Book of the Week 8 September 2025
Foreign Seed It’s rare to find a book so finely imagined, particularly from a debut novelist. Foreign Seed takes us to China in 1918, where young American Vice-Consul Samuel Sokobin is sent inland to investigate the disappearance of fellow countryman Frank Meyer. What begins as a routine assignment becomes something far more personal, as Sokobin […]
Book of the Week 1 September 2025
The Magician of Lublin We love the way Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer’s The Magician of Lublin captures both the wonder of illusion and the truth of human frailty. Yasha the magician -sword swallower, fire eater, acrobat, escape artist -slips between worlds, faith, and desire. Now, though, his exploits are catching up with him, […]
Book of the Week 25 August 2025
Daughters of the Labyrinth by Ruth Padel Celebrated poet, novelist and non-fiction author Ruth Padel brings her sure-footed sense of place and identity to this lyrical exploration of the end of almost 2500 years of history of the Jews of Crete. The book reflects both the deep history that can be unearthed at sites like […]
Book of the Week 18 August 2025
Who will write our history? by Samuel D. Kassow ‘Who Will Write our History?’ is a testament to the importance of honouring history to restore the names of the past sincerely and compassionately. Through rigorous research and vivid writing, Samuel D. Kassow brings to life the determination of the decimated residents of the Warsaw Ghetto, […]
New Event: Shameless
Shameless: Exploiting the Holocaust In novels, film and popular culture, the Holocaust genre is booming. Streaming hits and bestsellers play a vital role in shaping understandings of the past. But, as Tanya Gold shows in the latest groundbreaking essay for the Jewish Quarterly, the creators of these works all too often engage in a crass and self-serving exercise […]
Book of the Week 11 August 2025
From the Tigris to the Thames by Linda Dangoor Modestly subtitled ‘A Cookbook’, this book transported us from our London office to a world of bold and delicate flavours, interweaving a captivating family memoir with recipes that bring life to the story. Complete with beautiful period photographs and descriptions of feasts, festivals and Jewish Iraqi […]
Remembering Tom Lehrer
Legendary Jewish songwriter Tom Lehrer, who died this week at 97 years old, was famous for the dark humour that infused all of his work. A child mathematics prodigy who graduated Harvard at just 19, he was also a dazzling pianist, groundbreaking activist and beloved satirist. As Andrew Robinson observed in our 2022 event celebrating […]
Book of the Week 21 July 2025
Jewish Country Houses edited by Juliet Carey and Abigail Green This beautifully illustrated book uncovers the hidden history of Jewish country houses – homes of ambition and belonging, often shattered by antisemitism and war. With fascinating case studies from Waddesdon to Brno, it’s a moving portrait of identity and memory. We love how it reimagines […]
Book of the Week 14 July 2025
The 100 Best Novels in Translation by Boyd Tonkin Why do we love it? This book is a passionate, insightful guide to some of the world’s greatest fiction, written between 1600 and 2000. Tonkin’s selection ranges from classics such as Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and Vasily Grossman’s Life and […]
Announcing the Freudenheim Translation Prize
For 75 years, it has been our privilege to champion Jewish literature and its power to captivate international audiences. Today marks an important milestone in this journey, with the launch of our inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize. Celebrating outstanding translations of books on Jewish life, culture, and ideas, we are delighted that Boyd Tonkin will lead […]
Summer Reads 2025
Our recommendations for Summer 2025 A thrilling selection of fiction and non-fiction to enjoy while the sun shines. And Notre Dame is Burning by Miriam Robinson A blistering debut novel by an exciting new Jewish voice, this exploration of grief, betrayal, motherhood and marriage had us gripped from start to finish. Coming out on 7 […]
Book of the Week 1 July 2025
The Mad Files by David Mikics Why do we love it? Snappy, subversive, and full of furshlugginer fun, The Mad Files is a deliriously nostalgic romp through the irreverent world of MAD magazine. With reflections by the Usual Gang of Idiots and fans like Liel Leibovitz, Art Spiegelman, Leah Garrett, and Adam Gopnik, it uncovers […]