Erika Dreifus

• The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature’s 14th Annual Awards Ceremony will take place online this year, which means that you can attend right from home. Follow the festivities on Tuesday (August 11th) at 8:30pm Israel/1:30pm EDT, and celebrate this year’s honored authors and books. Reminder: This year the Prize spotlights nonfiction.
• If you know only one poem by Nathan Alterman, it’s probably the one titled “The Silver Platter.” As we approach the 110th anniversary of the Israeli poet’s birth on August 14th (this is also the 50th anniversary of his death), take an hour to learn more about Alterman and his work (in English!) through this session with Dr. Rachel Korazim, recorded earlier this summer by the Shalom Hartman Institute.
• Speaking of poetry: The American Jewish Historical Society has extended the Emma Lazarus Project Poetry Contest deadline to August 15. Updated prize info indicates that $1,000 will go to the winner in each category: “Middle School, High School and Collegiate / Adult Emerging Poet”). There is no submission fee.
• Distressing news from the National Library of Israel: “We are sad to say that beginning on August 17th, our public services will be put on hold. The National Library of Israel’s 300 employees will be going on unpaid leave, due to a significant cut in the Library’s budget, in addition to a drastic drop in income and donations.” [UPDATE: Via one of my listservs, I’ve learned that the *hope* is that this hiatus will last only a couple of weeks.]
• Let’s end on an up note, shall we? You may already have caught this mentioned elsewhere, but icymi: Mark your calendars for August 30, when Jerusalism will hold its next Virtual Open Mic. I’ll be there. How about you?

Shabbat shalom.