| Join us on Wednesday May 5, 2021 at 10:00 AM PDT/ 1:00 PM EDT for a conversation between Rachel Korazim and Meir Shalev, one of Israel’s most preeminent and popular novelists, about his influences, his writing and his approach to storytelling. Shalev’s work, which includes works for both children and adults, is saturated with love of man and nature and brings to the forefront the magic of everyday life. His novels chronicle the experience of the settlers in the Jezreel Valley in the pre-State era. Fantasy and humor are prevalent in his fiction, which combines imaginative tales with biographical details and his family’s history, together with biblical associations and mythic references. These elements and many more are interwoven into a multi-layered narrative on the backdrop of his childhood landscapes in Jerusalem and the Galilee. His writing is often compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez for its ability to “create worlds inhabited by the richness of invention and obsessiveness of dreams” (New York Times Book Review).
About Meir Shalev. One of Israel’s most celebrated novelists, Meir Shalev was born in 1948 in Nahalal, Israel’s first moshav. He is a bestselling author in Israel, Holland, and Germany; and he has been translated into more than twenty languages. His books include Two She Bears (2016), My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner, A Pigeon and a Boy, The Loves of Judith (Four Meals), Fontanelle, Alone In the Desert, and Esau. Russian Romance (The Blue Mountain) is one of the top five bestsellers in Israeli history and was reprinted in 2011. His most recent novel, Two She Bears, is an unconventional literary thriller about two murders – one committed as an act of vengeance and the second as an act of retribution. Spanning three generations in one family’s life, this is a tale of love, betrayal, revenge, loss, brutality and salvation. Shalev has also written twelve children’s books, as well as four collections of essays. Meir’s latest book of essays, My Wild Garden, was published in English in 2020. Shalev is the recipient of the Juliet Club Prize (Italy); The Prime Minister’s Prize (Israel); The Chiavari (Italy); The Entholomogical Prize (Israel); The Wizo Prize in France, Israel, and Italy; and The Brenner Prize of 2006—the highest Israeli literary recognition—for his novel A Pigeon and a Boy (Random House, 2007). He studied Psychology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and produced and hosted several radio and television programs. He lives in a moshav in north Israel, where he is a motorcycle and jeep enthusiast.
Rachel Korazim is a freelance Jewish education consultant in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. She engages audiences worldwide through innovative presentations built around the stories, poems and songs of Israel’s best writers. Her thought-provoking online and in-person presntations open a window onto Israeli society, inviting listeners to engage with the country and its history in new ways. A graduate of Haifa University with a PhD in Jewish education, Rachel teaches at Israel’s well known learning centers such as Pardes and the Shalom Hartman Institutes as well as in numerous Jewish communities worldwide. In her free time, Rachel enjoys scuba diving in the cenotes of Playa del Carmen in Mexico and the amazing coral sites of the Red Sea. Rachel is also a very active grandmother of eight grandchildren who all live in Israel. |
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There is no fee, but please RSVP for planning purposes. This event is held virtually on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event. For more information, contact Program Director Ilene Tatro at itatro@cbisd.org.
CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego, CA), Congregation Beth Shalom (Seattle, WA), Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Congregation B’nai Israel (Tustin, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, CA, Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Emet (Anaheim, CA), Temple Beth Ohr (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Tikvah (Fullerton, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Town & Village Synagogue (NYC, NY), University Synagogue (Irvine, CA) & Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA)
