MIAMI (Nov.18, 2025) – Miami Book Fair, the nation’s longest-running literary festival, has announced its extensive 2025 Jewish Life & Culture program, part of the annual fair taking place Nov. 16-23 at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus. This year’s lineup features powerhouse authors, Pulitzer Prize winners and vital new voices exploring themes of history, identity, faith and contemporary life.
The program kicks off Sunday, Nov. 16, with two Evenings With conversations: acclaimed Israeli author and columnist Lihi Lapid (“I Wanted to Be Wonderful”), sponsored by the Israeli Consulate, and international bestselling author Daniel Silva, who will discuss his latest novel, “An Inside Job,” with Jamie Gangel.
During the Street Fair weekend (Nov. 22–23), book lovers can look forward to appearances from some of literature’s most influential Jewish voices. Legendary cartoonist Art Spiegelman will discuss “MetaMaus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus,” his seminal work on the Holocaust. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, one of America’s most influential Jewish leaders, will present her memoir, “Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging.” Acclaimed novelist Gary Shteyngart (“Vera, or Faith”) and Iddo Geffen (“Mrs. Lillenbaum’s Cloud Factory”) will also be featured in a panel discussion sponsored by the Israeli Consulate.
“The Jewish Life & Culture program is a popular addition to the Fair,” said Lissette Mendez, executive director of Miami Book Fair. “We are honored to host this incredible range of authors, from literary giants to compelling new storytellers, who are asking urgent questions about our past, present and future.”
This year’s Jewish Life & Culture program also features a range of authors presented by The Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Jewish Stories, including Toby Lloyd, author of the National Jewish Book Award finalist “Fervor”, Kitty Zeldis (“One of Them”) in conversation with Zibby Owens, founder of Zibby Media, Reuven Fenton (“Goyhood”), Leslie Gelrubin Benitah author of the documentary and archival project “The Last Ones of Auschwitz”, Steven Ujifusa (“The Last Ships from Hamburg: Business, Rivalry, and the Race to Save Russia’s Jews on the Eve of World War I”), Elizabeth R. Hyman (“The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto: The True Story of Five Courageous Young Women Who Sparked an Uprising”), Joel and Karmela Waldman (“Surviving the Survivor: A Brutally Honest Conversation about Life (& Death) with My Mom: A Holocaust Survivor, Therapist & My Podcast Co-Host”), Esther Chehebar (“Sisters of Fortune: A Novel”), Sam Sussman with the Jewish Book Council’s second Nu Reads pick “Boy From the North Country”, and Rose Waldman, Todd Portnowitz, and Altie Karper on a panel discussing the first-ever English translation of “Sons and Daughters” by Chaim Grade..
The schedule also features a panel on the first English translation of Chaim Grade’s “Sons and Daughters,” with Altie Karper, Todd Portnowitz and Rose Waldman. Additional sessions include Esther Chehebar presenting “Sisters of Fortune: A Novel” and Sam Sussman discussing “Boy From the North Country,” the Jewish Book Council’s second Nu Reads pick and part of a new collaboration with the council.
Additionally, poetry takes center stage with readings by Rodger Kamenetz, Jacqueline Osherow, Maxim D. Shrayer, and Rebecca Friedman ( ), whose work reflects on Jewish imagination, faith and cultural continuity.
For more information about these author panels and the Jewish Life & Culture program, visit https://www.miamibookfair.com/program/jewish-life-culture/, call 305-237-3258, or email wbookfair@mdc.edu. Follow @miamibookfair on social media. #MBF2025 #MiamiReads
About Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Year-round programming includes The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books annually to children in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Miami, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Miami Downtown Development Authority, and Friends of the Fair, as well as media and corporate partners.
Miami Book Fair Media Contacts:
Rachel Pinzur, Pinzur Communications | 305-725-2875, rachel@pinzurPR.com
Alicia Rivas, Pinzur Communications | 646-338-2517, alicia@pinzurPR.com
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