In 2014, a group of Jerusalemite writers got together to read the entirety of Whitman’s “Song of Myself” at Kikar Zion. After spending the night shouting poetry in the streets, Jerusalism was born.
The group began to organize public readings, highlighting local English-language writing. Over the years, Jerusalism’s readings became bonafide events, expanding to include workshops, gatherings, literary experiments, writing groups, and beyond. They were hosted in bars, cafes, and galleries all over the city, open to anyone with an interest in the community gathering around English-language lit.
Soon, Jerusalism moved into the realm of the printed word. The Jerusalism Chapbook Series emerged as organizers sought to distribute printed material at events. As local writers sought paths to publishing, The Jerusalism Review was founded to publish interviews, essays, and translations by and about participating writers.
As the COVID-19 pandemic overtook the world, Jerusalism decided to take their literary community online. With the goal of expanding community reach and showcasing English-language Israeli literature globally, Jerusalism began organizing online events and workshops. Now, online activities are an integral part of Jerusalism programming, highly accessible and offering English-Language Israeli lit to an audience beyond the limestone walls of Jerusalem.
Led by Jerusalem-born writer Liza Michaeli, this event is a salon-style evening of intimate dialogue at Silo Cafe in Jerusalem about the language of experience and the experience of language. The event features polylingual writers, Ariel Resnikoff, Gali-Dana Singer, Nekoda Singer, and Lonnie Monka, who will share their works and open a conversation for all attendees to join.
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Jerusalism is excited for this first post-pandemic in-person Open Mic at Besarabia Bar in Jerusalem! Led by writer and cultural journalist Ben Shields, the event will begin with a featured reading by writer Michael Dickel and continue with an “open mic” for all who would like to share their own writing.
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In this collaborative event, Jerusalism and Tel Aviv Review of Books hosted a talk by Rabbi Jeffrey Saks, Director of Research at Jerusalem’s Agnon House, about references to Hebrew literature’s only Nobel laureate in the hit TV series. During the talk, Rabbi Saks explored intertextual connections between Israeli TV and Jewish literature and tradition.
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Led by Jerusalism founder and director Lonnie Monka, this event included a conversation with Micha Danziger, a Doctorant Student at The Hebrew University, researching Philosophy, Nazism and the Shoah, along side readings of Holocaust-related contemporary poetry. The featured poems were submitted to Jerusalism for this event and published as a Jerusalism chapbook.
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A social literary gathering of sharing bad dating stories led by Penina Shtauber, author of #ShidduchCrisis and #ShalomBayis. In this event, attendees will be given the chance to share their stories and listen to others, and make new friends. The conversation will be concluded by a performative reading by Penina of a selected story from the short story collection, #ShidduchCrisis.
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An event exploring the overlap of literature and video art. This event will include a viewing of “Making a Great Leap Forward,” a video art piece by Ana Wild (first presented in the Musrara Mix Festival 2020, curated by Vera Korman). After showing the video, the event MC, Lonnie Monka, will moderate a panel with Amital Stern, Roy Brand, and the artist, exchanging ideas about the role of text in video art. Then there will be an open Q&A.
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Led by MC Zev Hoffman, the event will begin with a featured reading by Julie Gray, author of The True Adventures of Gidon Lev. Following the reading, the “microphone” is opened to all attendees. In this Open Mic, attendees are welcomed to share work in the theme of “writing a life story.”
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This is a joint event hosted by Jerusalism & the Tel Aviv Review of Books. Hosted by Akin Ajayi, this event is a conversation on the story and social history of hashish with the featured guest Haggai Ram, author of Intoxicating Zion.
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This event, a conversation on how literature awakens memory & Jewish Arabic identity, features author Almog Behar and MC Sarah Sassoon.
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This is a joint event hosted by the Tel Aviv Review of Books & Jerusalism. Hosted by Alex Stein, one of the founding editors of TARB, this event is a conversation with Israeli writer Yishai Sarid on his new novel, The Monster Memory (translated by Yardenne Greenspan).
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This “Thriller Night” event with Israeli writer, Nir Hezroni, and Anglo-Israeli writer, E.Z.Rinsky, will comprise of a reading, a conversation, and a Q&A all led by MC Moshe Lapin.
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OpenMic event led by Zev Hoffman with performed reading by published writer Erika Dreifus, followed by open “microphone” for attendees to share their writing.
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Led by writer Zev Hoffman, this OpenMic event featured a performed reading by published writer Jessamyn Hope, followed by open “microphone” for attendees to share their writing.
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Led by artist CY Frankel and poet Daniella Silverstein, this event invited participants to explore “this ephemeral life” through an open mic of poetry and a guided photo-poetry practice.
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Mekuvan (מקוון meaning online) was a series of Jerusalism’s first online events. The events spanned 3 months from June to May 2020. Each event featured a different guest. The featured guests were: Erika Meitner, Charles Bernstein, David Caplan, Adeena Karasick, Alicia Ostriker, & Jake Marmer.
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Community reading at HaMifal, art community center, Jerusalem.
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Open Mic event led by Sarah Sassoon with performed reading by published writer Tamar Weiss-Gabbay, followed by open “microphone” for attendees to share their writing.
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“Halah” is the literary magazine of Jerusalism, featuring Israeli literature in English with a focus on translation. The magazine showcases original poetry, fiction, interviews, essays and more.
“Once earthenware utensils have become defiled, they remain impure and must be broken.”
“Ars Poetica was for the release of Mizrahi anger, on the cutting edge, about speaking back. Poetry wasn’t ten people in a library anymore. Ars Poetica was built on Facebook, it was like a stadium.”
“Oh yes, please save yourself for poetry,” / said a Libyan friend to my “I dont’want to be political— / I’m just alive” fb note.
Click here to check out the rolling magazine
VIEW MAGAZINEJerusalism also explores longer publishing formats. We currently have a number of short books (chapbooks) available in print and digital version, and we plan on publishing full length books in the future.
Click here to see published chapbooks
VIEW CHAPBOOKSA vital part of any community is the opportunities to learn and grow together. Jerusalism organizes courses and workshops that deepen people’s engagement with Israeli literary culture.
For more information about courses or to talk to us about educational programming, contact us directly.
Jerusalism will develop the field of Israeli literature in English by creating spaces for Israeli writers, translators, and cultural organizations—in Israel and abroad—to connect and collaborate.
