A Mystical Journey into the Aleph-Bet, with Mira Z Amiras

Click here to register for this free in-person program co-presented by New Lehrhaus. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking at 1227 Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy. 

Malkah is an inquisitive girl, and her father’s attempts to teach her to read Torah result in more questions than answers. Those questions only grow in depth and complexity as Malkah herself matures, embracing a lifelong inquiry that begins with the aleph-bet and ventures into Jewish mystical texts, archaeological digs, ancient deities, and the very nature of existence.

That’s the premise of Mira Z Amiras’s book Malkah’s Notebook: A Journey into the Mystical Aleph-Bet, a riveting, meditative volume enriched with beautiful artwork on every page by artist and scribe Josh Baum. At this immersive event, attendees will accompany Malkah on her profound journey, as Amiras introduces Malkah’s story through a conversation about her book as well as a screening of her award-winning short film, The Day Before Creation, a companion to the book.

Mira Z Amiras has taught Jewish mysticism, magic, and folklore along with many other topics in Jewish and Islamic studies and the anthropology of religion. She founded the Middle East Studies Program at San Jose State University, where she was Professor of Comparative Religious Studies for over twenty-five years. She received her PhD in anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and served as president of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness and on the Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association. Her parents, Seymour and Rebecca Fromer founded the Magnes Museum in Berkeley, and Malkah’s Notebook is dedicated to them and their very different approaches to Jewish identity and culture.