Event Type: MJBW2026

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.

How did Australia become a refuge for alleged Nazi war criminals after WWII, and what happened when investigators set out to find them? This session explores fact, fiction, print and screen through the work of Danny Ben-Moshe, Mark Aarons and Dan Goldberg, moderated by Simon Holloway. From the Special Investigations Unit’s pursuit of justice for Holocaust victims, to the documentaries Our Dad the Nazi Killer and The Hunt for the Last Nazis, and most recently the novel The Watchmaker’s War, this discussion uncovers hidden histories, family secrets and unsettling truths in Australian suburbs.

**Speakers:** Mark Aarons, Danny Ben-Moshe, Dan Goldberg – moderator Simon Holloway

Author of Dog and The Girl Who Rode the White Lion, Yishay Ishi Ron is the winner of two US National Book Awards, and Dog was long-listed for the prestigious Israeli Sapir prize. Dog is an auto-fiction about war, addiction and PTSD, soon to be made into a movie. Ben Lindner, acclaimed producer of Beyond the Zero podcast, is passionate about changing lives through interviewing outstanding authors.

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

Amy Hack will be reading a reworked version of Galit Klas’ award-nominated original play DMG – Durch a Modneh Gloz, representing women poets of the early 20th century speaking of desire, guilt, freedom and the cost of silence. Following the reading, Amy Hack and playwright Galit Klas will invite audience responses in an interactive conversation about character, content and writing for performance.

**Speakers:** Galit Klas and Amy Hack: playreading and interactive session

In this soul-searching session, Joanne Fedler recounts her mother’s dying months during Covid, her mercy dash to be with her in South Africa, and the pull of the sea. Katia Ariel paints the remarkable life of deathworker, community builder, and cultural archivist, Ephraim Finch, with profound insight. And esteemed author, Andrea Goldsmith, reaches new heights with The Buried Life, her latest novel that centres on death while grappling with the conundrums of life.

**Speakers:** Katia Ariel, Joanne Fedler, Andrea Goldsmith – moderator Magdalena Ball

Romance has arrived! From historical romance to contemporary romance, and dark romance to ‘romantasy’, to a climax of everything in between, this much-anticipated session will bring it all together. Book-tokking sensation Charlotte Hayward joins best-selling Rom Com duo, Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus, and trauma-romance expert, Alicia Leigh in this sensationally saucy exposé of books that will make you swoon.

**Speakers:** Ali Berg, Michelle Kalus, Charlotte Hayward, Alicia Leigh – moderator Jessica Bellamy

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.

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