Join us in building community together—Now in our second year.

Come be a part of something truly special: A monthly gathering to explore race, faith, identity, and community through books and readings selected by the group itself.

Facilitated by Joyce Sharrock-Cole (Ossining Village Historian) and Abbe Marcus (Executive Director, JTC Experiences), these gatherings begin with light refreshments and informal exchange, followed by an hour of focused discussion. By meeting monthly, the intent is to build understanding, relationships, and community over time.

Schedule: We meet at Hudson Valley Books for Humanity from 7 to 8:30 PM on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The 2025-26 season begins with these dates: Oct. 14, Nov. 11, Dec. 9, and Jan. 20. Additional 2026 dates will be announced as we get underway.

Materials: Books are available for purchase (for a 10% discount off the cover price) at Hudson Valley Books for Humanity.

Cost: There is no fee to participate; we simply ask for your RSVP for planning purposes.

Book: For our Oct. 14 meeting, we will discuss Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, A Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women’s Health (J.C. Hallman). Say Anarcha excavates history, deconstructing the biographical smoke screen of a surgeon who has falsely been enshrined as a medical pioneer and bringing forth a heroic Black woman to her rightful place at the center of the creation story of modern women’s health care. From bookshop.org

Building Bridges Through Books is sponsored by Congregation Sons of Israel, First Church of Christ, JTC Experiences, and Hudson Valley Books for Humanity.