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| Gideon Raff |
Ground breaking Israeli television director and writer of Prisoners of War, Homeland & Dig, Gideon
Raff, New York Times foreign affairs
editor Roger Cohen and German-Nigerian author Jennifer Teege, whose grandfather
was a brutal Nazi commandant, headline the upcoming Sydney Jewish Writers
Festival (SJWF) this August 29-30.
The SJWF’s program is packed with fascinating sessions on
BDS, Westfield mogul Frank Lowy, Iran, General Monash, South African history,
Holocaust memorialisation, raising teens and much more.
The Festival opens Saturday night with the launch of Leah
Kaminsky’s latest novel, The Waiting Room,
plus an extended session exploring the complexities of Israel with the three
international guests plus Dr Dvir Abramovich from the University of
Melbourne. All three international
guests will also have one-on-one interviews during the Festival exploring their
stories in more depth.
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| Homeland and Prisoners of War television series |
Gideon Raff’s insightful television drama series Prisoners of War (Hatufim), Homeland and Dig have shown viewers the gritty realism of the Middle East and
America’s war on terror. Even if you have not seen these gripping shows,
hearing from their creator, whose ability to show the nuanced realities on the
ground, will be a unique opportunity.
Another session not to miss will be that of New York Times foreign affairs columnist
Roger Cohen’s session, From South Africa
to Times Square. His recent book tells the story of his family’s journey
from Lithuania to South Africa at the turn of the century and under apartheid,
and later to England, the US and Israel. An award-winning columnist he will
share his experiences and challenges covering foreign affairs for one of the
world’s most well-known newspapers.
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| Jennifer Teege |
“Jennifer Teege may not be well-known in Australia as an
author yet but her story is just extraordinary to hear,” said Festival Director
Michael Misrachi. “Teege accidentally discovered she was the granddaughter of
Amon Goeth, the brutal Nazi commandant depicted in Schindler’s List, her book My
Grandfather Would Have Shot Me depicts her extraordinary journey coming to
terms with the secrets of her past,” he explained.
The Festival continues all day Sunday from 10:00am – 6:45pm
with a choice of two sessions available each hour. Additional highlights
include an In Conversation with radio broadcaster and author Ramona Koval about
her search for her true parentage. An interview with former Deputy Prime
Minister Tim Fischer about his recent book on Jewish general Sir John Monash
will also examine Fischer’s claims of Anti-Semitism affecting Monash’s career.
In conjunction with
PJ Library the SJWF will also offer two children’s workshops for kids age 6-8
during the Festival where children will make their own storyboards.
For the first time the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival is
being hosted by Waverley Council at Waverley Library in Bondi Junction.
For further information or to book please go to www.sjwf.org.au
