Notes from Around the Web

A big todah rabah to the Jewish Book Council for tapping My Machberet for a "Beautiful Blogger Award" (now, it seems I need to script a post to "claim" the award proper).

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Other news from the JBC: The group's next Twitter Book Club will take place on Wednesday, September 15. The chosen title: Mitchell J. Kaplan's By Fire, By Water.

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"Hans Keilson is not entirely unknown in America," writes Adam Kirsch for Tablet. But before I read Kirsch's article, Keilson was unknown to me. I am glad that Kirsch (and, in the Boston Globe, Linda K. Wertheimer) have enlightened me, and I plan to read both Death of the Adversary and Comedy in a Minor Key asap.

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Meantime, of course (and as per usual), Josh Lambert, also writing for Tablet, also adds to my tbr list.

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So, too, does the Jewish Book Council reliably provide tbr titles. In this case, fall fiction from Israel (in translation).

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Wise words from Allegra Goodman.

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Thanks to Jewish Ideas Daily for pointing me to this very interesting review of Inventing the Israelite: Jewish Fiction in Nineteenth-Century France.

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The latest Jewish Reader book-group guide from the National Yiddish Book Center focuses on Joan Leegant's new novel, Wherever You Go.

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And if you're looking for a new calendar to mark the quickly-approaching Jewish New Year, consider the latest offering from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute's calendar project, which features "Jewish Women Writers: The Cities Behind the Stories."

Words of the Week: Jacob Weisberg

Over on my other blog, I routinely publish a "Quotation of the Week," something about writing (which is the focus of said other blog).

I'm beginning to think I should launch a "quotatation of the week" feature here, too. Below, you'll find this week's entry, taken from a discussion about boycotts of Israel (mainly, a current entertainment industry-fueled boycott).

"When people are trying to murder you because of your religion, it is difficult to credit the bona fides of those who merely want to shun you because of your nationality."

--Jacob Weisberg (via Jeffrey Goldberg)

Notes from Around the Web

We could all use a laugh these days, right? So thank you to Jeffrey Goldberg, for sharing "words that the New York Times will not print."
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Thank you also to New Vilna Review, for publishing my Israel- and family-inspired poem, "Sisters, or Double Chai."
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And thank you to Janice Weizman, for telling me about Ilanot, a creative-writing journal "produced, designed and edited by former participants in the Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Bar-Ilan University," and pointing me in particular to an interview with author Allen Hoffman.

Shabbat shalom!

Hebrew Lessons Online

Via H-Net.org

"Hebrew Lessons Online is a recently launched website with resources for learning Hebrew. The Web site is at http://hebrewlessonsonline.com. The site has an on-line Hebrew Level test to determine your level and get personalized self-study recommendations.

The site has links to on-line dictionaries and recommendations, a newsletter focused on Jewish holidays, and coming soon an online HebrewPedia -- a visual dictionary.

This new website is a great resource for anyone interested in learning or teaching Hebrew. Please forward this announcement to anyone who might be interested.

Haven't tried it yet myself, but it looks interesting.

Coming Soon: The Jerusalem Season of Culture

Exciting announcement via eJewish Philanthropy:

"An annual new summer season of culture will take place in Jerusalem beginning in 2011. This new season will focus on supporting arts and culture with a cutting edge, contemporary feel by integrating existing art, introducing new programs and facilitating collaborations among local and international artists, arts organizations and venues across the city, while helping to establish the city as a global center of creativity.

Itay Mautner, the season's artistic director, said, 'Jerusalem's social, ethnic and religious diversity has fueled the imagination of generations of artists. We are here to encourage this voice to thrive and flourish and to make the arts and culture accessible to all in Jerusalem.'

Naomi Bloch Fortis, the season's senior strategic advisor, added, 'Today Jerusalem is home to a vibrant arts scene, with over 100 cultural institutions, each expressing a different voice and unique essence. We look forward to our work with all of the artists and arts organizations here to create an inspired and stimulating season.'

The Schusterman Foundation-Israel initiated this season with assistance from a growing list of supporters including the municipality of Jerusalem and the Russell Berrie Foundation.

To stay up to date, check out The Jerusalem Season of Culture website."

Hopefully, literary art and artists will be included!

Some More History Behind My Book

As I've mentioned before, the animating spirits behind my forthcoming story collection, Quiet Americans, are my paternal grandparents, Jews who left Germany in the late 1930s. What seems to surprise some people is that rather than having immigrated to the United States together, my grandparents met and married here in New York. This photograph was taken at their wedding in January 1941. The bridal couple is toward the right side of the photo: Grandma is wearing a corsage and Grandpa is touching her shoulders.

I'm not sure when I started to imagine some of the emotions of that wedding day. Given the engagements and weddings I've seen in my lifetime, and given our own family's closeness, it was, and remains, very hard for me to envision a wedding where not only are no parents of the bridal couple present, but none have even met or spoken with their child's spouse.

But that was my grandparents' situation. My grandmother had left her parents behind in Germany; they were eventually able to immigrate to South America and join her brother there. My grandfather's biological parents were both long dead by the time my grandfather reached adulthood, and the woman he called mother was trapped in Europe (soon after this photo was taken, however, she did manage to get to New York, where she moved in with the newlyweds).

Not all of this has made its way into the book (some of it, frankly, seems more apparent in my abandoned novel). But now that you are sharing this pre-publication journey with me, I wanted to introduce you a little more fully to two of the "real" people behind Quiet Americans.

P.S. On the far left side of the photo you will see Rabbi Herbert Parzen, who officiated at the wedding (he also performed my parents' wedding ceremony 25 years later). Rabbi Parzen was himself married to one of my grandmother's American-born cousins--Sylvia--who was instrumental in helping to arrange my grandmother's immigration. Part of "Uncle Herbert"'s rabbinic life was dedicated to serving as a chaplain for Jewish prisoners in New York. Which may be why this call for Judaica items from Jewish Prisoner Services International, which I discovered via the Association of Jewish Libraries just last week, has resonated with me. My family and I will be checking our own collections to see what we can donate. Perhaps some of you can, too.

Yiddish Lessons with RoseEttaCohen

A friend passed this along to me. Good for a few midweek laughs!

Elie Wiesel on Writing and Anger

"All my writing was born out of anger. In order to contain it, I had to write. If I had not written, I would have exploded." - Elie Wiesel

via The Paris Review (on Twitter)

Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Summer Internship Program

The application deadline is approaching for the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Summer Internship Program (it is March 25, 2010).

The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute accepts six undergraduate and two graduate students with a demonstrated interest in Women’s Studies, Jewish Women’s Studies, or topics related to Jewish women/Jewish gender issues around the world to participate in our residential internship program. Applications are accepted from students attending universities in the US and abroad.

Undergraduate Interns:
--Work 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday
--Produce under staff supervision, an original piece of scholarly or creative work focusing on Jewish women and/or gender issues
--Work closely with HBI and Brandeis staff and scholars on new and established research projects
--Learn about the daily operations of an academic research institute by occasionally assisting with administrative tasks
--Visit local institutions and organizations of Jewish interest
--Meet local community activists
--Live on the Brandeis campus in subsidized housing

Similar in structure to the undergraduate program, the graduate student interns assist HBI-affiliated scholars as well as work on their own research projects. Graduate student interns work closely with their supervisors, who also act as their academic advisors. While not a requirement, the ideal candidates are working towards a degree in an area of study related to the supervisors’ expertise. All field trips and extracurricular activities are optional for the graduate student interns.

For details of this summer's projects and application instructions, visit the internship site.

Notes from Around the Web

Of all the programs Brandeis may cut, must they end the undergraduate Hebrew major and the minor in Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture?
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The Jewish Review of Books is online! NB: Some material is behind a paywall. (Thanks to the Jewish Book Council for the heads-up.)
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Speaking of the Jewish Book Council, today's the day for the second Twitter Book Club "Twunch and Talk." See you there?

Books Needed

From Aaron Lansky/the Yiddish Book Center:

"Dear Friends: As you may have heard, two separate arson attacks in January have devastated the 600-year-old synagogue on Crete and left its extensive library and archives in ruins. Two Americans, two Britons, and a Greek citizen have been arrested. The Yiddish Book Center has offered to help replace some of the books that were destroyed – and we in turn are calling on our members and friends."

Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists

"The Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists is accepting applications for its next cohort of artists.

The fellowship program will support nine individual artists in New York City between the ages of 22 and 38 who are working in the visual arts, music, and performing arts and who want to develop a new project with a Jewish focus, theme, or element.

The program seeks projects that reflect or embody a thoughtful engagement with Jewish experience, history, values, issues, or concerns and that will resonate with a broad range of audiences but with particular emphasis on the artist's peers. During the two-year fellowship, artists will create and present their diverse projects to young audiences in the New York area through programs such as live performances, concerts, and gallery events.

To be eligible, artists need to have lived in New York City for one year prior to the fellowship start date (October 2010) and should already have networks and connections in New York City, which Six Points can help them use and leverage.

Each of the fellowships will provide a stipend of up to $20,000 over two years, a project grant of up to $20,000 over two years, and retreats, monthly workshops, coaching, and mentorship."

Letter of intent is due March 1. Visit Philanthropy News Digest for a link to the RFP.

Notes from Around the Web

Benjamin Ivry's superb article on a new exhibit about Romanian-French poet (and critic and filmmaker) Benjamin Fondane (1898-1944) inspired me to revisit the Web site of the museum at the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris, where the exhibit runs through the end of January. If you read French (I promise not to make French proficiency a prerequisite for appreciating My Machberet), I encourage you to go over and check out elements of the exhibit yourself (unfortunately, this material does not appear to be included among the translated items on the English version of the site).
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Inside Higher Ed reports on a panel at the 2009 Modern Language Association convention: "The underlying premise of the panel was that English departments that would never allow themselves to be without experts in the literatures of many racial and ethnic groups in the United States don't think twice about failing to have a knowledge base in American Jewish literature. Further, the view of many here is that discussions about multicultural literature that ought to include Jewish writers simply don't."
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The New Jersey Jewish News gives us an extraordinary profile of Peter Hirschmann's extraordinary life (Mr. Hirschmann happens to be a member of my home congregation, and his son and I were Temple Youth Groupers together back in the day).

614: New Issue and Call for Submissions

The new (November) issue of 614, an e-zine from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, takes a multifaceted look at poetry. Editor Michelle Cove introduces the content: "We talk to a cool young poet who has appeared on MTV and HBO; a 20-year-old poet who has already had more than 80 poems published; and the proud winner of the Worst Jewish Poetry Contest. Throw in two highly acclaimed Jewish women poets and there's something for anyone who appreciates verse."

614 is also looking for submissions: "614 is accepting essays and short stories that have something unique to say about being a Jewish female today. We will select pieces that fit into the theme covered in the issue. There will be no payment, but we'll include a link to the author's website or books. Submissions should be under 1,500 words; we'll contact you before publishing your essay. Email mcove(at)brandeis(dot)edu with '614 Submission' in the subject field."

Pre-Rosh Hashanah Notes from Around the Web

Here's a really lovely post about the connections between a temple-based writing group (located in Tuscon, Ariz.) and the Holy Days.
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Michelle Cameron, a self-described "writer of Jewish-themed books," guest-posts on my friend Lisa Romeo's blog.
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The aforementioned Scribblers on the Roof Web site has launched! Check it out. And look forward to a Q&A with founder/editor Kelly Hartog, right here on My Machberet, in the not-too-distant future.
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Jeffrey Goldberg links to an outrageously hilarious spoof of Mad Men (retitled for these purposes "Meshugene Men").
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Finally, and on a more somber note, the new issue of Brevity, which bills itself as "a journal of concise literary nonfiction," is online, featuring an amazing piece, "Somebody Else's Genocide," by author Sherman Alexie.

Shanah Tovah, everyone! See you back here in a few days.

Streaming Shabbat Services

I remember, growing up, listening to the weekly radio broadcast of early Friday evening Shabbat services live from New York's Temple Emanu-El. This was, of course, in the days before the Internet.

But now that we are living in an Internet society, services can be accessed online. Or, at least services held at Temple Beth Or in Morristown, N.J., can be accessed online.

According to the New Jersey Jewish News:

"Since May, the synagogue has been streaming its Shabbat services on Friday evenings and some Saturday mornings on a live webcast available to anyone with Internet access.

That puts B’nai Or in the vanguard of high-tech shuls. A search using — what else — the Internet revealed only two other synagogues with such an offering: Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham, Ala., and Shaarey Zedek Synagogue in Winnepeg, Canada."

It's a really interesting development, and, according to the article, one that is not limited to Jewish congregations.

Learn Yiddish Online

Want to study beginning Yiddish online? The National Yiddish Book Center brings you the opportunity to do so, via the University of Massachusetts' online instructional program.

"The course is for students who wish to explore the language and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry. There are no prerequisites, and no knowledge of any Jewish language or the Jewish alphabet is expected. Over the course of the semester, students will learn to read, write, and converse in Yiddish and will be introduced to a number of Yiddish songs, poems, and folktales. By the end of the term, students should be able to converse in Yiddish on a variety of topics and to read simple Yiddish texts.

The instructor, Yuri Vedenyapin, is the academic director of the National Yiddish Book Center's Summer Yiddish Program. He teaches Yiddish language and culture at Harvard University, and his scholarly interests include old and modern Yiddish literature, East European Jewish folklore, and the history of Yiddish dialects and literary standards. He is especially interested in ethnographic fieldwork and has conducted numerous interviews with Yiddish writers, actors, and members of Hasidic communities. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.A. from Columbia University. In addition to his work at Harvard, he has taught Yiddish at Columbia University, Moscow State University, and the Yiddish Summer Program in Warsaw, Poland. Besides his academic pursuits, he also performs songs in Yiddish, Russian, and Polish."

More info here.

NYT: Gary Shteyngart's Apartment is a "Good Deal"

From The New York Times:

A seventh-floor 800-square-foot co-op apartment at 575 Grand Street on the Lower East Side is listed by LoHo Realty for $425,000. The apartment has a small balcony and good light. There is a laundry in the building as well as access to a gym, and the maintenance charges are low, $623 a month, with a $35 monthly fuel surcharge. Although there is a bus stop outside, the subway is a hike.

This being New York City, the owner of this one-bedroom happens to be Gary Shteyngart, the Russian-born author of “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook” (Riverhead, 2002), the winner of both Stephen Crane and Jewish Book Council awards for fiction. He bought the apartment in 2004, and it’s where he wrote much of “Absurdistan” (Random House, 2006). Now, he wants to upgrade to a bigger place in the neighborhood.

“I wanted to price it in a way that seemed reasonable, so the sale wouldn’t take too long,” he said. “I also want to sell it at a point so I don’t lose money over what I paid for it after all the fees and taxes. Maybe it’s the immigrant in me. I just want to come out even.”

The apartment's living room is pictured in this slideshow (#3).

Andre Aciman on "The Exodus Obama Forgot to Mention"

Of all the analyses that have followed President Barack Obama's recent speech in Cairo, none has affected me as much as André Aciman's op-ed in today's New York Times:

The president never said a word about me. Or, for that matter, about any of the other 800,000 or so Jews born in the Middle East who fled the Arab and Muslim world or who were summarily expelled for being Jewish in the 20th century. With all his references to the history of Islam and to its (questionable) “proud tradition of tolerance” of other faiths, Mr. Obama never said anything about those Jews whose ancestors had been living in Arab lands long before the advent of Islam but were its first victims once rampant nationalism swept over the Arab world.

Nor did he bother to mention that with this flight and expulsion, Jewish assets were — let’s call it by its proper name — looted. Mr. Obama never mentioned the belongings I still own in Egypt and will never recover. My mother’s house, my father’s factory, our life in Egypt, our friends, our books, our cars, my bicycle. We are, each one of us, not just defined by the arrangement of protein molecules in our cells, but also by the things we call our own. Take away our things and something in us dies. Losing his wealth, his home, the life he had built, killed my father. He didn’t die right away; it took four decades of exile to finish him off.

Mr. Obama had harsh things to say to the Arab world about its treatment of women. And he said much about America’s debt to Islam. But he failed to remind the Egyptians in his audience that until 50 years ago a strong and vibrant Jewish community thrived in their midst. Or that many of Egypt’s finest hospitals and other institutions were founded and financed by Jews. It is a shame that he did not remind the Egyptians in the audience of this, because, in most cases — and especially among those younger than 50 — their memory banks have been conveniently expunged of deadweight and guilt. They have no recollections of Jews.

Read the full column here.

Jewish Humor, via New York Magazine

Larry David's striking resemblance to my dad is not the only reason I'm so happy to see this week's New York magazine cover story. I didn't know that Woody Allen had written and directed a new movie--starring David. Now I know.

And how about this for a good Web site idea: OldJewsTellingJokes.com. Just what I need--another Web distraction!

Really enjoyed this material--even if it does make me feel old. Somehow, I don't see myself quite as free of the "baggage" NYM seems to think my generation of American Jews has successfully shorn. Something to think about.