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A new pop-up is about to make the Lower East Side feel like a page out of literary history. In honor of Jewish Book Month’s 100th anniversary, the Jewish Book Council is turning 81 Hester Street into a pop-up bookstore on November 16 and 17—complete with 1,000 free books, steaming hot chocolate and a lineup that celebrates a century of Jewish storytelling.
The free event pays tribute to a rich literary legacy that was started nearly a century ago by librarian Fanny Goldstein, who founded Jewish Book Week in the 1920s to bring attention to Jewish authors and literature. By the 1940s, the celebration grew into a full month and, in 1944, the Jewish Book Council was officially born. Today, the organization showcases more than 250 authors in 120 communities across North America and hosts over 1,000 events each year.
This weekend’s pop-up brings the Council’s mission back to where much of Jewish literary life began: lower Manhattan.
On Sunday morning, early-comers can score a free copy of Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing (plus bagels, natch), with Niki Russ Federman on-site for signings from 10am to 11am. Additional author signings include ones with editor and author Talia Benamy; podcast host Zibby Owens; Richard Michelson, an award-winning poet and children’s author; and Esther Chehebar, author of Sisters of Fortune, a book that dives into family relationships in Brooklyn's Syrian Jewish community.
Throughout the day, additional programming will include spotlights on PJ Library, a global nonprofit that delivers free Jewish children’s books to families; Artists Against Antisemitism, a collective of creatives using their platforms to combat hate; People Jew Wanna Know, a pop-culture podcast that explores Jewish identity through humor, and more. On Monday, sessions will feature Artists Against Antisemitism and JBI, the non-profit that was formerly called the Jewish Braille Institute.
The pop-up, which is presented in partnership with UJA-Federation of New York and the Charles H. Revson Foundation, is more than a nostalgic nod—it’s also a reminder of how deeply Jewish literature is woven into American culture. Whether you stop by for a book, a bagel or a chat, this short-lived shop promises two days of warmth, wit and a century’s worth of literary tradition.