Bagels and Books - Kehillath Shalom Synagogue's Longest Running Committee
Come join us for a good read, a better discussion and even better food.
It is hard to believe, but Bagels & Books, by far one of the most successful programs KS has ever had, has been going strong for over a quarter of a century.
We started in the Fall of 1989, with our first selection, Lovingkindness by Anne Roiphe; since then we have read more than two hundred books – fiction and non-fiction (history, political science, sociology, philosophy, biographies and more), by authors both well-known and obscure, books set in every period from the Biblical era to the Middle Ages to the Holocaust to the present day. Our books have taken us around the world: to Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, India, Latin America, and, of course, the US and the very familiar milieu of New York Jews.
We have read books we loved and books we had to force ourselves to finish, as well as books we never would have read but for the group, but somehow we always have managed to wring interesting discussions out of them.
Must be the bagels, lox, and coffee stimulating the brain cells on Sunday mornings!
Our guiding principle has always been to find books “by Jewish authors or of Jewish interest.” Each summer we put together our list of books for the coming year, based on recommendations and reviews. Our avid readers are looking forward to the next quarter-century and would love to have you join us.
We started in the Fall of 1989, with our first selection, Lovingkindness by Anne Roiphe; since then we have read more than two hundred books – fiction and non-fiction (history, political science, sociology, philosophy, biographies and more), by authors both well-known and obscure, books set in every period from the Biblical era to the Middle Ages to the Holocaust to the present day. Our books have taken us around the world: to Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, India, Latin America, and, of course, the US and the very familiar milieu of New York Jews.
We have read books we loved and books we had to force ourselves to finish, as well as books we never would have read but for the group, but somehow we always have managed to wring interesting discussions out of them.
Must be the bagels, lox, and coffee stimulating the brain cells on Sunday mornings!
Our guiding principle has always been to find books “by Jewish authors or of Jewish interest.” Each summer we put together our list of books for the coming year, based on recommendations and reviews. Our avid readers are looking forward to the next quarter-century and would love to have you join us.
Bagels & Books—2025-2026
