November 2024: Poems about picking, a trip abroad and The Hope (a new story)
Writing, reading, resources and recipes + an update from day 395
Dear friends,
I’m en route to Israel after close to three weeks in the States; my apologies for getting this newsletter out a few days late. (And please excuse typos or broken links, I’m trying to get this out before my third and last flight takes off from Larnaca, Cyprus). It’s been another very rough month in Israel; I hope you managed to have a decent month or at least get through the days as best as possible, and that November will bring less suffering for all. Scroll down for your monthly dose of book reviews, upcoming literary events, poems, stories, a recipe, and an update from my corner of Israel/the Jewish world.
Brief writing update - new story alert! You may have already seen this through Judith Magazine or via my cross-post last week, but I am thrilled to have a new Jeremiah story, “The Hope,” out in the world. Many people have reached out to tell me how much they enjoyed the story — I cannot express how much hearing from readers means to me. Thank you!! (And if you’re new to Jeremiah, why not check out my debut, The Book of Jeremiah? Click here to order a signed copy)!
In terms of writing itself, I find it difficult to do while I’m traveling. I’ve continued to work on my query letter and on another short piece. I’m looking forward to getting back into a regular writing routine.
On the personal front: I had a great visit to the US, celebrating two fantastic s’machot (happy family occasions), spending lots of quality time with family and friends, hiking in the Hudson Valley amidst stunning fall foliage, spending my first holiday and Shabbat in NYC in decades, attending two excellent Broadway shows (& Juliet and Our Town - highly recommend both), watching my favorite team in the World Series (though would have preferred a different outcome), running in Riverside Park, buying books, voting in person, attending the weekly hostage gathering in Central Park, and somehow managing to do some work for my day job. (Now you understand why I didn’t get much writing done).
Recommended Reading
I’m up to 71 books for the year. Here are this month’s recommendations:
The Fraud by Zadie Smith: I really enjoyed Zadie Smith’s latest entertaining and delightful novel. You know the feeling when you’ve read a book that you feel “eh” about, and then you turn to your next book, and immediately it is much better? As in, “thank goodness, with this book, I know I’m in the hands of a talented writer…” That’s how I felt when I started The Fraud, and I wasn’t disappointed. The novel, which begins in 1873, follows Mrs. Eliza Touchet, a Scottish housekeeper—and cousin by marriage—of a once-famous novelist, William Ainsworth. Ainsworth is prolific but not very talented; he often looks to Mrs. Touchet for feedback on his work, and it falls to her to find the right balance between encouragement and protecting him from himself (and critical reviews). At the same time, the country is divided by the Tichborne Trial (a real event), during which a lower-class butcher from Australia claimed he was in fact the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title in England. Mrs. Touchet is fascinated by the trial and the star witness, Andrew Bogle, a former slave from Jamaica. I’m not doing the novel justice here, but perhaps this blurb from NPR will help: “The Fraud is a lot of things: a meticulously researched work of historical fiction, a smart narrative about the importance of truth and the shortcomings of perspective, and a tale that delves deeply into authenticity and justice . . . her talent for descriptions and witty dialogue make some parts of this novel as entertaining as the wildest fiction . . . packed with great writing and shining passages that go from humorous to deeply philosophical.” I’m looking forward to discussing this book next week with my local book club.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden: It’s easy to understand why The Safekeep has been shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. This sensuous debut novel deals with two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961, Isabel, whose life is quiet and ordered, and Eva, the new girlfriend of Isabel’s brother, who has “deposited” her there as a long-term guest. The women are opposites in every way, and as things start to disappear around the house, Isabel becomes a woman obsessed. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but what follows is a powerful novel of desire, suspicion, and intrigue that explores of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of the past. I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was very good. I liked this blurb from WAMC: “The writing is completely beautiful; the plot is brilliant. . . . What seems as a quiet story at the beginning reaches a turning point. . . . Everything is up for grabs. . . . A page-turner.” I think this would make a great choice for book clubs.
The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer: Fans of books about rock bands (e.g. Daisy Jones or Opal & Nev), will definitely enjoy Sarah Seltzer’s debut, which deals with two generations of a Jewish folk-rock family as they “collide over art, love, longing, and family secrets.” In the 90s, Emma Cantor is seeking to burst onto the music scene though her mother Judie (a 60s folk rock legend) tries to steer her towards a different path. The novel goes back and forth between the 90s and the 60s, when Judie and her sister Sylvia were at the height of their fame as “The Singer Sisters.” Judie eventually disappeared from public life to raise her kids as her husband and sister continued their careers. Back in the 90s, Emma and Judie clash over song-writing material, raising questions of privacy, legacy, and parental choices. I like this blurb from Rob Sheffield: “What a story: artists, sisters, daughters, mothers, rivals, guitars. The Singer Sisters is a totally fresh and original rock & roll saga of a family full of formidable, creative, unforgettable women.” I’m looking forward to hearing Sarah discuss her book at our November 10 Literary Modiin event. Register here.
Events
I’m looking forward to several events this month. Hope to see you at all of these!
Nov 10 at 20:00 Israel time / 1 pm Eastern: Literary Modiin’s November event with Sarah Seltzer (THE SINGER SISTERS), Jessica Elisheva Emerson (OLIVE DAYS) and Talia Carner (THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO). Register here.
Nov 17: The 2024 Jewish Writers’ Conference, sponsored by the Jewish Book Council, is open for registration. The conference is virtual, and will take place from 10 am - 5 pm Eastern time.
Nov 18, 19 & 20 at 19:00 Israel time / 12 pm Eastern: Several sessions as part of the JBC conference, free and open to the public. I’ll be speaking on Nov. 20 at the panel entitled “Why is This War Different from All Other Wars: Writing About Israel After October 7th,” together with Deborah Harris, Galina Vromen, and Miryam Sivan. Register for one or all three here.
Save the dates for upcoming Literary Modiin events - Sunday December 15 and Sunday January 19! Missed any of our Literary Modiin events? Catch the recordings here.
Poems of the Month
Two new poems this month that are near and dear to my heart, as they capture the beauty and heartbreak of volunteering in the agricultural sector.
From Picking Fruit After October 7 by Elizabeth Edelglass (Lilith):
“In January, February, and March,
it was oranges, fragrant flowers
falling on heads of writers…”
From In Borrowed Clothes by Merri Ukraincik (PB Daily - JBC):
“I hadn’t packed for picking grapefruit
in the rain, nor for harvesting anything
at all. I’d only flown across the sea
to hold my son and know with
my own eyes that he was whole.
Recipe of the Month: Cousin Helen’s Mushroom Barley Soup
Welcome to the (near) end of this newsletter, where you’re rewarded with a yummy recipe. I’ll confess I haven’t made this one, but my mom made her cousin Helen’s recipe for the first night we were in Connecticut, and it was quite delicious so I’ll be making it when I get home…a perfect fall / winter recipe.
Ingredients
1/4 c butter (use olive oil to make the soup pareve)
1 lb. (~450 g.) mushrooms, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
2-3 large carrots, chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. pearl barley, rinsed
2 TBSP flour
8 c. vegetable broth
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 TBSP chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in a large pot. Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and barley. Sautee until vegetables begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Add flour to pot and stir for five minutes. Mix in the broth gradually. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until barley is tender and soup is beginning to thicken, about 40 minutes. Mix in the parsley and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Israel/Jewish Literary World Update
From the home front
It feels a little funny to be writing an Israel update when I’ve been abroad since my last report, but of course I’ve been keeping up with the terrible news from home. The last two weeks have seen many new casualties and so much new heartbreak, to say nothing of the continued heartbreak over our hostages, who have now been captive and kept in terrible conditions for 395 days, our soldiers fighting, our civilian population targeted daily by missile, drone and terrorist attacks. And it is just as painful to know that many Palestinians who want no part in the ways of Hamas or Hezbollah are also dying and suffering in this war.
But since I haven't been home, I'll let the words of my friends speak about the last few weeks…I encourage you to read the full posts and subscribe to their Substacks.
As Vivian Cohen-Leisorek wrote the other day in her The Little Things Substack:
It’s been the bloodiest month for Israel since October 2023, with 85 soldiers and civilians killed in a war whose objectives are more unclear than ever, and no indication that our PM prefers the welfare of the country to his own political survival. And countless others killed every day on the “other side” (not mourning the terrorists, but one cannot possibly be complacent about civilians killed as a result of the fighting.)
And Jessica Steinberg writes in her Substack:
It feels somewhat shocking when we actually push ourselves through weeks like this last one, when it seemed like the entire city of Jerusalem, the entire country, is one massive mourning tent, as families and friends mourn more than a dozen reservists and soldiers who fell in Lebanon and Gaza in the past week, some in their early 20s, others in their 30s and 40s, married men with kids and wives, resulting in a total of 56 orphans just this past week.
One more brand new Substack to check out is Rebecca Bardach’s Between Despair and Determination, in which she will share “stories and examine the experience of living in Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, while striving for social and political change.”
When will it end? I pray very soon.
I’ll end this section with Josie Glausiusz’s well-researched article in Nature, which gave me a measure of hope: The Israel–Hamas conflict one year on: researcher resilience in the face of war.
Being Abroad
Naturally, many of the conversations I had with people in the States centered on the situation at home, including concern for my son in the army (he is fine); how my daughter is doing in light of her two friends who are still hostages / managing reserve duty with her studies; and generally how Israelis have been surviving over 13 months. But we also spoke about how things have been for Jews in America this year, at work, on college campuses, which things were done differently on Simchat Torah, and much more.
Top of mind more than anything else, right now, of course, is the American election. Everyone is deeply, deeply anxious, to say the least. Watching the World Series live, I was “treated” to non-stop political commercials. I voted in my hometown, thanks to early voting. This past Shabbat, my sister’s rabbi spoke of the need to keep our hearts open to those on the opposing side, which, in an election as divisive as this, is difficult. (We would all do well to learn from the family of Rabbi Avi Goldberg, a beloved rabbi and teacher from Jerusalem, who was killed in Lebanon ~two weeks ago. Politicians would only be welcome at the shiva, the family said, if they came in pairs, one from the coalition and one from the opposition). If you’re voting in the US and still undecided, check out this post from Yehuda Kurtzer.
In the literary world,
as you may have heard, it has not been a stellar few weeks, to say the least. Rooney et al are at it again, calling for a dangerous, idiotic and nonsensical boycott of Israeli literary and cultural organizations and events, which - last I saw - had about 2700 signatories, but thankfully Creative Community for Peace had a counter letter signed by thousands in the literary and entertainment world, which states, in part:
The instincts and motivations behind cultural boycotts, in practice and throughout history, are directly in opposition to the liberal values most writers hold sacred.
Boycotts against authors and those who work with them is illiberal and dangerous.
In fact, we believe that writers, authors, and books — along with the festivals that showcase them — bring people together, transcend boundaries, broaden awareness, open dialogue, and can affect positive change.
If you are an author or work in the literary or entertainment industry, and would like to add your name, you can do so here.
I was very glad to see this op-ed - Stop the Boycott of Israeli Culture in The New York Times by Deborah Harris and Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs of the Deborah Harris Agency.
Also last week, over at My Machberet (Erika Dreifus’ weekly compilation of Jewish literary news - subscribe!), Erika discusses yet another example of mainstream literary media (Poets & Writers) choosing to ignore or erase the experience of Jewish and Israeli writers. She’s been quietly encouraging the editor of Poets & Writers to cover our experiences but this has not been heeded to date. This comes just weeks after AWP (the largest gathering of writers and publishers) announced its sessions and, no surprise, only sessions featuring anti-Zionist Jews were selected.
Coupled with the appearance at Barnard (and other colleges) of United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese - prompting the WSJ to publish the editorial Antisemitism Goes on a College Tour - it’s been hard to keep up with the onslaught of news.
With hopes for a much much better month ahead, fingers crossed on the election tomorrow, I’ll leave you with a few pictures from my trip
Until next month, b’sorot tovot. Am Yisrael Chai.
A small way to support my work: Since June 2019, I’ve hosted the monthly Literary Modiin author series, and since April 2020, I’ve been putting out this monthly newsletter. Both represent a significant amount of effort for me, but I love talking about books and promoting other authors, and I’m committed to keeping both of these things FREE for all. I do incur some expenses to keep these up, however, so if you have enjoyed the Literary Modiin events and/or if you enjoy the newsletter or both, and you’d like to support my work in some small, tangible way, I’d be grateful if you’d click on the “Buy Me a Coffee” link below. (If you can’t, that’s fine too)! I appreciate your continued support for these events, book recommendations and my literary musings.
Request: If you’ve read (and liked) The Book of Jeremiah, please help me out by writing a brief review on Amazon or wherever you purchase books online. It can be as simple as one or two lines. Thank you!
Julie Zuckerman's debut novel-in-stories, The Book of Jeremiah, was published in May 2019 by Press 53. Her fiction and non-fiction have appeared in CRAFT, Tikkun, Jewish Women’s Archives, Crab Orchard Review, The Coil, The SFWP Quarterly, Ellipsis, MoonPark Review, Sixfold, and The MacGuffin, among others. She is the founder and host of Literary Modiin, a monthly author series celebrating fiction, memoir and poetry with Jewish content. A native of Connecticut, she lives in Israel with her husband and four children. www.juliezuckerman.com
This newsletter was full of so many high and lows. &Juliet! 71 books! Simchas! And then the rest, of course, of the harder stuff. I'm glad you had some time in the States to be with your family here.
I'm so happy that my new book, Bylines and Blessings, has made it into your book haul back to Israel. I hope it gives you much reading pleasure. Of the others you showed, I have read The Great Alone and The Anatomy of Exile, both of which were quality fiction reads. Based on your recommendation, I'm going to get my hands on both The Fraud and The Safekeep. Both look terrific.