Erika Dreifus

• On my weekend listening agenda: “Jewish Identity in 2020,” a BBC broadcast in which Howard Jacobson, Bari Weiss, Hadley Freeman and Jonathan Freedland – guests at this year’s Jewish Book Week – talk with Matthew Sweet about anti-Semitism, the Jewish novel, and tracing Jewish family history.” (In association with Jewish Book Week programming in London.)
• “Sunlight barely penetrates the ghetto where Mirelle d’Ancona lives with her parents and brother, and where her family runs a renowned ketubah shop in late 18th-century Italy. The heroine of ‘Beyond the Ghetto Gates’ (She Writes Press, 2020), d’Ancona must navigate sometimes violent anti-Semitism as she yearns for adventure beyond the Jewish ghetto and for a future outside the expectations of her traditional upbringing — she’d rather run the shop’s finances than marry.” Read more of Johanna Ginsberg’s profile of Beyond the Ghetto Gates and its author, Michelle Cameron, via New Jersey Jewish News.
• And speaking of Michelle and Johanna—I’ll be appearing on an upcoming panel with them (and Mitchell James Kaplan) on the topic of “Writing Jewishly in an Age of Rising Antisemitism.” The session is part of the Montclair Literary Festival, and you can find out more here. (Yes, we know that the session is happening on Shabbat. Yes, we know that this is not ideal and that the timing will make it impossible for some people to attend. Yes, we regret this—very much.)
• The Jewish Women’s Archive “provides a platform to amplify young Jewish women’s voices through the Rising Voices Fellowship, a leadership development program for female-identified teens who have a passion for writing, and a strong interest in feminism and Judaism—particularly as they relate to social justice.” Applicants for the next cycle should be entering 10th-12th grades in Fall 2020. Deadline: March 31, 2020.
• Finally, ICYMI: I’m on a quest to earn a free coffee in the company of the Jewish Insider editorial staff. Help me out? (No purchase necessary!)

Shabbat shalom!