Australian Jewish women roar

Ruptured: Jewish Women Reflect on Life Post-October 7, published by the Lamm Jewish Library of Australia, was launched on August 10 at the Glen Eira Town Hall to an audience of over 500.

The anthology emerged from a call for submissions to Australian Jewish women for A Year Like No Other, resulting in 150 powerful personal essays about life post-October 7 that will be archived at both the Lamm Jewish Library and the National Library of Israel. From these essays, 36 were selected to form Ruptured, edited by Tamar Paluch and Lee Kofman, and with editorial advice from Romy Moshinsky.

The collection includes essays from prominent Jewish Australians including musician Deborah Conway, academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert and artist Nina Sanadze.

“Ruptured was born from late night messages early morning Zooms, shared heartbreak and shared hope and support from our community,” said essayist and Jewish advocate Simonne Whine, opening the evening.

“Our team spent over a year reading, debating and shaping this project into the book you now hold. This all began with an idea from my dear friend, Tamar [Paluch]. She may not want full credit, but I believe in honouring those whose ideas sparked something extraordinary. Tamar, this is all because of you. This is how we leave a legacy for our children to show that when the world turned against us, mothers, sisters, daughters spoke, and did we speak.”

Discussing the impact of Ruptured, Paluch said, “It is ultimately more than just a book … It is a mirror for Jewish women in our community to feel less alone and deeply seen. It’s a window for society to understand the lived experience of antisemitism, learning from us, rather than speaking over us.”

Lamm Jewish Library chair Rolene Lamm spoke of the library’s decision to support and publish Ruptured. “We’re about books, writing and connecting. This initiative resonated deeply, and we were delighted to be a part of creating something positive and worthwhile in the midst of this difficult climate. And we were happy for our library to provide support to ensure that this idea would become a reality.”

The launch featured a thought-provoking panel moderated by Kofman with essayists Elise Esther Hearst, Ramona Koval and Dena Amy Kaplan sharing their insights.

“Now most Australian literary spaces make it clear … the only Jewish voices that platform are the anti-Zionist voices,” said Kofman.

“For Jewish artists today, self-definition, diverse narratives and mixed feelings are not an option anymore … At least 36 Jewish women tell our stories, they are uncensored from the depths of our reserve, in our own diverse voices. To paraphrase Kafka, this book is our axe to try and break the frozen sea of silence imposed on us.”

The evening also heard from Kylie Appel and Susie Ivany who co-founded the platform InternationALL Women’s Day with Paluch – from which A Year Like No Other, and Ruptured emerged.

The event concluded with a song performed by Gemma Kaplan and a poem by Avital Nadler recited by Holocaust survivor Nina Bassat.