Jewish Book Week 2015

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3
Welcome to
Jewish Book Week 2015
‘Revolutions are
the locomotives
of History’ Karl Marx
Focus on Russia and so much more
at the London Jewish Cultural Centre
Ivy House, 94-96 North End Road, London NW11 7SX
New season highlights, January-March 2015, include:
history
arts & culture
languages
private views
Gorbachev & his
Diaghilev &
Beginners Russian,
Three exclusive
Malcolm Rifkind
with Christie’s
French & English
Library’s Russian
Legacy, with Sir
& Victor Sebestyen
Follow us on Twitter
Ballets Russes
Patrick Bade
Hebrew, Arabic,
for Israelis
@_LJCC_ and Facebook
The London Jewish Cultural Centre is a registered charity. No 1081014 and a company limited
by guarantee registered in England and Wales, No 3811133. Registered Office: Ivy House, 94-96
North End Road, London NW11 7SX
F
or our fourth year at Kings
Place we have in store
for you an array of dazzling
speakers, up-to-the-minute books,
smouldering discussions and
sizzling entertainment.
Also this year, at Kings Place,
the bookshop is located in the
foyer. It is unmissable!
This year there are some
innovations I would like
to point out to you:
In addition, we have commissioned
three emerging artists – Yoni
Alter, Benedict Romain and Miki
Shaw – to create site-specific
works. Look out for them around
the public areas.
The Jewish Museum is our new
venue for weekday lunchtime and
early afternoon events. You will
find the full listing of the seven
events and how to book them, in
the centre pages of this brochure.
We hope you enjoy the festival.
We have tried to create events
for all tastes. So, why not try
something a little different this
year, and afterwards, do please
tell us what you think.
Lucy Silver
(Festival Chair) and the
Jewish Book Week team.
tours of the British
collections
or call us on 020 8457 5000
www.ljcc.org.uk
Check website for latest updates and further information
jewishbookweek.com
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—Emeritus Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks
Sunday
22nd March
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Peter & Colette Levy; Ken & Jean Marks
Pears Foundation brand guidelines
AND
Contributors include:
Maureen Lipman • Howard Jacobson • Norman Lebrecht
Francesca Segal • Nick Cohen • Paul Johnson • Douglas Murray
Moira Benigson; Stanley Bloom; University of Cambridge; Anne Dawes; Dorothy Brook; Bernard Faber; Paul Filer; Adele Granet;
Michael & Carolyn Goldhill; JW3; Silas Krendel; Dr Peter Lachman; Jonathan & Margot Lew; BI & SH Myers; Jane Prevezer;
J R Rawson; Alan Sainer; Howard & Marilyn Simler; Joe & Pam Sinyor; Lord Turnberg; David & Frances Turner; Geoffrey
Walters; Stephen & Laura Zimmerman
5
Jewish
Book Week
6
Festival at
a Glance
Festival at a Glance
19.00
The French Resistance
20
15.30
20.30
The Economy
21
15.30
20.30
The
21
Art of the Essay
One Night, Markovitch
17.00
Thursday 26th February
Saturday 21st February
Page
20.00
The Genius of Gershwin
8
20.00
Cherchez la femme
9
Sunday 22nd February
18.30
The Making of the
Modern World
15
20.00
A Brief History of Humankind 15
20.00
Blues in the Park
15
Jewish
15
Heritage
11.00
Nineteenth Century Marx
10
20.00
11.00
Jews and the Military
10
Monday 23rd February
11.00
Melintz: a Swiss Family Saga 10
13.00
Gone to Ground
24
12.30
Mark Rothko: the Man
and His Art
14.30
An Artist's Life
24
19.00
Women in Dark Times
16
11
12.30
You Say Potato...
12.30
Eva Schloss: After Auschwitz 11
14.00
Simon and Chloe Schama
14.00
14.00
15.30
15.30
Life Behind the Camera
The Jewish Parrot
Frédéric Brenner: Israel
11
11
12
12
13
The Matriarch: a Lost Classic 12
15.30
Chaim Bermant Award 12
17.00
Sir Nicholas Winton
13
17.00
17.0o
18.30
18.30
Andrew Solomon: Far from
the Tree
The Jews of Scotland
20.30
20.30
14
The Rise and Fall of
Sir Edgar Speyer
John
16
Lahr: Tennessee Williams 16
Unlikely
Spies
17
Tuesday 24th February
13.00
Bright Star in a Dark Chamber24
14.30
Elaine Feinstein: Portraits
19.00
The Contemporary Art Scene 18
25
28
18.3o
Middle Eastern Food Scene 37
28
18.3o
Judging book prizes: Going
behind Closed Doors
37
18.3o
The Reckoning 38
20.00
The New Yorker
38
20.00
Talking Jazz
38
20.0o
A Secret Anglo-French War 38
27
19.00
Writing
20.30
Israel
20.30
Eleanor Marx: A Life
28
Friday 27th February
26
saturday 28th February
Israel, Present and Future
20.30
20.00
The King of Ivy League
Sunday 1st march
Where Science Meets
the Bible
29
29
11.0o
33
11.0o
The Girl from Human Street 33
11.0o
Stand Up for the Classics
12.3o
33
AB Yehoshua: Jewish Culture 34
12.3o
A Brief Stop on the Road from
Auschwitz
34
The Language of Peace
18
20.30
Life on and off the Stage
19
12.3o
Financial Paradoxes
34
20.30
Philosophy Bites
18
14.0o
Stefan Zweig and Exile
34
14.00
Assaf Gavron: The Hilltop
35
The Graphic Novel
35
35
19.00
Award-winning novelists: Jenny
Erpenbeck and Doron Rabinovici13
Beyond the Vatican
19.00
37
A Bazaar Life
East End Weddings
Wenesday 25th February
36
Home Movie
19.00
13.00
Howard Jacobson Interview
17.0o
27
and the Diaspora
Children's Workshop on Graphic
Novels (Wenlock Room)
36
36
The Writer's Craft
for Young Adults
36
Deborah Treisman and
Hadley Freeman 19.00
17.0o
7
13.00
Divided Lives
25
14.00
14
14.3o
Jewish Archaeology
25
15.30
The New Yorker Cartoon
14
19.00
The Rich
20
15.30
Ravensbrück; Germany 1933–4935
Biographies
FESTIVAL AND VENUE Information
40
47
Please email [email protected]
or telephone 0207 446 8771
KEY
HALL 1
HALL 2
ST PANCRAS
JEWISH MUSEUM
This event is not included in the
Kings Place multi-buy ticket offer.
Saturday
21 February
8
SATURDAY
21
FEBRUARY
2015
Cherchez la femme
Lisa Appignanesi, Stephen Frosh, John
Launer, Eva Hoffman
Chair: Rachel Lasserson
Lisa Appignanesi, Stephen Frosh, Eva Hoffman
and John Launer discuss how sex became a
scandal, not only in the so-called “dangerous
method”, psychoanalysis, but also beyond the
consulting room. Early 20th century Europe was
a cauldron of fertile ideas, Victorian repression,
antisemitism and illicit liaisons. John Launer’s Sex
versus Survival: the Life and Ideas of Sabina
Spielrein recounts how sex and Jewishness
(and Jewish sex) became a battleground
between Freud and Jung. Cultural commentator
Rachel Lasserson will do her best to keep this
conversation within acceptable limits.
20.00–21.30
The Genius of Gershwin
Issy Van Randwyck, Clive Rowe, Henry Goodman
Musical Director: Michael Haslam | Script: Stewart Permutt
In our specially commissioned two-act Gershwin Review, we celebrate the
melodies and wit of George and Ira Gershwin – the Boys from Brooklyn
who came to define the music of their age. With performers Henry
Goodman, Issy van Randwyck and Clive Rowe; musical direction and
arrangements by Michael Haslam and script by Stewart Permutt – join us
for an unforgettable evening of dazzling songs and the scintillating stories
behind them.
20.00–22.00
£ 39.50
£29.50
£ 24.50
£ 12.50
9
Sunday
22 February
10
SUNDAY
22
FEBRUARY
2015
Jonathan Sperber and Jonathan Freedland
reconsider Karl MARX
Annie Cohen-Solal | Chair: Andrew Renton
Mark
rothko
Jonathan Sperber | Chair: Jonathan Freedland
Marcus Yakovlevich Rothkovitz, aka Mark Rothko, emigrated from the Russian Empire
to the US aged 10 to become one of the most influential and original painters of the
20th century. Annie Cohen-Solal, the French cultural historian, has had unique access
to previously unseen archival material for her Yale monograph and the result is a vivid
and detailed portrait of this complex and brilliant man.
12.30–13.30
£ 10.50
Annie Cohen-SolAl
Jewish Lives
Jonathan Sperber’s A Nineteenth Century Life: Karl Marx has been hailed as a
'brilliant embedding of Marx in his times.’ Marx is portrayed as a man looking over his
shoulder at the philosophes of the French Revolution, while stoking the radical political
flames of mid-19th century Europe. For Jonathan Freedland, who is conducting the
interview, Sperber has succeeded in ‘recreating a man who leaps off the page.’
11.00–12.00
Mark Rothko: the Man and His Art
£ 12.50
You Say Potato...
David Crystal, Ben Crystal
Linguist David Crystal and his actor son Ben travel the world in search of the stories of
spoken English. Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, their latest
book You Say Potato celebrates the myriad varieties of English and how our accents
speak louder than words. Join them on this dramatic, linguistic and familial journey.
12.30–1.30
Jews and the Military
£ 10.50
John Jay, Derek Penslar | Chair: Colin Shindler
In Jews and the Military, Derek Penslar challenges the popular misconception that Jewish
involvement in the military only began with Israel’s creation and examines widespread
Jewish military participation throughout history. John Jay’s Facing Fearful Odds tells
the story of his father Alec, a Jew, and British POW, who made five escape attempts,
ultimately joining Czech partisans to confront the Nazis. This conversation will be chaired
by SOAS professor Colin Shindler.
11.00–12.00 £ 9.50
Eva Schloss: After Auschwitz
Eva Schloss
Eva Schloss recounts the story of her long journey home after the liberation of
Auschwitz and looks back at her family’s culturally rich life before tragedy struck.
Her story begins in Amsterdam, like Eva Schloss’s school-fellow, Anne Frank. This
remarkable woman tells a tale of both tragedy and survival that induces humility
and awe in all privileged to hear it.
12.30–13.30
£ 9.50
Melnitz: a Sweeping Swiss Family Saga
Charles Lewinsky | Chair: Josh Glancy
Charles Lewinsky’s portrait of Swiss Jewish life in his ambitious and panoramic novel
Melnitz bears an astonishing resemblance to British provincial Jewish life in all its
glory. Sharing Arnold Bennett’s sharp humour and acuity, Melnitz reads almost like a
Swiss Five Towns, albeit one saturated with Yiddish idioms. Charles Lewinsky will be
discussing his engrossing novel with Sunday Times journalist Josh Glancy.
11.00–12.00Free
Simon and Chloe Schama Unravel
the Father-Daughter Bond
Simon Schama, Chloe Schama | Chair: Francesca Segal
Biographer and journalist Chloe Schama dedicated her first book, Wild Romance, to
her father 'who taught me how to tell a story'. Simon and Chloe engage in an intimate
and lively conversation about family bonds, parental expectations, intergenerational
values and the nature of creativity. Their interviewer is the journalist and novelist
Francesca Segal, daughter of the late writer, Erich Segal.
14.00–15.00
£ 12.50
11
12
Sunday
22 February
Sunday
Life behind the camera
Israel through 12 Lenses
Gemma Levine | Chair: Miriam Stoppard
Sponsored by the Pears Foundation
Frédéric Brenner
Gemma Levine presents her photographic memoir: Just One More... With talent and
verve, Gemma has photographed many of the prime movers of the 20th century,
from actors to artists, prime ministers to royalty. She developed a personal relationship
with many of her sitters, and, as she will divulge to Miriam Stoppard, Gemma’s
vignettes are as revealing as her images..
14.00–15.00
One country: a dozen worlds. For the first time
in the UK, Frédéric Brenner presents This Place,
his astonishing project of capturing Israel and
the West Bank through twelve of the world’s
best-known photographers, including Josef
Koudelka, Stephen Shore, Thomas Struth and
Nick Waplington. The outcome is a collection of
penetrating and provocative monographs, alive to
all the rifts and paradoxes of this much contested
space.
£ 10.50
The Jewish Parrot
Sponsored in Memory of Richard Norton
Francois Azar, Aude Samama
The Jewish Parrot and Other Judeo-Spanish Tales is a unique book, combining
striking illustrations with folk tales recounted in both English and Judeo-Spanish. Join
François Azar, who adapted and translated the tales, illustrator Aude Samama, and
the Kamhis, a Sephardic family of singers, as they rejoice in the revival of a culture
which, like Yiddish, has never really been forgotten.
14.00–15.00 Free - for adults and children 7+
The Matriarch: a Lost Classic
In Association with Society of Authors
Linda Grant, Julia Neuberger | Chair: Anne Sebba
GB Stern is the little-known, but influential author of The Matriarch, originally published in
1924, the first of a series of novels to explore the scandalous life of a West London Jewish
family. Linda Grant, who has called it ‘a feminist classic’, will discuss the novel’s lasting
significance with Rabbi Julia Neuberger and biographer and journalist Anne Sebba..
15.30–16.30
13
£ 9.50
15.30–16.30
£ 14.50
If it’s Not Impossible...
The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton
In Association with Second Generation Network
Barbara Winton | Chair: Phillippe Sands
Nicholas Winton was a young stockbroker in 1938 when he masterminded an
operation to rescue 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. His daughter
Barbara Winton shares with Philippe Sands the motivations that led her father to
undertake such a dangerous quest and the difference one person can make to combat
the forces of evil.
17.00–18.00 £ 10.50
Jenny Erpenbeck & Doron Rabinovici
Miriam Gross, Gerald Jacobs, Geoffrey Paul | Chair: Maureen Lipman
In Association with Austrian Cultural Forum, London
and the Goethe Institute
Doron Rabinovici, Jenny Erpenbeck | Leo Robson
Maureen Lipman introduces The Chaim Bermant Award for Journalism. The award
is presented in memory of the late journalist and author, at once ‘Anglo-Jewry’s voice
of conscience’ and, by his own typically tongue-in-cheek designation, ‘a licensed heretic.’
Contributors are the judges: journalists Miriam Gross, Gerald Jacobs and Geoffrey Paul,
with readings by Maureen Lipman.
To Michael Faber, Jenny Erpenbeck is ‘one of the finest, most exciting authors alive.’
Her novel The End of Days is a dynamic history of the 20th century, told through one
woman’s various possible lives. In Elsewhere, Doron Rabinovici’s hilarious, fast-paced
and moving novel set between Vienna and Tel Aviv, long-held family secrets simmer
and the truth is never quite what it seems. The moderator is journalist Leo Robson.
Chaim Bermant Prize for Journalism
15.30–16.30 Free
17.00–18.00
£ 9.50
14
Sunday
22 February
Sunday
Beyond the Vatican:
Pope Francis and the Modern World
Victor Sebesteyen: 1946
The Making of the Modern World
In Association with the Council of Christians and Jews
Vivien Wineman, Paul Vallely | Chair: Harry Freedman
Victor Sebestyen | Chair: Sam Leith
Jewish Book Week and the Council of Christians and Jews co-present this discussion
on Pope Francis, whose decrees ultimately affect not only Catholics, but everyone.
Paul Vallely’s recently acclaimed biography Pope Francis: Untying the Knots has
been described as resembling a ‘lost, unexpectedly literate chapter of The Da Vinci
Code.’ Vivian Wineman and Harry Freedman are also participating..
17.00–18.00 15
1946 was a pivotal year in which a new world was born that shaped the second half
of the 20th century: empires collapsed; new states and regimes sprang into being;
national and ideological boundaries were redrawn; and the Cold War was looming.
Victor Sebestyen’s conversation with Sam Leith will take us from Paris to Moscow,
Washington to Jerusalem and Delhi to Shanghai.
18.30–19.30
£ 7.50
£ 7.50
Yuval Harari on Sapiens
The George Webber Memorial Lecture
Yuval Harari | Chair: John Gray
Andrew Solomon on Far From the Tree
In Partnership with JW3
Andrew Solomon | Chair: Julia Neuberger
Psychologist Andrew Solomon’s multi-award-winning Far From the Tree: Parents
Children and the Search for Identity has been a New York Times ‘10 Best Books of
the Year’, described as a ‘book everyone should read.’ Andrew Solomon will talk to
Julia Neuberger about his clinical experience with families who find profound meaning
through their exceptional children. Andrew is a mesmeric speaker who will make you
consider life anew.
18.30–19.30
£ 12.50
In Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a whirlwind journey across 70,000 years
of human existence. The array of humans who inhabited the Earth has dwindled to our
own very singular species. Harari traces the momentous discoveries and upheavals that
profoundly transformed societies and assesses the merits of the direction in which we
now seem to be headed. His conversant is philosopher John Gray.
20.00–21.30
£ 16.50
Jeremy Robson & Maureen Lipman: Blues in the Park
Maureen Lipman, Jeremy Robson
the Jews of Scotland
Actress Maureen Lipman joins poet Jeremy Robson in reading from his powerful and
witty new collection of poetry – Blues in the Park – described by her as “a marvellous wry
observation of the sweet, sour and savoury in life”. Maureen will also contribute a few of
her own witty monologues. Expect some literary surprises, and badinage à la Lipman.
Judah Passow, Kenneth Collins
Chair: Hugo Rifkind
Documentary photographer Judah Passow’s Scots Jews:
Identity, Belonging and the Future has been exhibited
in far-flung places, from Edinburgh’s Parliament to New
York. Kenneth Collins’s Jewish Glasgow: an Illustrated
History focuses on the Jewish contribution to this
renowned city. Hugo Rifkind will take part in this exposé
of the Jewish community north of the border – at once
proud Scots and firmly rooted in Jewish tradition.
18.30–19.30 £ 7.50
20.00–21.30
£ 9.50
Why British Jews need Jewish Heritage
In Association with English National Heritage
Sharman Kadish | Michael Berkowitz
Sharman Kadish’s expanded Jewish Heritage in Britain and Ireland demonstrates there
is more to Britain than North London and the East End. Presenting a wealth of historic
synagogues and sites from 350 years of Jewish British life, this event will no doubt spur
you to go on a (Jewish) expedition of your own. The moderator is Michael Berkowitz.
20.00–21.30
£ 6.50
Monday
23 February
16
MONDAY
23
FEBRUARY
2015
Peter Day and Henry Hemming
on Unlikely Spies
Peter Day, Henry Hemming | Chair: Mike
Rossiter
Klop Ustinov (father of Peter) and Geoffrey Pyke were
two improbable spies in the first half of the 20th century.
Broadcaster Peter Day, author of Klop: Britain’s Most
Ingenious Secret Agent, and Henry Hemming, author
of Churchill’s Iceman – The True Story of Geoffrey
Pyke: Genius, Fugitive, Spy, present their astounding
stories. Their conversant is fellow spy-master Mike
Rossiter, author of The Spy Who Changed the World.
Jacqueline Rose and Helena Kennedy
on Women in Dark Times
Jacqueline Rose | Helena Kennedy
Jacqueline Rose’s compelling new book opens with three extraordinary women:
revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg, German–Jewish painter Charlotte
Salomon; and film icon Marilyn Monroe, whose lives intersected with some of
the most dramatic events of the 20th century. The book probes quintessential
injustices both then and now and Jacqueline Rose, in conversation with Helena
Kennedy, offers a new vision of feminism for the 21st century.
19.00–20.00
An Episode of
the Great War by
Antony Lentin
with a Foreword by
Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC
20.30–22.00£10.50
£ 12.50
Antony Lentin: the Rise and
Fall of Sir Edgar Speyer
Antony Lentin | Chair: Simon Kinder
BANKER
TRAITOR
SCAPEGOAT
SPY?
THE TROUBLESOME CASE OF
SIR EDGAR SPEYER
17
ADVERTISEMENT
Sir Edgar Speyer was a much admired US-born philanthropist who founded the
Whitechapel Art Gallery, financed the construction of new tube lines, and rescued
the Proms from collapse. Soon after the outbreak of WWI, however, Speyer
was accused of being a spy. In Banker, Traitor, Scapegoat, Spy? Antony Lentin
investigates the enigmatic Speyer’s dramatic rise and fall with spy-enthusiast
Simon Kinder.
19.00–20.00
£ 8.50
John Lahr on Tennessee Williams:
Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh
Come and browse our range of Jewish interest books and also all of the
speakers’ books for the talks across the 9 days of Jewish Book Week.
Find us on Level 0 of King’s Place.
John Lahr | Chair: David Aaronovitch
Or visit us instore:
John Lahr is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, where for 21 years
he was its renowned chief drama critic. His masterly biography of Tennessee
Williams reveals a public persona and turbulent private life as riveting as any of
the haunting characters that Williams created. John Lahr will be discussing with
David Aaronovitch the inner dramas that generated some of the finest plays of
the twentieth century.
Blackwell’s Bookshop
Brownlow House
50 High Holborn
London WC1V 6ER
20.30–22.00 £ 12.50
020 7292 5100
[email protected]
blackwell.co.uk/london
Tuesday
24 February
18
TUESDAY
24
FEBRUARY
2015
The Waley-Cohens:
Life on and off the Stage
In Association with Jewish Music Institute
Stephen Waley-Cohen,
Tamsin Waley-Cohen, London Bridge Trio
Chair: Lady Solti
The Contemporary Art Scene
Philip Hook, Matthew Slotover | Chair: Andrew Renton
Jewish Book Week and the Jewish Music Institute
co-present a father-daughter conversation between
theatre impresario Stephen Waley-Cohen and
violinist Tamsin. Facilitated by Lady Solti, they reflect
on their lives both on and off the stage. Expect
musical interludes from Tamsin and other members
of the Bridge Trio, cellist Kate Gould and pianist
Daniel Tong, to include Mendelssohn’s Trio in
C Minor
Experts in the contemporary art scene will elucidate how the global art market
works and how artists ignore it at their peril. Philip Hook, senior director of
modern art at Sotheby’s and author of Breakfast at Sotheby’s; director of Frieze,
Matthew Slotover; and Marlborough Contemporary director, Andrew Renton,
will volley ideas and facts about the contemporary art scene.
19.00–20.00 19
£ 12.50
20.30–22.00
£ 12.50
Raja Shehadeh and Peter Florence:
The Language of Peace
Thanks to Profile Books
Raja Shehadeh | Chair: Peter Florence
ADVERTISEMENT
Raja Shehadeh, the award-winning human rights lawyer from Ramallah and
author of Palestinian Walks, returns to Jewish Book Week to explore the politics
of language and the language of politics with Hay Festival director Peter
Florence. Language can be as effective as any weapon – a potent force that can
engineer outcomes, exacerbate tensions and obstruct peace. Raja Shehadeh and
Peter Florence will reflect on how it might be made possible for the Israelis and
Palestinians to attain a language of peace.
19.00–20.00 £ 10.50
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Philosophy Bites
David Edmonds, Nigel Warburton
The Philosophy Bites podcast has been downloaded 23 million times (and rising),
proving there is a huge appetite for philosophical exchange on topics such as the
nature of pleasure, pain, free will and humour. Its creators Nigel Warburton and
David Edmunds come to Jewish Book Week bursting with fertile ideas and eager
to discuss Philosophy Bites Again, a brand new selection of interviews.
20.30–22.00
£ 12.50
Register your interest at www.pjlibrary.org.uk
/PJlibraryintheuk
Wednesday
25 February
20
WEDNESDAY
25
FEBRUARY
2015
Martin Wolf and Mervyn
King on the Economy
Martin Wolf, Mervyn King
John Kampfner and
Giles Fraser on The Rich FT Chief Economics Commentator, Martin
Wolf, and former Governor of the Bank of
England, Mervyn King, discuss how far the global
economy has recovered from the collapse of
financial markets in 2008. In The Shifts and the
Shocks Martin Wolf argues that the recovery from
the crisis is far from complete. More importantly we
have not learned the lessons we need to learn if we
are to avoid a repeat of this devastating experience.
Both the economy and the financial system remain
far too fragile. More radical reforms are needed Join
them for this searching conversation.
John Kampfner | Chair: Giles Fraser
The super-rich inhabit a parallel world, competing with each other for power and
influence. They mesmerise and horrify us in equal measure. But is this globalised
and gilded class something new? In The Rich John Kampfner researches over
2,000 years of history that starts with Ancient Egypt and Rome and culminates
with the oligarchies of modern Russia and China, the tech giants of Silicon Valley
and, of course, with the bankers. John Kampfner will be in conversation with Giles
Fraser.
19.00–20.00
21
£ 10.50
20.30–22.00 £19.50
Caroline Moorehead and Edward
Stourton: French Resistance
Caroline Moorehead, Ed Stourton | Chair:
Anne Sebba
Caroline Moorehead’s Village of Secrets is a
gripping and penetrating account of the villagers of
Le Chambon-sur-Lignon who risked (and sometimes
lost) their lives to save several thousand Jewish
fugitives from deportation by the Vichy regime.
Broadcaster Edward Stourton’s Cruel Crossing
recounts the extraordinary valour of a desperate
collection of disparate people, united only in their
desire to escape the Nazis through navigating the
Pyrenees’ treacherous Chemin de la Liberté in midwinter. The authors will discuss with Anne Sebba
these tales of surviving insurmountable odds.
19.00–20.00
£ 10.50
The Art of the Essay: Notting Hill Editions
In Association with Notting Hill Editions
Michael Ignatieff, Phillip Lopate
Michael Ignatieff and Phillip Lopate celebrate the essay, the sine qua non of Notting
Hill Editions. Cultural beacon Michael Ignatieff, who won the first Notting Hill Editions
essay award in 2013, is the ideal person to attest why this literary miniature is a form
worth revitalising. Phillip Lopate, essayist and Columbia University professor of writing,
launches Portrait Inside My Head, his new collection on parenthood, marriage, sex and
friendship.
20.30–22.00
£ 9.50
22
Themes
Themes
fathers &
daughters
The New
Yorker
to read more, see:
Page 16
John Lahr: Tennessee Williams:
Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh
Page 36
Deborah Treisman and Hadley
Freeman
KARL MARX
to read more, see:
PAGE 10
Jonathan Sperber and
Jonathan Freedland
reconsider Karl MARX
ELEANOR MARX
page 13
If it’s Not Impossible...
The Life of Sir Nicholas
Winton
page 15
Simon and Chloe Schama
Unravel the FatherDaughter Bond
page 19
The Waley-Cohens: Life
on and off the Stage
Page 30
Rachel Holmes on
Eleanor Marx: A Life
23
Page 37
Robert Mankoff:
The New Yorker Cartoon
Page 40
The New Yorker
Lunchtimes at
the Jewish Museum
24
Bright Star in a Dark Chamber
Lunchtimes at The
Jewish Museum
In Association with Jewish Rennaissance
Robin Renwick, Frances Suzman Jowell, Janet Suzman
Chair: Rebecca Taylor
Helen Suzman was the trailblazer who led South Africa’s parliamentary
anti-apartheid movement. Armed with relentless determination and biting wit,
she fought the white male establishment to form a groundbreaking civil rights
campaign. Robin Renwick, former British Ambassador to South Africa will
discuss Helen Suzman’s extraordinary life and achievements with her daughter
Frances Suzman Jowell and her niece Janet Suzman, facilitated by Rebecca
Taylor, editor of Jewish Renaissance.
Hermann Simon: Gone to Ground
Thanks to Profile Books
Hermann Simon | Chair: Henrietta Foster
Gone to Ground is derived from the tape recordings Hermann Simon made
of his mother, Marie Jalowicz Simon, who survived the Second World War
by throwing away her yellow star and vanishing into the city. The memoir,
translated into English by Anthea Bell, is a German bestseller. Dr Simon, director
of the Jewish Centre Foundation at Berlin’s New Synagogue, will talk to
journalist Henrietta Foster about his mother’s extraordinary story.
MONDAY 13.00–14.00
£ 6.50
Suzanne Perlman: An Artist’s Life
Suzanne Perlman | Chair: David Glasser
The intensity of Budapest-born Suzanne Perlman’s paintings matches that of her
illustrious life. Now 91, her career has spanned many decades and numerous
locations, including Austria, Mexico and the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao.
Having adopted London as her home, her love affair with the capital is visible in
every brush stroke. Suzanne will be talking to David Glasser.
MONDAY 14.30–15.30
25
£ 6.50
TUESDAY 13.00–14.00
£6.50
Lyndall Gordon: Divided Lives
In Association with the London Jewish Cultural Centre
Lyndall Gordon | Chair: Louise Jacobs
Susie Orbach has called Lyndall Gordon a “biographer of soul”. This acclaimed
biographer of Emily Dickinson, TS Eliot and Henry James turns to examine her
own life in this searing memoir. Lyndall Gordon was shaped by her poetic but
volatile and ill mother. From South Africa, through New York, to Oxford, the
author’s life has undergone many transformations. She will be talking about her
literary life and family history with director of the LJCC, Louise Jacobs.
WEDNESDAY 13.00–14.00
£ 6.50
Kenneth Marks on the Archaeology of
Anglo-Jewry in England and Wales 1656-1880
Kenneth Marks | Chair: Charles Corman
Elaine Feinstein: Portraits - a memoir in poems
Elaine Feinstein | Chair: Michael Schmidt
Elaine Feinstein has been an academic, a novelist, a playwright, a biographer
and a translator, but it is for her poems that she is best-known. Her new longawaited collection looks back at her life and the many fascinating people she has
encountered. Elaine Feinstein will be talking about both her poetry and her life with
fellow-poet and publisher Michael Schmidt, author of The Novel: a Biography.
TUESDAY 14.30–15.30 £6.50
Jews were readmitted to Britain by Cromwell in 1656. In just over a century their
number grew from a mere handful of families to 60,000 residents, who mostly
lived in London. Kenneth Marks explores the urban topography of Anglo-Jewry
before the mass immigration of the late 19th century, and offers a fascinating
portrayal of a community at its inception. Lawyer Charles Corman will be
discussing Jewish archaeology with Kenneth Marks.
WEDNESDAY 14.30–15.30
To book tickets, please email [email protected],
telephone 0207 446 8771 or on the door, subject to availibilty
£ 6.50
26
27
Jewish Museum
Boris Bennett:
East End Weddings
In Association with the Jewish Museum
Michael Greisman, Rachel Kolsky
Chair: Edwina Ehrman
Boris Bennett chronicled the major life events of
Jewish East End families for over 25 years. His
iconic photographs of East End weddings have
been collated and edited by Michael Greisman
and the result is a stunning testament to Jewish
East End life in the early 20th century. Michael
Greisman and Rachel Kolsky, a prize-winning
Blue Badge guide, who contributed to the book,
will discuss Bennett’s life and art with Edwina
Ehrman, curator of Textiles at the V&A.
FRIDAY 13.00–14.15
£ 6.50
THURSDAY
26
FEBRUARY
2015
The Writer’s Craft: Linda
Grant and A D Miller in
Conversation with Charlotte
Mendelson
AD Miller, Linda Grant
Linda Grant and AD Miller, together with Charlotte
Mendelson, discuss the creative process – how they
arrive at their ideas and characters or, perhaps, how
ideas and characters come to them. Both Linda
Grant’s The Clothes on their Backs and AD Miller’s
Snowdrops were shortlisted for the Man Booker
prize; their new novels, Linda’s Upstairs at the
Party and Andrew’s The Faithful Couple, outline
the unfolding of friendships over several decades.
Award-winning novelist Charlotte Mendelson,
whose most recent book is Almost English, will
moderate the event. Come and hear these three
superb writers on the art of writing.
19.00–20.00
£10.50
A Bazaar Life: David Alliance
and Ivan Fallon
David Alliance, Ivan Fallon
To book tickets, please email [email protected],
telephone 0207 446 8771 or on the day, subject to availibilty
Ivan Fallon, former business editor of The Sunday
Times and co-author of A Bazaar Life, talks to
Liberal Democrat peer, captain of industry and
philanthropist, David Alliance. Leaving school at
13 to run his own business in Tehran’s bazaar,
David Alliance went on to create the largest
textile company in Europe. This will be a unique
opportunity to hear about this exceptional life.
19.00–20.00
£ 10.50
28
29
Thursday
a Workshop on Writing for Young Adults
Keren David, Miriam Halahmy, Hilary Freeman
Chair: Rachel Lasserson
Writing for young adults prompts many challenges in creating age-appropriate, but
trenchant works of fiction for those who are in many ways wiser than their parents. In
this two-hour workshop, authors Keren David, Hilary Freeman and Miriam Halahmy
will discuss how they meet these challenges and you will have the opportunity to pitch
your own ideas for a children’s or teen novel. Bring along a synopsis or first chapter.
Rachel Lasserson will chair the event. 19.00–20.00
Free
Peter Beinart and Jonathan
Freedland: The Diaspora Pen is
Mightier than the Sword?
Sponsored by Yachad
Peter Beinart, Jonathan Freedland
Voices have the power to sway public opinion and
perhaps even determine policies. Peter Beinart,
who writes for The Atlantic and Haaretz, and The
Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland consider how the Jewish
Diaspora voice might exert a more meaningful influence
on the strategies of Israel’s decision-makers.
20.30–22.00
Roger Cohen, Michael Ignatieff
and Simon Schama contemplate
Israel’s Future
Sponsored by the
Kennedy Leigh Charitable Trust
Roger Cohen, Michael Ignatieff,
Simon Schama
Last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas
has sharpened perceptions of the long-standing
Israel-Palestine conflict. With an ever-more uncertain
future ahead, many potential scenarios – some
more pessimistic than others – are debated in the
region and across the world. Roger Cohen, Michael
Ignatieff and Simon Schama will consider some of
these scenarios and their implications for both Israelis
and Palestinians.
20.30–22.00
£ 24.50
£ 14.50
The King of the Ivy League
Rachel Holmes on
Eleanor Marx: A Life
John Simons, Paul Simons
Chair: Robert Elms
Rachel Holmes | Chair: Rachel Cooke
Rachel Holmes talks to Rachel Cooke about her critically acclaimed biography of
Eleanor Marx. Marx’s favourite daughter was a revolutionary socialist campaigner
and fiery feminist. She translated Madame Bovary and directed the first British
performance of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, while leading trade unions and editing her
father’s key political works. She was not, however, beyond human frailty, as you
will find out.
20.30–22.00
SATURDAY
28
FEBRUARY
2015
£ 10.50
John Simons was one of the leading menswear
designers in 1960s London, introducing the Ivy
League look to young, fashion-obsessed Mods. A
new documentary The Neat Offensive about his
life and distinctive style is now in the making. Jewish
Book Week presents the man himself, his son and
business partner Paul Simons, and admirer and
fashion aficionado, broadcaster Robert Elms.
20.00–21.00
£ 10.50
ADVERTISEMENT
30
Sunday
Sunday
22nd March
31
The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
www.littman.co.uk
ADVERTISEMENT
Yale Jewish Lives Series
MARK ROTHKO
Toward the Light in the Chapel
Annie Cohen-Solal
Mark Rothko was not only one of the most influential
American painters of the twentieth century; he was a
scholar, an educator and a deeply spiritual human being.
Born Marcus Yakovlevich Rotkovitch, he emigrated from
the Russian Empire to the United States at age ten, already
well educated in the Talmud and carrying with him bitter
memories of the pogroms and persecutions visited upon
the Jews of Latvia.
16 colour +
17 b/w illus.
Hardback £18.99
Photo: © Sijmen Hendriks
Bestselling author Annie Cohen-Solal
gained access to archival materials no
previous biographer had seen. As a
result, her book is an extraordinarily
detailed portrait of Rothko the man
and the artist, an uncommonly
successful painter who was never
comfortable with the idea of his art as
a commodity.
Recent titles in the Yale Jewish Lives Series
33
SUNDAY
1
MARCH
2015
Steve Jones: Where Science Meets the Bible
Sponsored by Dr Naim Dangoor CBE
Founder of the Exilarch’s Foundation
Steve Jones
Science and faith are often viewed as mutually exclusive, but both are concerned
with life’s most profound mysteries. Steve Jones, the world-famous geneticist,
evolutionist and environmentalist, is an authority on snails, flies and people. In his
latest book, The Serpent’s Promise, he reinterprets the Bible in light of modern
science and, just possibly, finds answers to the epic questions that have intrigued
us through the centuries.
11.00–12.00 £ 12.50
The Girl from Human Street
Sponsored by Dr Naim Dangoor CBE
Founder of the Exilarch’s Foundation
Roger Cohen | Chair: David Denby
New York Times columnist Roger Cohen’s memoir is an intimate and moving
Jewish family history of displacement, prejudice, hope, despair and love. In
conversation with New Yorker film critic, David Denby, he will talking about his
inter-generational family narrative, which takes us across decades and continents.
11.00–12.00
£ 10.50
Natalie Haynes: Stand Up for the Classics
Leonard Bernstein
Ben-Gurion
Becoming Freud
Einstein
An American Musician
Father of Modern Israel
Anita Shapira
The Making of
a Psychoanalyst
His Space and Times
Allen Shawn
Adam Phillips
Coming Soon
YaleBooks
Steven Gimbel
tel: 020 7079 4900
www.yalebooks.co.uk
Natalie Haynes
Fêted comedian, broadcaster and writer Natalie Haynes takes you on a whistlestop tour of Ancient Greece and Rome. If you’ve ever wondered what Julius
Caesar’s last words really were, how Sophocles invented the murder mystery, or
why Jewish historian Josephus gave his name to a maths puzzle, this is the talk
for you.
11.00–12.00 £ 6.50
34
Sunday
1 March
Sunday
35
AB Yehoshua: Lunchtime Lecture
Assaf Gavron: The Hilltop
Sponsored by the Felix Posen foundation
AB Yehoshua
In association with New Israel Fund
Assaf Gavron | Chair: Sara Hirschhorn
AB Yehoshua, one of Israel’s foremost writers and public intellectuals, considers how
Jewish culture is now reflected through the prism of contemporary Israeli society.
What are the cultural consequences of Israel’s recent social and political upheavals?
Assaf Gavron’s prize-winning The Hilltop is a monumental and daring novel about life
in a West Bank settlement. Perched between serious ideas and wild satire, vibrantly
inventive storytelling and acute realism, it goes where other writers may fear to tread –
to the divisive and disputed realm of the religious settlers. Assaf Gavron will
be interviewed by Oxford academic, Sara Hirschhorn.
12.30–13.30
£ 12.50
14.00–15.00
£ 9.50
GOran Rosenberg and Sigrid Rausing
Göran Rosenberg | Chair: Sigrid Rausing
The Art of the Graphic Novel
Göran Rosenberg is in conversation with Granta’s Sigrid Rausing about his heartstopping memoir of his father, A Brief Stop on the Road from Auschwitz. The work is
still gathering accolades and awards, after winning the most prestigious Swedish prize
for literature and the French prize for foreign fiction. Philippe Sands has called the book
‘a towering and wondrous work about memory and experience.’
In Association with the Faculty of Asian and
Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge
Rutu Modan, Yirmi Pinkus, Sarah Lightman | Chair: Ariel Kahn
12.30–13.30 £ 10.50
14.00–15.00
Jeremy Josse on Financial Paradoxes
Jeremy Josse | Chair: Stephen Grabiner
Contrary to its dull image, the financial world is actually full of strange and wonderful
conundrums. In Dinosaur Derivatives and Other Trades, Jeremy Josse, who has
been an executive in some of the world’s leading financial institutions, explores the
philosophical puzzles, hypocrisies and moral dilemmas that lie at the heart of the
system. He will discuss the paradoxes of finance that shape our world today with
media executive and JC chairman Stephen Grabiner.
12.30–13.30
Join leading Israeli graphic novelists Rutu Modan (Exit Wounds), Yirmi Pinkus (Petty
Business) and British artist and curator, Sarah Lightman, editor of award-winning
Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women, to celebrate this contemporary
form of storytelling, which has exploded in popularity over recent decades.
£ 9.50
£ 6.50
Robert Mankoff: The New Yorker Cartoon
In association with How To Academy
Robert Mankoff
The New Yorker cartoon is a unique and distinctive art form. Bob Mankoff, cartoonist
and humourist, will demonstrate what makes this genre incomparable in an illustrated
talk that will draw from his memoir: How About Never – Is Never Good for You?
My Life in Cartoons.
15.30–16.30
£10.50
George Prochnik on Stefan Zweig and Exile
In association with Austrian Cultural Forum
George Prochnik | Chair: Erica Wagner
Ravensbruck and Germany 1933-49
George Prochnik’s family fled Austria in the 1930s, at the same time as Stefan Zweig
turned his back on Vienna for the last time. The Impossible Exile: Stefan Zweig at the
End of the World muses on the consequences of exile for Zweig and other émigré
writers, such as Thomas Mann, Hannah Arendt and Bertolt Brecht, tracing Zweig’s
tumultuous journey to his final destination, Brazil. George Prochnik talks to Erica
Wagner about the dramatic effects of exile.
Ravensbrück was the only concentration camp with solely female occupants; today
it is barely known. Sarah Helm has written the definitive account of the camp,
singling out many acts of heroism among the atrocities. Drawing on newly-translated
testaments and research, David Cesarani’s Final Solution: The Fate of the Jews 1933-49
demonstrates the surprising lack of inevitability in the events that culminated in the
Holocaust. The authors will be talking to Anne Sebba.
14.00–15.00
Sarah Helm, David Cesarani | Chair: Anne Sebba
£ 10.50
15.30–16.30
£10.50
36
Sunday
1 March
Sunday
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen – One Night, Markovitch
Book Launch. In Association with Pushkin Press
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen | Chair: Josh Cohen
Pushkin Press at Jewish Book Week launches the English edition of Ayelet GundarGoshen’s One Night, Markovitch, a colourful debut novel tracing the destinies of a
group of young people on the eve of WWII. Ayelet Gundar-Goshen will be talking
to author and analyst Josh Cohen about her characters and exploring some of the
strengths and weaknesses behind the Zionist narrative. The book’s film-rights have
already been bought by the director of East is East.
15.30–16.30 Free
Workshop on Cartoons – Zoom Rockman
Rutu Modan, Sarah Lightman, Zoom Rockman | Chair: Ariel Kahn
Come and learn the secrets of creating comics and cartoons. Bring your own work with
you, if you like. The team includes teenage graphic artist Zoom Rockman, creator of
The Zoom. Zoom is particularly keen to meet 7-11 year olds.
Wenlock Room 15.30–16.30 Free
Sponsored by Dr Naim Dangoor CBE
Founder of the Exilarch’s Foundation
Howard Jacobson | Chair: John Mullan
£14.50
Caroline Pick’s Home Movie is a beautifully constructed film capturing the previously
veiled story of her parents’ lives in 1930s Czechoslovakia and her own childhood in 1950s
Britain. An artist, film-maker and former commissioning editor at the BBC, Caroline’s
editing skills have shaped a powerful testimony to a lost world. She is in conversation
with Lisa Appignanesi.
17.00–18.00
£ 7.50
How britain Fell in Love with Middle Eastern Food
Tomer Amedi, Josh Katz, Sarit Packer, Itamar Srulovich
Chair: Jay Rayner
Talented Israeli and Jewish chefs are taking the London restaurant scene by storm. Jay
Rayner, The Observer’s restaurant critic considers the allure of Middle Eastern cooking
with head chef of the Palomar restaurant, Tomer Amedi, Honey and Co’s Sarit Packer
and Itamar Srulovitch, and the founding chef of Zest, Josh Katz.
£ 12.50
In Association with the Jewish Quarterly
Lisa Appignanesi, Natalie Haynes, Sam Leith, Erica Wagner
Chair: Daniel Glaser
Book prizes are almost as commonplace as book festivals. But how are decisions
actually reached? This event brings together literary award judges to disclose the inner
secrets of book prize panels. Lisa Appignanesi, Natalie Haynes, Sam Leith and Erica
Wagner will be held in check by neuroscientist Daniel Glaser, himself a judge of the
2014 Man Booker prize.
18.30 - 19.30
Deborah Treisman and Hadley Freeman
Deborah Treisman | Chair: Hadley Freeman
As fiction editor of The New Yorker, Deborah Treisman is one of the most influential
arbiters of literary taste on either side of the Atlantic. She selects New Yorker short
stories, and edits the works of many international literary luminaries. Guardian
columnist Hadley Freeman talks to Deborah about journalism in general, The New
Yorker in particular and, perhaps, the up-and-coming literary wunderkinds.
17.00–18.00
In Association with Freud Museum
Caroline Pick, Lisa Appignanesi
Going behind Closed Doors: on Judging Book Prizes
Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson returns to Jewish Book Week to discuss his
enigmatically titled novel J with professor John Mullan. Steeped in mystery and
interwoven with romance, this compelling novel explores whether the past can ever
truly be left behind. Howard Jacobson, wordsmith par excellence, is a tour-de force
both on and off the page.
17.00–18.00 Caroline Pick and Lisa Appignanesi:
Retrieving Lost Memories
18.30 - 19.30
An Interview with Howard Jacobson
37
£ 12.50
£ 10.50
38
39
Sunday
Patrick Bishop: the Reckoning
Patrick Bishop | Chair: Lucian Hudson
As leader of the infamous Stern Gang, Avraham Stern masterminded Jewish rebellion
in Palestine against British rule. His murder in 1942 hastened the end of the British
Mandate. Bestselling author Patrick Bishop talks to strategy and communications expert
Lucian Hudson about the man whose life and death held such momentous historical
consequences.
18.30–19.30
Jewish Book Week
On-Tour
£ 9.50
Bournemouth
The New Yorker
Robert Mankoff, David Denby, John Lahr, Deborah Treisman
New York symbolises the sweeping cultural changes of the 20th century and The
New Yorker, first published in 1925, initiated many of these changes with its extensive
reportage and unparalleled arts features. New Yorker leading lights: film critic David
Denby, drama critic John Lahr, cartoon editor Robert Mankoff and fiction editor
Deborah Treisman investigate the inimitable appeal of this great cultural institution.
20.00–21.30
£ 16 .50
Tracy Chevalier and Ella Leya talk Jazz
Ella Leyar | Chair: Tracy Chevalier
Ella Leya’s childhood in Azerbaijan is the inspiration for her novel Orphan Sky. She
talks to Tracy Chevalier about her colourful life and work, including her experiences
with the Moscow Yiddish Theatre and the Russian State Jazz Orchestra. A natural
entertainer, Ella will also perform some jazz.
20.00–21.30
£ 10.50
Barbara Winton will be speaking about her
new book If it’s Not Impossible...The Life of Sir
Nicholas Winton at the Bournemouth Central
Library. Date TBA. Please email
[email protected]
Leeds
On Monday, 2 March at 8.00 pm, under the
auspices of the Leeds Jewish Historical Society,
Barbara Winton will speak about If it’s Not
Impossible...The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton at
the UHC Synagogue 151, Shadwell Lane, Leeds
LS17 8DW. Contact: Malcolm Sender, email
[email protected] Tel: 0113 318 6403
Liverpool
On Sunday, 15 March at 7.30 pm,
Barbara Winton will speak about her new
book If it’s not Impossible...The Life of
Sir Nicholas Winton. For details,
please email [email protected]
Manchester
Manchester is presenting an offshoot of JBW
with three festival authors:
a Secret Anglo-French War
In Association with Ben Gurion University
Meir Zamir | Chair: Michael Goldfarb
In The Secret Anglo-French War in the Middle East 1940-1948, Meir Zamir uncovers
a Franco-Zionist collaboration against Britain that helped shape the region at the time of
the British Mandate. He will examine this clandestine conflict involving French and British
intelligence with author and journalist Michael Goldfarb.
20.00–21.30
£ 9.50
On Sunday, 1 March at 8.00pm, Barbara
Winton will speak about If it’s not Impossible...
The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton at South
Manchester Synagogue, The Firs, Bowdon,
Cheshire WA14 2TE. Contact: Harvey Bertfield,
email [email protected]
Tel: 0161 941 5342
On Monday, 2 March at 8.00pm, Patrick
Bishop will give a talk on The Reckoning: How
The Killing of One Man Changed the Fate of
the Promised Land at Menorah Synagogue,
198, Altrincham Road, Manchester M22 4RZ
email [email protected] Tel: 0161 428 7746
On Tuesday, 3 March at 8.00pm, David
Cesarani will talk about his new book The
Final Solution: Germany 1933-1949 at Hale
Synagogue, Shay Lane, Altrincham Cheshire
WA15 8NZ. Contact: Stephen Lentin, email
[email protected] Tel: 0161 941 1612
Oxford
On Wednesday, 4 February at 7.30 pm
Roger Cohen will speak about his new family
memoir The Girl from Human Street: Ghosts
of Memory in a Jewish Family. To ascertain
venue, email: [email protected]
David Cesarani will also be giving a talk
on The Final Solution: Germany 1933-1949.
Details of this event will be posted on the
website www.ojc-online.org
Other happenings
JBW and JW3 co-present a brunch for
alternative families with special guest
Andrew Solomon, held at JW3, on Sunday
22 February, from 10.30 am onwards.
40
Biographies
David Aaronovitch is a writer and broadcaster on culture,
international affairs, politics and the media. A Times
columnist, his last book was Voodoo Histories. p.16
Lord (David) Alliance is an Iranian born businessman,
Liberal Democrat politician and philanthropist. In
September 2015, Manchester Business School will
be renamed in his honour. p.27
Yoni Alter is an Israeli-born visual artist and graphic
designer. His work is often featured in key design
publications and he recently launched his merchandise
range for the Tate.
Tomer Amedi is head chef of London’s Palomar. Influences
on his cuisine originate from Jerusalem and the Levant
and beyond, from Spain, Italy and North Africa. p.37
Lisa Appignanesi is a prize-winning author of both fiction and
nonfiction and a cultural commentator. A visiting professor
at King’s College London, she is a former president of British
PEN and chair of the Freud Museum. p.9, 37
Fran ois Azar is vice-president of the Sephardic society
Aki Estamos and editor of the Judeo-Spanish periodical
Kaminando i Avlando. He founded the Paris Ladino
summer school and Lior Press. p.12
Peter Beinart teaches journalism and political science at
New York’s City University. He is a senior columnist at
Haaretz, and a CNN commentator. His books include
The Crisis of Zionism. p.28
Michael Berkowitz is Professor of Modern Jewish History
at UCL, specialising in modern Jewish identity formation
and political self-representation. He is writing on the
engagement of Jews with photography. p.15
Patrick Bishopwas a foreign correspondent for over 20
years, covering the Middle East for The Daily Telegraph.
He is now one of Britain’s leading military historians, the
author of several acclaimed books. p.38
Fr d ric Brenner is a French photographer. He spent 25
years chronicling the Diaspora, from Rome to New York,
Sarajevo to Samarkand and has published five books,
directed three films and exhibited worldwide. p.13
David Cesarani is Research Professor in History at Royal
Biographies
Josh Cohen is Professor of Modern Literary Theory
at Goldsmiths College, University of London and a
psychoanalyst in private practice. His latest book is
The Private Life: Why We Remain in the Dark. p.36
Roger Cohen is a well-known author and columnist,
writing for both The New York Times and The
International New York Times. He has worked as a
foreign correspondent in 15 different countries. p.29, 33
Annie Cohen-Solal is a French cultural historian and
award-winning biographer of Sartre and Leo Castelli.
She has been affiliated with prestigious institutions
around the world, currently Stanford, and lives between
Paris and Cortona. p.11
Kenneth Collins , a doctor, is chair of the Scottish Jewish
Archives Centre and currently a visiting professor at the
Medical Faculty of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. p.14
Rachel Cooke is an award-winning journalist. She writes
for The Observer and is television critic for The New
Statesman. Her recent book is Her Brilliant Career: Ten
Extraordinary Women of the Fifties. p.28
Charles Corman is a corporate and charity lawyer. A
former trustee of the Jewish Book Council and other
boards, he was formerly a partner for Dechert, where he
is now a consultant. p.25
Ben Crystal is an actor, author and producer, best
known for his work on performing and promoting the
works of William Shakespeare in the so-called "original
pronunciation. p.11
David Crystal is a linguist, writer, editor, lecturer and
broadcaster. He has been a university professor and is
the author of many best-selling books. p.11
Keren David worked for many national newspapers before
becoming editor-in-chief for an international photojournalism agency. The prize-winning author of books for
teenagers, her next novel is set in Amsterdam. p.28
Peter Day is a broadcaster, journalist and author. He has
presented Radio 4’s In Business since 1988 and Global
Business for the World Service since 2000. He became
business correspondent for the BBC in 1990. p.17
Holloway, London. The author of several prize-winning
books, he has advised many institutions, NGOs and
government bodies on Holocaust and post-Holocaust
issues. p.35
David Denby has been a staff writer and film critic at The
Tracy Chevalier is a Washington-born author of seven
David Edmonds is a radio producer for the BBC and a
novels. Her Girl with a Pearl Earring won the Barnes
and Noble Discover Award, selling four million copies
worldwide. The film adaptation starred Colin Firth and
Scarlett Johansson. p.38
New Yorker since 1998. He is the author of Great Books
and Do the Movies Have a Future, a collection of his
New Yorker criticism. p.33, 38
senior research fellow at Oxford. He is the author of
many books, including the bestseller Wittgenstein’s Poker.
He co-founded Philosophy Bites with Nigel Warburton
in 2007. p.18
Edwina eHrman is Curator of textiles and fashion at the
V&A. She is the author of London Eats Out: 500 Years
of Capital Dining and 300 Years of Bridal Fashions. p.26
Robert Elms is a broadcaster, writer and former editor of
The Face, the presenter of a long-running radio show on
BBC London and the author of The Way We Wore, a
history of youth culture fashion. p.29
Jenny Erpenbeck is a Berlin-based opera director and
award winning novelist, whose books include The Book
of Words and Visitation. p.13
Ivan Fallon is now a South Africa-based media
executive. He is a former chief executive of Independent
News & Media and business and deputy editor of The
Sunday Times. p.27
Elaine Feinstein is a prize-winning poet, novelist,
playwright, biographer and translator who has written
many plays for radio and television. It Goes with the
Territory is her recent memoir. p.25
Peter Florence is co-founder and director of the Hay
Festival of Literature and Arts. He and his team now
direct cultural festivals worldwide. p.18
Henrietta Foster is a freelance producer and director,
working regularly with Newsnight. She is writing a
book about Hungarian Jews. p.24
Giles Fraser is priest-in-charge at St Mary’s church,
Newington and former Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s
Cathedral. A theologian and frequent broadcaster, he
writes The Guardian’s “Loose Canon” column. p.20
Jonathan Freedland is The Guardian’s executive editor
and a weekly columnist. He currently presents BBC
Radio 4's The Long View. The recipient of the 2014
Orwell Prize, he writes thrillers under the nom de plume,
Sam Bourne. p.10, 28
Harry Freedman has a PhD in the Aramaic translation
of the Torah. His Talmud: a Biography was acclaimed
and his new book, The Murderous History of Bible
Translations, will be published later this year. p.14
Hadley Freeman is a Guardian columnist and feature
writer, whose books include Be Awesome: Modern
Life for Modern Ladies. p.36
Assaf Gavron is an award-winning Israeli novelist, short
story writer, translator and musician, currently teaching
at the University of Nebraska. He recently co-edited the
anthology Tel Aviv Noir. p.35
Josh Glancy is a staff writer at The Sunday Times and
the paper's deputy news editor (online). He contributes
regular columns to The Jewish Chronicle, and reviews
books for The Literary Review. p.10
Daniel Glaser is a neuroscientist, currently Director of
the Science Gallery at King’s College, London. He was
previously Head of Engaging Science at the Wellcome
Trust. p.37
David Glasser is chairman and CEO of the Ben Uri
Gallery. He spent 20 years in the corporate world with
Marks and Spencer plc. where he pioneered the “simply
food” concept. p.24
Michael Goldfarb is a journalist covering conflicts for papers
such as The New York Times and The Guardian. He is
author of Emancipation: How Liberating Europe's Jews
from the Ghetto Led to Revolution and Renaissance. p.38
Henry Goodman is a multi-award-winning actor, twice
recipient of the Laurence Olivier award and winner
of the London Critics’ Circle award. p.8
Lyndall Gordon is an award-winning biographer and a
fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is currently
Senior Research Fellow at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. p.25
Kate Gould has devoted most of her career to chamber
music, primarily as a member of the Leopold String
Trio and the London Bridge Ensemble. She is a
frequent guest of the UK’s leading orchestras. p.19
Stephen Grabiner is a private media investor and
philanthropist. His current positions include National
Independent Director of Times Newspapers Ltd and
chairman of the JC. p.34
Linda Grant writes both fiction and non-fiction. When
I Lived in Modern Times won the Orange Prize and
The Clothes on Their Backs, shortlisted for the Man
Booker, won the South Bank Show Award. p.12, 27
John Gray is Professor Emeritus of European Thought
Hilary Freeman is an award-winning journalist and agony
aunt, who has written six novels for teenagers and young
adults and been shortlisted for several awards. p.28
at the LSE. A regular contributor to The Guardian,
The New Statesman, and other publications, his books
include Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other
Animals. p.15
Stephen Frosh is Professor of Psychology and Pro-Vice-
Michael Greisman was a property developer for many
Master of Birkbeck College, London. He has written
many books on the applications of psychoanalysis to
social issues. p.9
41
years. Now retired, he is pursuing his life-long passion
for photography. p.26
42
Biographies
Biographies
43
Miriam Gross is a Jerusalem-born journalist. She has been
Michael Ignatieff is a Canadian award-winning author,
Lady (Helena) Kennedy is a criminal lawyer, Principal of
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen is an award-winning Israeli
Gerald Jacobs is literary editor of The Jewish Chronicle
Simon Kinder is deputy head at Gresham’s School,
and has contributed to most major UK publications. He
wrote the first authorised biography of Judi Dench and
the bestselling Sacred Games. p.12
where he teaches history. He has a particular interest in
espionage linked to the Gresham spies such as Donald
Maclean and Cedric Belfrage. p.16
journalist. Her extensive work includes See How They
Run, which won the Olivier Theatre Award for Best
Comedy Performance, Oklahoma and Roman Polanski’s
The Pianist. p.12, 15
writing about controversial issues for young people. Her
debut novel Hidden was nominated for the Carnegie
Medal. p.28
Louise Jacobs is currently CEO of the London Jewish
Lord (Mervyn) King served as Governor of the Bank
Phillip Lopate is director of the nonfiction writing
Yuval Noah Harari lectures at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem. 65,000 people signed up for his online course
and he was winner of the Polonsky Prize for creativity
and originality. p.15
Howard Jacobsonis a multi-award winning author,
as well as a being a regular contributor to major
newspapers and journals. He won the Man Booker
Prize for The Finkler Question. p.36
Rachel Kolksky is a prize-winning Blue Badge Tour
Michael Haslam is a multi-talented musical director and
John Jay, now an investment manager, was formerly a
literary editor of The Sunday Telegraph and The Daily
Telegraph arts editor. She is a regular Spectator diarist;
her memoir is An Almost English Life. p.12
scriptwriter and filmmaker. She won the Sapir prize
for her debut novel One Night, Markovitch. p.36
Miriam Halahmy is a PEN facilitator, author and poet,
musician. He has worked extensively in the West End, at
the National Theatre, and on tour in the UK and abroad.
p.8
Natalie Haynes is a writer, broadcaster and comedian.
She is a regular guest contributor to The Independent
and author of The Ancient Guide to Modern Life and
a recently-published novel, The Amber Fury. p.37
Sarah Helm has written for The Sunday Times. She has
been diplomatic editor for The Independent and their
correspondent in Jerusalem and Brussels. Her first book
was A Life in Secrets. p.35
Henry Hemming is a writer of several works of non-
fiction, He is also an international journalist and lectures
extensively. p.17
Sara Yael Hirschhorn lectures at the Oxford Centre
for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. She is a regular op-ed
contributor to Haaretz and other periodicals. p.35
university teacher and former leader of the Liberal Party
of Canada. He has also worked as a television presenter,
documentary filmmaker and editorial columnist. p.21, 29
Cultural Centre, where she was previously been the
cultural programmer. p.25
financial journalist. p.10
Steve Jones is Professor Emeritus of Genetics at UCL.
A regular popular science broadcaster and writer, he is
the winner of the Royal Society Faraday Medal and has
delivered the BBC Reith Lectures. p.33
guide, co-author of Jewish London. She is passionate
about the human stories behind London’s buildings,
including East Finchley’s Phoenix Cinema. p.26
John Lahr has been The New Yorker’s senior drama
critic. His work has often been selected for Best
American Essays; his acclaimed biography of Joe Orton
Prick up Your Ears is among his many books. p.16
Rachel Lasserson founded the Anglo-Brazilian
FIG teams both at Pierpont Securities and Rothschild's US.
p.34
Shakespeare Forum, directing plays in England and
Brazil. From 2007 to 2013 she was editor of The
Jewish Quarterly. p.9, 28
lady (frances) Jowell is an art historian. An authority on
John Launer is a doctor, family therapist and educator.
Sarah Lightman is a curator of Graphic Details:
Confessional Comics by Jewish Women and a
founder and director of Laydeez Do Comics. p.35, 36
Maureen Lipman is an award-winning actress and
programme at Columbia University. His essays, fiction,
poetry and film and architectural criticism have appeared
in many prestigious collections and journals. p.21
Robert Mankoff sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker
in 1977, where he has been cartoon editor since 1997. He
is editor of multiple collections of cartoons, including The
Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker. p.35, 38
Kenneth Marks was a businessman before undertaking
many years of archaeological research first at Israel’s
Caesarea Maritima and then at UCL. p.25
Charlotte Mendelson is an award-winning author and
journalist. She reviews for the major broadsheets and
teaches creative writing for The Guardian. Her previous
novels include When We Were Bad. p. 27
A.D Miller is currently The Economist’s writer-at- large,
17th century Dutch and 19th century French art, she has
written on a variety of topics, including Impressionism.
p.24
He has honorary consultancies at the Tavistock Clinic
and Queen Mary, University of London. p.9
having been the journal’s Russian correspondent. His
first novel Snowdrops was shortlisted for the 2011 Man
Booker Prize. p.27
Sam Leith is a writer, critic and journalist, currently
Rutu Modan is an Israeli illustrator and comic book artist.
Sharman Kadish is a university lecturer and founder of
Jewish Heritage UK. Her books include the monograph
Bolsheviks and British Jews. p.15
literary editor of The Spectator. The latest of his four
books is You Talkin' To Me?: Rhetoric From Aristotle
To Obama. p.15, 37
She is co-founder of the Israeli comics group Actus
Tragicus and has published critically acclaimed graphic
novels. p.35, 36
Ariel Kahn teaches comics and graphic novels at
Antony Lentin is a senior member of Wolfson College,
Caroline Moorehead is the New York Times bestselling
Cambridge, a barrister and former history professor for
the Open University. His books include Lloyd George
and the Lost Peace and General Smuts. p. 16
author of A Train in Winter. An acclaimed biographer of
Martha Gellhorn and Bertrand Russell, among others, she
lives between London and Italy. p.20
Gemma Levine is a photographer, whose subjects range
John Mullan is Professor of English at UCL and Head of
from cultural icons to royalty. She has published 20
photographic books and presented over 60 exhibitions
worldwide. p. 12
Department, specialising in 18th century literature. He is
a regular television and radio broadcaster and writes on
contemporary fiction for The Guardian. p.36
Charles Lewinsky is a Swiss screen writer, theatre
Rabbi Dame Julia Neuberger is a Liberal Democrat peer,
renowned writer. Her books include Lost in Translation,
Exit into History and Time. p.9
Roehampton University. He won the Bloomsbury.com
‘New Voices’ story competition for Documents of a
Family. p.35, 36
Rachel Holmes is a cultural historian, co-editor of Fifty
Rafael Kamhi, originally from Sarajevo, sings Sephardic
songs with Grupa Ladino. He lives in France, where he
performs with his children, Rachel and Renato. p.12
John Kampfner is a renowned journalist. Formerly editor
Philip Hook is senior director of Impressionist and Modern
Art at Sotheby’s. His history of the Impressionist market,
The Ultimate Trophy, was an FT Book of the Year. p.18
of The New Statesman and Moscow correspondent for
the FT, his books include Freedom for Sale and Blair’s
Wars. p.20
Lucian Hudson is director of communications at The Open
Josh Katz trained under the Galvin brothers, worked
University. He has had a successful career in the media
and has chaired several non-profit organisations, including
Liberal Judaism. p.38
of England and chairman of the Monetary Policy
Committee and Financial Policy Committee from 2003
to 2013. He has many honorary fellowships and is a
fellow of the Royal Academy. p.21
Jeremy Josse lives in New York and has co-headed the
Eva Hoffmann is a Polish-born and internationally
Shades of Feminism and author of The Hottentot Venus.
She is curator of the new Impossible Conversations series
at the Donmar Warehouse. p.28
Mansfield College, Oxford and co-chair of the International
Bar Association’s Institute of Human Rights, as well as an
author, broadcaster and tireless legal reformer. p.16
at Ottolenghi, and helped set up Zest at JW3. He is
opening Berber & Q in Haggerston in spring 2015. p.37
director, lyricist and novelist. He is the recipient of the
Schiller Prize Zürcher Kantonalbank for his novel St.
John's Day. p.10
Ella Leya was born in Azerbaijan. She performed with
the Moscow Yiddish Theater and the Russian State
Jazz Orchestra; her album of children’s songs sold three
million copies and she has written songs for films. p.38
social commentator and writer. She is Senior Rabbi at
the West London Synagogue. p.12, 14
Sarit Packer is co-founder of London’s Honey & Co and
co-author of the book of the same name. She trained at
Butlers Wharf and under Chris Galvin at the Orrery.
p.37
44
Biographies
Judah Passow is the winner of four world press photo
awards for his coverage of conflict in the Middle East.
His photographs have been published in leading journals
and exhibited worldwide. p.14
Geoffrey Paul started as a journalist in Wales and
Biographies
Andrew Renton is director of the Marlborough
Contemporary gallery and Professor of Curating at
Goldsmith’s College, University of London. p.11, 18
Lord (Robin) Renwick is a crossbench peer in the House of
Yorkshire, before becoming first editor of London’s
Jewish Telegraphic Agency and then the JC. p.12
Lords. During a long and illustrious career in the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, he has been Ambassador to
both South Africa and the US. p.25
Derek Penslar is Stanley Lewis Professor of Israel Studies at
Hugo Rifkind is an award-winning Edinburgh-born
Oxford. A native of California, he has taught at universities
including Toronto, Harvard and Columbia. p.10
Suzanne Perlman is a Budapest-born artist. She and
journalist, writing for The Times, The Spectator and
GQ. He writes the satirical column ‘My Week’ and is a
frequent panelist on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz. p.14
her Dutch husband fled Europe during World War II,
settling on the island of Curaçao. The Caribbean light
has continued to influence her colour palette. p.24
Jeremy Robson, is a publisher and poet. He published
Stewart Permutt is a playwright and occasional actor.
Leo Robson is a journalist specialising in literature and the
He leads workshops for Channel 4, the Bankside Globe
and The Actors Centre and teaches creative writing. p.8
Caroline Pick is an artist, film-maker and former
commissioning editor at the BBC and Channel 4. p.37
Yirmi Pinkus is a prominent Israeli illustrator and comics’
artist as well as a professor at the Shenkar College of
Design. He is co-founder of the Israeli comics group
Actus Tragicus. p.35
George Prochnik’s essays, poetry, and fiction have
appeared in numerous journals. He lives in New York,
has taught English and American Literature at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and is editor-at-large
for Cabine. p.34
Doron Rabinovici was born in Tel Aviv and lives in
Vienna. He is a historian and writer and has won
numerous prizes for his novels and short stories.
Issy Van Randwyck is a singer and actress. A former
member of the satirical cabaret trio “Fascinating Aïda”,
she has acted on stage and TV, recently starring in
Raving at Hampstead Theatre, and directing episodes
of Downton Abbey. p.8
Sigrid Rausing is a publisher, philanthropist, anthropologist
and the founder of the Sigrid Rausing Trust. She cofounded Portobello Books and publishes both Granta
Books and Granta magazine. Her latest book is
Everything is Wonderful. p.34
Jay Rayner is The Observer’s restaurant critic. He has
been Young Journalist of the Year, Restaurant Critic of
the Year and Critic of the Year – but not all in the same
year. His new book, A Greedy Man in a Hungry World,
is out in March. p.37
high-profile authors with his own company Robson Books
and set up the Robson Press in 2011. p.13
arts. He is currently lead fiction reviewer for The New
Statesman and is a judge on the 2015 David Cohen
prize for literature. p.13
Zoom Rockman is a 14-year-old graphic novelist whose
self-published comic The Zoom! won a Spirit of London
Award and a prize at the International Comics Festival
in South Korea. p.36
Benedict Romain is a visual artist working primarily with
sculpture. His work contrasts ideas from mythology,
religion, psychology with the everyday behaviour of
contemporary society.
Jacqueline Rose joins the Birkbeck Institute for the
Humanities in January 2015. She has written extensively
on psychoanalysis, feminism, literature and politics. Her
books include On Not Being Able to Sleep and Proust
among the Nations. p.16
Goran Rosenberg is a Swedish journalist, broadcaster,
essayist and documentary filmmaker and the author
of several multi-translated books. p.34
Mike Rossiter is a Sunday Times bestselling author
of eight books on military history, including Sink the
Belgrano. His latest book, The Spy Who Changed the
World, investigates the truth about Klaus Fuchs. p.17
Clive Rowe is an award-winning actor, most recently
playing the lead in the much acclaimed Mother Goose
at the Hackney Empire. He won the 1997 Olivier Award
for Best Supporting Actor in Guys and Dolls. p.8
Aude Samama published her first comic book En série in
2002. She is also a magazine and novel illustrator. Her
style lies somewhere between expressionist painting and
comics. p.12
Philippe Sands is a barrister in the Matrix Chambers and
Professor of International Law at UCL. He has written
several books and presented a variety of performancerelated events on human rights issues. p.13
Chloe Schama lives in Washington DC. She writes for
The New Republic and her first book Wild Romance:
The True Story of A Victorian Scandal was critically
acclaimed. p.11
Simon Schama iis Professor of Art History and History
at Columbia University. A writer, journalist and
broadcaster, his recent two-volume Story of the Jews
was made into a successful television series. p.11, 29
Eva Schloss became a professional photographer after
the war. She co-founded The Anne Frank Trust in 1990
and educates people on the perils of intolerance. p.11
Michael Schmidt is writer-in-residence at St John’s College,
Cambridge. An award winning poet, novelist and literary
historian, he is director of Carcanet Press and editor of
PN Review. p. 25
Anne Sebba is a biographer, lecturer, journalist and former
Reuters’ foreign correspondent. She has written eight
books and is chair of the Society of Authors. p. 12, 20, 35
Victor Sebestyen is a Hungarian-born journalist. A
45
and Swinging London cultures of the 1960s, giving the
Harrington jacket its name. p.29
Paul Simons had an early start in the menswear trade,
helping stuff envelopes in the now legendary John
Simons, his father's eponymous shop in Covent Garden,
and is now based in Marylebone. p.29
Matthew Slotover is co-director of Frieze art fair, held
annually in both London and New York. He was rated
one of the top ten most powerful people in the art world
by Art Review. p.18
Andrew Solomon , a writer, professor and psychologist,
won the National Book award for The Noonday Demon;
an Atlas of Depression and several other prizes for Far
from the Tree. p.14
Lady (Valerie) Solti was one of the 1950s BBC’s original
team of television presenters. The patroness of the World
Orchestra for Peace, she is involved in many other cultural
organisations, including Sadler’s Wells and the JMI. p.19
Jonathan Sperber is Curator’s Professor of History at the
University of Missouri. He writes in the areas of social,
political and religious 19th and 20th century history. Karl
Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life was shortlisted for the
Pulitzer Prize. p.10
former foreign editor and media editor for The Evening
Standard, his books include Revolution 1989: The Fall of
the Soviet Empire. p.15
Itamar Srulovich is the co-founder (with his wife Sarit
Francesca Segal is a writer and journalist. Her first novel
Miriam Stoppard is a doctor, author and television
Miki Shaw is a visual artist, animator and graphic
Edward Stourton is a leading BBC broadcaster. He
Raja Shehadeh, a Palestinian lawyer, founded the human
Dame Janet Suzman was born in South Africa. Formerly
The Innocents won many awards, including the 2013
National Jewish Book Award and the 2013 Women’s
Prize for Fiction. p.11
designer. She performs as a VJ, creating improvised
projected visuals for live musical events and theatre. She
also runs creative workshops.
rights organisation Al-Haq. He has written books on
international law and the Middle East and in 2008 was
awarded the Orwell Prize for Palestinian Walks. p.18
Colin Shindler is Professor Emeritus at SOAS and the
first UK Professor of Israel Studies. He has written seven
books including The Rise of the Israeli Right. p.10
Hermann Simon is a historian and directs the New
Synagogue in Berlin, a partially restored synagogue
established in 1988 as a centre for Jewish culture and
religion. p.24
John Simons is an influential menswear designer with a
shop in Marylebone. He was an integral part of the Mod
Packer) of the London restaurant Honey & Co and coauthor of Honey & Co: Food from the Middle East. p.37
presenter. Her scientific and medical programmes have
included Don’t Ask Me and she has written several
books on health issues. p.12
presents Radio 4’s Sunday and his landmark programmes
have included Today, Panorama and the One O’clock
News. He has also written six books. p.20
a member of the RSC, she twice won The Evening
Standard Best Actress Award, and is a patron of the
Market Theatre, Johannesburg, where she directed her
celebrated Othello. p.24
Rebecca Taylor is the editor of Jewish Renaissance
magazine. She started her career as a journalist on the
news desk at The Japan Times, returning to London to
work first for The Guardian, and then as news editor at
Time Out. p.24
Daniel Tong devotes his musical life to performing as a
soloist and chamber musician. He directs two chamber
music festivals and has recently released a solo CD of
works by Schubert for Quartz. p.19
46
47
Biographies
Deborah Treisman is The New Yorker’s fiction editor. She
is the first woman to hold the fiction editor title since
Katharine White established the department in 1925 and
is the host of The New Yorker fiction podcast. p.36, 38
Paul Vallely is a writer and consultant on international
development, religion and ethics. A journalist and
broadcaster, he also works with aid agencies and
government and church organisations. p.14
Erica Wagner was born in New York. She is former
literary editor of The Times, a broadcaster and awardwinning writer of many genres, including fiction,
biography and poetry. p.34, 37
Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen is a theatre owner, manager,
producer and chairman of RADA. He is a former chief
executive of the Maybox Group, initiating multiplex
cinemas. p.19
Tamsin Waley-Cohen is a violinist who performs all round
the world as a soloist with many prestigious orchestras,
including the Royal Philharmonic and the London
Chamber Orchestra. p.19
Nigel Warburton is a freelance philosopher, podcaster and
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writer. He is the interviewer for the popular 'Philosophy
Bites' podcast which he makes with David Edmonds. p.18
Vivian Wineman is president of the Board of Deputies and
vice president of European Jewish Congress. A solicitor
and property developer, he writes and lectures on Jewish
history and law and is involved in interfaith work. p.14
Barbara Winton is a homeopath and nutritional
therapist who also works for Herefordshire MIND and
Here4Women. The launch of her biography of her
father was a major event at Hay Festival 2014. p.13
Martin Wolf is associate editor and chief economics
commentator for The Financial Times, an honorary
fellow of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy and an
honorary professor at the University of Nottingham. p.21
A B Yehoshua is one of Israel’s foremost writers. The
recipient of many prizes, including The National
Jewish Book Award, his recent retelling of Crime and
Punishment for children has been acclaimed. p.34
Meir Zamir is Professor of Middle Eastern History at Ben-
Gurion University in the Negev, where he is founding
director of the Centre for Jewish-Arab Understanding. p.38
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Festival information
Jewish Museum Events
To book events at the Jewish Museum, please
email [email protected], or telephone
020 7446 8771 or purchase a ticket on the door
subject to availibility.
single transaction and are subject to availability. The
Multi-Buy offer applies to most, but not all, events in
Jewish Book Week. Events not eligible for the offer
are marked as such in the programme and online.
Ticket collection
Kings Place
Customers who have chosen to receive tickets by post
will receive them from the end of January onwards.
Booking
Free events
Except where shown in the listings, events are held at
Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG. Tickets
can be bought through the Kings Place box office or
online at www.kingsplace.co.uk/jbw. Prices shown in
this guide are for booking online, which is cheaper
than other methods. Please add £2 to the internet
price if booking over the telephone or in person.
Jewish Book Week offers some events free of charge.
To attend a free event you need a ticket, which
can be reserved in advance from the box office, up
to two tickets per person. If you are unable to use
your ticket please let the box office know as early as
possible. Late-comers to free sessions may have their
tickets re-allocated.
Online
www.kingsplace.co.uk/jbw
Secure online booking 24 hours.
Returns policy
By phone or in person
Kings Place Box Office 0207 520 1490
Box office opening hours
12.00–20.00 Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat
10.00–17.00 Tue
Kings Place does not offer exchanges or refunds but
it is happy to offer to re-sell tickets once all house
seats have been sold and the event is deemed a
sell-out. All re-sales are at the discretion of the box
office. Tickets that have been sold will be refunded in
the form of a Kings Place gift certificate valid for 12
months, which can be used in full or part payment
for tickets for future events at Kings Place.
12.00–19.00 Sun
Access
Closed on bank holidays. These hours are subject to
change; please call the box office or check online for
more details.
Kings Place aims to be accessible to everyone, and
all performance spaces offer suitable seating for
wheelchair users. Please let the box office staff know
when booking if you have any access requirements
or for a copy of the Kings Place Accessibility Guide
email [email protected]. The box office has an
induction loop to help those with hearing aids. An
infrared system is installed in Hall One and Two, with
hearing advancements headsets available to visitors
who do not use a hearing aid. Neck loops are also
available to use with hearing aids switched to the
“T” position. All areas of Kings Place are accessible to
those with Guide and Hearing Dogs.
Multi-Event Ticket Offer
Book tickets for multiple events and save up to 15%
SAVE 10% when you book 3 to 5 events
SAVE 15% when you book 6+ events
Discounts on multiple ticket purchases are calculated
on the online prices. Tickets must be bought in a
Sunday
22nd March
Sunday
• Simon and Chloe Schama Unravel the
Father-Daughter Bond p.11
• Philosophy Bites p.19
• Rachel Holmes on Eleanor Marx: A Life p. 28
The provision is supported by a Grant for the Arts
from Arts Council England
Venue
Some events may be subject to a change of venue
and/or start time. Please check for up-to-date
information at the box office, on the Kings Place and
Jewish Book Week websites, or on the information
screens at Kings Place.
Hall One
Assigned Seating: Select your own seat when booking.
If you arrive late for the start of an event or after an
interval, Kings Place staff will do everything they can
to allow you to take your seat as soon as possible.
To limit disturbance to fellow audience members
and artists, they may ask you to wait until a suitable
break in the performance. Occasionally it may not be
possible to enter once an event has started.
Speakers will sign books after their sessions. All
signings will take place on the gallery level ­–1.
Food & drink
The Green & Fortune cafe will offer a selection of
kosher sandwiches and snacks. The Rotunda Bar is the
ideal place to meet or enjoy a drink after a talk.
Car
Bike
Kings Place is easily accessible by car and is clearly
singposted in the immediate area. If you are using
satnav the postcode is N1 9AG. The building is not
in the Congestion Charge Zone. Kings Place has
no public car parking. The nearest car park is NCP
London St Pancras (www.ncp.co.uk) next to St
Pancras International Station. It is open 24 hours,
7 days a week including bank holidays.
Jewish Book Week has commissioned three emerging
artists – Yoni Alter, Benedict Romain and Miki Shaw – to
create site-specific works to be displayed at Kings Place
for the duration of the festival. The artists have chosen to
explore Jewish roots, identities and backgrounds. These
works are supported by Arts Council England.
There is a Barclays Bike Hire Docking Station
next door to Kings Place on Crinan Street, N1.
King’s
Cross
Euston
Station
British
Library
ville Rd
Penton
Kin
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Rd
on
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Eu
90 York Way
London N1 9AG
Wharfdale Rd
St Pancras International Thameslink
Foot
Kings Place is situated on the Grand Union Canal
towpath. From the tube station the quickest route
is via the new King’s Boulevard. You may also walk
up York Way.
s Rd
cra
Pan
Rd
land
Mid
The nearest tube station is King’s Cross St. Pancras,
on the Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City,
Piccadilly, Northern and Victoria lines. The station
has step-free access from the platform to street level.
rf Rd
Wha
NCP
Car
Park
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from
Kings Cross and St Pancras stations, one of London’s
most connected locations, and now the biggest
transport hub in Europe.
Between sessions each room will be vacated so that
staff can prepare for the next session. Tickets will be
checked each time you enter or leave the hall, so do
have them ready. Please note that seats for general
admission events cannot be reserved.
Central Saint Martins
ay
ds W
Goo
Your Journey
Tube
Taking pictures is prohibited during events,
performances and concerts and in exhibitions. This
also holds true for film, video and sound recordings
The 390 from Archway to Notting Hill Gate stops
on York Way. King’s Cross St. Pancras is also served
by routes 10, 17, 30, 45, 46, 59, 63, 73, 91, 205, 214,
259 and 476.
Foyer art
Vacating the halls
Photography
Bus
Battlebridge
Basin
Crinan St
Late arrivals
Author signings
Blue badge holders can park anywhere on
Crinan Street in bays which state “permit holders
only” (resident bays), or in pay and display bays,
free of charge and without time limit, as well as
in disabled bays. Blue Badge holders may park on
a single or double yellow line up to a three hour
maximum limit, subject to loading or unloading
restrictions or where the road is too narrow to park
safely. Crinan Street is adjacent to Kings Place and
offers level access to the building.
l
na
Ca
All seating is unreserved and general admission.
Seats may be chosen on arrival.
The festival bookshop can be found in the Ground Level
Foyer. Blackwell’s offers books by Jewish Book Week
contributors and other titles of interest. The bookshop
will be open at least 30 minutes before the start of the
first session and until 30 minutes after the end of the last
session each day. Opening times subject to change.
Disabled Parking
King’s Cross St Pancras and Euston mainline rail
stations are nearby. Eurostar travellers arrive at
St Pancras International.
s
nt’
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Re
Hall Two & St Pancras Room
Blackwell’s festival bookshop
Train
Ca
led
on
ian
Rd
A live speech-to-text service will be provided by
Stagetext for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing
visitors in the following events:
whether inside a hall or around the building. Kings
Place and Jewish Book Week may take pictures or film
during your visit for later promotional use. For all other
purposes prior written permission is required to film.
York Way
Stagetext
Kin
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ay
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Inn
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ADVERTISEMENT
Sunday
THE
JEWISH
BOOK
COUNCIl
The Jewish Book Council was
established in 1948 to promote the
reading of books on all aspects of
Jewish thought and culture. The JBC
puts on Jewish Book Week, presents
both the Risa Domb-Porjes Prize for
Hebrew-English Translation and the
Chaim Bermant Prize for Journalism,
and organises other book-related
activities throughout the year.
HON LIFE PRESIDENTS Marion Cohen
and Marilyn Lehrer
HON PRESIDENT Anne Webber
CO-CHAIRS Gail Sandler and Lucy Silver
HON SECRETARY Romie Tager QC
HON TREASURER Peter Musgrave
TRUSTEES Marion Cohen, Stephanie Marcus, Peter
Musgrave, Andrew Renton, Gail Sandler, Lucy Silver,
Romie Tager, Anne Webber
COUNCIL MEMBERS Josephine Burton, Richard
Camber, Marion Cohen, Jane Prevezer, Judith Reinhold,
Zoe Ross, Juliet Simmons, Philip Skelker and Deborah
Tammer
JEWISH BOOK WEEK OFFICE TEAM
FESTIVAL CHAIR Lucy Silver
[email protected]
FESTIVAL CURATOR Nir Cohen
[email protected]
FESTIVAL COORDINATOR Sarah Fairbairn
[email protected]
HON SOLICITORS Dechert LLP
AUDITORS Wilkins Kennedy LLP
Programme and website design: Creative & Commercial
www.creativeandcommercial.co.uk
We wish to thank our partners and associates:
The Jewish Book Council is a registered
charity, no 293800, and a company
limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales, no 01989333
Community Security Trust; The Staff at Kings
Place; Ben Gurion University; Council of Christians
and Jews; English Heritage; Four Colman Getty;
How to Academy; New Israel Fund; The Freud
Museum; The London Jewish Cultural Centre; Jewish
Quarterly; Jewish Renaissance; Second Generation
Network; Society of Authors; all publishers, including
Granta, Haus Publishing, Notting Hill Editions, Profile
Books, Pushkin Press and Yale University Press; all the
authors, artists and performers who have contributed
to the festival; and organisations around Britain who
host Jewish Book Week on-tour.
Jewish
Book
Week
2015
This year’s international festival of arts and ideas explores the best
new writing from the UK, Europe, Israel and the US. It features
contemporary culture, scorching debates, renowned authors, original
voices, and themes that include fathers and daughters, the end of
WW2 and The New Yorker season.
Join us for nine days of innovative events on art and archaeology,
history and music, philosophy and politics, psychoanalysis and the
economy, and, of course, fantastic fiction.
Browse the full festival programme:
jewishbookweek.com
Book tickets:
kingsplace.co.uk/jbw
For Jewish Museum events contact
[email protected] or 020 7446 8771
kings place 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
020 7520 1490
MUSIC | ART | RESTAURANTS