"This month marks the 100th anniversary of #Jewish #book month, a project of the #JewishBookCouncil, and I’ve been reflecting on what compels us to read (and write) Jewish #literature.

When I started “The Five #Books” #podcast in December 2024, I thought of it as a way to promote #Jewishbooks at a time when Jewish #authors were frequently overlooked, or worse. But over time, I’ve realized it’s really a project about the diversity of Jewish experience. Each book becomes a meeting place: between #author and #reader, past and present, self and community. Every conversation is a reminder of how reading #Jewishly keeps us connected — to the past, to each other and to the larger Jewish #story.

It feels fitting to celebrate both milestones together: a century of Jewish #reading and one year of “The Five Books.” Here are five things I’ve learned about the role Jewish books play in our lives."

https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/5-things-ive-learned-about-the-role-jewish-books-play-in-our-lives/

"Earlier this month, the #NewYorkMagazine cultural spinoff #Vulture #published an #article by Andrew Ridker, “A New #Jewish Plotline”, asking whether Jewish #writers should tackle different stories after what happened in #Gaza—stop portraying themselves as victims, and address the fact that #Jews are broadly affluent and powerful. But Phoebe Maltz Bovy questions the logic of this article, as it conflates broad critiques of #American #Jewry with #literature.

To help unpack what it means to #write #Jewishly in a #publishing world that often feels hostile to Jews, we’re joined by Chaya Lauer, who brings a reader’s perspective to the debate and maps a lineage from Philip Roth to contemporary voices to show how #Jewishliterature is plural, not prescriptive. She pushes back on the idea that #Jewishwriters must answer for actions done “in their name,” calling out the dangerous stereotype of collective culpability."

https://thecjn.ca/opinion/do-jewish-writers-speak-for-all-jews-answer-obviously-not/