm.
Discovering Jewish heritage is a major part of the Sendak exhibit and
Jewish Traditional Cooking will be the
topic of the fourth program in the
Sendak Program Series.
In
the Jewish Kitchen: Traditional Recipes
Marla
Tulett shares her recipes and samples of rugalach (a type of cookie) and noodle
kugel. It should be a tasty night not to miss at the library.
Pre-registration is required because space is limited. Call (616) 846-5770
to register.
Linda Booker,
Hope College Dance Instructor, will teach three traditional and explain their
cultural significance. Children are welcome to attend, accompanied by an
adult. Learn Hava Nagila, Mayim, and Tzadik Katamar with us at the library.
Thursday, February 2, at 7:00 pm.
In a Nutshell: The
Worlds of Maurice Sendak was organized by the
Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, and
developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit
organization dedicated to supporting Jewish
literature, culture, and ideas, and the American
Library Association Public Programs Office. The
national tour of the exhibit has been made possible
by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the
Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg
Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional
support from Tablet
Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life.
