by Mark Binder

Half the Jewish people think my stories are too Jewish. The other half think they’re not Jewish enough. And non-Jewish people think that my stories are for Jews. Which means that my audience is mostly a guy named Leonard Klehr who lives in Cranston, RI on a fixed income. And my Mom.

I wish it were a joke, but it isn’t.

As you might imagine, it can be kind of frustrating. My Chelm series has won awards! The stories have been published around the world. I began writing them years ago when I was the editor of the Rhode Island Jewish Herald. On a deadline morning we had a hole in the newspaper, so I wrote a story to fill it. After I was fired for writing a Purim parody, “Transvestite Rabbis and the Women Who Love Them,” I continued writing stories of Chelm for Jewish newspaper in the US, Canada and even Australia.

Some of the stories were published in Cricket Magazine for children, but they weren’t written for kids. Or not just for kids. I write for all ages — because that’s who read Jewish newspapers: everyone from kids to seniors. And over the years, my villagers of Chelm began to change. The senior rabbi fell in love with the widowed caterer, and I produced a pamphlet about their romance called, “The Misadventures of Rabbi Kibbitz and Mrs. Chaipul.” I still have copies in the attic.

In 1999 I proposed that I write a novel of Chelm for the Houston Jewish Herald Voice. It would be serialized on a weekly basis. They said yes, and I began writing “The Brothers Schlemiel.”

It was a wonderful process. Every episode began with a hook and ended with a hook plus a “Next week…” The titles of the next episodes were meant to be enticing: “Oy” or “Termites on the Brain”

And because it was written over time, and targeted for specific weeks, the setting and characters changed with the seasons. A Hanukkah stand-alone story was reprinted in other papers.

I also began selling email subscriptions to the book, and recorded an audio edition, “The Brothers Schlemiel From Birth to Bar Mitzvah.” My fan base grew among non-Jews.

And when September 11 happened, I wrote my reactions into the book.

The original “Brothers Schlemiel” ran 100 weekly installments over a two-year period and ended when the two brothers separated for the final time. The book was sent to publisher after publisher before eight years later, JPS published the first part of “The Brothers Schlemiel” as a beautifully illustrated book for young people. Think the Wyeth editions of “Treasure Island.”

This edition tells the story of Abraham and Adam, the identical twins born in Chelm and confused from the day they were born until the moment that one of them (is it Abraham or Adam) is married. Along the way they get in and out of trouble, meet (and defeat) a robber, travel to Minsk (or was it Pinsk), fall in love, and deal with loss.

It’s not a story for kids. It’s not a story for adults. It’s not a story for Jews. It’s not too Jewish. (And it’s not Jewish enough.)

It’s a story that I wrote for everybody. It’s a novel that I think you’d enjoy.

Read an excerpt, and tell me if you’re not hooked.

Mark Binder is the author of “The Brothers Schlemiel.” His latest projects are two live audio story albums: “It was a dark and stormy night…” and “A Holiday Present” They’re not just for kids. They’re not just for Jews…. They’re funny (and fun) for everyone.

So here’s your quest, should you choose to accept it: Knuckle down and finish something meaty before it’s fall. We’re talking a hardcore literature binge. No more teen vampire romances for us. If you need ideas, take a look at these:

• Let’s start with a list of underrated authors compiled by Publishers Weekly. I’m   pretty sure I haven’t read the work of anyone on here, so I’ll definitely be looking them up! Don’t you love being the one to introduce an awesome book to your friends and coworkers?
• I’m really, really far behind if I want to read all the books suggested by JPS author Josh Lambert’s weekly column, On The Bookshelf, featured by Tablet Magazine. I do, though. Each of the books he highlights sound like they should be at the top of my list.
• Super Sad True Love Story has been all over the internet this summer. I can’t believe that I haven’t read it yet…dystopian literature has been my favorite since I stole The Giver from my sister in fourth grade! Clearly I’m a terrible, lazy person. I swear I just bought a copy.  Shteyngart’s new novel, according to some, indicates that books by Russian-Jewish immigrants are now quite the thing. Here he is in a podcast with Joshua Cohen, author of Witz, discussing their individual takes on dystopian America as a book setting.
• Rachel Shukert is just a never ending source of hilarity. Her first memoir, in case you missed it, was Have You No Shame?, a witty and genuine look into her childhood as a Jewish girl in Nebraska and her attempts to break into acting in New York. She also wrote Everything’s Coming Up Moses: A Gypsy Seder, and juxtapositions of campy musicals and biblical tales are a genre I will support to the bitter end. Her second memoir, Everything Is Going To Be Great, chronicles her tour through Europe as a recent college graduate. To get an idea of what she’s all about, take a listen to this excerpt from Everything Is Going To Be Great.

What are you waiting for? Get off the internet and read! Well, first you should use the internet to procure reading material, and I suppose you might as well keep surfing while you wait for said book to arrive, but then you should hole up and read for as long as possible.

With a broad appeal, Israel attracts tourists galore. And understandably, the summer season is most popular. Who wouldn’t prefer the sunny beaches of Tel Aviv to the comparably gloomy walls of their office? The summer break from school is also the ideal time for organized young adult trips to Israel such as those sponsored by Birthright Israel (www.birthrightisrael.com).

Oddly enough, I myself came back from Israel right before the start of summer, ending a year of living in the country. While there, I had the opportunity to explore its geographical diversity and beauty, to better understand its political complexity, and to encounter its historical richness.

But most importantly, I spent my year primarily studying, engaging my surroundings through an academic lens. Whether learning about the history of Judaism, tracing the roots of Zionism, reading modern Israeli literature, or learning about the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I found this the most fruitful way of interacting with and understanding this small parcel of land important to so many people. I emerged at the end of the year with a more mature and holistic perspective on Israel.

So for those of you heading to The Holy Land any time soon or those with hopeful aspirations to do so some time in the future, consider undertaking some form of study about Israel—if you’re desperate, just view it as some extra beach reading. It will make you ever-more appreciative of Israel’s richness.

If you’re not sure where to begin in your search for reading material, check out the following books on Israel-related topics:

• The Jerusalem Anthology: A Literary Guide, Reuven Hammer http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=298

• A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, Howard M. Sachar
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375711329

• The Zionist Idea, Arthur Hertzberg http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=272

• Reinventing Jerusalem, Simone Ricca
http://books.google.com/books/ibtauris?id=Cbd1ALFq9hAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=jerusalem&cd=3#v=onepage&q&f=false

• Jerusalem Curiosities, Abraham E. Milgram
http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=286

• Jerusalem, Lee Levine
http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=101

What happens when the art in question was stolen from its owner during the war?

While most countries have done whatever possible to return lost and stolen property to victims of World War II, Hungary has kept dozens of paintings that belonged to Baron Mor Lipot Herzog, a Jewish art

The Agony In The Garden- El Greco (One of the stolen pieces)

collector, before the war. His family has had moderate success in tracking down and reclaiming pieces of his collection from Germany, but the vast majority of it was returned to Hungary decades ago and now hangs in museums there.

To me, at least, these issues seem pretty cut and dry. Society has too much to learn from any unread Kafka for it to stay in a locked box (though I would personally argue that there’s no reason the owners can’t receive compensation). On the other side of the public domain issue are the descendents of Herzog, who quite truly had their property stolen from them, and have stated that they’d be more than happy to let the museum keep some of the more culturally valuable pieces.

Usually literature passes into public possession because an author simply hasn’t set up a legal alternative, or so much time has passed that a clear owner can no longer be traced (I purse my lips at the thought of all the Pride and Prejudice “sequels” out there, but fair is fair). It’s rare that something is valuable enough for its own sake that governments fight to take it from living owners. Where do you think the line should be?

The Office

I’ve come to realize that not everyone is bombarded with funny images andvideos all day (it’s not my fault that my friends think of me whenever they see anything adorable), but I remain a firm believer in midday pick-me-ups. Here are some fun links to give you that thirty second smile break you didn’t know you were missing.

• I absolutely love this collection of letterheads used by famous Jews. My favorites are the stark, strikingly simple ones, like Spielberg’s and Einstein’s. I guess that with a name like that you don’t need much else.
• There’s tons of stuff online about last weekend’s big wedding, but this Jewcy post about the writer’s childhood crush on Chelsea Clinton brought back memories of a simpler time.
• And here I thought I knew the New York subway pretty well. Heeb Magazine has a Subway map for Jews that made me chuckle. It reminds me of Abstract City, Cristoph Niemann’s cartoon blog for the New York Times.
• It seems like he’s in pretty much every comedy I see these days, but it turns out Paul Rudd used to work the bar mitzvah circuit as a DJ. Oh, the early 90’s hair on him! Not to mention the bright yellow blazer/black dress shorts combo. It’s too good.

Whether you find yourself falling into mid-week, mid-day, or mid-hour slumps, I hope these help!

Image: Jessica Giles

There’s something very nostalgic about this time of summer. Maybe it’s because of what those late July, early August days mean to most kids. Everyone runs around trying to enjoy themselves while increasingly frequent glances at the calendar remind them that school is looming in the near future. Of course, for me school is looming in the near future, but you get what I mean.

Here are some articles about summer fun, past and present.

• So many people are writing about Jewish summer camp! It makes me wish I’d gone…I was too busy spending my summers at nerd camp studying Latin. (Can we pretend that I’m kidding?) Like all things, the concept of Jewish summer camp has changed a lot from one generation to the next (though Israeli dancing has remained a favorite activity among campers). Now there’s even an eco-friendly camp, called Eden Village Camp, that focuses on teaching campers to be environmentally friendly! Crazy kids.
• There’s a new fad taking over Jewish summer camps everywhere: Jewish-themed Silly Bandz! The popular rubber bracelets are now available in the shape of various Jewish symbols, ritual objects, Hebrew letters, etc.
• A lot of boomers, Jewish and not, have fond memories of summer days at Coney Island. Astroland closed a couple of years ago, and its heyday had arguably passed a long time before. Now Luna Park, its replacement, is making new memories for Coney Island veterans and their kids (and grandkids)!
• Alright, so there isn’t really anything nostalgic about this article: It’s just about a hip ice cream place in the city. I argue, however, that the very idea of ice cream itself should make you nostalgic…or at least very hungry.

School is starting up in just a little more than a month! Let’s make the rest of the summer count.

The JPS blog just received a Beautiful Blogger Award from our friends and co-authors of JPS title Dictionary of Jewish Words: A JPS Guide, Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, who blog at Schmoozing with the Word Mavens.

To claim our reward, we have to share 7 little known facts about JPS and pass the award on to 7 other blogs.

Things you might not know about The Jewish Publication Society:

1. On July 28, 1893 (exactly 117 years ago today), the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent announced that Henrietta Szold would be moving to Philadelphia from her home in Baltimore to serve as the secretary and first paid employee of JPS. Although she worked under the title and salary of secretary, she served as translator, indexer, fact checker, proofreader, statistician, administrator, and editor, overseeing the publication of 87 books during her tenure. Prior to working for JPS, Szold was elected as the only female member of its publication committee when JPS was founded in 1888.
2. The first Jewish Publication Society was initially founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, but was dissolved 6 years later after a fire destroyed the building and the entire JPS stock. The American Jewish Publication Society was then established in 1871, but folded only a few years later as a result of an economic downturn and organizational neglect.
3. The organization was originally called The Jewish Publication Society of America, but later dropped “of America” in 1986.
4. In the early years, JPS brand tag line was “Israel’s Mission is Peace,” which was written on the organization’s original seal (right). The seal depicted a scene from the book of Isaiah and was only used until 1906.
5. The extensive index for the original edition of Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg was written on 70,000 index cards. Henrietta Szold fell in love with Ginzberg while working with him on the book. On a trip to Europe, he returned engaged to a younger woman, named Adele Katzenstein, which devastated Szold.
6. In the beginning stages of World War II, JPS rushed into print Cold Pogrom (1939) to bring greater attention to the plight of European Jewry. In 1941, at the request of the U.S. government, the Society undertook a secret mission by printing in Greek, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, and Rumanian pamphlets that were dropped from planes behind the enemy lines.
7. The very first JPS book was Outlines of Jewish History, by Lady Katie Magnus, though JPS’s best selling book of all time is the JPS Tanakh, which was first published in 1917 and later updated in 1985.

And here are our choices for blogs to receive the beautiful blogger award:

1. The Book of Life: A podcast & blog about Jewish books, music, film & web
2. Jewish Book Council Blog: A blog about trends in the Jewish literary scene, interesting new titles, etc. It also features a bi-weekly author blog series with guest posts by emerging authors.
3. People of the Books: A blog by the Association of Jewish Libraries dedicated to Jewish book news and reviews as well as information about AJL’s projects
4. Mixed Multitudes – My Jewish Learning: A blog by My Jewish Learning that explores current events and issues related to Judaism.
5. The Scroll – Tablet Magazine: Tablet Magazine’s daily blog covering Jewish news around the world.
6. Jewish Treats: The National Jewish Outreach Program’s blog that offers daily “Juicy Bits of Judaism” including bite-sized facts, actions and prayers that are easy to digest and are a great way to make a daily connection to Judaism in two minutes or less.
7. Jewish Literary Review: A blog about Jewish books, Jewish novels, Jewish writing, news about books and the occasional author interview.

Photo Credit: AP Photo

After his death in 1924, Franz Kafka’s personal papers and documents were left to his friend and fellow writer, Max Brod. When Brod died in 1968, ten safety deposit boxes full of papers (some his, some Kafka’s) were left to his secretary and friend, Esther Hoffe. The disputed ownership of these documents is what’s kept them hidden from the public for so long. Hoffe’s daughters seem to have legal ownership, but if the papers are deemed to be “literary treasures” by the judge who is currently examining them, then they could be released into the public domain.

Even if the judge rules in favor of the Hoffe family, chances are good that the papers will soon be published in some form. Some speculate that the boxes contain unpublished manuscripts by Kafka, considered one of the greatest writers of the 20^th century, while others hope that personal documents will shed light on his mysterious life.

You can read more in Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper that filed the lawsuit to make these documents public. The New York Times also has an article on the subject, where they suggest that an unpublished short story was found in the first box.

flickr.com/thinmints137

Happy Tu B’Av! This may not be an official holiday anymore, but why missout?  The question is how does one celebrate Tu B’Av?

Originally, unmarried women marked the holiday by dressing in borrowed white clothing (so as to diminish distinctions between the rich and the poor) and dancing together. The unmarried men of the city could pick brides from among them, and were urged through traditional songs to pick based on the family and piety of the girl.

Dancing around in white probably isn’t the best way to find a date these days. We do have a similar forum, though. It’s called the internet. Of course, the whole process has gotten a lot more complicated in the past couple of centuries.

• Or maybe not. This New York Times article describes some new dating websites that seem to be more similar to the old Tu B’Av way of meeting singles than JDate or eHarmony.
• Fifty First (J) Dates is one woman’s witty accounts of her experience using the popular Jewish dating website. Read it for her dating advice, keep reading for the laughs. If her stories sound painfully familiar, you can share your own online dating experiences on JDaters Anonymous.
• Speaking of laughs, have you heard about Geri Brin, the woman who started a dating site that caters to parents trying to find a match for their kids? (Don’t even think about it, Mom.)
• Need tips on how to woo a date before your Mom feels she needs to get involved? Check out this fun Tu B’Av video from Alef NEXT.
• If you’d rather spend the day wallowing (hey, I’m not judging), head over to this Tablet Magazine article  with some of the best break-up songs written by Jews. You probably shouldn’t listen to them all in one go unless you have a ready supply of chocolate.

“But wait!” You say, “I’ve already got a boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé/spouse/bubbala!”  In that case, celebrating Tu B’Av will be easy. There’s a reason they call it the Jewish Valentine’s day, after all. You can’t go wrong with roses and a box of chocolates, assuming your S.O. doesn’t have any major pollen or dairy issues. I’m sure you’ll think of something by Monday.

So, one more time: Happy Tu B’Av. Have a great one.