By Dr. Steve Rubin / Special to the BJV

Dear Readers,

According to the calendar winter is over, but here in the Berkshires it’s still chilly, and hence a good time to catch up on our reading. This month, with Gaza frequently in the news, I am recommending a book of poems by Israeli writers, as well as a powerful first-person account of the October 7th attacks. And on a happier note, with Passover around the corner, a beautifully illustrated Passover Haggadah.

Shiva: Poems of October 7, Korazim, Bohnen, Silverman, eds. (2024) is a moving collection of poems by Israeli authors (in Hebrew with English translations) collected during the first six months following the attacks of October 7th. Several are by well-known poets, others by newcomers. One is by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh, who was captured and later found dead in Gaza. All are powerful, personal expression of various and often-conflicting emotions: loss, grief, horror, anger, sadness, and continuing fear and anxiety.

The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands (2024), by the award-winning Israeli journalist Amir Tibon, is a dramatic rescue story (he and his family were residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz which was attacked on October 7th), as well as a perceptive and even-handed analysis of the situation in Israel and Gaza before and after the events of October 7th. It is not easy reading, but one that I highly recommend.

A Night of Beginnings: A Passover Haggadah (2022) is a relatively new Haggadah by the acclaimed poet and translator, Marcia Falk. Illustrated by the author, A Night of Blessings presents the traditional Exodus story in its entirety, but with an emphasis on the role of the female characters: Miriam, Pharaoh’s daughter, and the midwives Shifrah and Puah. Falk’s “poems as prayers” are seamlessly integrated throughout the narrative, and lend a lyrical and personal tone to the traditional Seder proceedings.

Please tell us what you have been reading. We may very well use your suggestions in a future column! I can be reached by email: sjr@adelphi.edu

Steve Rubin, Ph.D. has written and lectured extensively both here and abroad on issues relating to Jewish culture and literature. He is the editor of, among other volumes, Telling and Remembering: A Century of American Jewish Poetry and Celebrating the Jewish Holidays: Poems, Stories, Essays. He is professor emeritus and former dean at Adelphi University, Garden City, NY.