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Event Topic: Jewish Identity & Culture

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • In Search of Safe Haven: The Wandering Jew

    In Search of Safe Haven: The Wandering Jew

    THIS EVENT is proudly supported by:

    Rachel Cockerell, David Marlow, Adam Van Heerden – moderator Michael Visontay

    From a German-Jewish family spanning more than 300 years, to the little-known proposal for a Jewish homeland in Texas, to a contemporary pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, this conversation explores journeys of displacement, resilience and self-discovery. Drawing on family archives, historical research and personal experience, the panel examines how migration shapes identity, how communities preserve memory across generations, and what the search for belonging can teach us about Jewish life, past and present.

  • Intersections: Shared Histories, Different Journeys

    Intersections: Shared Histories, Different Journeys

    Merav Fima, Ayelet Tsabari, Sanjiva Wijesinha – moderator Marcelo Maghidman

    From the Middle East to the Americas, Europe and the Orient, Jewish communities have developed distinct traditions while remaining connected through history and time. Bringing together Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi and non-Jewish perspectives, this conversation explores the diversity of Jewish cultures and how this manifests in the stories we tell. What unites us despite our differences, how do others perceive us, and how do we perceive ourselves?

  • Upstanders Not Bystanders

    Upstanders Not Bystanders

    What inspires some people to stand up to hatred in the face of danger? In this call to action, Erica Frydenberg speaks of the remarkable heroes who saved countless lives during the Holocaust. Michael Scott explains his drive, as a non-Jewish ally, to shine a light on the exponential rise in antisemitism since October 7. Lee Kofman speaks from the heart about the online doxxing of 600 creatives, and how Ruptured has confronted the scourge. And Kylie Moore Gilbert provides insight into the plight of Iranians and her experience as a hostage in Tehran. This huge session will be expertly convened by Rachelle Unreich who has herself contributed to 3 recent anthologies on being Jewish today.

    **Speakers:** Erica Frydenberg, Lee Kofman, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Michael Scott – moderator Rachelle Unreich

  • International Spotlight: Rachel Cockerell in Conversation with Deborah Stone

    International Spotlight: Rachel Cockerell in Conversation with Deborah Stone

    THIS EVENT is proudly supported by:

    On June 7th 1907, a ship packed with Russian Jews sets sail not to Jerusalem or New York, but to Galveston, Texas. In a highly inventive style, Cockerell uses exclusively source material to capture history as it unfolds. Melting Point follows her great-grandfather David Jochelmann’s family through two world wars, to London, New York and Jerusalem – as their lives intertwine with some of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century. It is a story that asks what it means to belong, and what can be salvaged from the past. Deborah Stone, Editor-in-Chief of The Jewish Independent, leads a captivating conversation with London-based historian and author Rachel Cockerell.

  • 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

  • International Spotlight: Ayelet Tsabari in Conversation with Lee Kofman

    International Spotlight: Ayelet Tsabari in Conversation with Lee Kofman

    Ayelet Tsabari is the acclaimed, Israeli-Canadian author of best-selling memoir, The Art of Leaving. Her debut novel, Songs for the Broken-Hearted – a sweeping, multigenerational saga of love, loss and reconnection and the complex history of Yemeni Jews – is a winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Fiction, the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award and A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2024.
    Ayelet is in conversation with Lee Kofman, Russian-born Israeli-Australian author of six books and editor of three anthologies. Lee is a writing teacher and mentor based in Melbourne.

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