The Congregation Mount Sinai is welcoming Ruby Namdar, author of the critically acclaimed novel "The Ruined House," for a dinner and book discussion on Wednesday, January 9.
The winner of the Sapir Prize, Israel's highest literary award, The Ruined House follows Andrew Cohen, a professor at NYU whose happy, meticulously-arranged world begins to mysteriously unravel, disrupted by visions of an ancient religious ritual. Interspersed throughout the novel are pages from an ancient Talmudic text, harking back to the imagined golden age of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Hidden in the small letters of this "other" narrative lies the mysterious key to understanding the drama of Cohen's life.
Through the lens of the privilege and pedantry of New York intellectual life at the start of the twenty-first century, The Ruined House ultimately grapples with the nature of Jewish-American identity, wrestling with materialism, tradition, faith and the search for meaning in contemporary culture.
Namdar is an Iranian-Jewish author who was born and raised in Jerusalem. In 2000, he published his first book "Haviv" which won The Ministry of Culture's Award for Best First Publication. He currently lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters and teaches Jewish literature, focusing on Biblical and Talmudic narrative.
The evening will begin with a dinner, followed by a discussion of The Ruined House. To attend the dinner, please RSVP here.
An Evening with Ruby Namdar
When: Wednesday, January 9 | Dinner: 6:00pm | Book Discussion: 7:00pm
Where: 250 Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn, NY 11201
How much: $25 for Dinner, must RSVP by Wednesday, Januar 7
