Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

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.

  • Over on The Whole Megillah, you’ll find the latest Jewish Book Carnival–news, reviews & interviews galore.
  • In which Abe Mezrich argues that the late Robert Stone was “one of the greatest non-Jewish Jewish writers.”
  • Beyond “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Gabe Friedman summarizes the raising of the profile of author Stefan Zweig.
  • On Hevria, Chaya Lester offers “Welcome, Paris. With Love, From Jerusalem.”
  • And a France-related post of my own–including some specifically French-Jewish content–on my other blog.
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    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 was profoundly moved by Marc Kaminsky’s “First Cousins—A Visit to Israel in Verse” when I read it in Jewish Currents, and I’m so glad that it’s now available online.
  • “Israel Has An Amazing Literary Diaspora,” and Beth Kissileff reports on it for The Tower.
  • A short story that appeared in Lilith more than a decade ago is now part of Miryam Sivan’s Snafus and Other Stories. Lilith‘s fiction editor asks the author a few questions.
  • Speaking of fiction–this week brought a new story by Michael Chabon on Tablet.
  • And it has been a busy week at Fig Tree Books, the Jewish fiction-focused publishing company I work for. Among the highlights–the launch of our redesigned website. Please take a look; if you haven’t yet signed up for the FTB newsletter, please subscribe!
  • Shabbat shalom.

    Words of the Week

    “Regrettably, instead of giving voice to the aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis, this text addresses the concerns of only one side. It is deeply imbalanced and contains many elements that are not conducive to negotiations between the parties, including unconstructive deadlines that take no account of Israel’s legitimate security concerns. In addition, this resolution was put to a vote without a discussion or due consideration among Council members, which is highly unusual, especially considering the gravity of the matter at hand. We must proceed responsibly, not take actions that would risk a downward spiral.”
    –Ambassador Samantha Power, “Explanation of Vote at the Security Council Session on the Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question”

    “[The American Historical Association] would instead be correctly seen as an organization that places political opinions ahead of assiduous scholarship. It would send a chill especially to young scholars whose careers could be ended or damaged if they were to take a different view of these events.”
    –Jeffrey Herf, quoted in “US Academic Org Ushers in New Year with Anti-Israel Vote” (The Times of Israel)

    “[N]ot only does the committee stop short of calling for Salaita’s restoration, it also cites ‘legitimate concerns’ about whether Salaita’s anti-Israel expressions on social media make him ill-equipped to stand before a classroom.”
    –Liel Leibovitz. “U. of Illinois: Donors Didn’t Derail Salaita Hiring” (Tablet)

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Lit Links

    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.

  • “A smarter dream would be to get a quality Jewish paper in the hands of every Jew in America. At the very least, that would keep Judaism in the game for the multitudes that now ignore it.” So argues David Suissa as he explains “Why Judaism Needs Journalism.”
  • And several Jewish journalists and writers are among Batya Ungar-Sargon’s “10 Women’s Voices We Want To Hear More From.”
  • The Jewish Week‘s Gary Rosenblatt does a superb job presenting the significance of Yossi Klein Halevi’s Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist: The Story of a Transformation, one of the most memorable books I read in 2014.
  • ICYMI: Remember the Scholastic map flap last year? This time, HarperCollins is in the hot seat.
  • Just under 2 weeks left to enter poetry for this year’s Anna Davidson Rosenberg Awards for Poems on Jewish Experience. No entry fee indicated.
  • Shabbat shalom.