In the introduction to her new anthology, On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates, podcaster, author and publisher Zibby Owens relates a story from her childhood: Listening to her mother chat with a close friend at a restaurant, she realized that whenever the conversation turned to Judaism, the two would speak in hushed tones. Curious, Owens later asked her mother, “How come whenever you talk about Jewish things, you always lower your voice?”

The authors of the 74 essays compiled and edited by Owens—writers, podcasters, journalists and influencers, both Israeli and American—all wrestle in some way with the volume at which to express their Jewishness as they connect with history and tradition and describe their experiences of the past year. Whether recounting the decision to wear a Star of David in public,  withdraw their children from public school due to antisemitism or speak on college campuses about Jewish topics, these voices reveal the wide range of responses to the current chapter in Jewish history.  

New York Times best-selling author Lisa Barr, whose most recent book is The Goddess of Warsaw, is one of the loudest of these Jewish voices. Along with Owens, she is a founding member of the Jewish advocacy group Artists Against Antisemitism. Below is her essay, adapted from On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Copyright 2024 by Zibby Media LLC.

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An elderly woman with sass in her step approached me after my book gig in Greenville, S.C. It was early June, my first out-of-town event for my new novel, and, admittedly, I was exhausted and raw from the onslaught of relentless antisemitism—particularly in the book world.

Since October 7, I, along with many Jewish authors and artists, have experienced a tsunami of harassment (at least 50 times a day I receive some form of a “Die Jew” message), review-bombing (more than 450 one-star reviews beginning on October 8 in a coordinated attempt to tank my work) and dealing with book event cancellations—for one reason only: I am a loud and proud Jewish author who refuses to remain silent.

I’m also the triple threat—the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, a former journalist who worked for The Jerusalem Post and lived in Israel for seven years and an author of World War II thrillers. In other words: prime time for the haters. Ironically, as a young journalist, I covered one of the most important historical moments of almost peace between enemies: the Oslo Accords—the famous “handshake” between the late (assassinated) prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin, the late Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat and President Bill Clinton at the White House.

Ahh, if only . . .

The woman leaned over the table as I signed two books that she bought for her daughters-in-law and said: “I’m not sure how to say this. I know it’s gonna come out all wrong, but, hell, I’m gonna say it anyway: The Jews just never give up—and I love that…just love it. Shame on those haters. You,” she pointed between my eyes, “keep fighting back—just like your main character in your book. She doesn’t stop, and don’t you stop, either.”

I froze with my black Sharpie in midair. The woman’s words echoed in the room—treasured words that belonged to my beloved grandmother. It was as if my deceased Grandma Rachel had materialized from Heaven’s Kitchen (where she serves as executive chef) and put her own voice into this woman’s mouth to remind me during this difficult time to stay strong, stay in my lane and remember what she’d taught me way back when I was just a girl in her kitchen.

My grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, was my best friend, my personal heroine and will always be the voice in my head. Her parents and siblings perished in Auschwitz, but her immediate young family survived the war. She exemplified the beauty of family, the power of tradition and taught me to fight for those you love no matter what. She encouraged me to use my voice (and words) to stand up to hate, even if I’m scared—especially if I’m scared.

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Magazine Discussion: Are Jews Being Written Out of the Book World?

Join us on Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 PM ET when Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein convenes a panel of best-selling authors and publishing insiders to discuss the increasing incidents of exclusion, antisemitism and anti-Israel bias in the book industry, with guests Zibby Owens, author, podcaster and founder and CEO of Zibby Media; Lisa Barr, the New York Times best-selling author of The Goddess of Warsaw and Woman on Fire, among other novels; and Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the Jewish Book Council, whose mission is to sup­port and cel­e­bra­tion Jew­ish lit­er­a­ture. 

Register Now

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And I’ve been plenty scared and worried these days by the rampant antisemitism worldwide, the virulent hatred toward Jews and Israel on college campuses and the vandalizing of Jewish businesses à la Kristallnacht. Perhaps most disturbing is that antisemitism has become trendy among the younger set. As someone who has covered terrorism extensively, I wish I could stand on a mountaintop and shout: Terrorism knows no boundaries. Be careful what you wish for, kids….

How I wish my grandmother were by my side right now in real time. If only I could feel the wrinkled softness of her hand encasing mine as I navigate this new normal. She would see a different me, emerging post-October 7—a woman who wears her Judaism every day, not just on Shabbat when I light the candles.

My daily jewelry is now super-Jewy—a chai and a Jewish star necklace, a Jewish star bracelet, a dog tag for the hostages and a gold ring with my Hebrew name on it that I bought on my teen tour to Israel when I was 16 with my babysitting money. It’s my armor and message to the world: I will never cower.

Perhaps antisemitism is no different than it’s ever been. Maybe things never really changed post-Holocaust. The difference now is that many of us are not afraid to stand up, band together, use our resources and fight back.

Now, nearly a year after the massacre in Israel and all that has ensued, the blacklists and harassers don’t scare me the way they did in the beginning. Recently, I even told one antisemitic woman at one of my book events who tried to tear me down mid-presentation that we should “have coffee.” Her blatant goal was to see me shrink, but instead, I used the opportunity to stand taller, to take the higher road and to show all those around us the ugly face of hate: hers. She later apologized and wrote to me privately, “I have much to learn.”

The legacy of October 7 has been an unfathomable, unending nightmare, but also a calling and an awakening for Jews worldwide. I am forever changed as an author, a journalist, a mother of three daughters, a human.

On October 6, I knew what I wanted from life, but after October 7, I knew what life wanted from me: putting my grandmother’s voice and her legacy of survival into real action.

“Loud and proud” is the new “Never again.”

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Lisa Barr is The New York Times best-selling author of Woman on Fire. Her new historical thriller, The Goddess of Warsaw, follows a legendary Hollywood actress with a secret past during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Essay adapted from On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Copyright 2024 by Zibby Media LLC.