Dear friends,
I hope you’re all well enough and I hope it will be a happy July. It’s my birthday next week and my only wish is to see the hostages reunited with their families, our brave soldiers staying safe, and an end to the suffering all around. I had the luxury of experiencing several wonderful and moving things in June (my word of the month: מרגש - miragesh - which means touching/moving/exciting), more about that below. If you’re here for the regular dose of book reviews, literary events, a poem and resource of the month, a recipe, an update from Israel, scroll on down.
Brief writing update: I didn’t do very much writing at all this past month - not one word while I was in France (see below) and for a few days after that. (For those who are new here, I’ve been working on a novel inspired by this 90-year-old family secret). The good news: all my digging and research to find the actual dates of a few family events has yielded some fruit, helped, in part, by a French academic who was able to send me some files about two of my grandmother’s sisters. From there, I pieced together another part of the puzzle I’d been looking for. The bad news: I’ve got to throw out several scenes amounting to thousands of words. I’m trying to be as accurate to real events as possible, and with this new information, it seems unlikely that the way I’d been imagining things could have unfolded that way. I have no one to blame but myself, but it’s all good, I’m taking it as one big giant prompt.
Given that I haven’t figured it out yet, I’m taking a temporary pause on writing (but not research) in that project. Instead, I’m polishing a few of the stories in what I hope will be my second book (a sequel to The Book of Jeremiah). In this new novel-in-stories (title TBD though I’ve nicknamed it Jeremiah, Again), I have 11 stories, a few of which aren’t 100% ready to be sent out to literary journals, which means the manuscript as a whole is also not ready, so I expect to be working on that for the next month or so.
On the personal front: I spent a wonderful 9 days in Corsica and in Paris with my extended family (17 of us). My sister summed it up very well on Facebook, so I’ll share a screenshot of her post.
Here’s the original essay, For Czarna. Here’s the follow-up essay that explains the story, Czarna, Reimagined.
I’d met my second cousin Babeth (pictured above with both of my parents) last year, but no one else had, and it was the first time for all of us to meet her daughter, Karine, who did the research and found us. It was the trip of a lifetime, and very, very מרגש (miragesh). Corsica is a great vacation destination, but spending time with our cousins was the definite highlight. We spent an entire afternoon at their sheep farm, and then Karine and her husband took most of us on a hike in between two beautiful beaches. A few days later, they came for dinner to our Airbnb. More pics below, but I’ll just share this one video here.
Babeth was very grateful to my father for agreeing to do the DNA test. I imagine I’ll write about the trip at some point, but right now I’m still absorbing.
Recommended Reading
I’m up to 41 books so far this year, only one behind schedule. Here are this month’s recommendations:
How to Love Your Daughter by Hila Blum: I read this much-lauded, Sapir Prize winning novel for my local book club, our Israeli author pick for the year. From the book’s description: “Thousands of miles from home, a woman stands on a dark street, peeking through well-lit windows at two little girls. They are the grandchildren she’s never met, daughters of the daughter she has not seen in years. At the center of this mesmerizing story is the woman’s quest to understand how a relationship that began in bliss—a mother besotted with her only child—arrived at a point of such unfathomable distance.” Told in the first person and weaving back and forth over time, neither the mother or daughter are particularly likeable, but the writing is mesmerizing and taut, and the story brings up terrific questions and thoughts. This made for a great book club choice. I liked this blurb, from the NYT: “Often [the book’s] sentences are deceptively clear, as transparent and menacing as a swarm of jellyfish. Elsewhere, the tone swerves into humor, even goofiness. What links the two disparate registers, and all those in between, is an unerring authenticity: Every observation, gesture and piece of dialogue rings true.” (Side note: One thing I found a bit strange: there is absolutely nothing Israeli about this book; it could have taken place anywhere in the western world. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Blum’s agent, Deborah Harris, was able to sell the rights to it in 20 countries, though in a recent Ha’aretz article, she said she “wouldn’t have been able to sell the book if it had been published this year.”)
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld: In this clever novel, Curtis Sittenfeld imagines a Hillary Rodham who dates Bill Clinton during and after law school, but who breaks things off before they get married. Fictional Hillary forges ahead to fulfill her own political aspirations, at times making missteps, as humans do. I won’t give any spoilers but she does cross paths again with fictional Bill. Hillary’s character feels completely authentic - quite a tough act to pull off considering how much we know about her actual life, so serious props to the author. In the early part of the novel, you do have to get past the cringe factor of reading about fictional Hillary and Bill’s sex life, but that is a small price to pay to read this brilliant novel. I loved this blurb from The Washington Post: “[Curtis] Sittenfeld’s Rodham descends like an avenging angel. Here, in the pages of this alternate history about Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the story not of “What Happened” but of “What Could Have Happened.” This isn’t just fiction as fantasy; it’s fiction as therapy.” (And who can’t use a bit of therapy right now?) Highly recommend.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Speaking of therapy, Malibu Rising - which focuses on four famous surfing siblings and their end-of-season bash - is so far removed from my reality that it provided a great escape. I’ve been a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid since reading Daisy Jones & The Six, and this novel is just as good, if not better. The story unfolds over the course of 24 hours, in which each of the Riva siblings - Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit - must come to terms with secrets and high family drama. I listened to the audiobook and Julia Whelan’s narration was superb (as always). “A compulsively fun read” is how Today described it, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Events
I’m excited for several upcoming events this month and next!
This Wednesday, July 3rd, I’ll be going to hear John Irving speak in Mishkenot Shaananim in Jerusalem. Kol hakavod to him for agreeing to come (originally) for the Jerusalem Writers’ Festival in May, and now rescheduling his trip after having to cancel due to Covid. I was a big fan of The Word According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and others back in the day.
Our July Literary Modiin event, coming up on Sunday, July 14, at 20:00 Israel time / 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific. This month we’ll be hearing from Maya Arad (THE HEBREW TEACHER), Marcela Sulak (THE FAULT), and Mimi Zieman (TAP DANCING ON EVEREST. Register here.
If you want to get a jump on saving the date and registering for our August event, that will be on Sunday, August 4th, featuring Ellis Shuman (RAKIYA), Maxim D. Shrayer (KINSHIP), and Danila Botha (THINGS THAT CAUSE INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS), please register here.
Poem of the Month: Things I Need to Hear Right Now (After Nine Days in Jerusalem)
Things I Need to Hear Right Now (After Nine Days in Jerusalem) by Evonne Marzouk (The Jewish Writing Project): I appreciated this powerful poem, which captures what many of us are feeling right now. Yes, will someone please tell me, tell all of us, that things will get better? Evonne posted that she’d written this poem in January and that by June she’d hoped “we would be in an entirely different place.” Halavai that we will be in that place soon.
Resources of the Month: New Outlets for Jewish Creativity
Wow, amidst all of the antisemitism and more and more examples of Jews identifying with Israel being shut out of the literary world, it’s refreshing and exciting to keep hearing about new ventures in Jewish publishing. Here are a couple of the new outlets I’ve come across recently:
Judith Magazine (via Elissa Wald’s Never Alone Substack). Here’s her initial post on the magazine, and here are the submission guidelines. I can’t even keep up with everything Elissa is doing, but if you’re on Facebook, you should also join the Never Alone Book Club.
Of the Book: publishing Jewish books, short stories, nonfiction and poetry
Writing on the Wall: featuring workshops and short pieces, including a current call for submissions for the Miklat Project. (Miklat means shelter in Hebrew. “We are inviting submissions on the ‘miklat’ - your safe space or shelter, private or metaphorical.” (500 words or less - email info@writingonthewall.io).
Iron Words: Israel War Stories: Inspirational and thought-provoking writing on topics such as living through the war, volunteering, remembering our fallen, praying for our hostages, having loved ones in the army and other related topics.
Green Golem Magazine: a Zionist literary magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are “a diverse group of writers and artists inspired by and dedicated to the Jewish community, the State of Israel, and affirmingthe rights of all nations to self-determination and a life free of terror.”
Recipe of the Month: Crispy Gnocchi With Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Welcome to the near end of the newsletter, where you are rewarded with a yummy recipe. This is an easy weeknight dish, courtesy of NYT Cooking…I made it last night but forgot to take a picture.
Ingredients
2 TBSP olive oil
2 (12- to 18-ounce) packages shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
2 TBSP butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 pints cherry/date tomatoes
¼ c torn basil leaves (optional), plus more for serving
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut or torn into ½-inch pieces
Sauté the gnocchi in the olive oil for a few minutes, ensuring that they are not sticking together. Add butter, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and 3 tablespoons water and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and the liquid has slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Smash the tomatoes as they burst to help them along. (Beware of squirting tomatoes!) Place the gnocchi, tomatoes, and basil into a oven-proof serving dish (or a sheet pan if you wish), spread the mozzarella around and bake in the oven (or broil) until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with more basil if you’d like. Enjoy!
Israel Update & Resources
The war grinds on and feels interminable. It was good to get somewhat of a break during our trip to France, though of course we kept abreast of major events, including the devastating loss of eight soldiers on our first Shabbat and others during the rest of the week.
(Quick tangent to report on what we experienced in France: I'm happy to report that we felt no negativity towards us in Corsica or in Paris...my husband literally whipped out his tefillin and davened outside the Marseille airport; someone in Corsica stopped him when he was on a run wearing his Bring Them Home/Bring Hersh Home running shirt to show her support; someone else honked at us in Paris and gave a thumbs up when seeing his Michigan shirt in Hebrew; we were at kosher restaurants that were full and had outdoor seating; and five minutes before I had to leave for the airport, I bumped into a pro-Israel rally in support of the hostages a block away from our hotel...When we were in Paris, my niece and nephew went out dancing and someone did show up with pro-Palestinian signs, but that’s it).
Returning home, it was back to reality. The mood is still grim, waiting for something to give. Waiting and praying for the hostages.
There are points of light. In my mid-month update on June 14, I celebrated the June 8th rescue of four hostages - Andrey Kozlov, Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan. Readers may remember that Andrey and I worked together at my last company, so our former marketing department whatsapp has been filled with pictures and articles about Andrey’s return. (He’d been an intern with us, working with the graphic design team). So it was terrific, last week, to see a picture of Andrey and the other two graphic designers. “He was very happy and excited to hear that we were all thinking about him. He remembers each and every one of us,” my colleague wrote.
Little did I expect, the following day, to see Andrey in person. I was with my friend and our daughters at an Ishay Ribo concert, and after the second or third song, Ishay announced that we had a special guest in our presence. Apparently Andrey’s girlfriend had given an interview after his rescue in which she mentioned that Andrey had kept singing an Ishay Ribo song in his head during his captivity - הבוקר יעלה - the morning will rise (here’s a YouTube version of it with the translations), and that helped keep his hope alive. Well. Remember my word of the month, מרגש (miragesh - moving)? When Ishay Ribo announced that Andrey was the special guest, the entire audience stood up and gave him a standing ovation. My daughter caught a bit of it, but there was an official videographer who caught the whole thing and you can watch it here with subtitles. מרגש ברמות, miragesh b’ramot, which I’ll loosely translate to “beyond moving.” (After the concert, Andrey was mobbed by well-wishers, naturally. I managed to say a quick hello and he gave me a hug before the security people whisked him away).
Now I’ve been on a steady diet of Ishay Ribo songs. Music helps. It’s a pretty cool thing that his band features a guy with very long peyus and many of his songs are religious in nature, yet he appeals to a wide spectrum of the public, including my 23-year-old (pretty secular) daughter.
Saturday night I attended our local gathering in support of the hostages, and we heard from the uncle and cousin of Ofer Kalderon and the brother of Dror Or, z”l, originally presumed a hostage but the family was informed two months ago that he was killed on October 7th (as was his wife); two of their children were taken hostage but released as part of the deal in November. There are so many, many orphans and painful stories.
A friend just sent this: A Place at the Table which “commemorates those lost on October 7 and in the war by sharing their stories and preserving their favorite recipes. We have worked closely to document family members and friends as they prepare these dishes and tell us about their lost loved ones.” It’s a project of Asif, a non-profit organization and culinary center in Tel Aviv dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture.
So many different people and organizations are doing what they can to document and commemorate those we’ve lost and help those who must now rebuild. If you have an opportunity to come and volunteer, please do.
That’s it for now. Halavai (may it come to pass) that our hostages will be home soon, that our soldiers will stay safe, and that there will be less suffering all around. I’ll leave you with a some pictures from the last few weeks.
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