Hadassah’s ‘Books on the Beach’ to be held Aug. 7

Hadassah Rhode Island’s signature event is returning to the shores of the Ocean State this summer.  “Books on the Beach,” a luncheon and author fundraising event, will be held at The Wyndham Newport Hotel, in Middletown, on Aug. 7. All money raised will provide crucial funding for Hadassah’s Gandel Rehabilitation Center, on the campus of the Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem.

Following a plated luncheon, “Books on the Beach” will feature a Q&A with authors Jennifer Rosner and Allegra Goodman.

Rosner has published two novels and a memoir, “If a Tree Falls: A Family’s Quest to Hear and Be Heard.” The inspiration for the memoir was her two daughters, both of whom were born deaf. Rosner’s research into her ancestry revealed two great-great aunts who were also deaf sisters.

Inspiration for both her novels, “Once We Were Home” (a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and “The Yellow Bird Sings,” came from two Holocaust survivors. One child survivor hid with her mother in a shoemaker’s attic for 24 months, and the other worked to reclaim Jewish children from the Gentiles who had provided them with a safe harbor.

Allegra Goodman began publishing short stories about Jewish characters while in college, and her first book made its debut on the day of her graduation.

Goodman found inspiration for “Kaaterskill Falls” in childhood summers spent in the Catskills. She is a prolific writer, with many more novels to her credit, including “The Chalk Artist” and the story cycle “The Family Markowitz.”

Her latest novel, “Sam,” is an intimate portrait of a girl at risk, and it was a “Read With Jenna” selection featured on “The Today Show.” Goodman’s next novel, “Isola,” will be published in 2025.

During the program, both authors will be interviewed by Lisa Hostein, executive editor of Hadassah Magazine. 

Proceeds from “Books on the Beach” will directly benefit Israel’s wounded soldiers by helping to continue the construction of The Gandel Rehabilitation Center. While providing cutting-edge medicine for anyone in need, Hadassah stepped up after Oct. 7, providing specialized critical care in this state-of-the-art facility that will eventually serve 10,000 patients a year. 

The “Books on the Beach” event begins at noon, with a Sponsor Reception at 11. The Sponsor Reception will feature guest speaker Nancy Falchuk, a past president of the Boston Chapter and  of National Hadassah, and a founder of the Hadassah Nurses Council.

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, was established in 1912. Working to advance philanthropy as well as women’s leadership, advocacy and health, Hadassah has over 300,000 members and supporters.

For more information on “Books of the Beach,” donations and registration, email chapri@hadassah.org or call (857) 404-0599.

SUE MAYES is the Past President of Hadassah Rhode Island and on the Fund Raising Team for Hadassah Southern New England Region