THE JEWISH JOY BOOK CLUB
Celebrating Jewish Stories, Centering Jewish Joy
ABOUT THE JEWISH JOY BOOK CLUB
The Jewish Joy Book Club is a dynamic virtual reading community dedicated to uplifting Jewish literature that centers joy, identity, love, and belonging. Founded in late 2023, the club was created in response to a profound need within the Jewish reading community. In the aftermath of October 7th, many readers shared that they no longer felt safe or seen in traditional or non-Jewish book clubs. They were seeking a space where Jewish stories could be celebrated without explanation—where Jewishness was not a backdrop to trauma, but a source of pride, humor, resilience, and love.
In response, we launched the Jewish Joy Book Club with a simple, resonant tagline:
“We read books where nobody Jewish dies at the end.”
What began as a bold and slightly irreverent mission has evolved into a powerful literary movement—reimagining what Jewish literature can be, and who it can serve.
Each month, the Jewish Joy Book Club selects a single title and builds programming around it, including guided discussion threads, themed content, and a signature live Zoom event featuring a conversation between the selected author and a fellow Jewish writer. These events foster deep engagement with both the text and the community, highlighting the richness of Jewish storytelling in all its forms.
The club is hosted through our Facebook community, Jewish Women Talk About Romance Books, and supported by a robust newsletter that provides access to monthly announcements, event links, and additional features. While the majority of our members identify as Jewish women, participation is open to all by signing up for our newsletter. Our only requirement is a shared appreciation for Jewish books that center joy and complexity—not just survival.
To date, we have proudly featured authors such as Rochelle Weinstein, Meredith Schorr, Jennifer Wilck, Arden Joy, and Sara Goodman Confino. With each selection, we reaffirm our commitment to spotlighting narratives that reflect the diversity, vibrancy, and ongoing evolution of Jewish life.
At its core, the Jewish Joy Book Club is more than a reading group—it is a cultural space, a literary platform, and a joyful act of community.
2025 READS
2024 READS
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All openings for 2025 are currently filled. We are now seeking titles for both The Jewish Joy Book Club and The Jewish Joy Box in 2026. At this time, we are specifically seeking full-length novels that fall into the following categories:
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Jewish romance
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Frontlist fiction
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Indie or traditionally published
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Jewish genre fiction with a positive spin
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Women's fiction with strong romantic elements
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Stories that reflect Jewish diversity (Sephardi, Mizrahi, converts, Jews of color, LGBTQ+, and more)
In rare cases, we will consider submissions in the following categories:
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Nonfiction
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Children’s or YA titles
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WWII/Holocaust stories
Submission Guidelines:
To be considered for either the Jewish Joy Book Club or Jewish Joy Box, we require a full manuscript submission. If you—or an author you represent or publish—have a title that fits our needs, please send a query letter to submissions@jewish-joy.com or fill out the form below. Your book must be available in both e-book and print formats and widely available to readers.
In addition, please note that there is a lengthy judging process that goes into choosing a title and slots are highly coveted amongst authors and fill up quickly. If you are interested in having your book featured in our book club or box, it is imperative that you send us an ARC to review as early in the production process as possible.
We will respond directly to any submissions that we feel are a potential fit.
Thank you for helping us celebrate Jewish stories—and spread a little more joy into the world.