Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Sex
Haim Watzman
The (deliberately) bad sex scenes in four modern Israeli novels reveal writers who play with and subvert expectations and conventions.
“Gender is sickeningly important in our culture”
Alex Stein
What is the status of trans people in Israeli society? An interview with Dr. Shochat, who runs a gender reassignment clinic in Tel Aviv.
When a Rapper Writes a Novel
Shira Melcer
Despite its flaws, the debut novel by Hadag Nahash frontman Sha'anan Street inspires a deep longing for the Jerusalem of yesteryear.
The Making of a Spiritual Giant
Alon Goshen-Gottstein
A fascinating new biography of Rav Kook's early years reveals a surprising lack of interest in Zionism.
God at Arm’s Length
Yiftach Ashkenazi
In her new book "Figuring Jerusalem: Politics and Poetics in the Sacred Center," literary scholar Sidra DeKoven Ezrahi calls attention to the dangers of assigning God a particular geographic space. An interview.
Going Underground
Michael Press
Yet another book on Jerusalem's archaeology unhealthily focuses on its past at the expense of its present.
Sledgehammer or Boomerang?
Michael Koplow
Trump's ambassador's pride at rebooting America's previous Middle East policy may set an unwelcome trend that even he might end up ruing.
“New Hope and Yamina are not right-wing”
Olga Kirschbaum-Shirazki
An interview with the journalist and commentator Laly Derai about the future of the Israeli right.
Personal, Professional and National
Ettya Barnhart-Magen
A new book exploring the emotional inheritance of trauma subtly demonstrates its impact on both the national and personal story.
Cries of a Beloved Country
Avraham Burg
The former director of Breaking the Silence has written a moving memoir that is a wake-up call for Israeli society.
Who Does She Think She Is?
Einat Wilf
The new memoir by former Breaking the Silence director Yuli Novak is simplistic and solipsistic in equal measure.
How Much Time is Left is Not a Question but a Door
Israel Eliraz Liat Simon
A selection of English translations of work by the late Israeli poet Israel Eliraz.
The Disappointments Committed in Hope’s Name
Lily Shehady
The first English translations of Palestinian poet Maya Abu Al-Hayyat take the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions anchored in truth.
Those Who Heard the Voice of the Dove
Asael Abelman
A new essay collection draws attention to hitherto neglected Sephardic and Mizrahi Zionist leaders
Beyond the Four Quarters
Alex Stein
A new book about Jerusalem's Old City shatters some sacred cows while perpetuating others.
Post-Translation: Between the Bi-National and Dialogic
Ohad Zeltzer Zubida
Two recent books by Yehouda Shenhav provide a radical vision for the future of translation.