Six star-studded Jewish events to see at SWF

At a time when Jewish creatives are being targeted and literary events are embroiled in scandals as a result of the Israel-Hamas war, this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) provides a much-needed platform for Jewish writers, thinkers and stories.

The 2024 program, which opens today and runs until May 26, follows the theme of “take me away”, with SWF Artistic Director Ann Mossop reflecting on the power of books to transport us and build bridges.

“Just as we can take books with us, books and stories can take us away from ourselves and from reality. They let us escape into different worlds, live other lives and travel in time and space,” she wrote. “We all read for different reasons, but these gifts of respite, empathy and the expansion of what we know and understand are very precious.”

From an extraordinary tale of Holocaust survival and the #MeToo movement, to relishing alone time and debating the necessity of books, we round up the top Jewish events to attend at SWF 2024 – with a few extras thrown in for those looking for more.

1: Julian Borger

Esteemed international journalist Julian Borger brings a wealth of experience to SWF all the way from America. Currently working as The Guardian’s world affairs editor based in Washington, Borger has also served as its Jerusalem-based Middle East correspondent and Washington bureau chief. He covered the Balkan wars in the 1990s and was part of the team that won the 2014 Pulitzer prize for covering the Snowden files on mass surveillance.