Israel Forum Collection

The New Rochelle Public Library has joined with the Israeli Consulate in New York to create a book collection at the New Rochelle Public Library to be known as the Israel Forum Collection.  

This collection is in honor of Hebrew Language Day celebrated every year to mark the birth of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who was the driving force behind the revival of the Hebrew language in the modern era. A language that has roots that date back more than 3,000 years, it re-emerged after centuries and is now flourishing in the 21st century. The Hebrew Language is the native tongue to millions of diverse people residing in Israel, who came from all over the world and adopted Hebrew as their mother tongue, a language that unites Israelis and bridges many of this multicultural and multiethnic nation. 

Books will include a variety of topics as they pertain to culture, history, economics, agriculture, fiction, homemaking, fashion, exercise, and more. All will be available to the public as part of the ongoing growth of the library and its book collections as well as continuing programs via zoom for now, where the public can tune in and learn more about Israeli culture and many topics pertaining to our diverse world.

One example In the Children’s Israel Forum Collection is Havdalah is Coming! by Tracy Newman. Published in 2020 by Kar-Ben Publishing, the book describes how the family prepares for Havdalah, the weekly ritual celebrating the end of the Sabbath and welcoming the new week, a board book story told in rhyme.

To learn about the Israeli cuisine, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious by authors Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook, perfected and adapted recipes for the home kitchen from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and small towns, with step-by-step instructions and pictures of finished dishes.

The majority of the books in this collection, were written originally in Hebrew and provided now in its English/Spanish version to give one an opportunity to get closer to this beautiful language and culture.