Posts Tagged‘Israel’

Home » Israel » Page 55

From My Bookshelf: Leah Kaminsky’s THE WAITING ROOM

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

WaitingRoomCoverI was all set to wait patiently for the U.S. release of Leah Kaminsky‘s debut novel The Waiting Room (which will happen next fall). But then, the author—an Australian whom I’ve yet to meet in person but with whom I’ve developed another of those wonderful “online friendships” I’m so grateful for—sent me a gift copy of the original Australian edition, which was published this past September. And how pleased I am that she did.

There’s so much that’s noteworthy about this book, beginning with the subject matter. What I realized only a few pages in is that The Waiting Room brings together two topics that are often categorized separately among Diaspora readers. First, there’s its Holocaust thread. Protagonist Dina Ronen, Australian-born, is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Her father died during Dina’s childhood; her mother has passed away by the time the novel opens, with Dina a married mother of one young son and another baby about a month away from delivery. But her mother’s ghost speaks throughout the book, and we return often to her parents’ histories in flashbacks. (more…)

Words of the Week

by Erika Dreifus on
2

“I read web and social media and it’s shocking how liberal Jews (I consider myself one, recall) so quick to righteously protest the sufferings of just about everyone else in the world, rarely have expressed any sorrow for the knifing of Jewish children. Sadly they seem to have been bullied by the BDS types, by the social media sewer of anti-Semitism, the Shylockization of Netanyahu. By the ‘moral equivalence’ ‘cycle of violence’ narrative. Can’t feel bad about murdered Jews if a right wing government’s in power. To the extent that if a liberal Jew speaks up for the murdered at a dinner party he is suddenly Sheldon Adelson. Or the Jew in the Annie Hall dinner scene abruptly finding himself clothed in Hasidic garb (not that there’s anything wrong with that).”

Source: Ron Rosenbaum, “Thinking the Unthinkable: A Lamentation for the State of Israel” (Tablet)

Words of the Week

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

“The voices of Jews and others whose positions are rooted in the right of Israel to exist as a state have been silenced. Following my remarks at the BDS round table, there was just one comment from the audience validating some of my points, but I received many private expressions of support and appreciation for my ‘courage.’ Several people told me it would be damaging to their careers to openly express opposition to the resolution.”

Source: Janet L. Freedman, “For the Women’s Studies Association, the BDS Vote Was Over Before It Began” (Forward)

Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • As usual, the November issue of the Generations of the Shoah International (GSI) newsletter has lots of book events listed.
  • Over on the Fig Tree Books blog, we’re celebrating the talents of Dara Horn.
  • We’ve all been thinking of Yitzhak Rabin this week; Matti Friedman has written about Dan Ephron’s book on the assassination.
  • Jewish Book Month starts today–check out my recent blog post on poetry titles I’m hoping to read asap.
  • And if fiction’s more your thing, Rachel Kamin and Library Journal have you covered.

    • Shabbat shalom.