53rd Annual Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival

The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston (the J) will host the 53rd Annual Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival from November 2-15, 2025. Featuring a fantastic and extensive collection of bestselling authors, religious leaders, journalists, chefs and children’s authors, the Festival will explore the richness and depth of the Jewish experience, past and present. The 2025 Festival is chaired by Vicki Teller and Michelle Moses.

As a sneak preview to the Festival, Eli Sharabi will share his powerful story of captivity and survival, narrated in Hostage, on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. Sharabi’s book—a testament to strength, resilience and hope—is the first published memoir by an October 7 hostage.

The Festival officially opens at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2, with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, who will discuss her book Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging. Rabbi Buchdahl offers a window into the global and multicultural nature of Jewishness. She meditates on her Korean Buddhist and American Jewish family to paint a picture of Jewish diversity, spirituality and belonging that is certain to resonate with the community.

Bestselling author Mitch Albom returns to the Jewish Book & Arts Festival on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. A phenomenal storyteller, Albom introduces us to Alfie Logan in his new book Twice: A Novel, a thought-provoking exploration into love, second chances and the unexpected.

As in previous years, the Festival will host a Community Read, a shared interactive experience for book clubs and avid readers. This year’s Community Read will take place Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m., featuring Jacqueline Friedland. Based on true events, Friedland’s novel Counting Backwards weaves together two stories around the themes of justice, expectations placed on women and reproductive rights. The event promises to be a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with the author.

On Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m., the Festival welcomes Sarah Hurwitz, who will present on her book As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us. Focusing on Jewish joy, Hurwitz recognizes the power of Jewish storytelling and reminds us that the community must be the bearer of its own story.

This year's Festival also highlights local Jewish history. In Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land, Rachel Cockerell introduces us to her great grandfather, who played a pivotal role in the Galveston Movement. Culling personal records with a fascinating series of primary sources, Cockerell brings alive this important and often untold story about Jewish immigration to Texas. There will be two opportunities on Nov. 9 to learn from the author.

On Nov. 11 at 12 p.m., author Alka Joshi will join us for Book Lovers Lunch and share her novel Six Days in Bombay, a colorful story traversing the globe. Joshi narrates nurse Sona’s adventures finding meaning in her patient Mira Novak’s artwork, only for Sona to rewrite her own story along the way.

The full lineup will be announced and tickets will go on sale on Sept. 12. Tickets are currently on sale for the Book Festival Sneak Preview with Eli Sharabi. For more information, including this year’s highlights, ticket information and book sales, visit https://bit.ly/jhoubookfest.