hadassah magazine podcast
,
Season
1
,
Episode
8

'Happy New Years' from Master of Israeli Fiction Maya Arad

A not-to-be-missed conversation with Israeli-born author and playwright Maya Arad, whom Haaretz described as one of the "finest living authors writing in Hebrew today."

LISTEN NOW

Watch This Episode

IN THIS Episode
Guests
Area of specialty
Episode Transcript

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

Heading 5
Heading 6

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Block quote

Ordered list

  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3

Unordered list

  • Item A
  • Item B
  • Item C
Text link

Bold text

Emphasis

Superscript

Subscript

About this episode

As non-Hebrew readers are at last able to access and enjoy the work of acclaimed Israeli-born author Maya Arad, one of the "finest living authors writing in Hebrew today" (Haaretz), this candid and illuminating conversation highlights what makes Maya and her work so vital.

In dialogue with Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor, Lisa Hostein, Maya discusses her new book, Happy New Years, which, among many engaging themes, sheds light on what it means to be an Israeli living in America — a pertinent question as we all continue to grapple with the ongoing war in Gaza and the fate of the hostages, Israelis, Jews everywhere, and Gaza itself. Maya shares the inspiration for her novel and how she both resembles and significantly differs from her protagonist, an Israeli woman who moves to the United States to teach Hebrew at a Jewish day school in the 1960s. The novel features letters she proceeds to write to college friends back in Israel over the span of 50 years, a period that sees huge developments in the status of women, LGBTQ+ rights, and how Israelis view compatriots who moved to America, among other things.

Talking about her cohort of Israeli-born female authors, Maya observes that compared to her childhood, "Now, today, writers come in all shapes and colors, right? There are women, there are immigrants from Russia and from Ethiopia, there are expats, like me, there are, you know, Israeli Arabs who write in Hebrew, so it's really … there's so much diversity, which is great." Providing her deeply personal response to the October 7th attacks, which particularly hit close to home as she spent part of her childhood at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a Gaza border kibbutz that was devastated in the attacks, Maya paints a vivid picture of how the Israeli American community came together even more deeply as a result.

Further Resources

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Hadassah Magazine Presents, a podcast based on the popular monthly Zoom series, was created to bring to life some of the features of Hadassah Magazine that our readers love. From author interviews with women writers whose books touch on Jewish themes, to deep dives and panel discussions on timely topics, you’ll find something to inform, entertain, engage and uplift you. This podcast is perfect listening for when you're commuting, exercising, on a walk, wherever you travel, enabling you to enjoy a bit of Hadassah Magazine on the go.The show is hosted by Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein and produced by Hadassah Magazine with the support of the Engagement and Marketing divisions of Hadassah.Our podcast editors are Arielle Kaplan and Eli Hershko.Get more of Hadassah Magazine! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to get the latest print magazine delivered to your mailbox.

PENDING: Transcript here

Advertisements

  • Would you like to receive Hadassah Magazine for free? Join Hadassah today and get a subscription included in your membership.  
  • Help Hadassah Magazine produce excellent programming, like Hadassah Magazine Presents, with a donation to Hadassah.

Follow Hadassah Magazine Presents wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Help others discover our podcast by writing a review. Liked this episode? Share with a friend!

Please send any follow-up questions or feedback to engagement@hadassah.org

About our guest(s)

Maya Arad is the author of 12 books of Hebrew fiction as well as studies in literary criticism and linguistics. Born in Israel in 1971, she received a PhD in linguistics from University College London and for the past 20 years has lived in California where she is writer in residence at Stanford University’s Taube Center for Jewish Studies. She won a National Jewish Book Award for The Hebrew Teacher.

Stay Up to Date With Hadassah

Subscribe to Hadassah Magazine Presents Podcast monthly newsletter

a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK
a4APb000000BpDhMAK

By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of Hadassah privacy statement

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.