Jewish Center’s festival opens Thursday

Health, Hollywood, the Holocaust, science and romance are among the compelling subjects of this year’s Jewish Community Center of Greater Dayton’s Cultural Arts and Book Festival. The annual event begins Thursday, Oct. 19, at Oakwood High School and continues through early December.

d-winning playwright Jack Fry of Los Angeles kicks off the festival with his oneman show “Einstein!,” an intriguing look at the legendary scientist’s early years in Berlin as he struggles to pro vehistheoryofrelativity and prove his relevance as a father. “Einstein!” was selected as the encore winner from the 2016 Hollywood International Fringe Festival and was also chosen as one of the “Top Ten Shows to See” at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival.

“(Fry’s) knowledge of Albert Einstein as well as his passion for the character come shining through his performance,” noted Elaine Smith, Director of Michigan’s Berman Center for the Performing Arts who previously hosted Fry. “This is a unique look into the life of young Albert Einstein that fascinated audiences and had people giving him a well-deserved standing ovation at the end.”

“We try to have something for everyone,” said Jane Hochstein, center director. “This year, you will see a little bit of everything from education to health, from a oneman show to an art exhibit. We have a large diverse committee with different interests and backgrounds who help to determine the lineup. The Jewish Book Council in New York holds an annual conference. Meryl Hattenbach, the Jewish Community Center’s Program Manager, attended this year. She had the opportunity to hear over 200 authors speak about their books and evaluate if the author is a fit for Dayton, who is the target audience, and is the book topic high interest?”

Hochstein is particularly pleased to have so many highly respected authors in the mix such as in-demand Rabbi Naomi Levy and Pulitzer Prize-winner Glenn Frankel, who will reflect on the Academy Award-winning classic “High Noon.”

“Rabbi Naomi Levy was named by Newsweek as one of the Top 50 Rabbis in America,” Hochstein said. “She’s appeared on ‘Oprah,’ ‘Today’ and NPR and was featured in Parade, Self, Time, and Good Housekeeping. She will be speaking about her book ‘Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul,’ which is inspired by a poignant letter of Einstein’s about the human condition that we are all intimately connected. Glenn Frankel will be discussing his book ‘High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic.’ We will be showing the film ‘High Noon’ and Frankel will enlighten us with the complex historical context of the movie.”

For tickets or more information, call the JCC at (937) 6101555 or visit on lineatwww. jewishdayton.org.