Zibby Owens, an acclaimed podcaster, author, and founder of Zibby Books, has released a new anthology titled On Being Jewish Now, a collection of essays from 75 Jewish authors with Artists Against Antisemitism, a nonprofit committed to raising awareness against antisemitism in the arts. The anthology, published a year after the Oct 7 attacks, explores Jewish identity, heritage, and resilience in the modern world.
The anthology’s physical copy will be released on Nov 1, 2024, and is currently available for pre-order; it’s available for purchase now as an e-book and audiobook across several platforms.
Owens, known for her podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, organized the anthology to create community and share stories in response to the rise of antisemitism following Oct 7.
“After the attacks of Oct. 7, I joined a group of authors to help start Artists Against Antisemitism,” she said. “Because of that, I got involved with a group chat on Instagram, and that community of 30 or so authors became a lifeline of sorts to me over the year.”
Through that group, Owens found support and connection but still felt there was more to be done.
“I had tried through posting and writing essays and other means to spread the word about the lived experience of Jewish people over the past year,” she said. “I just kept feeling like, ‘What else could I do?’ I felt sort of hopeless in the face of escalating bad news all the time.”
Owens had an idea: to gather the voices of other Jewish authors into a single collection that would help foster connection and spread awareness.
Owens reached out to her author friends and pitched the idea for an anthology. The response was overwhelmingly positive, even though the project’s timeline of 3 weeks was incredibly tight.
“I emailed the group and said, ‘Hey, wait a minute, I have an idea. Why don’t I do an anthology, and you can all contribute essays? I can donate the proceeds to Artists Against Antisemitism, since that’s what united us in the first place, and we could share stories,’” Owens said.
“Seventy-five contributors said yes, and they keep saying yes to almost anything I ask.”
St. Louis Park resident, romance author, and co-founder of Artists Against Antisemitism Heidi Shertok is among the 75 contributors to On Being Jewish Now.
“There’s one of those defining lines in everybody’s lives, like a before and after, and I think for the Jewish people, Oct. 7 was that line,” Shertok said.
Her essay in the anthology reflects on her Jewish heritage and the resilience of her ancestors, particularly her great-grandmother.
“My message is about the resiliency of the Jewish people, and it’s also, in fact, a love letter to the woman I’m named after, my great-grandmother, who was from Poland,” Shertok said.
“Instead of trying to shy away from her Jewish heritage, [my grandmother] actually came here, and one of the first things she did was help found the women’s Chevra Kadisha here,” Shertok said of a group that prepares the bodies of people who have died for burial. “She also baked for and did fundraisers for one of the Jewish local community schools, and helped raise money for Knesseth [Israel]. Both of those are institutions that I’m involved with, and my children are involved with.”
“I take great pride in being a volunteer for Chavra Kadisha,” she said, “so I’m kind of continuing that legacy of hers.”
In response to the rising antisemitism, Shertok and other members of Artists Against Antisemitism organized an auction to raise funds for Project Shema, an organization that helps educate people about antisemitism and its dangers.
Shertok hopes that the anthology will not only comfort Jewish readers but also convey the strength and resilience of the Jewish people to non-Jewish communities.
“My biggest hope is that it’s going to be a comfort to those who read it because so many Jews feel isolated and alone right now,” she said. “This anthology is a reminder that we’re all interconnected and that we’re a family.”
“Basically, I hope it conveys the awesomeness that is our people—our strength and our resiliency—It’s a love letter, in a sense, to other Jews, and that we’ve got each other’s backs.”
The anthology touches on themes that Owens believes are universally relatable.
“The stories are about love and family and food and trauma and grief and all the things that make us human,” she said. “I guess my theory is, if you see yourself in other people’s stories, maybe you’ll feel a sense of connection you didn’t think possible.”
“I hope it helps non-Jewish people see what we’re like, what we’re going through, and thereby become better, steadfast allies if they’re not already,” she said.
“I hope it comforts people who feel intimidated and alone and shows them that quite the opposite is true—that there are so many of us.”
Bringing On Being Jewish Now to life was a labor of love for Owens, who was intimately involved in every aspect of the book’s production.
“It was really interesting for me as a publisher to be on every side of this publication,” she said. “Editing the essays myself, reading the intro and outros for audiobook sections, picking paper stock for the book itself, being the main publisher point of contact for all the contributors, doing all the social [media]. It has been a true labor of love.”
Owens is particularly excited about the audiobook version of On Being Jewish Now, which features most of the authors reading their own essays.
“The audiobook is particularly special because almost all of the contributors read their own essays. We had original music composed for it, and it’s a very powerful listening experience,” she said.
Owens emphasizes that she wants the book to feel like it belongs to everyone who reads it.
“I think people should feel like this is their book, too,” she said. “They should send it out widely. They should use it as fodder for conversations when they don’t know what to say or how to respond. They can give people the book. They can spread the word through their communities. They should just feel a sense of ownership… It’s all of our book.”
As for future plans, Owens is taking the anthology on the road with events and discussions around the country.
“People can feel even better buying a copy of this book, knowing that it’s helping on multiple fronts,” Owens said.
For more information and to purchase the anthology, visit Zibby Media or ask your local bookstore to stock it.
