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X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://jewishcommunitylibrary.org/
X-WR-CALNAME:Jewish Community Library
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UID:MEC-47b4f1bfdf6d298682e610ad74b37dca@jewishcommunitylibrary.org
DTSTART:20260322T210000Z
DTEND:20260322T220000Z
DTSTAMP:20260122T234500Z
CREATED:20260122
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128
PRIORITY:5
SEQUENCE:68
TRANSP:OPAQUE
SUMMARY:Drop-In Book Discussion: Always Carry Salt, by Samantha Ellis
DESCRIPTION:\n\n\n\nJoin us for an in-person discussion at the Jewish Community Library, facilitated by Jim Van Buskirk. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking ( https://goo.gl/maps/h11asWbpMhssBkMq6 ) on Pierce between Ellis and Eddy. \nTo register, click here. You may borrow a copy of Always Carry Salt at no charge. Contact us at info@jewishcommunitylibrary.org ( mailto:info@jewishcommunitylibrary.org ). \nAbout the book:\n\n\n\nSamantha Ellis’s mother tongue is dying out. The daughter of Iraqi Jewish refugees, Ellis grew up surrounded by the noisy, vivid, hot sounds of Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. A language that’s now on the verge of extinction.\nThe realization that she won’t be able to tell her son he’s “living in the days of the aubergines” or “chopping onions on my heart” or reminding him to “always carry salt” opens the floodgates. The questions keep coming. How can she pass on this heritage without passing on the trauma of displacement? Will her son ever love mango pickle?\nIn her search for answers Ellis encounters demon bowls, the perils of kohl, and the unexpected joys of fusion food. Her journey transports us from the clamor of Noah’s Ark to the calm of the British Museum, from the Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages to the banks of the River Tigris. As Ellis considers what we lose and keep, she also asks what we might need to let go of to preserve our culture and ourselves.\nAbout the facilitator:\n\n\n\nJim Van Buskirk is a retired librarian (San Francisco Public Library, Jewish Community Library) who currently works as a book group facilitator, writer, editor, public speaker, exhibit curator, and collections manager. He frequently writes articles and/or presents programs related to Jewish, literary, film, and/or queer history. He also leads Death Cafes and other programs encouraging participants to speak openly about death.\n\n\n\n\n
URL:https://jewishcommunitylibrary.org/events-listing/salt/
LOCATION:1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://jewishcommunitylibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/always-cover.jpg
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