by Asher Finkelstein (’15)
This past Tuesday, members of the “Meet the Israeli Author” class had the privilege of speaking with well-known Israeli writer Chanah Bat Shahar via Skype. In this remarkable elective course, the participants work on writing a short story in Hebrew throughout the year and receive critiques and guidance from the award-winning Israeli author on a monthly basis. Students who participated in the program last year were in attendance this week as well and they were presented with newly produced copies of the publication containing their short stories by Rabbi Taubes and Dr. Taylor.
Chanah Bat Shahar began by telling us a little about herself. She is a member of the Chareidi community in Israel, is married to a well-known Rosh Yeshiva, and writes under a pen name to avoid the censure of certain factions within the Israeli Jewish community. Her stories and writings are acclaimed in Israel, and she has received the noted Prime Minister’s Prize recognizing her work. She then asked us questions about what we like to read. After that, we asked her a number of questions about her political views, interests, and the like. Many of her responses were fascinating. I look forward to continuing to participate in this great.
Click here for more photos from this event.
