The series Contemporary Israeli Voices was initiated, is curated and has been organized by Dalit Katz, Director of the Center for Jewish Studies. The series showcases the most contemporary voices in Israeli society especially in the arts: literature, films and TV shows. The series was conceived in 2002 and is offered annually in the fall. All events in the series are an essential part of the Hebrew program’s groundbreaking curriculum at Wesleyan University. Contemporary Israeli Voices celebrates women’s and minorities’ voices as well as the growing success of Israeli films and TV in Hollywood and around the world.
Contemporary Israeli Voices is free and open to the Wesleyan community as well as the general community.
| Thursday, September 17, 2026, 8:00 PM 7:30-8:00 PM Hors d’oeuvre Reception STAYING CREATIVE IN CHAOTIC TIMES When the world changes, the reasons we write change with it. In an era shaped by war, uncertainty, and the aftermath of COVID, Etgar Keret reflects on how creativity adapts in uncertain times and explores new creative strategies for navigating a challenging world. Location: Frank Center for Public Affairs (PAC) 100, 238 Church Street, Middletown, CT. |
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| Tuesday, October 13, 2025, 8:00 PM 7:30-8:00 PM Hors d’oeuvre Reception TRANSLATING ISRAELI BOOKS: BEYOND THE CONFLICT When the average American thinks about Israel, a few images instantly come up: The Wailing Wall is one. Camels in the desert is another. But perhaps the first to pop into anyone’s mind, especially these days, is war. Naturally, Israelis write plenty of books dealing with the Israeli Palestinian conflict as well as the memory and commemoration of the Holocaust. And yet Israeli society and culture contain multitudes, and its writers deal with a wide and diverse range of subjects, from ethnic tensions to crises of religion, mental health, and sexual awakenings. In this presentation by fiction writer and translator Yardenne Greenspan, we will explore contemporary Israeli literature as a window into a fuller, more layered view of the Israeli psyche, and navigate the ways in which translating Hebrew writing can help introduce Israelis–not the country or the government, but the people at the heart of it all–to the rest of the world. Location: Frank Center for Public Affairs (PAC) 100, 238 Church Street, Middletown, CT. |
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| Thursday, November 12, 2026, 8:00 PM 7:30-8:00 PM Hors d’oeuvre Reception TOO FUNNY, TOO REAL: INSIDE THE CREATIVE WORLD OF NOA YEDLIN Award–winning Israeli author and screenwriter Noa Yedlin will share her creative world, where humor meets complex family relationships and white-collar crime meets everyday life. In this lively, story–filled lecture, Yedlin reveals how wild ideas take shape, how research fuels fiction, and why laughter belongs even in life’s darkest moments. Featuring clips from the hit TV adaptation of Stockholm—winner of Israel’s Best Mini–Series Award—Yedlin shares insights on writing, adaptation, and the art of storytelling that connects deeply across cultures. Her work, as Israeli famous writer Etgar Keret notes, is “too funny, too sad, too real”— just like life. Location: Frank Center for Public Affairs (PAC) 100, 238 Church Street, Middletown, CT. |
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