Alyson Richman, author of The Missing Pages, will appear at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 3 at Congregation Torat El in Oakhurst.
The book is a tale of family legacy and the resilience of memory. The book revolves around Harry Widener, a promising and passionate book collector who boards the Titanic holding a priceless volume he’s just purchased in London. As the ship goes down, he rushes back to his cabin to retrieve the precious book, but neither he nor the book are ever heard from again. To preserve his memory, Harry’s mother builds the Harry Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to house his extensive book collection and ensure his legacy. Harry Widener did, in fact, board the Titanic with his parents—his father also died—and his rescued mother did establish the library at Harvard.
In Richman’s book, Violet Hutchins, a Harvard sophomore recovering from her own great loss, is working as a page at the Widener Library. When mysterious things begin happening at the library, Violet wonders if Harry Widener’s ghost is trying to communicate with her, urging Violet to uncover a long-buried secret that the ardent young Harry took with him to the grave.
The book can be purchased from bookshop.org to support independent bookstores or amazon.com. Copies will also be available at the event.
Cost is $20 per person in advance and $25 at the door. A light brunch will be served. Reservations can be made at torat-el.org or 732-531-4410.
Liora Rubinstein, CEO of The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin, and senior IDF leadership and lone soldiers, will appear on Monday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County in Edison to share powerful firsthand accounts of service and life as Israel. The program is being co-sponsored by Congregation Neve Shalom and Temple Emanu-El.
Lone soldiers are those who serve, but have no family in Israel.
Michel Levin died in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War, the only American to die in that conflict. Raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, he had immigrated to Israel at age 19 and was a member of an elite paratrooper unit.
The center’s purpose is to fill a void for those soldiers with no family in Israel. It operates programs for lone immigrant soldiers and another for lone Israeli soldiers without family support. Its services include personalized and professional guidance from social workers and coordinators, as well as long-term assistance
spanning from pre-enlistment to military service and up to five years post-discharge.
The program is free but preregistration is required at secure.qgiv.com/for/adultprogram/event/2026springadultprograms. For information, contact Liza Feldman, (732) 494-3232, or lfeldman@jccmc.org.
Art Shamsky, a member of the 1969 World Series champion New York Mets, will headline Jewish Heritage Night on Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. when the Somerset Patriots minor league baseball team takes on the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. The Patriots are the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate
Shamsky will be available to take photos and sign autographs for fans before the game, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. He was known for his torrid hitting during the playoffs that secured the championship and among the Jewish community for his decision not to play on Yom Kippur.
A rendition of God Bless America will be sung by Rabbi Vicki Axe of Temple Emanu-El in Edison. Ticket prices vary and many synagogues and area Jewish organizations are providing buses and group tickets. Food and vendors will be available. For information and tickets go to somersetpatriots.com.
Presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump have been interacting with the Jewish community ever since 1790 when Washington replied to a letter of congratulations from Congregation Jeshuat Israel in Newport, RI, with a foundational statement, stating , “The Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.”
On Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County in Freehold historian and educator Susan Addelston will speak about the Presidents and the Jews, where she will delve into actions and relations that proved both good and bad for the Jews
Admission is $20 for museum members and $25 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased at jhmomc.org. For information, call (732) 252-6990 or write infor@jhmomc.org.
