Read On at the ESRA Book Club

By Carol Novis and Pamela Peled

Curling up with a good book is one of the joys of life; in good times, for fun and, in times of trouble, for escape and comfort. Whether you read on Kindle or in the old-fashioned way, books offer new worlds to be discovered and new ideas to be pondered.

For the past two years, the ESRA Book Club has been engaging with book lovers over our monthly discussions of a chosen book. A varied group of about 20 plus people from all over the world join our Zoom meetings regularly to discover new books, renew acquaintance with old favorites and share their opinions.

What books have made the list?

There really is no common denominator. We have read classics, like Jane Austen's Persuasion, current best-sellers like Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and Horse by Geraldine Brooks, biographies like Lev Golinkin's A Backpack, a Bear and Eight Crates of Vodka, and light, feel-good books like A Man Called Ove about a grumpy old codger in Sweden.

Many books have made us think in new ways, such as Educated by Tara Westover, who grew up isolated from the world with very strange parents, and Small Things Like These by Claire Kegan, about an ethical decision made in a small Irish town. Current affairs books like David Baddiel's Jews Don't Count about anti-Semitism, and Doing the Daf as Israel Implodes by Pamela herself, discuss issues relevant to Jewish and Israeli life.

Sometimes participants share with sympathetic listeners how they themselves feel about a particular issue and how it has affected their lives. Others prefer to listen. While most have read the books and have an opinion on them, others, we suspect, join just to hear about books they might possibly want to read in the future. That is fine; the more, the merrier.

The charge for participation in each session is NIS25 ESRA members and NIS35 for non-members, although there has been no charge since October. The money raised goes entirely towards ESRA community projects.

New participants are very welcome. Details are sent out to ESRA members with the weekly e-letter and the meetings are usually on Thursdays at 19:30. Join us!