CONCERNED JEWISH WRITERS
“We are Jewish authors who believe in Jewish books, and for whom Palestinian liberation is a moral imperative.”
Open Letters April 9, 2026
Below is an open letter from a group of Jewish authors to the Jewish Book Council (JBC). A group of us—consisting of writers with books eligible for the 2025 National Jewish Book Awards and those who have written for their magazine, had our books reviewed in their pages, or had some connection to the JBC—came together because we felt that the JBC, the pre-eminent US organization for Jewish writers and literature, did not represent or value us, as non- and anti-Zionist Jewish writers. Further, we were—and remain—concerned that the institution’s apparent bias toward centering Israeli and Zionist voices is not only exclusionary but harmful, contributing to the dehumanization of Palestinians and advancing a system of cultural apartheid.
To name a few practical examples of this bias: Since October 7, 2023, JBC leadership has spoken to national press about anti-Semitism and violence against Jews while remaining silent about the loss of life to Palestinians; has taken special care to highlight Israeli narratives and Zionist voices in the announcement of—and choice of recipients of—their 2025 National Jewish Book Awards; has launched an anti-Semitism reporting tool that did not offer any definition of anti-Semitism (thus rendering anti-Zionist voices vulnerable); and has posted a round-up on social media of Jewish AWP panels that only included ones with a Zionist bent and excluded those with a non- or anti-Zionist lens.
We sent this letter directly to the JBC first because the JBC is a historically social justice-oriented institution, and we wanted to have a good faith conversation about how they might expand their awards, programming, and institutional vision to support non- and anti-Zionist voices. They agreed to a conversation, and we met with their leadership in a moderated Zoom conversation, where representatives from our informal coalition asked questions about the JBC’s actions—including the use of the data from their anti-Semitism reporting tool and their role in curating and publicizing panels of Jewish interest at AWP 2025—and proposed a number of specific ideas for more inclusive programming and messaging. The JBC’s leadership listened and promised to follow up.
We are Jewish authors who believe in Jewish books, and for whom Palestinian liberation is a moral imperative.
Unfortunately, no follow-up has been forthcoming and none of our proposed action steps have been implemented, even after several additional attempts to reach out for status updates. We felt disappointed that no action steps were taken. We have now decided to publish our original letter as an open letter to the literary and cultural community in the hopes that even more Jewish authors will sign in support and that the JBC will finally take meaningful action.
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