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Event Topic: Humour & Satire

  • Melbourne Jewish Book Week 2026 Opening Night Gala: “If You Don’t Laugh…..”

    Melbourne Jewish Book Week 2026 Opening Night Gala: “If You Don’t Laugh…..”

    The much anticipated Melbourne Jewish Book Week Opening Night Gala is back!

    There’s no singular definition for Jewish humour, but we know it when we hear it. It can be acidic, dark and uncomfortably honest. It can be silly or necessarily subtle. Sometimes we choose to laugh because we know that, otherwise, we will cry.

    If You Don’t Laugh… is a gala evening that brings the community together through moments of humour, irony and reflection. Curated and introduced by the amazing Jessica Bellamy, enjoy an evening of unique stories by authors Rachel Cockerell, Yishay Ishi Ron, Ayelet Tsabari, Ali Berg, Danny Ben-Moshe, Katia Ariel, Alan Fyfe and Billy Albert, with live music from Galit Klas and Adrian Banner.

    Featuring visual art by Lola Kalinski-Digaletos, and set design from Charlotte Eizenberg.

    A/V and Sound: Damasta Productions
    Stage Management: Scott Bertram
    Videography: James McPherson
    Photography: Ofri Barnea

  • Beth Din Book Club: Talking Howard Jacobson’s Howl

    Beth Din Book Club: Talking Howard Jacobson’s Howl

    Only Howard Jacobson would dare write the post-October 7 Jewish diaspora experience with such irreverent wit, hilarity and frightening insight. Join the Beth Din of Books’ Tali Lavi and Bram Presser to discuss Jacobson’s astonishing new novel, Howl, and the state of contemporary Jewish fiction in a changed world. Whether you’ve read the book or not, this is bound to be a fun and thought-provoking interactive session.

    **Speakers:** Bram Presser and Tali Lavi on Howard Jacobson’s Howl

  • The Art of Satire: New Jewish Fiction

    The Art of Satire: New Jewish Fiction

    How do writers use satire to challenge assumptions, reveal uncomfortable truths and find meaning in a complex world? What is the role of humour, irony and absurdity in storytelling? The Rising Lights is Steve Toltz’ darkly comic and philosophical novel about a former child psychotherapist confronting modern loneliness and artificial intelligence. Alan Fyfe’s The Cross Thieves is a bold, compassionate and razor-sharp story of two hungry boys whose quest for adventure and revenge brims with street spirit. Billy Albert, in Everything Goes to the Dogs, creates an uproarious yet incisive satire of family, money and morality.

    **Speakers:** Billy Albert, Alan Fyfe, Steve Toltz – moderator Scott Whitmont

  • The Big Book Balagan: Books We Love

    The Big Book Balagan: Books We Love

    Elise Esther Hearst, Sarah Krasnostein, Dani Valent, Alice Zaslavsky – moderator Bram Presser

    A riotous discussion of Jewish books with some of Melbourne’s brightest book stars who will share their favourite recent reads, some hidden gems and all the books they can’t wait to read. You’ll be in for a wide-ranging and totally unpredictable book balagan with wild opinions, laughs and a dangerous increase to the height of your bedside book stack.

    As promised, here’s the reading list!

    A BOOK FOR GOOD TIMES AND BAD

    Alice Zaslavsky: The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel PhD

    Bram Presser: Fracture by Andres Neuman

    Dani Valent: The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

    Elise Esther Hearst: My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

    Sarah Krasnostein: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

    A BOOK OR AUTHOR YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD READ

    Alice: Living in an Upside Down World by Rabbi Ralph Genende

    Bram: Elaine Kraf (especially The Princess of 72nd Street)

    Dani: The Dark Room by Susan Faludi

    Elise: The Position of Spoons and Other Intimacies by Deborah Levy

    Sarah: Janet Malcolm

    BIG BOOK/LITTLE BOOK

    Alice: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabriel Zevin / Transcription by Ben Lerner

    Bram: Homebound by Portia Elan / The Last Movement by Robert Seethaler

    Dani: Chess by Stefan Zweig

    Elise: Famesick by Lena Dunham / Heartburn by Nora Ephron

    Sarah: The Power Broker by Robert Caro / The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick

    THE BOOK YOU’RE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO READING

    Alice: My Family by David Baddiel

    Bram: Dead Herzls by Joshua Cohen (February 2027)

    Dani: Howl by Howard Jacobson

    Elise: Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewcz

    Sarah: The Last Best Place on the Internet by Richard Cooke

  • MJBW Beth Din of Books 2025

    MJBW Beth Din of Books 2025

    Now an annual fixture on the Melbourne Jewish Book Week calendar, the Beth Din of Books brings together writers and critics Tali Lavi, Elissa Goldstein and Bram Presser as they preside over some of the best new Jewish books around. Fun, irreverent but deeply imbued with a love of the written word, the Beth Din of Books is sure to help you find your next favourite read!

  • Laugh a Little: An exposé on resilience

    Laugh a Little: An exposé on resilience

    All of us go through good times and bad and develop coping mechanisms through life’s experience. But how much of our resilience is in-built and how much can be learnt with positive behavioural techniques, self-care and mindfulness? Hear from the experts about the power of laughter, the importance of alone time, and the ability to rebuild our foundations when rocked by a crisis, perhaps even coming back stronger as a result.

  • Shalom Auslander: American Jewish Humour with a Modern Twist

    Shalom Auslander: American Jewish Humour with a Modern Twist

    In this live event filmed at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, acclaimed American author Shalom Auslander digs deep in conversation with David Slucki, revealing how his upbringing in an ultra-orthodox community has helped shape him and his view of the world. Shalom uses humour to not just defuse but illuminate the trauma. Please note, the discussion contains expletives.

  • Book Chat: Daniel Ziffer on ‘A Wunch of Bankers’

    Book Chat: Daniel Ziffer on ‘A Wunch of Bankers’

    In Daniel Ziffer’s book chat, the journalist discusses the gruelling stories of Australians dudded by trusted banks and financial institutions — and shares what surprised him most about the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry.SHOW LESS

  • Book Chat: Yaniv Iczkovits on ‘The Slaughterman’s Daughter’

    Book Chat: Yaniv Iczkovits on ‘The Slaughterman’s Daughter’

    Yaniv Iczkovits was a former lecturer in philosophy at the University of Tel Aviv. The Slaughterman’s Daughter, his third novel in Hebrew garnered top awards in Israel. Described by critics as ‘highly relevant and resonant today’ despite its 19th Century setting, Iczkovits was awarded the Wingate Literary Prize for The Slaughterman’s Daughter (translated into English by Orr Scharf) in 2021.

    In his book chat, Yaniv explores what he was able to achieve by setting a narrative in late 19th Century Russia, and discusses the concept of ‘tikkun olam’ — ‘repairing the world’.