Ruptured

Book review by Dr Anne Sarzin – Shattered dreams and fragile hopes

In Ruptured, a book published today, thirty-six courageous Jewish women from all walks of life in Australia testify to their emotional and intellectual turmoil post-7 October 2023, their deep sense of rejection by mainstream Australia, and their devastating loss of agency, standing and friendships in circles where they previously moved with confidence and trust.

They are truly courageous because we know, by now, the dire penalties for visibility and social activism in the public domain where being a Jew and/or a Zionist triggers harassment and venomous denunciations, poisonous terms that echo globally across social media and are shouted on our streets, cheered in schools and universities, and applauded in theatres where we gather, ironically, for entertainment and to be uplifted. Tragically, we are all familiar with this toxic new vocabulary that sears our Jewish souls with the vitriol espoused by those with little understanding of the complexities of the Middle East, or knowledge of the teachings and ethics of Judaism or the history of Zionism and our historic attachment to our ancient land and ancestral homeland of our people.

With the resurgence of Jew-hatred and anti-Zionism, we have all felt the reawakened trauma in our bones and the fear in our hearts. For our community since 7 October, there has been tragedy and loss, but, miraculously, there has also been hope and love,  rare silver linings that glimmer through many of these essays, stories recorded by contributors such as project manager Simonne Whine, women’s wellbeing advocate Sharon Sztar and Perth writer and corporate communications consultant Jessica Bowker.

Simonne Whine unexpectedly stepped into an activist role, ‘I looked around and saw a vacuum,’ she notes. ‘I instinctively shifted into crisis mode, compelled to act.’ She began Facebook and WhatsApp groups for Jewish people and allies, with membership soaring rapidly into thousands; and staged a series of public protests, including one outside the Red Cross in Melbourne, demanding accountability for their failure to advocate for the hostages, and also for their historic inaction dating back to wartime Germany.  Importantly, she writes, ‘We set out to unite the Jewish community with our allies, to stand together not just for ourselves, but in solidarity with all cultures affected by racism.’

Living in the Byron Bay hinterland, Sharon Sztar ‘no longer felt safe to speak freely and openly’. Over the years a keen participant in the Byron Writers Festival, in 2024 she attended as an observer only and noted that sessions on the history of Indigenous Australians were conflated with that of the Palestinians, while speakers ignored Jewish indigeneity in Israel, and where chants of ‘From the river to the sea’ accompanied the Acknowledgement of Country. Sharon formulated countermeasures, facilitating monthly circle gatherings for Jewish women in the area to explore the values inherent in the Hebrew calendar, which helped participants navigate the hurdles of life post-7 October, providing much-needed solace.  She designed a panel discussion, ‘Healing the sister wound’, aiming to connect with the wider sisterhood ‘by sharing our history, customs and current emotional landscape’. Together with fellow speakers, she told the story of the Jewish matriarchs and opened the floor for discussion. Her activism in the community has given her and others the confidence to walk differently as Jewish women in the Northern Rivers. ‘I’m no longer a camouflaged Jew,’ she says, ‘I’m all of me. Intact and on display.’

A message from a non-Jewish friend changed Jessica Bowker’s mindset— ‘If you look for examples of hatred, you’ll find them, it will drain your energy, and you’ll amplify hate at a time when more love is needed’. Consequently, she has chosen to focus on strong links in a chain of hope. She has reached out to others, including a Christian Palestinian woman with whom she cherishes a meaningful friendship; and she has a strong connection with the Australian Israeli peace educator Ittay Flescher.

The book is filled with the testimonies written by intelligent, articulate and honest women confronting the impact and decoding the meanings of a horrendous event in Jewish history that has changed all our lives. There are inspirational insights, naked honesty, emotional responses that cut to the bone, intellectual analysis and interpretations of events that have pulverised Jewish communities here and abroad. As Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio observes, ‘Our challenge now is to hold on to hope. Throughout thousands of years of history, no matter what has befallen us, Jews have defiantly continued to pray and dream of peace. It takes great courage to believe that there will be a better tomorrow, that we will dance again in freedom’.

The editors of this remarkable book, Dr Lee Kofman and Tamar Paluch, are to be congratulated, firstly, on selecting so judiciously their impressive range of contributors whose views are potentially life-changing and healing for readers. They have assembled a brilliant and extremely diverse cast of writers, including Olympic medallist Jemima Montag, author Joanne Fedler, psychoanalyst Julia Meyerowitz-Katz, law Professor Kim Rubenstein, artist Nina Sanadze and schoolgirl Noa Gomberg, at 15 the youngest contributor. Secondly, the editors are to be commended for their commitment to a project that mirrors the complexities and challenges of the traumatic times our community is witnessing and experiencing.

I recommend this book, which constitutes a valuable record of heartfelt responses to heartbreaking times. It is undoubtedly a significant step forward in personal outreach to breach the barriers of societally imposed isolation, and through constructive community advocacy and engagement, it connects with each other and with allies.

Ruptured: Jewish women in Australia reflect on life post-October 7

Edited by Lee Kofman & Tamar Paluch

Published by Lamm Jewish Library of Australia (LJLA), 2025

The LJLA serves as a resource centre on Jewish life, literature, history the Holocaust and Israel and as a cultural and educational hub for the Australian community