Australian Jewish Women Post- October 7
Australian women post Oct 7 share their stories in this powerful collection, bringing together 36 diverse Jewish voices from across the Australian community. Each contributor offers a deeply personal perspective—on identity, belonging, grief, and strength—in the wake of October 7.
Dani Valent is a writer based in Melbourne. Known mostly for her food writing and restaurant reviews for The Age, she is also a longtime feature and travel writer, and speaker and host of the Dirty Linen podcast
Deborah Conway AM has been a recording and performing musician for over 40 years; a producer, festival director, actor and author of the memoir Book of Life. She is a recipient of the Don Banks Award given for outstanding contribution to music and has been inducted into Music Victoria’s Hall of Fame.
Dena Amy Kaplan, known as Dena Amy, is an actress, dancer, artist and international touring DJ. Recognised for her roles in Dance Academy, Long Story Short and Occupation Rainfall, she blends performance with music, captivating audiences worldwide. A passionate advocate for mental health and the arts, she champions creativity as a force for empowerment and connection.
Elana Benjamin is a Jewish-Australian writer of Indian-Iraqi heritage. Her work has been published widely, including in Good Weekend, Sunday Life, the Sydney Morning Herald, SBS Voices and The Jewish Independent. Elana’s most recent book is Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and stories from the backstreets of Bondi (2024, Sydney Jewish Museum).
Elise Esther Hearst is an award-winning writer and performer living on Boonwurrung country. Her novel, One Day We’re All Going to Die, was shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year Award 2024. Her theatre work has been performed across Australia, including at the Sydney Opera House and with the Melbourne Theatre Company. Find her on Instagram@eliseestherhearst
Galit klas is a playwright and performer based in Melbourne. She has combined her passion for Yiddish language and theatre in works such as Yentl, The Ghetto Cabaret, and Durkh a Modne Gloz. Galit is also the founding artistic director of the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre.
Irena Zilberman was born in Ukraine and emigrated to Australia with her family in 1992. She has a Bachelor of Creative Arts and a Master of Counselling. Irena works as a grief and trauma counsellor, and lives with her two adorable cats Maple and Butterscotch.
Irena Zilberman
Counselor
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio OAM was ordained as a rabbi in 1998. She was the third Australian woman to be ordained as a rabbi and the first at Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney. Rabbi Ninio has an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity and an OAM for her services to the Jewish community and interfaith dialogue.
Jemima Montag is an Olympic medallist, medical student and keynote speaker. She attributes her strength and determination to her two late grandparents who were Holocaust survivors.
Jessica Bowker is a writer and corporate communications consultant in Perth, Western Australia. A member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers WA, she writes with the Indian Ocean Writers’ Group. Her creative non-fiction works are published in The Jewish Independent and in the Ourselves: 100 Micro Memoirs anthology.
Joanne Fuller is the internationally bestselling author of fifteen books, a writing mentor, publisher and open water swimmer. She is a Fulbright scholar, has a master’s degree in law from Yale, and was a women’s rights advocate before she became a full-time author.
Julia Meyerowitz-Katz is a Sydney-based Jungian psychoanalyst, art psychotherapist and artist. Published in books and journals, Julia specialises in working with adults and couples who present with complex trauma. Art-making has been a life-long preoccupation for Julia; she has exhibited her artwork in Australia and internationally.
Julie Szego is an author and freelance writer. A former journalist at The Age, her work has been widely published in Australian and overseas media. She writes a Substack newsletter, Szego Unplugged.
Kate Lewis is mother, interior architect and occasional writer. Creative, connected and, when necessary, confrontational.
Kerri is a Sydney-based author, columnist and social commentator. She has written five works of non-fiction and contributed to three anthologies. Her latest book is The Secret Life of You: How a bit of alone time can change your life, relationships, and maybe the world (Pantera Press)
Kim is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. An expert in all things citizenship, she was awarded the 2024 Council of Australian Law Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Medal for her significant and impactful contributions to legal research in Australia.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert is an academic, writer and human rights advocate based in Melbourne. She is the author of the bestselling 2022 memoir The Uncaged Sky: My 804 days in an Iranian prison and is the founding director of the Australian Wrongful and Arbitrary Detention Alliance.
Lana Schwarcz has been a comic performer, puppeteer and ‘theatre-maker’ for 30-something years. After October 7, she left the creative sector for a new career in emergency management but, ironically, has just been nominated for a Green Room Award for her last theatre show about abortion, The Term-inator.
Lana Schwarcz
Lee is the Israeli-Australian author of eight books in English and Hebrew, including Imperfect (Affirm Press), which was shortlisted for a Nib Literary Award, Split (Ventura Press), which was longlisted for ABIA and the writing book, The Writer Laid Bare (Ventura Press). She has been teaching and mentoring writers for over twenty years.
Lisa Goldberg co-founded the Monday Morning Cooking Club project to document and preserve recipes and stories from Jewish kitchens, publishing four cookbooks. A fifth book, for the next generation, will be released in 2026. Lisa has a YouTube food show, Walking up an Appetite, and has become a social media advocate for the Jewish community.
Lynette Chazan is a psychiatrist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice. She teaches, supervises, and has published on psychotherapy training, developmental trauma, doctors’ wellbeing and Palestinian/Israeli dialogue. She would have liked to write more, but finds it too difficult.
Melinda Jones is a pioneering legal scholar who has shaped human rights, administrative law and disability inclusion. A thought leader, she has worked to advance women’s roles in Modern Orthodox Judaism and the inclusion of Jews with disabilities in the community. She has authored eleven books and more than 50 articles influencing law, policy and social justice.
Mindy has worked in criminal justice system settings as an advocate, community sector practitioner, activist, academic and researcher for more than twenty-five years. She is also a musician and songwriter and has released five albums over the last twenty years.
Nicky Stein is a lawyer, wife, mother and accidental advocate. As a child, she aspired to write but never expected her first publication would be in response to antisemitism. She is honoured to appear in this book with incredible Jewish women’s voices.
Nina Sanadze, a Soviet-born, Melbourne-based visual artist and sculptor, explores monuments, archives and political action. Her work constructs a wall of remembrance to resist repeating histories or war. She recently opened Goldstone Gallery, providing a platform for silenced voices, including cancelled Jewish and Israeli artists, and those facing censorship.
Noa Gomberg is a high school student who loves making readers feel the impact of her words. She also may or may not have ignored the rule that only adult women could submit to this anthology.
Noè Harsel is a writer, podcaster and arts leader exploring identity, culture and storytelling. She hosts the podcasts Why Write and Like Us (SBS), was chair of Writers Victoria and fosters inclusive creative spaces through writing, public speaking and cultural advocacy. Her work champions diverse voices and meaningful community engagement.
Rachelle Unreich has worked as a journalist for 40 years. Her first book, A Brilliant Life: My mother’s inspiring story of surviving the Holocaust, was shortlisted for four literary awards and has been published in Australia/NZ, USA/Canada, UK, South Africa and The Netherlands.
Ramona Koval is a writer and journalist, author of A Letter to Layla: Travels to our deep past and near future (Text, 2020),Bloodhound (Text, 2015), By the Book (Text, 2012) and Speaking Volumes: Interviews with remarkable writers (Scribe, 2010). She is an honorary fellow in the Department of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University.
Ruby Kraner-Tucci is a journalist and assistant editor at The Jewish Independent. Her writing has appeared in The Age, Australian Jewish News and Broadsheet, among others. Ruby’s column won Multicultural NSW’s Best Report in Multicultural Media (2025) and she was named a B’nai Brith-JNF Top 36 Under 36 Jewish Changemaker.
Sharon Sztar is an ex-corporate communications executive turned writer and women’s wellbeing advocate. Melbourne-born and bred, Sharon is now based in the NSW Northern Rivers region. Her work and writing explore and challenge the narratives of what it means to be a well woman across all seasons of life.
Sharonne Blum has been a Jewish studies educator for over twenty years. She is a proud Jew, Zionist and dual Australian-Israeli citizen. After October 7, she embraced a new role as an advocate and activist for her people and culture.
Siana Einfeld is a teacher librarian and storyteller living in Melbourne. She is currently writing a young adult novel set in her ideal habitat: between the forest and the sea.
Sidra Kranz Moshinsky is a writer, researcher and educational leader. Having taught and led in Jewish education for over fifteen years, she is now engaged in projects at the Jewish Museum of Australia, JCCV and the Jewish Educators Network of Australia. She is a contributor to The Jewish Independent and a board member of Kolenu.
Simonne Whine is a project manager turned accidental activist. In the wake of October 7, she founded J-United, a grassroots activist movement mobilising thousands to combat antisemitism and strengthen Jewish identity. Through strategic action she has created platforms for unity, advocacy and empowerment, inspiring others to stand up and take action.
RUPTURED is published by The Lamm Jewish Library of Australia. This curated selection of personal essays was inspired by the InternationALL Women’s Day X Lamm Jewish Library of Australia anthology project, A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER.