Inside the Jewish Book Council and Why Jewish Stories Matter

This week on Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Emmy Award-winning journalist Jon Frankel welcome Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the Jewish Book Council, to reflect on the power of Jewish literature and the work of nurturing Jewish voices in an ever-changing world.

Naomi brings a deep commitment to Jewish storytelling. Since joining the Jewish Book Council in 2006 — eventually becoming its executive director and now CEO — she has helped build out the organization’s digital presence, launched national initiatives like Unpacking the Book: Jewish Writers in Conversation and the Visiting Scribe series, and nurtured a network connecting authors to Jewish organizations across North America.

In this episode, the conversation moves between practical and philosophical: Why does Jewish culture place such importance on books? How can literature open doors into Jewish identity for readers of every background? What are the opportunities and challenges of sustaining Jewish storytelling in the 21st century? And what does it mean to read Jewishly — both within and beyond traditional religious frameworks?

Along the way, we explore how the Jewish Book Council supports authors, festivals, book clubs, and readers; how literary culture builds bridges across Jewish communities; and why the act of reading together remains one of the most fundamental ways Jews connect to our past and imagine our future.

Naomi Firestone-Teeter:

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/naomi-firestone-teeter

Jewish Book Council:
https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/75th-national-jewish-book-award-winners

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

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