Robert Alter on Amos Oz
Critic, translator and biblical scholar Robert Alter brings the first published biography of Amos Oz to Book Week. Oz was one of Israel’s most prominent writers, a regular contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the author of dozens of novels, essay collections, and novellas in a career spanning over half a century. This […]
Bogie & Bacall
She was the 19-year-old daughter of Jewish immigrants, making her film debut. He was 45, a Mayflower descendent, about to become America’s highest-paid actor – and married. Yet the meeting of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart on To Have and Have Not sparked an iconic, enduring romance, still discussed 80 years on. New York Times […]
Jewish Women: Literacy & Liberty
Through much of history the Jewish Hebrew library of the ‘People of the Book’ excluded half of humanity; across all traditional Jewish communities compulsory communal education was only for boys until the turn of the last century. In her comprehensive study The Unknown History of Jewish Women Through The Ages Rachel Elior examines the social, […]
Kabbalah in Modern Literature
Kabbalah began modestly as an esoteric lore among a Jewish elite in 12th century Provence. By the end of the 15th century, with the emergence of the Christian Kabbalah in Italy, it had acquired an audience in European intellectual circles. Gershom Scholem, widely regarded as the founder of modern academic study of the Kabbalah, influenced […]
The State of Desire
In recent years Israeli state policies have attempted to dissuade Orthodox Jews from creating large families, an objective that flies in the face of their traditional practices. As the state’s desire to cultivate a high-income, tech-centred nation comes into greater conflict with common Orthodox familial practices, Jewish couples are finding it increasingly difficult to fulfil […]
Adventures in Exile: Literary Fiction
Novels, short stories, literary criticism, essays…two writers from either side of the Atlantic, both skilled in these disciplines, join us to discuss their careers and latest books. The Three Graces, Amanda Craig’s 10th novel (‘a brilliant piece of storytelling’ Andrew O’Hagan), follows a trio of old friends whose Tuscany retirement proves far from quiet as […]
Jewish Flavours of Italy
Growing up in Rome, Silvia Nacamulli had the privilege of observing three generations of fine Italian Jewish cooks within her own family. Now the La Cucina di Silvia founder, cook and food writer takes us on a culinary journey through her homeland, combining over 100 kosher recipes for Italian-Jewish dishes with family stories, stunning photography and practical […]
Pinchas Rutenberg: An Unreasonable Man
Pinchas Rutenberg electrified Palestine in more ways than one. A Russian revolutionary who plotted the murder of Lenin and Trotsky, he set up a hydro-electric plant on the Jordan River, blustering past determined opposition, before founding Palestine Airways. As leader of the Jewish population of Palestine he was heavily involved in negotiations with the British […]
Fervour
The Rosenthals are not like other families… Called, ‘a fearless look into the dark heart of family politics from a naturally gifted storyteller’ by Jonathan Coe, debut author Toby Lloyd discusses his chilling and unforgettable story of a close-knit Jewish family in London pushed to the brink when they suspect their daughter is a witch. […]
Adi Toch: Place to Place
A richly illustrated limited edition book, Place to Place takes its name from acclaimed artist metalsmith Adi Toch’s golden vessel, commissioned for the Gilbert Collection at the V&A in response to the restitution of an Anatolian gold ewer. As Edmund de Waal puts it in his foreword, “in creating this work she is acting as […]
Horror Movies in Israel
It’s one of the most popular – and profitable – genres in film. But before 2010, there were no Israeli horror films. Then over the last decade distinctly Israeli serial killers, zombies, vampires and ghosts invaded screens amid a blossoming of young local filmmakers. Olga Gershenson follows her previous books on Russian theatre in Israel […]
Good for a Single Journey
Based on a true story of love, loss, despair and hope, Good for a Single Journey spans four generations, weaving one family’s experiences into the fabric of Jewish 20th-century history. From her great-grandparents at the end of WWI to her own present as an educator, Helen Joyce draws on reality for this turbulent and mesmerizing […]