The much-anticipated Melbourne Jewish Book Week Opening Night Gala is officially back, bringing the community together for an unforgettable evening of storytelling, reflection, and, above all, laughter.
While pinning down a singular definition for Jewish humour can be elusive, we always know it when we hear it! It can be acidic, dark, and uncomfortably honest; it can be delightfully silly or sharply subtle. As the evening’s guiding ethos reminds us: sometimes we choose to laugh simply because we know that, otherwise, we will cry.
Curated and introduced by the brilliant Jessica Bellamy, this year’s gala promises a rich tapestry of unique stories. The star-studded lineup features international literary voices including Rachel Cockerell, Yishay Ishi Ron, and Ayelet Tsabari, alongside beloved local talents Ali Berg, Danny Ben-Moshe, Katia Ariel, Alan Fyfe, and Billy Albert. Guests will also be treated to live musical performances by Galit Klas and Adrian Banner.
The full festival runs from August 1st – 4th with a broad range of panel discussions, interviews and events, embracing Jewish and non-Jewish authors, and overseas guests including one British and two high-profile Israeli writers.
Israeli-Canadian author, Ayelet Tsabari, will be speaking about her award-winning memoir, The Art of Leaving, and her debut novel Songs for the Broken-Hearted, inspired by her Yemenite heritage. She will be in conversation with a co-editor of the Ruptured anthology, Lee Kofman, who worked with Tsabari in Israel before Kofman migrated to Australia.
In the session, ‘Nazis in Australia’, filmmakers Danny Ben-Moshe and Dan Goldberg, together with investigative reporter Mark Aarons, will discuss how post-World War II Australia became a refuge for perpetrators from the Third Reich, at the same time as it was opening its doors to Jewish survivors.
A centrepiece of the festival on Sunday will be an engaging panel session featuring Rachel Cockerell, David Marlow, and Adam Van Heerden, moderated by Michael Visontay.
Well-respected Ginninderra Press publisher Debbie Lee is the festival director. Lee says, “Connections is the theme of this year’s biennial event.”
She adds, “the festival is a celebration of Jewish writing, but the themes are diverse, traversing fiction and non-fiction, history, satire, grief, romance, trauma, AI, and more! We hope all who attend walk away enlightened and feeling inspired.”
For more information and passes, see the website.
