Abstract

Wendy Zierler’s forthcoming book, Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry combines memoir with Hebrew poetry. The book explores Zierler’s personal journey of mourning after losing both her parents in one year. She shares her experiences as a woman reciting the traditional Kaddish prayer in an Orthodox synagogue and discusses her decision to teach a weekly class on modern Hebrew poetry dealing with themes of grief, prayer, and struggles with faith. Each chapter of the book focuses on a different modern Hebrew poet, including Lea Goldberg, Avraham Halfi, Yehuda Amichai, Rachel Morpurgo, Rachel Bluwstein, Ruhama Weiss, and Amir Gilboa. Over the course of her two-year mourning period, Zierler translated, interpreted, and taught their poems, many of which are presented in English for the first time.

About the Speaker

Wendy Zierler is the Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at HUC-JIR in New York. From 1996-2001, she taught English and American Literature and American Studies at HKU. In 2021, she received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Maharat in New York. Her most recent book, Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish / COVID Years with Hebrew Poetry, will be published by the Jewish Publication Society/University of Nebraska Press in 2025. She is the author of several other books including, And Rachel Stole the Idols: The Emergence of Modern Hebrew Women’s Writing and Movies and Midrash: Popular Film and Jeiwsh Religious Conversation.

About the Respondent

Marcia Ellis is the Global Co-Chair of Morrison Foerster’s Private Equity Practice, a member of the firm’s global board of directors and a member of the firm’s global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Steering Committee. Marcia’s practice focuses on private equity transactions and complex mergers and acquisitions involving companies and other assets located in Asia.

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