More than 30 authors, including a handful from Northwest Philadelphia, are set to participate in the Jewish Author Book Fair on Nov. 15 at Congregation Mikveh Israel in Old City.

The free event will bring together a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and genres from novelists, memoirists, historians, rabbis, journalists, and children’s authors. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet authors, purchase books, attend readings, and engage in discussions about history, faith, culture, and current events.

Northwest Philadelphia participants include Amy Cohen, Anndee Hochman, Wendy Horwitz, Rabbi Yael Levy, JT Waldman, and Simone Zelitch.

Putting on the event

Jay Nachman, an Old City resident and author of “Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind,” decided to put on the book fair after realizing how hard it can be for authors to publicize their work.

“Having written a book myself, I’ve seen how difficult it is to get attention,” Nachman said. “Even established authors in the marketing environment we’re in and in this TikTok world, it’s just very hard to get attention for a book. So I thought I would put together a little book fair with some other author friends of mine… and it just grew from there. What I thought might be a handful of people has grown into a 30-plus affair.”

Planning for the event began over the summer. Nachman gathered participants he was familiar with, and through word of mouth, the fair grew.

Nachman emphasizes that this fair is not just for Jewish people — there is something for everyone. The scope of works that will be presented include novels, food-themed books, and even Nachman’s own book about the British musician Graham Parker.

Northwest Philadelphia participation

Andorra resident JT Waldman, a graphic novelist known for his self-proclaimed “scholarly, quirky Jewish comics,” is one local participant. Waldman says the event includes two important components — celebrating both Jewish culture and physical media.

“Finding ways to be positive about our culture and our community is important, and not letting the news and the geopolitical things impact our day-to-day interactions with each other,” Waldman said. “I’m still an analog boy in a digital world. I support books, and I think supporting book culture in any format is really something that we need to… be active about. It’s not something that passively happens.”

At the fair, Waldman will sell copies of his first graphic novel, “Megillat Esther,” a comic book adaptation of the biblical Book of Esther, including original English translations, Hebrew calligraphy, footnotes, and an extensive bibliography. He will also have a commissioned comic book, “Opening the Windows,” a guide to the monumental stained glass windows made by Jacob Landau in 1974 for Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park.

Waldman credits Nachman for his efforts in putting on the event.

“[Jay] took it upon himself to self-organize, communicate with all of the people that are going to appear, gather all of the press materials, coordinate finding a space — he’s produced the entire event, so kudos to him,” Waldman said. “I think that the authors that Jay has curated are all very different and eclectic, but we’re all local, which is very cool.”

Another participant is Rabbi Yael Levy, who formerly served at Mishkan Shalom, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Roxborough. A Mt. Airy resident, Levy is the co-founder of A Way In, a mindfulness practice rooted in Jewish tradition, where she hosts retreats and teaches online.

Levy will be presenting “Psalms: Ancient Songs for These Times,” an accessible guide for applying the wisdom of the Psalms to current times.

“The book comes out of my 25 years [as a rabbi],” Levy said. “Psalms are at the core of my spiritual practice, so this book is the result of my own exploration. I like to describe it as a collage. It has stories about my experiences with Psalms, instruction for meditation, instructions for how to be with the Psalms, and how they can be helpful.”

Levy is eager to share her deep connection with Psalms with others at the fair, which she describes as a “celebration of creativity and exploration.”

“The Psalms touch the range of human emotion and human experience, and they sing to us through time and space,” Levy said. “I think that they can give us strength and courage with whatever we face, and it’s kind of an all-hands-on-deck time for whatever would be helpful for us to be the best humans we can be. Psalms can be one of those tools.”

Simone Zelitch, who lives in Mt. Airy, found out about the event through Anndee Hochman — an award-winning writer for the Local — and was “very grateful” to be included. She will be reading from her most recent book, “Judenstaat,” an alternative history about what would have happened had a Jewish state been established in post-war Germany in 1948. Zelitch will also sell copies of an earlier work, “Waveland,” which occurs during the Freedom Summer of 1964, a civil rights campaign to register Black voters in Mississippi.

Zelitch said she is excited to meet other authors, interact with readers, and hear from different perspectives.

“There’s been a lot of conversation about what is acceptable for Jews to do or say around many issues — especially issues around Israel and Palestine — and one thing I really love about this event is that the gate is wide open,” Zelitch said. “People aren’t just going to see Jews or meet Jewish writers who passed a particular set of tests. That kind of openness is really an important part of the Jewish tradition.”

The Jewish Author Book Fair will take place at Congregation Mikveh Israel (44 N. 4th St.) on Nov. 15 from 1-5 p.m.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.