Bethlehem promotes itself as \u201cThe Christmas City,\u201d but it is a home for all religions, including a thriving Jewish community.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Lader tells the city\u2019s many stories in her new book, \u201cBelonging to Bethlehem: Stories from the Christmas City\u2019s Jewish Community\u201d (301 pages; Bright Communications; paperback, $24.95; 2026).<\/p>\n
Lader will give a talk, read selections from her book, and sign copies, 1:30 p.m.\u2006 July 19, \u201cBethlehem Blueberry Festival,\u201d Johnson Barn, Burnside Plantation, 1461 Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe book began in 2010 as a Bethlehem Press article about the Jewish community in Bethlehem during Hanukkah,\u201d Lader says in an interview at a co-working office space in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a long and interesting history that I was not aware of as a newcomer to the city,\u201d says Lader. She and her husband Gary moved to Bethlehem in 2004. She converted to Judaism when she married.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started interviewing people and didn\u2019t want to stop. I kept going while the kids were in school,\u201d she says. The couple has three sons who are now grown. \u201cI spent 19 years doing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I got going, I began to find out what the real story was. It all centered around one thing: belonging.<\/p>\n
\u201cBelonging is a two-way process. When we reach out to someone, it helps if someone reaches back.<\/p>\n
\u201cBelonging can involve community organizations, family, school or sports teams. If we put the effort in, we can feel more involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI interviewed about a hundred people. Each interview generated about five typed pages.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stories focus on older residents. Many begin with parents or grandparents who emigrated to the United States to avoid persecution. There are recollections of antisemitism in Bethlehem, like name-calling by school children, but nearly all the stories are positive.<\/p>\n
Jews were among people from many nations who came to live on the Southside to work for Bethlehem Steel Corp. The city had many shops owned by Jewish proprietors. Many Jewish students were admitted to Lehigh University. The book includes many historic photos of Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
The community centered around two synagogues which merged. Congregation Brith Sholom, 1190 Macada Road, Bethlehem, celebrated its centennial in 2014. Lader is a member of Brith Sholom.<\/p>\n
In \u201cBelonging in Bethlehem,\u201d those interviewed describe their religious and everyday lives. It is filled with many photos of them, individually and in gatherings. Although the stories do not date that far back historically, they present a much different way of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople think stories have to have a beginning, a middle and an end, or have a punchline,\u201d says Lader. \u201cBut it can be about what meals your parents served you, or how you took care of your siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBelonging in Bethlehem\u201d is Lader\u2019s second book. Her first, \u201cSix-Word Lessons for Writing Your Community\u2019s Story: 100 Lessons to Shine a Light on the Past and Why It Matters Now,\u201d grew from a booklet she shared while collecting the Bethlehem narratives.<\/p>\n
Lader, who is from Missouri, received a BA in Anthropology from Grinnell College and an MA in Public Administration from Syracuse University. She is a writer and editor who uses her experience to help communities and organizations tell their own stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cA book is a way to weave memories and photos together,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is something portable with stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stories can be used for self-discovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you know who you are, it can help you to make decisions going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lader says her biggest discovery while doing the interviews was \u201cpeople are longing to be listened to. We are all hungry for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiterary Scene\u201d is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOJennifer Lader<\/p>\n
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