Euroasian Jewish News

Jewish Book Festival to Take Place in St. Petersburg

The St. Petersburg Jewish Book Festival is an important rare example of how a Jewish cultural initiative can go on for many years in post-Soviet territory. By now, it is hard to imagine Jewish life of the “northern capital of Russia” without it. The St. Petersburg Jewish Community Center has the honor of inviting residents and guests of the city to this popular event for the 15th time. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress PR Department provides informational aid to the event.

On November 17, the festival will open in the halls of one of the largest book depositories of St. Petersburg — the Mayakovsky Library, located at the riverwalk of the Fontanka river. As usual, there will be many people, participant organizations, events, and, of course, even more books.

The Moscow publishing houses “Knizhniki” and “NLO,” as well as guests from two other cities, publishers of Jewish books from Vitebsk and Tver, will have their stands at the festival. As usual, books in Russian that had been printed in Israel will be presented by the bookshop affiliated with the Moscow synagogue on Bolshaya Bronnaya street. Naturally, St. Petersburg publishing houses will be widely represented, including but not limited to “Aleteia,” “Amphora,” “Humanitarnaya Academia,” “Comme il faut,” “Petropolis,” “Rodnik,” and “Symposium.” Jewish organizations, such as “St. Petersburg Jewish Studies,” the St. Petersburg Jewish Studies Institute, and the St. Petersburg Jewish Community Center, will also present the books they have published. The family center “Adain Lo” will hold a sale of utility art created by children with restricted abilities. There will also be a separate stand for the publications of the Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization “Sefer,” which is a part of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

Aside from the fair, the festival features an interesting program for all ages. Children will have their own trivia game hosted by children’s poet Mihail Yasnov and an unconventional interactive concert. The adults will be able to watch and discuss Leonid Mlechin’s new movie “Lieutenant Pechersiky from Sobibor” and meet with an Internet guru from Moscow, Anton Nosik.