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Jew­ish Book Coun­cil, found­ed in 1944, is the longest-run­n­ing orga­ni­za­tion devot­ed exclu­sive­ly to the sup­port and cel­e­bra­tion of Jew­ish literature.

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    Some peo­ple regard the duri­an as hav­ing a pleas­ant­ly sweet fra­grance, where­as oth­ers find the aro­ma over­pow­er­ing with an unpleas­ant odour. The smell evokes reac­tions from deep appre­ci­a­tion to intense disgust.

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    Very good

    After Abel and Oth­er Sto­ries (hid­den until Decem­ber 3)

    A Box of Candles

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    Named in some regions as the ​“king of fruits,” the duri­an is dis­tinc­tive for its large size, strong odor, and thorn-cov­ered rind. The fruit can grow as large as 30 cen­time­tres (12 in) long and 15 cen­time­tres (6 in) in diameter.

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    A Prophet­ic Peace: Judaism, Reli­gion and Politics

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    First used around 1580, the name ​“duri­an” is derived from the Old Malay lan­guage word dûrî (mean­ing ​‘thorn’), a ref­er­ence to the numer­ous prick­ly thorns of the rind, togeth­er with the noun-build­ing suf­fix -an.

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    Duri­an trees have one or two flow­er­ing and fruit­ing peri­ods per year, although the tim­ing varies depend­ing on the species, cul­ti­vars, and local­i­ties. A typ­i­cal duri­an tree can bear fruit after four or five years.

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    Wal­lace described him­self as being at first reluc­tant to try it because of the aro­ma, ​“but in Bor­neo I found a ripe fruit on the ground, and, eat­ing it out of doors, I at once became a con­firmed Duri­an eater.”

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    In the Lion’s Shad­ow: The Iran­ian Schindler and his Home­land in the Sec­ond World War

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News

This should not be vis­i­ble until 10/23/2019 at 9:30am NYC

Nao­mi Firestone-Teeter
October 23, 2019
Essay

Let­ters at the Nar­row Waist of the World

Mar­lena Maduro Baraf
September 16, 2019
Interview

‘Mak­ing an Ancient Rit­u­al Work’: A Con­ver­sa­tion Between Beth Rica­nati and Tiffany Shlain

Tiffany Shlain, Beth Rica­nati
September 16, 2019
From the Journal

A Jew­ish Lit­er­ary Map of Latin America

Ilan Sta­vans
September 13, 2019

Jew­ish Book Coun­cil, found­ed in 1944, is the longest-run­ning orga­ni­za­tion devot­ed exclu­sive­ly to the sup­port and cel­e­bra­tion of Jew­ish literature.

Get the latest reviews, news, and more in your inbox

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New Reviews

Fic­tion
After Abel and Oth­er Sto­ries (hid­den until Decem­ber 3)
Michal Lem­berg­er
Chil­dren’s
A Room Away From the Wolves
Nova Ren Suma
Fic­tion
Cosel­la Wayne
Cora Wilburn
Jonathan D. Sarna
Fic­tion
The Song of the Jade Lily
Kirsty Man­ning
Chil­dren’s
Once Upon an Apple Cake: a Rosh Hashanah Story
Elana Rubinstein (auth.), Jennifer Naalchigar (illus.)

Editors' Picks

Fic­tion
Calm Sea and Pros­per­ous Voy­age: Select­ed Stories
Bette How­land
Fic­tion
An Unortho­dox Match
Nao­mi Ragen
Non­fic­tion
Son­tag: Her Life and Work
Ben­jamin Moser
Chil­dren’s
The Brave Cyclist: The True Sto­ry of a Holo­caust Hero
Amalia Hoffman, Chiara Fedele (illus.)
Non­fic­tion
The Art of Leav­ing: A Memoir
Ayelet Tsabari
Cur­rent Issue

Vol­ume Three

2019/5779
Fea­tures
  • Inter­views with Kei­th Gessen, Chloe Ben­jamin, and Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
  • Jane Yolen on Jew­ish fairy tales
  • A Jew­ish lit­er­ary map of Italy
  • An exam­i­na­tion of Jew­ish life in rur­al Amer­i­ca in three parts
  • Adeena Suss­man on tahini
  • Poet­ry by Ali­cia Jo Rabins
  • A Port­noy’s Com­plaint advice col­umn
  • Pamela Nadell shares a brief his­to­ry of the first Jew­ish wom­en’s book club in America 
  • Beau­ti­ful pho­tog­ra­phy, comics, and fiction
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