Westfield Library and Clergy Association Initiate Interfaith Book Club

(February 18) - The Westfield Memorial Library and Westfield Clergy Association have teamed up to initiate a new Interfaith Book Club, a book discussion group that brings together residents from different faiths to read and discuss books related to spirituality. It will meet quarterly, beginning on Monday, March 3, both at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

“Our community is made up of practitioners of many different religions and faiths,” said Director Allen McGinley. “This diversity of perspectives and experiences is part of what makes Westfield such a rich, vibrant place.”

The club originated after Richard O’Neill, a member of Holy Trinity Church, spoke to Father Anthony about starting either a men’s book club or a book club for men and women. Father Anthony instead suggested an interfaith book club involving congregants from any and all of the faith communities in Westfield.

Mr. O’Neill said, “With the Westfield Memorial Library as co-sponsor, I hope the interfaith book will encourage lively and respectful discussion, develop new friendships, promote lifetime learning, and a love of literature. Furthermore, I trust the club will flourish as a permanent activity that will nurture closer ties for all the residents of Westfield.”

The first book the club will read and discuss is The Amen Effect, by Rabbi Sharon Brous. Readers can borrow copies of the book which are available at the library's circulation desk. Books can be purchased at the Town Book Store as well for a 10% discount, when the Interfaith Book Club is mentioned.

This book club is open to all, but registration is recommended.

Rabbi Sharon Brous will also be speaking at Temple Emanu-El in Westfield on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:30pm. Registration is required.

In an excerpt from a blurb about the book, a question is posed: “In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?

Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care.

Brous contends that it is through honoring our most basic human instinct-- the yearning for real connection-- that we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal.

Some of the praise written about the book proclaims, “Rabbi Brous shares remarkable compassion, insight, and moral vision in these pages that illuminate a way forward at a time when the fog of fear and anger in the world grows ever dense. This wonderful book is welcome, affirming, and urgently needed,” written by Bryan Stevenson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just Mercy.

“Sharon Brous is one of the most visionary, beloved rabbis in the U.S. today. What a joy to welcome this book into the world,” wrote Krista Tippett, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Wise.

Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret wrote, “Sharon Brous has crafted a profound and poetic reminder that the remedy for a fractured world is human connection. The Amen Effect is a powerful call for each of us to show up for others, see them fully, and hold them close.”

Register for the 1-2:30 meeting or the register for 7-8:30 pm. To learn more about the library’s resources and programs, or to sign up for a library card, please visit https://wmlnj.org/ or follow the library on Facebook and Instagram. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

Library hours are Monday - Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.