The Courage to Speak: Bearing Witness Across Generations

Monday, September 8

7 - 8:15 PM

VIP Reception Immediately Following, 8:15-9:30 PM

In person and online

Congregation Rodeph Sholom: 7 West 83rd Street, New York

In this conversation, two remarkable chroniclers of Jewish memory meet across the fault lines of history. Sasha Vasilyuk’s Your Presence Is Mandatory excavates the buried silences of a Ukrainian Jewish family scarred by war and secrecy. Gal Beckerman’s When They Come for Us, We’ll Be Gone traces the thunderous voices of Soviet refuseniks and their champions in the West. Together they explore how private pain becomes public testimony, how moral courage travels across generations and geographies, and how the past reverberates in the present. Moderated by Benjamin Balint, author of Kafka's Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy and and Bruno Schulz: An Artist, A M**der, and the Hijacking of History.

As the premier award in the world of Jewish publishing, the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature recognizes the unique role of contemporary writers in the examination and transmission of the Jewish experience. The $100,000 prize is presented annually to an emerging writer who demonstrates literary excellence and the potential for future contribution to the world of Jewish literature.

This event is produced by the New York Jewish Week and 70 Faces Media. Congregation Rodeph Sholom is proud to serve as the host venue.

All ticketing is managed directly by the New York Jewish Week.

For questions about tickets, please contact us at [email protected].

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Congregation Rodeph Sholom, 7 West 83rd Street, New York, United States