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.

And what a week it’s been.

• From within Israel: ““Hundreds of Artists Sign Petition Demanding Israel End ‘Horrific’ Gaza War” (The Times of Israel)—and some follow-up observations via Israel from the Inside.
• It’s been a week during which I’ve been hearing/reading a fair amount from Australian Jewish writers. For starters: Zibby Owens interviewed anthology co-editors Lee Kofman and Tamar Paluch about Ruptured, “a powerful collection from thirty-six Australian Jewish women responding to the October 7 attacks and the surge of antisemitism that followed.” Elsewhere, Australian author Linda Margolin Royal discussed the challenges (with her publisher, with bookstores, etc.) that she’s encountered in the course of the release of her recent (Holocaust-related) book.
• Among the many powerful essays I’ve read this week, Sarah Einstein’s “If I Am Not for Myself….” (Judith Magazine) incorporates a variety of glimpses into the current literary climate.
• Amid all of the not-so-great news out there, there’s a wonderful new development: the launch of Modern Jewess, “a beautifully snail-mailed monthly envelope which explores what it means to be a Jewish woman today. Within the pages of Modern Jewess you will find personal essays, inspirational Jewish wisdom, kernels of Jewish history, and maybe even a recipe, a word game, or something else a little unexpected.” I received my copy of the inaugural edition this week (you can subscribe for free!). And let me tell you, it really brightened my day. (Yes, they’re open for submissions, too; via email, I’ve confirmed that although there’s no payment at the moment, they do consider reprints.)
• And in case you missed it: Earlier this week I shared poet Owen Lewis’s appearance on People of the Pod, in an episode titled “War and Poetry: Owen Lewis On Being a Jewish Poet in a Time of Crisis.”

And there have been many updates this week to my “After October 7” document. Please take a look!