The spy who came in from the desert

For 23 years our guest blogger DAVID ROSENBERG held a United States top security clearance for the super-secret intelligence agency, the National Security Agency (NSA). He  tells us about the writing of the book Inside Pine Gap: The Spy Who Came In From The Desert, and the rigours of getting published.

Pine Gap in the 1980s

I loved my job in the exciting world of electronic intelligence, but in 2008, after 18 years at Pine Gap, I resigned in order to move to Sydney and live with my family. Upon resigning, I was required to sign an agreement that obliged me to seek approval before being allowed to publish anything that may contain classified information - including my resume!  

At first it was hard to imagine writing my memoirs and sharing the stimulating and fascinating work that I was immersed in every day of my working life. Would it end up being a book of blank pages or consist of many heavy black redactions - how much would they let me share and how much would forever remain secret? If I went through the proper channels, would I one day be able to tell my story?

Writing the initial draft of the book came easily, but then the obstacles and challenges of getting published began. When my first draft was received by the NSA, the Agency quickly put me on a plane to Canberra for a secure video conference with senior US and Australian security and protocol officials. I then spent the next 18 months working to gain publishing approval with not one, but four intelligence agencies, including one in Australia.

On top of this, my wife and stepson could not see the manuscript before it was approved for release, and so I spent quite a lot of time over two years locked in a room that was off limits while I wrote. Patience was needed by one and all if the book was ever going to see the light of day. In the end, I was amazed at what the agencies allowed me to include!  It took tenacity, perseverance and a strong belief in myself, but I believe it was worth the effort.

My book sheds light on some of the myths and misinformation surrounding the NSA and the satellite ground site known as Pine Gap near Alice Springs. The book reveals what really goes on behind the locked gates in the middle of the Australian desert. My 23 year career involved working in the United States and Australia during four American presidencies and spanned a tumultuous period in history from the end of the Cold War to the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.  

                                                   

It was liberating to come out of the desert and a locked room of the house to finally share with my family and friends some of the intelligence projects I had been working on all those years. I look forward to sharing more with you at the Festival.

Shooting food

Guest blogger CRAIG CRANKO photographed the food for Pnina Jacobson and Judy Kempler's  One Egg is a Fortune - the cookbook full of heart.

The brief for One Egg is a Fortune was fairly open.  The challenge was to produce original images that were quirky and fresh, while at the same time reinforcing the concept of the book, which focused on interesting people sharing their lives and loves through food that they have cooked or loved.

We decided to use natural light instead of studio flash. This, of course, leaves the results a little to chance, as the light changes according to the weather and the time of day, but it also helps give a stronger sense of place.

The idea of found objects, authentic homemade food and a sense of the contributors’ stories was a great starting point to give each image it’s own personality. Judy and Pnina  raided their own cupboards as well as the cupboards and homes of friends. They came up with all sorts of knick-knacks with enthusiastic abandon. In the end we decided to let the food speak for itself, with just a touch of a prop here and there.

The wonderful stylist Michele Cranston and I spent hours playing around with objects, colours and textures. She found inspiring  things to include in the shots, like  the old piece of a Victorian pressed-tin ceiling that we used in the kichel shot. 

I thought the old pickling jar containing Granny Bee’s pickled vegetables added just the right mouth-watering touch to the image. 

I was particularly partial to the native violets on Mitzi’s chocolate cake. But then I think there’s not much in the world that can’t be fixed by chocolate.

Creating  images for a cookbook is teamwork. It’s rare that you get such a committed, and sympathetic team as what we had in our various sessions in the studio. Sometimes the light worked against us, other times the food didn’t perform as we expected. Ultimately, the shared vision, accompanied by lashings humour and playfulness helped us along, doing what we love. You can’t ask for more than that. 

The fact that One Egg is a Fortune has gone on to win international awards is, for me, just the cherry on the cake. 

Craig Cranko is a Sydney-based photographer. 

www.craigcranko.com

CHUTZPAH : THREE QUESTIONS THAT CAN ONLY BE ASKED OF A JEWISH AUTHOR

Pnina Jacobson & Judy Kempler

ONE EGG IS A FORTUNE

How does your writing reflect your Jewish identity?


In writing our book, One Egg Is A Fortune, we recalled the happy times from our own childhoods, and also more recently in bringing up our children. Many of these memories are associated with Friday night dinners and Jewish festivals, family and friends getting together and the sharing of meals, experiences and stories.  It is these celebrations that make us who we are as a people. Our writing reveals that food and stories are the very ingredients to our Jewish identity.

Has there been a seminal event in your Jewish life that has shaped the person you are today?


Judy: I find it difficult to pinpoint a single determining event in my Jewish life. I had a wonderful childhood and grew up with a strong connection to family, friends, learning and Jewish traditions – the annual ‘open-house’ breaking of the fast with cousins, and cousins of cousins, and friends of cousins, Friday night dinners and long family Sunday afternoon lunches and high teas– these were all sacred occasions and not to be missed.

When I moved to live in Singapore in the 1990s with my husband John and our three children, for the first time I understood what it was like to be in a minority. We were the only Jewish family in our school community, and the differences in our values and cultures became more noticeable to me.  This experience instilled a great sense of Jewish identity, and made me proud to share my heritage with new friends.  Returning home, it became more important that our children had a Jewish education, to learn to be respectful of others, to motivate involvement in our community and to love being Jewish.


The production of One Egg Is A Fortune has also been quite influential in shaping who I am today. The book’s genesis began over 11 years ago. At the time, I was a carer for my late mother-in-law and realised that so much more was needed to help our ageing community. Pnina and I decided that part of the proceeds from this book would support Jewish aged care. This goal in raising funds for the aged has truly deepened my connection to the community, and strengthened my ongoing personal commitment to give back. In addition to this, through our combined determination and sharing this project, Pnina and I have a formed an extraordinary friendship that will last a lifetime.  


Pnina:  I had a wonderful childhood growing up on a farm in Bethal, South Africa, 100km away from Johannesburg. My parents kept a kosher home and we celebrated all the Jewish festivals with family and friends.  Bethal had a thriving Jewish community with over 100 Jewish families which also included a rabbi, a beautiful synogogue and Jewish community hall. We attended cheder (Hebrew school) three times a week, and children’s services on Shabbat. There was also an active Women's Zionist Federation and many charitable events were held to raise funds for Israel. My parents sacrificed a lot for me and my siblings to attend a Jewish day school in Johannesburg. This upbringing has shaped my Jewish identity and I hope I have provided this same loving and supportive home for my own family here in Sydney.


Ma nishtanah? (aka why is your book different from any other book?)


On the inside cover of One Egg Is A Fortune we have a saying, “A wise man once said, ‘We came, we saw, we conquered - let’s eat!’” This captures the spirit of our book. So read, eat and enjoy! And when you’ve read one story, read another, and another. Heaven forbid you should go away hungry!A three-time award winner on the international stage, One Egg Is A Fortune is not just another cookbook. This recognition, combined with the ongoing positive press in online and print media, is evidence of its unique nature and appeal to a wide variety of readers and cookbook enthusiasts, both within and outside of the Jewish community.Our book is as much, if not more, about the people behind the recipes, rather than the recipes alone.  To be able to provide such insight into the families and traditions of 50 prominent Jewish individuals from around the world is indeed unique. We offer a smorgasbord of stories and cuisines from both men and women alike.

While each contributor tells a story, their anecdotes suggest that the enjoyment of food is the common thread that binds us together. No matter our location, profession or prestige, food and family relationships is an underlying universality of our Jewish heritage


The awards


Best in the World  2012 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Australia-Pacific Fundraising, Charity and Community
Silver Award for cookbooks,  2012 IPPY
Winner  2012 The National Indie Excellence Awards, Cookbooks


Pnina Jacobson and Judy Kempler will be talking Jews and food at the Sydney Jewish Writers' Festival on Sunday 26 August, from 6.15pm - 7.15pm.
Craig Cranko, the photographer for One Egg is a Fortune, will be our next guest blogger.

Why I hate Fifty Shades of Grey

Our guest blogger is CAROLINE MARCUS, a reporter for the Sunday Telegraph

 

I have a dirty little secret: I can't stand book-of-the-moment Fifty Shades of Grey.

Before I'm accused of being a prude, remember I'm a tabloid hack.  Which means on a far too regular basis, I hear stories that would make even depraved protagonist Christian Grey blush.

My issue has, surprisingly, nothing to do with the graphic sadomasochistic sex that has helped make this "mummy porn" the fastest selling paperback of all time.

No. My problem is it's so appallingly written, I'm in my own red room of pain reading it.

I downloaded the book a few months ago when it first started creating a buzz in underground literary circles (okay, Twitter). Purely for research, of course.

I wanted to like it. Honestly, I did. Hating it feels like I'm an outcast of some exclusive girl's club. The same club that developed an unhealthy obsession with Twilight and collectively swooned over the anaemic-looking Robert Pattinson.

But I can't help detesting it, and here's why:

1. Despite its erotic content, the writing appears to be aimed at 12-year-olds. Seriously, this book would not be out of place in the 1990s tween series Sweet Valley High. Except I don't think twins Elizabeth and Jessica ever found themselves naked and suspended from ceiling hooks.

We all know the plot revolves around sexual fantasy, but real fantasy is author EL James' interpretation of dialogue. No actual person uses another person's name - let alone full name complete with honorific - that many times in conversation. Ironic from an author who goes by an abbreviated pen name.

Far from a turn-on, every time our hero seductively utters a sentence beginning with some variation of "Miss Anastasia Steele", I want to stab myself in the eye. And not in an S&M way.

2. Anastasia's sexual awakening is completely unrelatable. To begin with, despite apparently being irresistible to every male character in the book, the beautiful heroine has managed to remain barely kissed right until college graduation.

Then suddenly, she's orgasming left, right and centre at the mildest provocation. At one point, she even climaxes during a dream. I'm sorry, is she a pubescent boy?

All this only serves to inspire entirely unrealistic expectations for women. And the now inadequate-feeling men who are covertly reading their partners' copies.

3. Finally, but most importantly, I despise the subversive message in the book. I'm not surprised Fifty Shades began as Twilight fan fiction. The stories share the same, tired Weak Damsel Needs Strong Man to Rescue Her theme.

In both books, the young women know their love interests - bloodsucking vampire/sadistic billionaire - are bad news. But they sacrifice their own independence and better sense, not to mention risk their lives, at the first sign their crush wants to get in their pants. Needy, much?

The story of Mr Christian Grey and Miss Anastasia Steele is, essentially, your classic patriarchal fairytale injected with a heavy dose of Viagra. Prince Charming rides in on his white horse (in this case, an Audi R8 Spyder) and sweeps the grateful common girl off her feet.

Only this time, the prince bears a legally binding contract painstakingly setting out the terms of a dominant/submissive relationship complete with non-disclosure agreement and detailed appendices. Nice Jewish boy he certainly is not.

Our narrator appears to be so desperate for love and good sex, she is willing to become the whipping girl - figuratively and literally - of a very twisted man.

At the end of the day, if I wanted hardcore porn with terrible writing, an utterly implausible plot and an unflattering portrayal of women, I could find plenty of it for free on the net.

In the meantime, I'd rather watch fifty layers of paint dry.

Follow Caroline on Twitter @carolinemarcus

Sydney Jewish Writers' website launch

We are so excited to share with you all the great sessions and speakers we have lined up for the 2012 Sydney Jewish Writers’ Festival, taking place 25-28 August. You can see the full program, information about the authors and sessions as well as pricing and volunteer information all at www.sjwf.org.au

You will certainly recognise some of Australia’s leading authors who are participating in the festival, including  Anna Funder, Ita Buttrose, Elliot Perlman, Mark Dapin, and Danny Katz as well as international writers Tom Segev, Dr Dan Porat and Peter Lantos. We hope the festival will be an opportunity to discover other, perhaps lesser-known authors too. We have over 85 presenters speaking in 43 sessions over the four days.

Panels at the upcoming 4^th biennial SJWF cover a wide range of topics including crime fiction, blogging, refugees, American elections, documentary filmmaking, tips for aspiring writers, Israeli politics, publishing, Holocaust fiction, journalism and much more.  Readers and writers of all varieties will find something of interest.

Don’t delay - go to  www.sjwf.org.au today!

Shades of Exodus

Guest blogger BARRY LEVY wrestles with  the immigrant's perspective of home

We (Jewish) South Africans are a very stubborn, hard-headed bunch.

Having said that, let me explain. If we are wrong, or found to be wrong, we will readily admit our error, and far more so and more vocally than many others (that we now live amongst).

But when it comes to big, life-changing issues - like migration - we are never wrong. We only ever make such decisions because they are absolutely right and will lead to a better life now and for future generations. We also tend to hate and swear a pox on the old country.

But, you see, there is a bit of an irony in this - our big decision to migrate from S'effrica, and I hear it in the echoes of my own parents at the height of the days of apartheid. Sitting around on a Friday night/Sunday afternoon, under the lazy South African sun (Jo'burg), they would guiltlessly say things like many of us say over here now (at least in public): 'There isn’t a better country in the world. This is God’s own country.’

The question is, and this is really one of the big questions in my new work of fiction, Shades of Exodus: Can there really be an instant love for another country? Do people who express this sort of sentiment, really, truly, absolutely mean it in their heart? Or are they just trying to be as positive as they possibly can?

You see, not for us (Jewish) South Africans (except among ourselves) any admissions of loss or emotional fragmentation when we choose to shift entire countries, entire societies. Rather there be a sense of, we’re a pretty tough lot (our grandparents or great grandparents did it before us), and the pain of adjustment, if there be any - and there probably ain’t - is unimportant.

Why should there be any pain? After all, we only ever choose the best for ourselves and our children, and like nature’s finest trees, we can thrive anywhere. We are universal people.

But this, in many ways, is what makes South African migrants, generally and particularly Jewish ones, different to others. Not that the pain or that sense of loss and fragmentation aren’t there, just the admission of it is missing. Actually, we don't even like to think of ourselves as immigrants - and hate the word migrants, which applies to birds or poor Africans or pushy Middle Eastern refugees.

And this is what Shades of Exodus explores: the deepest feelings of people who may have left their country for the best and most defensible reasons, but somehow find it necessary to deny any pain or upheaval.

The reality, as I have personally found (as much as we think we fit anywhere where English is spoken), is that migration is difficult for anyone. Be they starving Sudanese, fleeing-for-their-lives Afghanis, or even be they from the UK or the USA. And yes, that includes us South Africans.

OK, I grant, and readily: Like most migrants, there are very real reasons why South Africans - even rich ones - have chosen to live in other countries. One need only look at two broad waves: A million or so left in the decade before the end of apartheid - mainly for reasons related to apartheid - and secondly, a million more who have left since the demise of apartheid, mainly for reasons of rampant violent crime and black economic empowerment - a system (rightly) put in place to give blacks the start they were always denied, but which has acted as a kind of reverse discrimination against very capable white people, denying them and their children a chance to fulfil their potential.

But the question is: Irrespective of all these things, whether having secured a place in a wealthy, successful country like Australia, have we still not lost something of ourselves? Just a little of our emotional bearings? Just a bit of our identity? Just some of our soul?

I take counsel in this from Jane Austen, who says of the country one grew up in: 'One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it, unless it has been all suffering, nothing but suffering.'

Shades of Exodus does not prescribe answers to questions that are raised through migration (immigration for those who find the word easier to chew on). Rather, the book leaves it to migrants to face up to the questions for themselves.

Late in the book we read about a Sudanese man, who, after enjoying the material and security comforts of Australia, goes back to the poverty and immensely rough life of South Sudan where after 20 years of warring, the people have found peace.

With glee, he says: "Of course I want to go back there. That is my home."

My question is, how many others, of any nationality, have the heart to do the same?