Israeli poets have provided us with "raw portraits of war," too, writes author Erika Dreifus. Why are their stories less newsworthy than those of Palestinians?
Thank you Erica! I advise all to subscribe to Erica's remarkable work. And buy Birthright. Voices Israel an international group for Jewish writers writing in the English language is one I also recommend. As a guest contest judge, I read some remarkable work revealing the impact of October 7 and the loss of family members. I hope they publish an anthology.
Good. I already subscribe to all that Erika offers. Good for her. I am in the process of writing to my three nationally elected officials about the publishing and reading boycotts of Israeli or Israeli supporting writers and thinkers.
Thank you for this! I was also struck by the NYT article and the lack of attention to contemporary Israeli and Jewish poets/authors who write with the same power about the suffering of war.
Thank you for writing this. As a young Zionist poet, it has been so difficult to get any publicity for my work, especially as most poetry journals and reading spaces are so incredibly antizionist. I stopped attending public readings when a fellow poet called Bibi “The Global Devil” and the room roared with applause… I had come there hoping to read my piece called, “The Daughters of Zion.” The war on Jewish art is very real
Go to your local bookstore and ask for SHIVA. And for OC7OBER SHIVA by Rabbi Hanna Yerushalmi. The more they hear you want these, the more likely they may stock them.
I have great respect for Edward Hirsch (whom I most recently had the opportunity to chat with, briefly, at a Jewish poetry event in New York). I am not at all sure that he expected to have his comments framed quite as Egan presented them, but as I explain within the essay, I found his inclusion notable.
Thank you Erika. The very assumption that only one side in this war has experienced and is experiencing trauma is in itself an act of erasure of the validity. Not only of our pain and trauma, but of the very event which precipitated this war - mainly the most savage and gruesome massacre and sadistic acts committed by....Palestinians, who have been lionized and made into revolutionary heroes, for committing the most inhumane acts imaginable. To give empathetic voice to one side, is taking sides - and taking sides so completely in this manner exposes a predetermined bias. We all know what to really call it, so I see no need to verbalize it.
Bravo, Erika. I am grateful for all that you do.
Thank you Erica! I advise all to subscribe to Erica's remarkable work. And buy Birthright. Voices Israel an international group for Jewish writers writing in the English language is one I also recommend. As a guest contest judge, I read some remarkable work revealing the impact of October 7 and the loss of family members. I hope they publish an anthology.
Nancy Shiffrin https://www,NancyShiffrin.net
Good. I already subscribe to all that Erika offers. Good for her. I am in the process of writing to my three nationally elected officials about the publishing and reading boycotts of Israeli or Israeli supporting writers and thinkers.
Thank you for writing this. We are being boycotted and ignored, in addition to being vilified. I wonder if they will respond.
Thank you, Howard and Erika.
Thank you Erika. You inspire us all to stand up and make our voices heard with dignity and respect.
Glad I stumbled to this, love, and support it.
Thank you for this! I was also struck by the NYT article and the lack of attention to contemporary Israeli and Jewish poets/authors who write with the same power about the suffering of war.
Thank you for writing this. As a young Zionist poet, it has been so difficult to get any publicity for my work, especially as most poetry journals and reading spaces are so incredibly antizionist. I stopped attending public readings when a fellow poet called Bibi “The Global Devil” and the room roared with applause… I had come there hoping to read my piece called, “The Daughters of Zion.” The war on Jewish art is very real
Go to your local bookstore and ask for SHIVA. And for OC7OBER SHIVA by Rabbi Hanna Yerushalmi. The more they hear you want these, the more likely they may stock them.
I have a copy of Rabbi Yerushalmi's book here and am planning to read it SOON.
So disgusting of the Times. But also thanks god nothing Edward Hirsh another ‘as a Jew’. Too ignorant to stand up for Israeli poets and Jewish poets.
I have great respect for Edward Hirsch (whom I most recently had the opportunity to chat with, briefly, at a Jewish poetry event in New York). I am not at all sure that he expected to have his comments framed quite as Egan presented them, but as I explain within the essay, I found his inclusion notable.
Ok I stand corrected. I’m just tired of Jews not standing up and may have called him out too easily
This is an important Substack that everyone should subscribe to.
I could not agree more. 😀
Please spread the word! ❤️
Yes!
Thank you Erika. The very assumption that only one side in this war has experienced and is experiencing trauma is in itself an act of erasure of the validity. Not only of our pain and trauma, but of the very event which precipitated this war - mainly the most savage and gruesome massacre and sadistic acts committed by....Palestinians, who have been lionized and made into revolutionary heroes, for committing the most inhumane acts imaginable. To give empathetic voice to one side, is taking sides - and taking sides so completely in this manner exposes a predetermined bias. We all know what to really call it, so I see no need to verbalize it.