Janice Cohn is the author of the children's book The Christmas Menorahs, which is now available in an expanded 30th anniversary edition. It looks at efforts to fight antisemitism in Billings, Montana, in 1993. Cohn's other books include Freedom Pancakes for Ukraine. She is also a psychotherapist.
Q: Why was The Christmas Menorahs reissued on its 30th anniversary, and how is this version different from the original?
A: The book was reprinted on the 30th anniversary of the extraordinary events in Billings which took place during the 1993 holiday season. Because of the alarming rise in antisemitism, there had been many requests to have the book reprinted.
First published in 1995, it had been continuously in print until 2016, when the original publishing house came under new ownership.
The picture book was targeted for 3rd and 4th graders, but turned out to resonate with people of all ages, perhaps because the message of the power of courage and goodness hit a strong chord with readers.
I knew that if the book was to be republished, I wanted to expand it to include the background information of this true story, interviews with the real-life characters I wrote about, and the full story of how Denmark rescued its Jewish citizens in 1943, during the country’s Nazi occupation, which in turn inspired the residents of Billings, Montana, almost exactly 50 years later.
Mostly, I wanted readers to understand how this story exemplifies the importance of the “Upstander”—a person who views bigotry, injustice, and cruelty directed towards others and who decides to take a principled stand against it, sometimes at great risk, as was the case in Billings.
Loving our neighbors as ourselves is, to me, the true meaning of the holiday season as well as a model of how we should live our lives year-round. During the times we’re now living in, this message is particularly important.
Q: What do you think Bill Farnsworth’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Virtually every reviewer of the original version of The Christmas Menorahs mentioned Bill Farnsworth’s beautiful and compelling artwork, which helped make the message of the story come alive.
He created a new cover for the updated edition that beautifully shows the juxtaposition of lights illuminating the darkness, which is what the story of Billings is all about.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story, especially with the current rise in antisemitism?
A: On the cover of the new edition of The Christmas Menorahs is a quote from Gary Svee, who was one of the editors of The Billings Gazette in 1993, and helped create the paper’s now iconic appeal to the community to put up pictures of menorahs.
He said, “Just a tiny candle we lit. It wasn’t much. But it was something.” It’s my hope that readers will try to imagine what our country and world would be like if we each lit “a tiny candle.”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My new book, Freedom Pancakes For Ukraine, is being published next month.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The address of the website for The Christmas Menorahs is www.thechristmasmenorahs.com
The address for Freedom Pancakes For Ukraine is www.freedompancakesforukraine.com
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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