Words of the Week

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

“Around our table sat Americans and Israelis; Ashkenazim and Mizrachim; secular, Orthodox, and just plain traditional Jews. We were all family. And so, despite its unconventional nature, I felt that our little reunion was a fitting way to spend Shabbat Tisha B’Av. In fact, it seemed like a glimpse of the World to Come, a time when all Jews unite as one people, with one heart.”

Source: Rebecca Klempner, “A Tisha B’Av Of Joy?” (Jew in the City)

Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

by Erika Dreifus on
1

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.

  • I’ve never forgotten the heroism of Special Police Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns—which made Tamara Miller’s “The Rabbi in the ER” especially moving reading for me.
  • After preparing myself with this Tablet piece by Marco Roth, I’m currently reading Joshua Cohen’s Moving Kings.
  • Hard to believe: “Soon there will only be one Judaica store left in Manhattan.” (via Ben Sales for JTA)
  • On a cheerier note: “Streetwise Hebrew” is a new addition to my podcast subscriptions. (I need to focus more when listening to them, though! It’s one thing to listen while I’m walking around the city; it’s another to sit and listen and look at/study each show’s notes!)
  • And ICYMI on the Practicing Writing blog: Here’s some news about a new #JewLit-related book-publicity project of mine.

    • Shabbat shalom.

    Words of the Week

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    “Furthermore, anyone who is a true student of the Middle East, including Jews (of which I count myself as one) who deeply empathize with the Palestinian narrative and yearn for a way for these two peoples to find the path to a compromise that honors multiple narratives and needs, knows that it is a gross simplification and distortion of both history and current affairs to present that situation as one in which the Palestinian people are the victims of the Israelis are aggressors. The reality is far more complex and involves international players who have manipulated the situation and not only the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

    Source: Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, “Intersectionality and the Limits of Ideology” (Rabbis Without Borders)

    (Yes, I realize that an edit is needed. But I think you get the gist of what she’s saying.)

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    by Erika Dreifus on
    1

    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.

  • The latest “Israel in Translation” podcast spotlights “Israel’s impact on a particular literary endeavor in Gaza.”
  • The blog formerly known as Jewesses with Attitude has been re-launched as Jewish Women, Amplified.
  • “Washington Jewish Week, a print and multi-platform digital publication covering the capital region’s diverse Jewish community, is looking for an enthusiastic, quick-learning general assignment reporter/writer to join our Rockville-based news team full time. Our ideal candidate has experience with and enjoys writing both news and feature stories, knows the Jewish community of greater Washington and has social media experience.”
  • Dispatch from Jerusalem about Annette Gendler (and her book!).
  • And ICYMI: This week brought a new episode of the wonderful Hevria podcast. And guess who was host Elad Nehorai’s guest?

    • Shabbat shalom.

    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.

  • “To the extent, however, that we have to embrace an anti-Zionist kashrut in order to participate in their community — sorry, no can do. Our hope is actually to preserve a progressive sensibility in the American Jewish community, to reach to our right and to our left, not to hunker down into self-righteous rage and radical orthodoxy.” A message from the editor of Jewish Currents magazine.
  • Honestly, Ron Charles might as well have been speaking directly to me at the start of his review of Moving Kings, the latest novel by Joshua Cohen.
  • I don’t see award amounts posted, but if you’re working on Jewish art/literature in Los Angeles County, you might want to check out The Word Grant, a project of American Jewish University’s Institute for Jewish Creativity, “which supports artists creating projects that explore Jewish ideas, themes, tradition, history, and identity.” Deadline: August 10, 2017. (via eJewishPhilanthropy)
  • “Park Avenue Synagogue, a large, dynamic Conservative synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, seeks a dedicated individual for the role of Library Assistant.” (This is a part-time position.)
  • And, just posted a few hours ago: the July Jewish Book Carnival (organized by the Association of Jewish Libraries; hosted this month by yours truly).

    • I am taking off shortly for a long weekend away. Comment moderation may be delayed pending my return. In the meantime, Shabbat shalom, everyone!