November 2015
n
Beachwood Buzz
25
OF CLEVELAND
Jewish Federation
www.jewishcleveland.org
L'dor V'dor.
From Generation to Generation.
Create Your Jewish Legacy
Caring for those in need never goes out of
style. Whether we are feeding the hungry,
comforting the sick, or caring for the elderly,
our Jewish values have always inspired us to
act. Those same values teach us to care for
the next generation. By making a legacy gift,
you leave your children and grandchildren a
precious inheritance and a lasting testimony
to your values.
Find out how you can become a member of
the Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Legacy
Society by contacting Carol F. Wolf for a
confidential conversation at 216-593-2805 or
cwolf@jcfcleve.org.
Beachwood Ph.D Receives
Two Publishing Contracts for
Two Books...
The Same Night
Beachwood resident Brian S. Johnson, PhD,
had a night maybe not even Stephen King has
experienced.
"I was watching TV with my family and
checking email on my laptop," Johnson said.
"Suddenly, I told them to pause the show and
I read aloud that Lexington Press is going to
publish the book I authored. The contract was attached for my
approval."
"My wife screamed so loud at the news that it frightened our
youngest to tears."
The book itself is a study of America's use of Nazism postwar
in its anti-Communist campaign. It's a look at the way the use of
Nazi comparisons began, even just after the war, to describe po-
litical enemies and social evils--a trend that has since continued.
Once his family had recovered from the astonishment, his
children were about to re-start their show when he said, "Wait,
there's something else."
The next email in his queue was also from Lexington Press,
announcing that they would publish the collection of essays
that Johnson had co-edited with Malcah Effron, Ph.D., from an
international scholars' conference about evil held in 2014 at Case
Western Reserve University. The contract was attached for the
collection, as well.
"Nobody screamed that time," his wife Lynn recounted. "It was
too phenomenal to even sink in."
Johnson is an adjunct professor at Cleveland State University
in the English department. In a world of publish or perish, receiv-
ing contracts for two books simultaneously is a Herculean feat.
"My wife put on her Facebook wall, `Hey, has Stephen King
ever sold two (non-series) books in the same day? Because my
husband Brian Johnson just did!"
Call to Artists: 2015/2016
Artist Fellowship program
The Cleveland Jewish Arts and Culture Lab seeks creative practi-
tioners to apply to its 2015/2016 Artist Fellowship program. Founded
in partnership with the Mandel Jewish Community Center and the
Jewish Federation of Cleveland, about a dozen Cleveland artists are
selected to participate each year and create original artwork in the
spirit of the theme. The theme is studied through the use of Torah,
text study and philosophy, and each fellow receives a stipend of $750
towards their work.
The group studies together for six months, and an exhibition takes
place at the Mandel JCC in the spring.
Fellows have worked in many media, including visual arts, writing,
playwriting, music, film and dance. Applications are due November 13.
To request and application, please email admin@j-artsculturelab.org.