Jewish TV Network

When I was down in LA for the big Love Fest Cool Jew Sneak Preview, Jewish TV Network brought out the cams.

This being the big launch weekend and all, JTN emailed that they are featuring the interview on their site. Ch, ch, check it!

Props to Lara Berman and Harvey Lehrer and the entire Love Fest Crew: JConnect LA and Jewlicious Festivals for making this event possible. Thanks also to Funky Frum!

Cool Jew Book Tour

It's three days to launch and Cool Jew Book is hitting the road... we'll be spreading the good word across the United States and Canada for many months to come.

Scroll down for a full listing of upcoming events. More are being added all the time so be sure to check back at Cool Jew Book Events for updates...

Is your city not on the list? Or, it's on the list but not exactly where you envision a Cool Jew happening? Well, friends, that's fix-able. We've got a group of supreme street-teams creating events in Cleveland, Toronto and other locales... bringing Cool Jew to your town with your vision.

If you'd like to launch a street team to bring Cool Jew to your community, drop a line to lisa (at) cooljewbook dot com and we'll get in touch right quick...

COOL JEW BOOK TOUR 2008-2009

9/7: Oakland: Picnic Fest, Joaquin Miller Park
Join one of the largest San Francisco East Bay Jewish community annual events -- a day of free kosha eats, free entertainment, free beer & wine gardens and free raffle prizes, including an autographed copy of Cool Jew. Entertainment includes live performances by Lisa, the Ferris Wheels and Moshav. 11 am - 4 pm. More info.

9/10: Berkeley: Community-wide Cool Jew Book Launch. Kosher martini bar, dessert reception, goodie bags and other surprises and live performance by Meshugge Beach Party. Sponsored by Hadassah, co-presented by Congregation Beth El, Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Netivot Shalom and Temple Beth Hillel. 7:30 pm, Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford, Berkeley. Free. Hasidic Hawaiian attire optional.

9/11: Saratoga, Calif. Hebrew High

9/15: San Francisco, Calif., SF Federation, Diller Tikkun Olam Awards

9/16: Colgate University Jewish Book Fair, Persson Auditorium, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton NY 13346, 7 pm.

9/23: Jewish Book Fair, Harold & Sylvia Kaplan JCC of Greater Palm Beaches, 3151 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409, 7 pm.

9/24: Jewish Book Fair, Jewish Community Center of Houston, 5601 South Braeswood Blvd., Houston, TX 77096-3999, 7:30 pm.

10/19: Jewish Identity Symposium, Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California St San Francisco, CA 94115, (415) 346-1720. Cool Jew Session @ 1 pm.

10/26: Contra Costa Jewish Book Festival, Contra Costa JCC, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. 7 pm. $12. www.jfed.org/book08

10/30 - 11/2: Montreal -- TBC

11/2 - 3: Toronto -- TBC

11/5: Martinis & Chocolate, Jewish Book Fair at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Rd. #203, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85254, 7 pm. $20 for JCC & Hadassah members; $25 for non-Members.

11/6: Los Angeles UCLA Hillel's Dortort Center for Creativity in the Arts and the Center for Jewish Studies, panel discussion, signing, and kosher martini bar (I.D. required) & dessert reception and film screening. Co-sponsored by Beach Hillel and UCLA Hillel's Alumni Association, 7:30 pm. Free.

11/10: Berkeley -- to be confirmed

11/12: Jewish Book Fair at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center, 5850 S. Pine Island Road, Davie, Florida, 7:30 pm.

11/13: SF The Hub of SFJCC Launch Party, co-presented with Bay Area Tribe -- Birthright Israel NEXT--San Francisco and Jewlicious. Panel discussion, live performances, charity raffle and more.

11/16: Jewish Book Fair Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw County, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48108, 7 pm.

11/18: "Bonus Author Event," Lisa in conversation with Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, author of Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century. St. Louis Jewish Book Festival of the Jewish Community Center, 6:30 pm. Steinberg Hall in the Sam Fox Architecture Building on the Washington University campus. Presented in conjuction with GesherCity, Hillel and YPD. $10. For more information, visit stlouisjewishbookfestival.org, (314) 442-3299.

11/19: New York City, American Sefardi Federation Young Artists Panel Discussion

11/20: New York City, JCC of Manhattan Launch Party and Jewish Rock Showcase, Heebster shuk and artists signings. Free.

11/21: Hillel at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

11/24: New York City -- TBC

12/1: DC -- TBC

12/2: NYC -- TBC

12/5 -6: Shabbaton at Congregation B'nai Avraham, 117 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, 11201. Dinner reservations, $25, Levana, (718) 596-4840, x. 18.

12/7: Toledo, Ohio Jewish Book Network

12/8: Cleveland, Ohio -- TBC

12/25 - 28: Hazon Food Conference, Asilomar, Calif. -- TBC

1/7: Kansas City, Missouri

1/8: Women's Division of the Jewish Federation, Kansas City, Missouri. Adults $8, students free. Congregation Beth Torah, 6100 W. 127th. St, Overland Park, KS 66209. 7:30 pm.

1/9: Shabbat Dinner, NYC -- TBC

1/13-14: New York City, Shmooze Conference

1/29: Los Gatos, Calif. -- TBC

2/27-3/1: Long Beach, Calif. Jewlicious Festival

4/1: Jewish Book Fair, Tuscon Jewish Community Center, 3800 East River, Tucson, Arizona 85718, 7 pm.

Picnic Fest 2008

Join one of the largest San Francisco East Bay Jewish community annual events -- a day of free kosha eats, free entertainment, free beer & wine gardens and free raffle prizes, including an autographed copy of Cool Jew, in beautiful Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills.

Entertainment includes live performances by Lisa, the Ferris Wheels and Moshav.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 7TH, 11 AM - 4 PM.
More info here.

And Directions to Joaquin Miller Park here.

Organized by the Young Leadership Division and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay. Sponsors include Hagafen Cellars, Haagen-Dazs, SemiFreddi's, Arrowhead Spring Water, Thirsty Bear and Hurry Date.

With special thanks to Tova Grunes and Dan Haut. Shakoiyach!

COOL JEW OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTY

You're invited to the debut of

Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe

at a super Heebster

LAUNCH PARTY, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 7:30 PM, Berkeley, Calif.

Come on out for a festive book talk followed by a signing, kosher martini bar & delectable desserts, fun surprises, and a live performance by Meshugge Beach Party. Admission is free. (Hawaiian Hasidic attire optional.)

All are welcome to this community-wide event. Please rsvp to marcusdesign@sbcglobal.net.

Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe is a celebration of Jewish pride with love, enthusiasm and irreverence. An award-winning freelance journalist, Lisa works as a stringer for the New York Times and contributes to the San Francisco Chronicle, Forward, Jerusalem Post, Jewish Living, Hadassah and many other publications. www.cooljewbook.com

Hosted by Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford, Berkeley.

Sponsored by Berkeley Hadassah. Co-presented by Congregation Beth El, Congregation Netivot Shalom, Congregation Beth Israel and Temple Beth Hillel.

For recent coverage of Cool Jew,
click here
and for more clicks,
click here, here, here, and here:
Da Amazon
Da Facebook
Da Red Room
Da JewTube

Jewish Heritage Night Recap

As usual, it was one freilach shindig!



In attendance...

The new SF Israeli Consul General, Akiva Tor, friends and family...



Heebsters sporting the souvenir Giants scarf tallit,



and getting wiggy wid it!

Seven Days to Launch

I went to Hawaii for the afternoon... or at least it felt like it.

Meshugga Beach Party, one of the many bands featured in Cool Jew's "Heebster Jewke Box,"
was rockin' the Forbidden Island Tiki Bar in Alameda, a short jaunt from tomorrow's big tailgate party at the SF Giants.

Props to Mel, Jessica and the whole meshuggana bunch for the very kind welcome.

Among other fabu tunes, these people rock "If I Were a Rich Man" surfer style!

Jewish Heritage Night

Where else can you snag a Giants scarf in Hebrew
and
snarf down kosha dawgs and He'Brew?

News from D.C.

Danielle Freni, at the national office of Hillel, the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life,
posted this awesome story (yep, I'm saying so myself) about the book and the coolest Jew I know... my dad. You rocked it and locked it, Danielle!

Check it out!

Descended from a long line of Ladino-speaking Jews, the chief Sephardic rabbi of Sarajevo and an Ashkenazi Holocaust survivor, Lisa Alcalay Klug is well-rooted in her Judaism. But for those members of the Tribe less informed about their Hebraic history, Klug has compiled a nearly inch-thick handbook to bring young (and old) Jews up-to-speed. More...

The Best of Love Fest

As great as it all was...

It wasn' t Rabbi Yonah and Rachel Bookstein's Instant Matchmaking, hot kosha buffet or the chocolate Fun-Jew.

It wasn't the rad goodie bags from Modern Tribe and Jewcy or the fabu Heebster shuk vendors, Threaded Heritage, Dove Above, Rabbi's Daughter's, Hebrew School Drop-Out and more.

It wasn't the glam on-site coverage from Lara Bearman and Jewish TV Network.

It wasn't DJ Eric Rosen, 8th Day, the outrageously funny Smooth-E, the sneak preview of Cool Jew or headliner Moshav that made the night so awesome.

Nope! It was the more than 320 Yidden & Friends, including the fab duo Aron and Garron, who rocked the house and made Love Fest 2008 an unforgettable Tu B'Av!

The Dead Sea. The Book? Alive & Kickin'!

photo (c) ck

Tonight!

Love Fest of Heebster Fun in honor of Tu B'Av and sneak preview of Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, with book signing, guest performances by Smooth-E aka comedian Eric Schwartz, 8th Day, DJ Eric Rosen, Instant Matchmaking™, Heebster shuk, drum circle, yummy eats, no-host bar and world music concert by Moshav.

Why? Because it's never been so much fun to be you, Jew!

When: 8:30 pm - 1 am, Thursday, August 14th

Where: Fu's Palace
8751 West Pico Blvd. (map it)
Los Angeles, CA 90035-2212
(310) 271-7887
Free parking

$15 in advance -- $20 at the door
Pre-pay at www.jconnectla.com

For more info: Michal@jconnectla.com or 310-405-2336

Sponsored by JConnect LA and Jewlicious.

Co-presented by Birthright Israel NEXT--Los Angeles, Jewish Agency,
ModernTribe.com and Jewcy with assistance from FunkyFrum.com.

Cool Jew DVD Bonus Cut!

Matthue Roth, one of the latest additions to MyJewishLearning.com, added a DVD bonus cut to the site!

In Matthue's own words...

Lisa Alcalay Klug’s new book, Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, is a history and how-to manual of…well, being a cool Jew. Among other things, she has a yarmulke decoder, a “Marley or Matisyahu?” lyric contest, and the funniest example of Jewish Geography-in-action I’ve ever seen. But our favorite part of the book is this brief history of the book Curious George…and how it narrowly escaped from the Nazis. And just to give you an extra bonus, Klug has done a DVD-extras version of the page. Just click away to see.

Day 20: Michelle Citrin

It's time to recognize Michelle Citrin for her innate Sheebster-ness. Girl is like Gumby.

'Member Gumby? Dude could just walk on into a book with his pony pal, Pokie.

Michelle Citrin? It's like she done gone and walked right out of Cool Jew with her pal William Levin. In her awesome videos, she grooves on Rosh HaShanah, matzah and more.

If you haven't yet seen the Michelle's "Twenty Things to Do With Matzah" video, well, come on and have a lookie.

She and William are wearing Heebster tees, Converse All-Jewish-Stars, and Recycling, Reusing and Reshmoozing matzah just like on page 180 of Cool Jew.

Shkoiyach!

Day 21: Tisha B'Av

Bring Back Gilad Shalit

Today is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Three weeks ago, on the fast day known as the 17th of Tammuz, I couldn't help but think of Gilad Shalit, who is being held in captivity by enemies of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Today, Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, please join me in a campaign to focus our collective energy, thoughts and prayers on bringing about his freedom.

In your own way, whatever way that is, please put your mental and spiritual attention on bringing about his safe return--alive--to his family, his country and his people.

Tisha B'Av is a traditional day of mourning the loss of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem, the expulsion of Jews from Spain, the start of WWI which set the stage for WWII, and many other calamities that befell the Jewish people. When/if you fast, in addition to the traditions of the day, please also have in mind the safe return of a live and well Gilad Shalit.

The power of collective fast and prayer is believed to have saved the Jewish people from genocide during the time of Queen Esther.

Redeeming the captive is one of our most compelling missions as a people and as brethren on this planet. Years ago, our collective efforts brought Natan Sharansky out of bondage. Together, we can redeem Gilad Shalit.

Spread the word!

B'achdut--in unity,
Lisa

Day 23 Countdown: Shabot 6000

William Levin aka Shabot 6000 is among the many fabu contributors of art to Cool Jew.

You can see his awesome Shabot animation here. Read his blog here. Marvel at his robot animation here. And watch him in action with Michelle Citrin--slated to perform at my Nov. 20th launch in New York City--here.

Yo, William, thanks for the shout!

Be the First in Your Crew to Get Cool Jew

Day 24 Countdown

Love Fest of Heebster Fun in honor of Tu B'Av and sneak preview of Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, with book signing, guest performances by Smooth-E aka comedian Eric Schwartz, 8th Day, DJ Eric Rosen, Instant Matchmaking™, Heebster shuk, drum circle, yummy eats, no-host bar and world music concert by Moshav.

Why? Because it's never been so much fun to be you, Jew!

When: 8:30 pm - 1 am, Thursday, August 14th

Where: Fu's Palace
8751 West Pico Blvd. (map it)
Los Angeles, CA 90035-2212
(310) 271-7887
Free parking

$15 in advance -- $20 at the door
Pre-pay at www.jconnectla.com

For more info: Michal@jconnectla.com or 310-405-2336

Sponsored by JConnect LA and Jewlicious.

Co-presented by Birthright Israel NEXT--Los Angeles, Jewish Agency,
ModernTribe.com and Jewcy with assistance from FunkyFrum.com.

No. 5 on Amazon!

This just in...

Cool Jew reached it's highest ranking yet today:

No. 5 in Humor/Religion on Amazon.

Rock on, Heebsters!

Day 25 Countdown!

The official launch of Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe is just 25 days away.

On September 1st, we'll be announcing the winner of our first giveaway: an autographed and personalized copy of Cool Jew sent to you, where ever you may roam.

Make sure you get your entry in!

Cool Jew Hits No. 6

Check it: Amazon's current listing for Cool Jew in Humor/Religion:

#6 in

Books > Entertainment > Humor > Religion

Yeehaw!

Summer Harvest Feast

Every summer, Rabbi Naftali Citron of the Carlebach Shul in Manhattan comes out to Santa Cruz to lead a Shabbaton at Four Gates Winery. Kosher organic estate-bottled vino is served at every meal. The place is idyllic. And the chevre is so chill we tent camp all over the hill. The stars don't disappoint.

The vineyard sits atop many acres. Horses on this property wander freely. One even dropped by during the Torah service on Shabbat. We had to lure him away with a carrot.

Blackberries, plums, mint, lavender and nasturtium grow wild. Towering redwoods provide shade and, well, I'd keep gushing but I'm sure you're getting the picture. The sun setting Erev Shabbat over the vineyard, with the forest in the background and a blushing sky, prompted even five-year-old Shlomo Bookstein to describe it "as a painting."

Sunday, after most guests had departed and the rest of us had packed up our gear, chef Chaim Davids started cooking up his breakfast. And soon, the rest of the die-hards who weren't so eager to leave started piling up a table outdoors with all the leftovers, fresh bread Bubbie Bookstein brought in from town, a giant watermelon and tiny sweet plums gathered from the forest. Chaim recently moved west to open a full-serv kosha res in the Silicon Valley called Noya. And the food was so delish, once again, the horses came around to see what we were up to...

As we sat there, under the trees, Rabbi Yonah Bookstein crowned our meal a Summer Harvest Feast. It could have been right out of a Martha mag. Except none of us were WASPS. The food was kosh. We were all buying bottles of Binyo's wine to take back home. And most of us really needed a shower.

Bar Mitzvah

Cool Jew is "bar mitzvah!"

Today on Amazon's bestseller list: No. 13 in Religion/Humor.

Mazal tov all around!!!

TG-DIF

La Pena last night. Saul Kaye rocked it. Then pressed it. Dude recorded the show live, then pressed and sold the CDs immediately after the show. Jewish Blues, it's a natural.