Congregation Beth Elohim Adult Education Committee and Sisterhood are pleased to host award-winning author Joan Leegant for our annual Jewish Book Month author event.

If possible, for our planning purposes and/or to receive the Zoom link if you are unable to join us in person, please sign up below.

Joan Leegant will speak about her timely short story collection, DISPLACED PERSONS, which shines a light on American Jewish life and Israel, especially relevant in these times. DISPLACED PERSONS won the national New American Fiction Prize and has been selected by Hadassah Magazine for their One Book, One Hadassah program and chosen by the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism for their Women’s League Reads program for January 2025.

Here’s what reviewers have to say:

“Breathtaking. Displaced Persons’ characters are all so fully and compassionately drawn it’s hard to remember they exist only in a story.”— New York Journal of Books “Deliciously complex character-driven stories that explore exile, diaspora, belonging, parenthood, and marriage, often with a sharp sense of humor and an emotional wallop.” — Chicago Review of Books

About the author

Joan is a passionate speaker who loves engaging with audiences. Come for an eye-opening conversation about the creative process, writing about Israel, and what it means to be coming out with a Jewish book today in this climate of anti-Israel sentiment.

Joan's first book, An Hour in Paradise, won the PEN/New England Book Award, the Wallant Award for Jewish Fiction, and was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Her second, Wherever You Go, was named a “Significant Jewish Book” by the Union for Reform Judaism.

Formerly a lawyer, Joan taught at Harvard for eight years and was the Visiting Writer at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv for five years where she also lectured at schools across Israel on American literature and culture under the auspices of the U.S. State Department.

Please sign up below.  For questions, email adulted@bethelohim.org or sisterhood@bethelohim.org.

We still have some books ,Displaced Persons, available for purchase @ $18.  Contact Miriam at 978-263-3061 or mbeitaharon@bethelohim.org.