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Words of the Week: Jonathan Freedland

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

This is what we Jews live with now: incidents of antisemitism through the roof, borne out by both the statistics and our own daily experience, coupled with the knowledge that we face a murderous threat that can strike at any time and in any place we gather together. Coping with that is hard enough. But what has made it harder is the response among many we would once have looked to as allies, those we might have expected to show empathy for a besieged and threatened minority, who have instead offered a cold shoulder – or worse.

Source: Jonathan Freedland, “Attacks on synagogues and Jewish shops in the UK, Europe and the US don’t hurt Netanyahu. They just hurt ordinary Jews.” (The Guardian; notably, this was published before the torching attack on four Jewish ambulances in London early yesterday morning.)

Words of the Week: Susan Blumberg-Kason

by Erika Dreifus on
5

By mid-November, my agent emailed me out of the blue that her boss wanted her to pull Golda’s biography from the editors who were still reading it. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, but suggested we approach university presses, which have Jewish studies series. My agent simply replied it’s not a good time – there’s too much anti-Zionism in publishing now, refusing to discuss the matter any further.

From “On Identity and Gatekeeping,” an important essay by my friend (and co-board member for The Artists Against Antisemitism) Susan Blumberg-Kason, published as a guest post on Lee Kofman’s website.

Words of the Week: Timna Abramov

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

The sheer volume of Facebook groups for Jewish authors, online Jewish book clubs, and Jewish artist collectives attests to our tendency to form communities and flock to each other for support. But how often are we doing the work of reading, buying, and recommending? We read for pleasure less than we ever have, which means those starting their literary careers are already at a disadvantage. We simply cannot afford not to back each other. We need to buy books from Jewish authors, to join the arts collectives that seek to protect and represent us, and to interact with each other’s writing. 

Source: Timna Abramov, “Portray Ourselves, or Be Portrayed” (Judith magazine)