Mandel graduates displaying their books at the Mandel headquarters in Jerusalem (Photo: simanim.tv)
The Mandel Foundation–Israel’s annual “book week” event shines a spotlight on new books penned by Mandel graduates and encourages encounters and discussions about literary creation of all types, in the spirit of the Mandel community.
Against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, this year’s event focused on the role of literature and writing during war. The crisis experienced by Israeli society since October 7 has highlighted the power of the written word as a tool for documenting and commemorating events and as a means for ascribing meaning, dealing with trauma, and creating hope. This year’s book week event put the literature, poetry, and writing of this time center stage, both as a shared process of coping with pain and as a way of exploring the cultural wealth and wisdom accumulated in the Mandel graduate community.
Session on literary creativity during times of war (Photo: simanim.tv)
The event was attended by approximately 180 graduates and faculty members of all the Foundation’s leadership programs in Israel. Forty-seven graduates displayed their books, and 15 graduates led sessions focusing on experiences related to the war and writing and literature during times of war. Topics explored during the sessions included children’s culture in the shadow of war, Haredi women’s writing during wartime, bibliotherapy as a means of dealing with loss and faith after October 7.
The event also featured a print edition of "Essays of Hope," a collection of essays in which Mandel graduates recount their involvement in social action following October 7. The essays, which were originally presented on a
special Hebrew website in honor of Israel’s 76th Independence Day, explore big questions about leadership and change, adaptation and identity, values and their meaning, the role of education and educators, gender, and living together.
The event closed with a plenary session in which
Chen Artzi Sror, director of the Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture, interviewed writer
Etgar Kerat about
Autocorrect, his new book of short stories, and about the role of literature during war. Musical interludes were provided by singer and cellist
Maya Belsitzman, who also shared her insights on the power of music and creativity during this difficult time.
Etgar Keret discusses his new book
Autocorrect with Chen Artzi Sror, director of the Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture (Photo: simanim.tv)