"Here I am, here we are" Jewish Australian women reflect on the rupture of October 7 2023

About this episode

Four Jewish Australian women share their personal experiences and reflections on the impact of the October 7 attacks on their lives and identities.

October 7 has become synonymous with the Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023, in which more than 1200 Jewish people were murdered. What has followed — the hostage crisis, the war in Gaza, and the global response — has reverberated in communities far beyond the Middle East, including here in Australia. For Jewish Australians, it has turned their lives, their careers, their relationships and their identities upside-down. Four Jewish Australian women share their personal experiences of the profound rift they've felt in the wake of that day, and their hopes and attempts to mend it. This conversation was recorded at Manly Writers' Festival on 22 March 2026. Speakers Joanne Fedler Author of The Whale's Last Song and more, writing teacher, former lawyer Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert Research Fellow in Security Studies, Macquarie UniversityAuthor, The Uncaged Sky Former political prisoner in Iran Elana Benjamin Author of Indian-Jewish Food, Recipes and Stories from the Back Streets of Bondi , and more Lee Kofman Author of The Writer Laid Bare: Mastering Emotional Honesty in a Writer's Art, Craft and Life and more, writing coach and co-editor, Ruptured: Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life…

People in this episode

Host: Suellen Dainty

Guests: Joanne Fedler, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Elana Benjamin, Lee Kofman

Topics covered

• Jewish identity
• personal experiences
• community impact
• October 7 attacks
• women's perspectives
• Australia
• hostage crisis

Keywords

• Jewish Australian women
• October 7
• Hamas attacks
• personal stories
• community response
• identity
• Manly Writers' Festival

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Manly Writers' Festival

Places: Australia, Israel

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