My pen is my harp and my lyre;
My library is my garden and my orchard.
–Yehuda Halevi, c. 1075–1141
Hours
Main Branch
1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco
Sun. noon-4 PM
Mon. 11 AM-5:30 PM
Tues. 11 AM-5:30 PM
Thurs. 11 AM-5:30 PM
Pushcart Branch at the OFJCC
3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Wed. 8:30 AM-1 PM
Contact
415.567.3327
info@jewishcommunitylibrary.org
For more than seventy years, the Jewish Community Library has offered the Bay Area a place to discover and engage with the riches of Jewish thought, culture, and history.
New Arrivals
Upcoming Events
Philip Roth: Stung by Life, with Steve Zipperstein, in Conversation with Sue FishkoffIn-Person
To register for this free in-person program, click here. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking at 1227 Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy. In this groundbreaking literary biography, Steven J. Zipperstein captures the complex life and astonishing work of Philip Roth (1933–2018), one of America’s most celebrated […]
Buber and Gandhi: Dialogue and Disappointment, with Howard SimonIn-Person
Please register to attend this free in-person program. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking at 1227 Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy. In 1938, shortly after Kristallnacht, Jewish and Zionist leaders Martin Buber, Judah Magnes and Hayyim Greenberg engaged in spirited correspondence with Mahatma Gandhi regarding the […]
The Tourist’s Guide to Lost Yiddish New York City, with Henry SapoznikVirtual
Click here to register for this free online program, co-presented by KlezCalifornia and the Workers Circle / Arbeter Ring of Northern California. The Tourist’s Guide to Lost Yiddish New York City (State University of New York Press, 2025) offers a new look at over a century of New York’s Yiddish popular culture. Henry Sapoznik tells the story in chapters […]
The Lady Who Changed Dickens’s Mind on the Jews, with Liz IsonVirtual
Please register to receive the Zoom link for this free online program. In 1863 Eliza Davis, a London Jewish housewife and mother of ten, wrote to Charles Dickens accusing him of prejudice against Jewish people for his derogatory portrayal of Fagin in Oliver Twist. Correspondence between the two persuaded Dickens to rethink his relationship with […]
The Big Twang! — A Book Event Honoring 25 Years of Hardly Strictly BluegrassIn-Person
Please register to attend this free in-person program presented by Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and the Jewish Community Library, celebrating the enduring legacy of one of San Francisco’s most beloved cultural traditions. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking at 1227 Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy. Hardly […]
The Great Christmas Boycott of 1906: Antisemitism and the Battle Over Christianity in the Public Schools, with Scott D. SeligmanVirtual
Please register to receive the Zoom link for this free online program, as Scott D. Seligman presents his newest book, The Great Christmas Boycott of 1906: Antisemitism and the Battle Over Christianity in the Public Schools. Today’s battle over Christianity in American public schools has deep roots. In the nineteenth century it was an intramural […]
Dog: A Novel, with Yishay Ishi Ron and Yardenne GreenspanVirtual
Click here to register for this free online program, with author Yishay Ishi Ron and translator Yardenne Greenspan in conversation. Dog is a haunting, unflinching exploration of PTSD, addiction, and redemption, told through the lens of an Israeli officer returning from Gaza. Struggling with his trauma, he descends into heroin addiction and finds himself among […]
East End Jews, with Vivi LachsVirtual
Click here to register for this free online program, co-presented by KlezCalifornia and the Workers Circle / Arbeter Ring of Northern California. Vivi Lachs will introduce her new book with a lively presentation with performed readings and a couple of Cockney Yiddish songs. East End Jews is a book of sketches from the London Yiddish press. It offers an unparalleled […]
Kavkazi “Mountain Jews,” with Valeriya NakshunVirtual
Please register for this free online program. The Jewish community of the Caucasus, the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas, is known by many names. The term “Kavkazi,” derived from the Russian word for Caucasus, and “Mountain Jews” have been used interchangeably. Traditionally, however, this community has called themselves “Juhuro,” meaning “Jews” in […]
Reviewing Fagin, 1948-2005, with Charles DrazinVirtual
Click here to register for this free online program. David Lean’s 1948 adaptation of Oliver Twist provoked so many protests against perceived antisemitism in Alec Guinness’s portrayal of Fagin that the film was withheld from release in the United States until cuts had been made. Yet twenty years later, in Carol Reed’s musical version of […]
Austrian Again: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy, with Anne HandVirtual
Please register to receive the Zoom link for this free online program, as Anne Hand presents her new book, Austrian Again. In this captivating memoir, Anne Hand embarks on a deeply personal journey to uncover her family’s hidden history during the Holocaust while pursuing Austrian citizenship. As Austria opens the door to reparation citizenship for […]
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Main Branch
Location
1835 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Hours
Sundays noon to 4 PM
Mondays 11 AM to 5:30 PM
Tuesdays 11 AM to 5:30 PM
Thursdays 11 AM to 5:30 PM
Phone
415-567-3327
Palo Alto Pushcart
Location
Oshman Family JCC
3921 Fabian Way
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Hours
Wednesdays 8:30 AM to 1 PM
Main Branch
Location
1835 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Hours
Sundays noon to 4 PM
Mondays 11 AM to 4 PM
Thursdays 11 AM to 4 PM
Phone
415-567-3327
Palo Alto Pushcart
Location
Oshman Family JCC
3921 Fabian Way
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Hours
Wednesdays 8:30 AM to 1 PM