Hannah Fogel is the Content Creator and Editor at the Jewish Community Center, located at 6702 Hoover Road. She recently announced the events at their 23rd Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts that occurs from October 25 to November 18th, 2021.

"This year's festival will be all-virtual with most events being $10 per household unless noted otherwise. Several events also offer the purchase of a book. Attendees have the option to purchase a Festival Pass for just $30, which is good for general admission to all 14 events which does not include books. One pass is limited per household. More information and tickets are available at: JCCindy.org/festival-books-arts," Ms. Fogel explained.

A documentary on Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel entitled Spiritual Audacity, is scheduled for Monday, October 25 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. He was one of the 20th century's most influential voices in the world of religion. He was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders within the U.S. civil rights movement (including John Lewis and Andrew Young, who are interviewed in the film), a leading critic of the Vietnam War, a champion for Soviet Jews, an author of several books now considered religious classics and a pioneer in the work of interfaith dialogue. The film screening will be followed by a conversation moderated by Rabbi Dennis Sasso of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck with filmmaker Martin Doblmeier and Susannah Heschel, Rabbi Heschel's daughter and Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College.

Rachael Beanland, who wrote New York Times bestseller Florence Adler Swims Forever will talk on Tuesday, October 26 at 7 p.m. (The event is $10 or $17 including the book that can be picked up the JCC). She takes readers to 1930s Atlantic City, where a multigenerational Jewish Family grapples with the aftermath of a shocking tragedy that was inspired by her own family history. Ms. Beanland will be interviewed by Barbara Shoup of the Indiana Writer's Center.

Emmy-winning writer/producer Ira Rosen, author of Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 minutes, will speak on Thursday, October 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. He reveals the intimate, untold stories of his decades at America's most iconic news show and its famous (and infamous) reporters. The program will be moderated by CBS4 This Morning anchor Angela Brauer.

The Heartland Film Award-Winning Shorts is Saturday, October 30 at 8 p.m. Admission is $10. This partnership with Heartland Film is a perennial favorite. Exact film selections TBA.

Leah Garrett, author of X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandoes of World War II discusses events in June 1942, as the shadow of the Third Reich fell across the European continent. A group of Jewish intellectuals, artists and athletes who had escaped to Britain formed a top-secret new commando unit and became elite shock troops, dealing devastating blows against the Nazis. This event is Monday, November 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Garrett will be interviewed by Kathryn W. Lerch, historian and educator.

Michael Bar-Zohar, author of The Mossad Amazons: The Amazing Women in the Israeli Secret Service, will speak on Tuesday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 or $32, which includes her book. From a former member of Israel's parliament and one of the country's foremost experts on espionage comes a declassified inside look at Mossad's lohamot, or female agents, as they fought against not only external enemy forces but also internal sexism and feelings of isolation. And yet, they were still able to complete dangerous intelligence-gathering, surveillance and even assassination missions across the Middle East.

Renowned Holocaust scholar Joshua Greene, author of Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend, will speak on Wednesday, November 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Greene, who will interviewed by Mickey Maurer, tells the story of Siggi B. Wilzig, who survived Auschwitz and rose from selling neckties out of a car to becoming CEO of a publicly traded oil company and a bank with assets in excess of $4 billion.

Mark Oppenheimer, author of Squirrel Hill: The tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of the Neighborhood, collects the stories of a neighborhood grieving and healing after the Tree of Life synagogue attack, and all the difficult conversations, confrontations, resilience, support and love encountered along the way. He appears on Sunday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 or $36, which includes his book.

James and IACP Award winner Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Dorie, speak on Tuesday, November 9 at 8 p.m. Her 14th cookbook is simmering with 150 all-new recipes. She will speak with New York Times bestseller and food columnist Melissa Clark. Tickets are $10 or $42, which includes her book.

Acclaimed journalist Andrew Lawler, author of Under Jerusalem, travels into Jerusalem's tombs, tunnels and trenches - a saga of biblical treasures, intrepid explorers and political upheaval. He speaks on Thursday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 while $38 includes his book.

On Sunday, November 14 at 2 p.m., the free event Leave Them Something Spirit & Place Festival Performance, writers read their poetry, short fiction and essays that are selected for an online anthology inspired by Edith Vonnegut's paintings, which reference environmental justice and the effects of climate change on future generations. Dance Kaleidoscope performs choreographed dances based on these submissions. This event is presented in partnership with Dance Kaleidoscope, Indiana Writers Center and Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library.

Alice Hoffman, author of The Book of Magic (that concludes the Practical Magic series), appears on Monday, November 15 at 8 p.m. Three generations of Owens women (plus one long-lost brother) come together to use their unusual gifts to break a curse and save a young man's life. As with Hoffman's other works, The Book of Magic celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers and anyone who has ever been in love. Tickets are $10 while 436 includes his book.

Nick Davis, author of Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiwwicz, a Dual Portrait, speaks on Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. that discusses a biography of Hollywood brothers (one wrote Citizen Kane; the other, All About Eve), written by Herman's grandson. Davis will be interviewed by Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. Tickets are $10 while $36 includes his book.

Magician Joshua Jay, author of How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception and Why Magic Matters, appears on Thursday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Jay is a former World Champion in Sleight-of-Hand, headliner at Hollywood's Magic Castle and former illusion consultant for Game of Thrones who has performed on late night talk shows and even fooled Penn & Teller. Get a peek behind the curtain at the psychology and performance of sleight-of-hand illusions.

From their website, www.jccindy.org/about, the Jewish Community Center dscribes their mission, "For the past 100 years, the JCC has been a neighborhood and community resource in Indianapolis. From its start in 1914 at 23rd and Meridian to its current location on Hoover Road, the JCC has been dedicated to serving the Indianapolis community and responsive to its needs through programming and resource availability. For the past century, the JCC has created a multi-generational, inclusive environment where all people can live, learn, play and connect. One hundred years after its modest beginnings, the JCC continues to serve the community with its holistic approach to wellness- optimal healthy living for the mind, body and spirit."