by Leslie Shroyer
Just arrived for The Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Jewish Book Festival, The Late Starters Orchestra, by Ari L. Goldman, is a quick and inspirational read. It is now on sale at the Simon Family JCC.
“Delightful is the best word to describe Ari L. Goldman’s book, The Late Starters Orchestra,” says Jewish Book Council reviewer Carol Poll. “Goldman has captured the humor, struggles, humiliations and triumphs of learning to play the cello for his 60th birthday party. The story will resonate with all of us who have decided to acquire a new skill such as speaking Spanish, playing an instrument, becoming a gourmet cook or engaging in significant Torah study at the tender age of 50, 60 or older.”
Chosen as this year’s community read for the Book Festival, which is Nov. 2–16, Ari Goldman’s presentation on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the Simon Family JCC, will be followed by the author/musician performing with Alan Bartel and several other area musicians during a dessert reception.
The Late Starters Orchestra is also the featured book at the JCC’s Book Club, which meets the third Monday each month at 1:30 pm. Harriett Eluto leads the club, and looks forward to discussing it with her group on Monday, Oct. 20. “It’s about coming back to an instrument or picking something back up that you used to do years ago while you still can,” she says. The book is sure to lead to lively discussions. “The book is about deciding to do something that means a lot to you before it is too late. It’s inspirational to those of us who share similar sentiments.” Eluto encourages new members to join the club.
The annual Jewish Book Festival’s keynote speaker is Joseph Telushkin. No stranger to this community, this popular rabbi, scholar and author of 18 books, presents his latest work about the life and teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, who defied conventional boundaries and turned Chabad- Lubavitch into a dynamic and widespread Jewish organization.
Look for the complete listing of author presentations in the Monday, Oct. 20 issue of Jewish News, or visit www.simonfamilyjcc.org’s cultural arts page.
Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.