20th Annual Cleveland Jewish Book Festival

The Mandel JCC's 20th Annual Cleveland Jewish Book Festival, one of the country’s major Jewish book festivals, kicks off today at the Mandel Jewish Community Center. This year’s incarnation features 13 nationally acclaimed authors and six authors with local ties. Esquire and former New Yorker cartoonist Bob Mankoff will be on hand, and there will be five free events, a multimedia comedy presentation on the modern Jewish experience and a special event about Jewish foods. It all starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Mandel JCC with Ronald Balson, a trial attorney, educator and author of the bestselling novel, Once We Were Brothers. The event is free, but because seating is limited, advanced registration is encouraged. To purchase tickets, please visit the website or visit the Mandel JCC Membership Desk (no ticket sales on Friday evenings, Saturdays, or Jewish holidays, or by phone). Tickets cost $15. (Niesel) mandeljcc.org/bookfestival.