By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
For Toby Harris, the librarian for Temple De Hirsch Sinai, the decision to put on a regional conference for the Association of Jewish Libraries in Seattle is a no-brainer.
“We Seattleites love our libraries,” said Harris, a member of the AJL and co-chair for the event, which will take place Sun., Feb. 15 at Temple Beth Am.
Titled “From Word to Deed: Teaching our Children Through Literature,” the conference will focus on the various ways the Jewish tradition is expressed through children’s literature, specifically how the Holocaust is presented to young readers. The event will also provide an opportunity for local Jews to learn about the AJL.
The AJL has more than 20 chapters in North America and one in Israel. The organization’s primary goal is to provide support for Jewish libraries and librarians through recommended book lists, online support forums, connections to Jewish publishers, scholarships, and various educational opportunities. This marks the first time the organization has hosted a conference in the Pacific Northwest, however, as the region does not have a formal chapter.
Rita Frischer, event co-chair and an AJL member of more than 30 years, thinks the time has come for Washington State to join the fold.
“The organization has been around a long time. They have chapters all over the country, and now they’ve had their eye on the Northwest,” Frischer said. “This is an area that is so family-oriented. Our experience is that when we talk about libraries, it’s often times parents with young children who want to get involved first.”
The conference, which organizers hope will draw in close to a hundred people from the local Jewish community, will feature exhibits on children’s literature and Temple Beth Am’s literary journal, Drash, as well as lectures by the Seattle Hebrew Academy’s head of school Rivy Poupko Kletenik and Lisa Silverman, children’s book editor of Jewish Book World magazine.
“Lisa Silverman is a real children’s literature expert,” Frischer said. “She’s particularly interested in how to deal with the Holocaust in children’s books. She’s very knowledgeable.”
The conference will also provide time for networking and discussion.
“And there will be food, obviously. You don’t have a Jewish event with out food,” she added.
According to Frischer, the AJL has member librarians at all manner of institutions, from major universities to small synagogue libraries. Aside from Harris at TDHS, there are only a handful of member librarians in the region.
“We might not ever get the critical mass for a formal chapter out here,” admitted Frischer, who recently moved to Seattle from Los Angeles where she worked as the library director for Sinai Temple for more than 20 years. “But there may be enough people who want to network to get something going.”
According to Harris, the conference isn’t just for librarians, however.
“Teachers are always looking for educational opportunities like this,” she said. “And there are just so many incredible Jewish authors out there right now. A lot parents are interested in how they can pass some of these traditions down to their children and they are looking for books as a place to start.”
The February event will be a pre-cursor to the AJL’s 2010 annual international conference, to be held the in first weekend of July at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. According to Frischer, the AJL’s decision to host its largest annual event in Seattle signals real interest in bringing more libraries in the region into the organization.
“I was in New York at the midwinter board and council meeting,” Frischer said. “They are so excited about coming to Seattle.”
The annual international conference typically draws several hundred participants from the U.S., Canada and as far away as Israel and South Africa.