Wit and words at Jewish Literary Festival

There was such a strong sense of camaraderie and a connecting of likeminded people at the fifth biennial Jewish Literary Festival, on 28 April at the Gardens Community Centre in Cape Town.

More than 550 book-loving delegates attended the festival, which has built its reputation on being a day of well-curated sessions, lively conversation, and a warm and friendly welcome.

Local and international authors spoke about their books and discussed relevant issues and themes. The guest of honour was British author and comedian, David Baddiel, who spoke about his take on antisemitism and his book Jews Don’t Count. Former CNN producer and author Nadia Bilchik interviewed him at the festival.

Arthur Goldstuck was interviewed by fellow journalist Gus Silber, and spoke about artificial intelligence (AI), saying, “The real power of AI is to augment our ability to do almost anything that involves knowledge and words. The key to overcoming the fear of AI is to use it!”

Photojournalist and SA Jewish Report photographer Ilan Ossendryver was interviewed by the director of the South African Jewish Museum, Gavin Morris, about his book Israel After 7th October.

Other authors who spoke included political legend Tony Leon; former University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor Max Price; forensic pathologist Ryan Blumenthal; Nikki Munitz; Debbi Rozowsky; and many others.

The two co-chairs of the event, Caryn Gootkin and Vanessa Valkin, were thrilled with the outcome. “In a challenging environment, the festival was once again a successful showcase of words; a day that exceeded expectations and was full to the brim of attendees that represented the diverse Cape Town community,” they said.

They said the participating authors represented a wide range of subjects, and in some of the talks or discussions, audiences were overflowing.

“Our mandate is to leave delegates feeling inspired and uplifted and, judging by the feedback, we were able to achieve that and more. Our new virtual room showcased international authors and complemented our local offering, bringing together the creativity, experience, and history of all these writers.”