Like many American Jews, Zibby Owens’ Jewish identity has changed since Oct. 7, 2023.
For Owens, the Israel-Hamas war and the global rise in antisemitism spurred her to act. Along with 30 Jewish women authors — including Elyssa Friedland, Sara Goodman-Confino, and Jean Meltzer — she founded Artists Against Antisemitism. The group witnessed a surge in anti-Jewish hatred in the literary world and felt the need to educate others about antisemitism while celebrating Jewish creators. Now, Owens supports the group’s mission with her new anthology, “On Being Jewish Now,” turning her role as an advocate against Jew-hatred into the written word.
“I never planned to be “publicly Jewish,” as many now refer to those of us who have used our platforms to advocate for fellow Jews,” Owens begins the book’s introduction.
“On Being Jewish Now” is the product of the antisemitism spike
The distinction between being a Jewish author and an author who happens to be Jewish became more pronounced in the year following Oct. 7. Many Jewish authors faced canceled tour dates, interview boycotts, and even blacklisting within the literary industry.
Owens personally encountered antisemitism after she pulled her company, Zibby Media, out of the National Book Awards, following claims that some award recipients planned to use their speeches to promote an anti-Israel agenda. Antisemitic trolls bombarded her new novel, “Blank,” with negative reviews on Goodreads before its release, dragging down its ratings.
“Before October 7, I hadn’t experienced much antisemitism. Just a sprinkle of sea salt on a big buffet. Suddenly, I became one of the many targets,” Owens wrote.
“I was scared to speak out. I’m still scared. I was scared that asserting my Jewishness publicly would get me in trouble. (And it did.) But I knew I had to speak up. What would happen if I didn’t? What if no one spoke up? I had a platform that I had to use. If I could, I must,” she added.
Owens’ latest project showcases the challenges Jewish authors and advocates have faced over the past year. Seventy-five contributors bring “On Being Jewish Now” to life through essays that are funny, moving, tragic, and inspiring. They explore what Jewish life looks like after Oct. 7 and what it means to be Jewish today.
“I was always hearing stories from other authors about what they were going through, and it provided a sense of community, a sense of comfort, and a sense of connection. “One day I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be awesome if I could somehow scale this and have everybody feel like they’re a part of this metaphorical group chat where we have a group of people to turn to each other and to hear from and to hear stories from,’” Owens told Unpacked.
What does it mean to be Jewish today?
The 75 contributors of “On Being Jewish Now” include former “Real Housewives” star Jill Zarin, Amy Ephron, Nicola Kraus, Bradley Tusk, and Ali Rosen. Each was asked to respond to the question, “What does it mean, and how does it feel, to be Jewish after the attacks of October 7?”
The resulting collection is both enjoyable and poignant, with essays tackling topics from baking challah to the Holocaust — even touching on Taylor Swift. The contributors come from a range of religious practices, races, ethnicities, and life experiences — a diversity Owens felt was essential to representing modern Jewish life.
“This isn’t about book sales. This is a movement. It’s about sharing our voices so that other people out there feel heard. It’s about making people realize that we may be feeling silenced, but we are a strong, vibrant, and diverse group,” Owens said.
Owens tapped into the vast network of authors she had interviewed on her podcast, “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books,” inviting those interested to contribute. Authors had just three weeks to submit their essays so the book could be published before the first anniversary of October 7.
“On Being Jewish Now” shows off the diversity of Jewish life
With such a broad topic and open-ended prompt, some essays don’t flow seamlessly from one to the next. However, this reflects one of the anthology’s key points: Jewish life looks different to everyone.
Podcaster and author Aliza Licht, in her essay “Being a Jewish Activist Wasn’t on Brand for Me,” describes how the legacy of her Holocaust-survivor grandparents inspired her to speak out against antisemitism, even though she was initially reluctant to become an advocate.
“Becoming an activist was not on my bingo card. It was never part of my personal brand. But I was wrong. Standing with Israel and fighting antisemitism has never felt more on brand for me,” she writes.
New York Post editor David Christopher Kaufman shares his experiences as “someone most other Jews rarely think of as Jewish” because he is Black. In his essay, he calls on Jewish communities to embrace diversity and use their financial resources to support marginalized Jews who are often overlooked in mainstream narratives about Jewish identity.
“American Jews who are committed to uplifting and elevating marginalized voices, go uplift and elevate marginalized Jewish voices. The folks who have been standing in the background, quieter than most, darker than most, poorer than most, but who are very much still Jews,” he writes.
Novelist Caroline Leavitt narrowed in on her experiences as a secular Jew, feeling like her Judaism made her an outsider, and why she let her son decide whether he wanted to be Jewish.
“My worship may not be in a temple, but it is now in every novel I write and the stories I tell, so that everyone who is not Jewish can live and understand that life, too. And in that way, none of us are outsiders,” Leavitt wrote.
Owens, who previously edited two anthologies about motherhood, felt that this project was a natural fit for her publishing company. She thought it would “inspire people to act because they are inspired by other people’s actions.”
She wanted to make sure that those who read “On Being Jewish Today” were able to witness a range of backgrounds to not only show that the Jewish people are not a monolith but also to hopefully humanize Jews with a vast number of experiences represented.
“If we could all band together, there is huge power in that, and it starts with understanding each other’s stories and understanding where each other comes from, and also helping our allies and people out there realize who we are like. And if you have a sense of sheer humanity, maybe you won’t be so quick to throw us under the bus, so to speak,” she said.
Advocacy in times of need
Owens is a woman of many talents: an advocate, a successful literary maven, a mom of four, and a bookshop owner. However, her activism emerged as a byproduct of the surge in antisemitism. She claims that it is simply the response to an urgent crisis she witnessed and believed she could do something to help.
“This is not my life’s work, but this is the calling of today, and I heeded the call, and I encourage others to,” she said. “I don’t view myself as an activist. I view myself as someone who just sees what’s going on and wants to help by sharing stories,.”
Owens’ mission to share Jewish stories did not finish with the anthology. In response to popular requests, she expanded her Substack to include more writing on Judaism and antisemitism. She also added a second blog, aptly titled “On Being Jewish Now,” where readers can share their own stories.
Owens hopes that by connecting people through their experiences, she can help combat antisemitism and create an online safe space for Jews to express themselves. She also hopes the book and the new Substack will help non-Jews begin their own journeys toward standing up against antisemitism.
“There are huge amounts of people who just want Jewish people dead, and we can’t do anything about that. I’m not going to change their minds,” Owens said. “But so many other people don’t want that and just don’t know what to do right now. And those are the people that I want to read this book and say, ‘I can stand behind and support the Jewish people.’”
Published by Zibby Books, “On Being Jewish Now” was released on October 1 as an e-book and audiobook, with the print version coming on November 1. Proceeds will support Artists Against Antisemitism.
