Listen:
This post and episode has particular importance during this fraught time. Because of the state of the world, and my concern for it and because it is a book full of stories that offer a window into the world of being Jewish, in all it’s permutations and variations, and humanity, I wanted to highlight this book, On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates, published by Zibby Books, and edited by Zibby Owens. Profits will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism.
On Being Jewish Now is a collection of essays about what it means to be Jewish and how Jewish life has changed since October 7th. Zibby came up with the idea for this anthology in response to feeling powerless against the spread of antisemitism.
The book is lush with stories. Seventy-five contributors share their stories of love, family, joy, fear, and pain, and the common threads that course through the Jewish people: resilience and humor. Contributors include Mark Feuerstein, Jill Zarin, Steve Leder, Joanna Rakoff, Amy Ephron, Lisa Barr, Annabelle Gurwitch, Daphne Merkin, Bradley Tusk, Sharon Brous, Jenny Mollen, Nicola Kraus, Caroline Leavitt, and many others. Among them: descendants of Holocaust survivors, several Israelis, and one author who lost a cousin in the war.
Publishers Weekly calls the anthology “a revealing look at the wide range of responses to a sad chapter in Jewish history”.
The e-book and audiobook, narrated by the contributors, was published on October 1st, the trade paperback on November 1st.
“This is about healing,” says Zibby. “About coping and connecting. In the only way I know how.”
I was so happy to have the chance to talk with best-selling authors, brilliant storytellers, and contributors to the book Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch about their essays and thoughts on the current climate and what needs to happen to build community, support and empathy.
In this episode:
- Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch’s essays for the anthology [3:20]
- Caroline and Annabelle’s experiences with anti-Semitism [4:27]
- The impact of a children’s storyteller on Caroline’s understanding of what it means to be Jewish [8:16]
- The importance of art and storytelling in fostering empathy and understanding [12:41]
- The call of our ancestral DNA during this fraught moment [22:24]
- Advice for jewish writers navigating this challenging and important time in Jewish history [24:36]
- The power of three little words [29:09]
Watch on YouTube
Zibby Owen’s episode #36 on Freelance Writing Direct
About Caroline
Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times bestselling author of 13 novels, most recently Days of Wonder, which was a CBS/Mary Calvi bookclub pick, the recipient of a MidAtlantic Arts Foundation grant, and which was translated into Russia and has a shopping agreement for film. The co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, the book program begun the day of lockdown, she writes a column blog “Runs in the Family” for Psychology Today, and is a book critic for people and the recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship. She teaches story structure for the novel at UCLA Writers Program Extension and works with private clients. Her work has appeared in the New York Times “Modern Love,” New York Magazine, Salon, Lit Hub, The Millions and many anthologies.
About Annabelle
Annabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times Bestselling author, actress and activist whose most recent collection of essays “You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility” is a 2021 New York Times Favorite Book for Healthy Living, a Good Morning America Must Read and a finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing 2022. She’s written for The New Yorker, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and Hadassah amongst other publications. Her five books include the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist “I See You Made an Effort.” She’s written and developed adaptations of her books for HBO, F/X, NBC, Lifetime networks. She’s currently writing a film for the Hallmark Channel with Emmy winning tv producer Neena Beber based on “You’re Leaving When?” for Andi MacDowell to star in.
Annabelle has been chronicling living with stage iv lung cancer and inequities in healthcare in the New York Times and Washington Post since her out-of-the-blue diagnosis during covid.
Connect with Caroline Leavitt
Connect with Annabelle Gurwitch
photo credit jeff vespa
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