Erika Dreifus

Toward the end of each week, the My Machberet blog presents a collection of links, drawn primarily from the world of Jewish books and writing.

Quick note: Since I’ll be away from my desk for a bit, this is likely the final My Machberet post for a couple of weeks. Expect a return the week of July 22.

• There are always many reasons to appreciate Julie Zuckerman’s newsletter— a spotlight on “New Outlets for Jewish Creativity” in the latest installment is certainly one. (Btw: Over the course of the past few months/weeks, all of the outlets mentioned there have been added to this list on this very website; I’ve recently encountered still another one: Zineist, “the Zionist zine.”)
• “Jew­ish Book Coun­cil is excit­ed to announce that we are accept­ing pro­pos­als for author-led pan­els for the 2024 JBC Vir­tu­al Writ­ers’ Con­fer­ence, which will take place in Novem­ber 2024. These pan­els can focus on a spe­cif­ic top­ic or genre of Jew­ish lit­er­a­ture; or address the expe­ri­ence of new or estab­lished Jew­ish authors; or they can be spe­cif­ic to children’s book writers/​illustrators or writ­ers of adult fic­tion, non­fic­tion, or poet­ry. Pan­el sub­jects may also cov­er all of these cat­e­gories if appro­pri­ate. All select­ed orga­niz­ers, mod­er­a­tors, and pan­elists will receive free admis­sion to the 2024 Jew­ish Book Coun­cil Writ­ers’ Conference.” Panel proposals are due July 25.
• Speaking of the Jewish Book Council, they’ve also posted this call for input: “In cel­e­bra­tion of Rachelle Berg­stein’s The Genius of Judy Blume: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us (Atria/​One Sig­nal Pub­lish­ers, July 2024), we want to know which Judy Blume books shaped you! Whether you read them dur­ing ado­les­cence or adult­hood, share the impact that Judy Blume’s books had on you in the form below. We’ll be shar­ing a selec­tion of the answers as an arti­cle in the com­ing weeks.” No deadline indicated. 
• “It has not had the impact of Anne Frank’s classic journal, but another teenager’s diary from World War II has long provided a vivid picture of the miseries of life in a Jewish ghetto and the striking ways its doomed inhabitants endured. Now, beginning on July 17, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in Manhattan will focus attention on the diary of the teenager, Yitskhok Rudashevski, by making it the second installment in what the institute calls its ‘online museum’ of Jewish history.” Joseph Berger reports for The New York Times.
• “The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the century-old news organization covering the Jewish world, and the New York Jewish Week, New York’s leading Jewish publication, seek a production assistant to help make our journalism shine for digital news consumers.  The production assistant will work closely with our team of reporters and editors as well as the audience team. The ideal candidate should be extremely organized, possess strong design and communication skills, and have the ability to multitask under deadline pressure. Must be comfortable working independently and as part of a team and understand the importance of news standards. Creativity, curiosity, and experience with production are strongly encouraged. The salary range is $50,000 – $55,000 depending on experience and other factors.” NB: This appears to be a telecommuting position; no deadline indicated.

Updated this week: both “After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and More” and “Writers, Beware.”

Wishing a meaningful July 4th to my fellow Americans. Shabbat shalom. Catch you back here later in the month!