Celebrating Jewish Literature

Seventeen days after Marc Carrel became the chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region last June, three Sacramento synagogues were set on fire.

Carrel served as spokesman for the Sacramento Jewish community during the crisis, working with Jewish community leaders, law enforcement and other leaders to ease tensions and to build a coalition to denounce the burning of the synagogues and the destruction of Jewish books.

Carrel will recount the response of citizens of all faiths and races--4,500 showed up at a unity event in support of the Jewish community--at 2 p.m. today. at the Jewish Community Center of Orange County, 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa.

Admission is $10 for JCC members, $15 for nonmembers, and $5 for students with identification. (714) 755-0340. A portion of ticket sales will help replace books that were destroyed in the Sacramento hate crimes.

Carrel’s appearance is in conjunction with the Jewish Community Center’s celebration of Jewish Book Month, which includes appearances by authors throughout the month and Orange County’s first Jewish Book Fair featuring a collection of Judaic books for all ages. The book fair runs from Wednesday. through Monday. Hours vary.

Batya Gur, an Israeli mystery writer and literary critic, will speak at the center at 7 p.m. Thursday. $10 for JCC members; $15 for nonmembers.

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Presidential candidate Steve Forbes will sign “A New Birth of Freedom: Vision for America” at 10:30 a.m. Friday. at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda.

The free book signing follows Forbes’ major policy address at 9:30 a.m. Lecture: $6. Only those books purchased in the Museum Store will be signed. (714) 993-5075.

Coming Up:

* Kent Braithwaite will discuss and sign “The Wonderland Murders” at Coffee, Tea and Mystery, 13232 Springdale St., Westminster. 1 p.m. today. (714) 898-2583. At 5 p.m. Friday, Braithwaite will be at the Barnes & Noble in Metro Pointe, 901 S. Coast Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 444-0226. At 2 p.m. Saturday, he will be at the Barnes & Noble across from MainPlace, 2800 Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 667-0313.

* Suzanne Muchnic, art writer for The Times, will discuss “Odd Man in: Norton Simon and the Pursuit of Culture” at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. 7 p.m. Tuesday. $10 general admission. To register, call (949) 717-3890.

* Ruby Bridges will discuss and sign “Through My Eyes” at Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe, 4199 Campus Drive, Irvine. 10 a.m. Wednesday. (949) 854-8288.

* Kathleen Givens will discuss and sign “Kilgannon” and “The Wild Rose of Kilgannon” at Barnes & Noble in Metro Pointe, 901 S. Coast Drive, Costa Mesa. 7 p.m. Wednesday. (714) 444-0226.

* The publishers and editors of “Orange County 2000: The Millennium Book” will sign at a publication celebration at Borders Books and Music, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.(949) 631-8661.

* Orange County poets Bil Luther, Carole Luther and John Harrell will read at the Alta Coffee House & Roasting Company, 506 31st St., Newport Beach. 8 p.m. Wednesday. (949) 675-0233.

* Dawn Kohler will discuss and sign “A New Dawn Rising” at Barnes & Noble in Fashion Island, 953 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. 7 p.m. Friday. (949) 759-0982.

* Stella Togo Crawley will discuss and sign “In Honor of Women: A Revolutionary Approach to Preventing Breast Cancer and Other Diseases” at Borders Books and Music, 429 Associated Road, Brea. 7 p.m. Friday. (714) 672-0120.

* Rhoda Huffey will discuss and sign “The Halleluja Side” at Barnes & Noble in Metro Pointe, 901 S. Coast Drive, Costa Mesa. 2 p.m. Saturday. (714) 444-0226.

* Doug Murray, Gail Kimberly, Carol Celeste and other Orange County writers will present works-in-progress at Writers Potpourri, sponsored by the Orange County chapter of the California Writers Club, at Downey Savings & Loan, 210 W. Bastanchury Road, Fullerton. 10 a.m. Saturday. (714) 525-2988.

* Lloyd Kaufman will discuss and sign “All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From the Toxic Avenger” at Borders Books and Music in the Block, 20 City Blvd., Orange. 3 p.m. Saturday. (714) 385-1025. Kaufman also will sign at Borders Books and Music, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. 7 p.m. Saturday. (949) 631-1457.

* Hilary Knight will sign “Eloise at Christmastime” at Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe, 4199 Campus Drive, Irvine. 11 a.m. Saturday. (949) 854-8288.

* Elizabeth Cosin will sign “Zen and the City of Angels” at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange. 1 p.m. Saturday. (714) 538-3210.

* Flory A. Van Beek will discuss and sign “Flory: Survival in the Valley of Death” at Barnes & Noble in the Huntington Beach Mall, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach. 2 p.m. Saturday. (714) 897-8781.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before event to: Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Southern California Living, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or e-mail to dennis.mclellan@latimes.com.