Jewish Literary Festival
Sun May 22, 09:00 - Sun May 22, 17:00
Gardens Community Centre
ABOUT
The Western Cape is fast becoming the Book Festival province. Hard on the heels of the Franschhoek Literary Festival comes the first Jewish Literary Festival (JLF) on Sunday 22 May, offering a jam-packed day of fascinating events to anyone who loves books, Jewish literature, culture and conversation.
The JLF will showcase authors, poets, illustrators, journalists, writers and educators who have a Jewish connection or are engaged with subjects of Jewish interest. The venue is the Gardens Community Centre in Cape Town, home to the acclaimed Jacob Gitlin Library which is partnering the festival. The Cape Jewish Chronicle and Exclusive Books have also come on board as associates.
From 09h00 to 17h00 the various sites comprising the centre will hum with panel discussions, launches, readings, debates, presentations and book-style activities. More than 24 events will cover a variety of genres such as fiction, food, memoir, politics, academia, scriptwriting, journalism, and the arts.
Award-winning and well known authors have already committed to being part of the JLF – so look forward to meeting writers such as Steven Robins, Diane Awerbuck, Rachel Zadok, Patricia Schonstein, Gus Silber, Kevin Bloom, Joanne Jowell, Anne Landsman, Rahla Xenopoulos, Adam Mendelsohn, Raymond Joseph, Greg Lazarus, Tony Leon, John Matisonn and Phillippa Cheifitz. The festival promises to be a cornucopia of writers and their works and more writers will be announced as they come on board. Moderators such as Nancy Richards and Marianne Thamm will bring their expertise and connections into the mix.
A full children’s program is on offer for ages 4-11. Authors, teachers, entertainers and carers will keep the young ones occupied all day with storytelling, workshopping and creative activities. Of course, with food being an important part of Jewish culture, delicious lunches will be served at Café Riteve and coffee bars will be open throughout the day for that brief pause between sessions.
The programme has been designed to appeal to all ages and cover a range of genres. It aims to promote constructive dialogue and discussion in the true spirit of Jewish life without promoting any single political or religious agenda. All of this book talk offers the opportunity to meet an assortment of wordsmiths, make new friends, engage with ideas and pick up some great reads.
The Jewish Literary Festival – For lovers of literature and Jewish Life.
Ticket Prices include admission to all sessions, lunch and tea/coffee vouchers
PROGRAMME
Although every effort has been made to confirm the line-up (presenter, title, venue, time), please understand that details may change before the date of the festival. We recommend that you check the programme for any such changes along the line. Better yet, plan to spend the full day at the JLF and enjoy the exciting variety on offer.
09.45
‘A Perfect Storm’: Antisemitism in South Africa in the 1930s and 1940s
Milton Shain
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
Postscript to a memoir: What I’ve learned since writing
‘JANE RAPHAELY Unedited’
Nancy Richards talks to Jane Raphaely
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
East and West write themselves in Israel: The pain of two homelands
Aviva Laskov discusses how writers from different language back-grounds
added their voices to the literary tradition in Israel
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
Faribels & foibles in fiction
Helen Moffett talks to Marilyn Cohen de Villiers,
Rahla Xenopoulos & Rachel Zadok
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
What they don’t tell you about motherhood
Linda Lewis & Jenny Perkel
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
White, Jewish and Zionist: The new trifecta for
bigotry in SA and the world?
Tony Leon
VENUE 6 GARDENS SHUL
Angry utterances (10): The power of a cross word
Jonathan Ancer shares all you need to know about solving cryptic crossword puzzles..
and why cruciverbalists see “dyslexia” and get “sex daily”
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
10.50
Three books, three lives: An author’s journey
Anne Landsman shares how each of her novels reflects a specific time in her life
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
‘30 Nights in a Shack – A Politician’s Journey’
Jack Bloom
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
Esther: The queen you thought you knew
Batya Bricker and The Academy take us beneath the surface of the Purim heroine
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
Writing taboo: Letting the skeletons out of the closet in non-fiction
Adrian Perkel talks to Joanne Jowell, Leslie Swartz & Rahla Xenopoulos
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
South African Jewish writing: Then and now
Marcia Leveson
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
Can newspapers survive? The changing face of media
Marianne Thamm talks to Ray Joseph & Gus Silber
VENUE 6 GARDENS SHUL
Writing Jewish history
Adam Mendelsohn talks to Howard Phillips & Carmel Schrire
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
11.55
Conscious capitalism: A very Jewish idea
Ian Mann
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
Navigating contemporary Africa
Kevin Bloom & Richard Poplak discuss their journey through Africa and the forces reshaping the continent
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
Make-believe and the construction of fiction: Behind the scenes of my three Long Street novels
Patricia Schonstein
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
‘Letters of Stone’: The burden of history on children
Marianne Thamm talks to Steven Robins
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
‘In My Element’: 35 years of ocean swimming
Martin Goodman talks to Theodore Yach
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
What goes into making a long story short?
Helen Moffett talks to Diane Awerbuck & Rachel Zadok about short stories, long stories and everything inbetween
VENUE 6 GARDENS SHUL
Windows into different worlds: Jewish country communities in South Africa and Africa
Lisa Chait talks to Ann Harris, Evan Kaplan & Adrienne Kollenberg
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
13.00
Touch, pause, engage: The ref’s take on rugby today
Jonathan Kaplan
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
Bearing witness: memoirs of a documentary filmmaker
Gordon Metz talks to Toni Strasburg
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
BRICS: ‘Halfway there’: – Lessons for South Africa
Glenn Silverman
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
Food: The contemporary Jewish table
Beryl Eichenberger talks to Philippa Cheifitz, Pamela Shippel & Tal Smith
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
Talking tachlis: A conversation about Jewish economic success
Deborah Posel talks to Adam Mendelsohn
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
So many books, so little space on the bookshelf!
Rabbi Sam Thurgood talks about building a Jewish library
VENUE 6 GARDENS SHUL
Poetry: What's the point?
Justine Joseph, Stuart Kantor, Patricia Schonstein
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
14.05
The Gordimer of my heart
Karina Szczurek shares her passion for the works of the Nobel Laureate
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
Mandela’s secret friend: The impact of South Africa’s Jewish journalists
Kevin Bloom talks to John Matisonn
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
The life-changing effect of the Larry Joe story
Joanne Jowell & Aron Turest-Swartz discuss their book and its unexpected outcome
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
Community papers: Keeping it parev while maintaining the juice?
Lisa Chait talks to Lindy Diamond, Janna Joseph & Vanessa Valkin
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
‘My life in dance’
Mavis Becker, the doyenne of Spanish Dance in South Africa, shares her story
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
Leading a Jewish community: Challenges in a time of change
Lance Katz talks to Ann Harris
VENUE 6 GARDENS SHUL
Amabookabooka live podcast recording
– Jonathan Ancer interviews Greg Lazarus
Jonathan Ancer talks to Greg Fried & Lisa Lazarus
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
15.10
Own your space: The Toolkit for the Working Woman’
Lori Milner
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
Writing about pain…
Ruth Carneson & Albie Sachs
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
The sky is falling! Oy vey, the sky is falling! How South Africa’s social
entrepreneurs can save us from the prophets of gloom
Gus Silber
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
What makes a book Jewish?
Dennis Davis asks Anne Landsman, Marcia Leveson & Rabbi Sam Thurgood
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
The Ethics of imagining ‘the other’: A Jewish writer’s perspective
Meg Van Der Merwe
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
Now we are slaves, next year may we be free: Re-telling the story of slavery in the Cape
Nechama Brodie
VENUE 6 GARDENS SHUL
Poetry as catharsis
Sharon Geffen, Ken Barris, Charlotte Cohen, Ralph Goodman, Gloria Sandak-Lewin
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
16.15
‘A Beautiful Family’: Can a novel ever be pure fiction?
Marilyn Cohen de Villiers
VENUE 1 ABRAHAMS HALL 1
Did unions really influence the character of SA’s democracy?
Dennis Davis talks to Johnny Copelyn
VENUE 2 ABRAHAMS HALL 2
Fantasy, adventure, sci-fi: Exploring the genre of speculative fiction
Richard Gradner
VENUE 3 HOLOCAUST CENTRE SEMINAR ROOM
Three-and-a half Jews
Anne Hirsch puts Tracy Klass, Irit Noble & Nik Rabinowitz on the spot (light)
VENUE 4 NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM
Storytelling through Yiddish theatre
Joy Wilkin talks to Veronica Belling & Zola Piatka
VENUE 5 OLD SHUL
Exploring life through literature: Making the journey from fact to fiction
Richard Freedman talks to Rodney Mazinter
VENUE 7 SAJM GALLERY
FOR THE KIDS
The children’s programme is offering a range of Festival activities for children aged 4- 12 years old. It promises to be exciting and refreshing. These include author readings by local writers, storytelling, drama and illustration workshops, as well as an open plan creative space children can engage in a variety of writing, art, book making, puppetry, reading, and games.
The programme has activities in two parallel streams: 4- 8 year olds and 9- 12 year olds.
Like the adults, the children have freedom of choice of several reading workshops or activities they want to participate in.
Adult volunteers will be involved in the programme.
The PJ Library book collection will also be available.
We are also offering:
Supervised outdoor play space
Snacks available
KIDS PROGRAMME
*Although every effort has been made to confirm the line-up (presenter, title, venue, time), please understand that details may change before the date of the festival. We recommend that you check the programme for any such changes along the line. Better yet, plan to spend the full day at the JLF and enjoy the exciting variety on offer.
PLEASE NOTE: There is no dedicated lunch break. Snacks and lunch will be served to the children in the Sukkah Hall at various times throughout the day. Parents are welcome to pop in to the Sukkah Hall and larger kids’ venues during the day but we regret that we cannot allow parents to sit in on sessions in the Gitlin Library due to space constraints.
10.00 - 10.40
‘Have you slurped strawberry soup?’
Nicole Levin
A dramatised reading of the book. The children participate in the enactment of the story through creative movement and engage with their own imaginations. Followed by an art activity in the Sukkah Hall
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
‘The Giving Tree’ and other stories
Irma Kesler
A drama workshop with the beautiful stories by Shel Silverstein
9-12yrs, VENUE: Jewish Museum
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
10.40 - 11.20
‘Amber Vulturecrocs’
Irma Chait
A reading of ‘Amber Vulturecrocs and other weird and wonderful African animals’, followed by a poetry writing activity back in the Sukkah Hall
9-12yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
The extra-special niggun
Miri Schiff
A storytelling workshop using song and dramatised story, about the love of music winning the day
4-8yrs, VENUE: Jewish Museum
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
11.20 - 12.00
‘Bobba’s little lies’ and ‘When Bobba was little’
Dorothy Kowen
A reading of the books followed by a discussion and writing activity on Bobbas and their foibles
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
‘The prince who thought he was a rooster’
Lisa Cohen
A storytelling performance of the Jewish fable followed by a workshop on the themes of empathy and compassion
9-12yrs, VENUE: Leon Wilder Boardroom
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
12.00 - 12.30
‘Monkey’s wedding’
Reviva Schermbrucker
A reading of the book followed by a display of the tapestries used to make the artwork and a discussion about her creative process
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
12.10 - 12.45
Anthony Horowitz
Hayli Geffen
A workshop introducing the writing of Anthony Horowitz: his stories, themes and style
9-12yrs, VENUE: Leon Wilder Boardroom
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
14.00 - 14.45
‘Mandi and the moonstones’
Nicole Levin
An interactive and participatory reading of a story about the moon falling out of the sky and villagers working together to put it back
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
‘The Holocaust
Sharon Geffen
A workshop which introduces the concept of the Holocaust in a sensitive and age appropriate way.
9-12yrs, VENUE: Jewish Museum
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
14.40 - 15.10
‘Table Mountain’s holiday’
Lucy Stuart-Clark
A newly published book about Table Mountain taking a holiday and its adventures through Cape Town.
Followed by multi-media collage artwork and a postcard writing activity in the Sukkah Hall.
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
15.10 - 15.40
‘‘Maggie, Mango and Scottie’ … and more!
Patricia Schonstein
A reading of the author’s picture book, and selected poems and songs from her anthology ‘Sing, Africa! Poems and songs for children’
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Hall
15.15 - 16.15
Introduction to illustration
Lucy Stuart-Clark
Participants create their own visual stories
9-12yrs, VENUE: Leon Wilder Boardroom
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Halll
15.45 - 16.15
‘I am Alex’
Elena Agnello
A newly published picture-book which celebrates diversity.
Followed by a discussion on diversity and a colouring activity in the Sukkah Hall.
4-8yrs, VENUE: Gitlin Library
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Halll
16.15 - 17.30
Ongoing activities for all ages 4+
VENUE: Sukkah Halll