“Jews and Words,” the latest work from the internationally renowned author Amos Oz, and his daughter, writer and professor Fania Oz-Salzberger, has been selected as this year’s Big Jewish Community READ. Books are available for purchase at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur. 

Now in its fifth year, the BIG Jewish Community READ was created by the Jewish Community Center’s St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library, the St. Louis Rabbinical Association and the Central Agency for Jewish Education. The READ was created to promote literacy, community and education.

The first of two fall 2013 events for the READ will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15 with an intergenerational panel discussion, featuring local rabbis and Jewish Community professionals and their children. The panel will discuss why words, names, language, songs, stories, jokes and text have been so important to generations of Jews. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 7:30-9 p.m., at the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, 12 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur.

The second READ event is planned to include co-authors Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger at the 35th annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival on Friday, Nov. 15. The event, featuring a presentation by the authors, an audience Q&A and booksigning, will take place at Shaare Emeth Congregation, 11645 Ladue Road. Light breakfast refreshments will be served at 8 a.m. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. The event is free to Festival Series and Series PLUS Ticket holders. Individual Tickets are $15. 

For more information, visit the Jewish Book Festival website, www.stljewishbookfestival.org or call Festival Hotline at 314-442-3299. To purchase a copy of the book, call 314-442-3299 to charge by phone.