Literary Fatwas: The New Battle for Jewish Writers

About a year ago, I made the difficult decision to withdraw my manuscript from potential publication. After countless hours of polishing and pitching, someone offered to present my work to a senior acquisitions editor at one of the Big Five publishing houses. Normally, this would be a dream. But the timing—shortly after October 7—complicated everything, considering that Israel is included in the backdrop of my manuscript. I decided to park my manuscript for now and this is why:

The October 7 attacks didn’t just spark a war against Israel, but a war against Jews worldwide—including Jewish artists and intellectuals. The examples are stark and numerous: The New York State Writers Institute canceled a literary panel at the University of Albany because other authors refused to share the stage with “Zionist” moderator Elisa Albert, an American Jewish progressive feminist author who produces comedies on topics ranging from modern motherhood to fame. The popular book hub Powerhouse Arena canceled Jewish author Andy Bachman’s book launch two hours before the event, declaring they “don’t want a Zionist on the stage.”

These aren’t isolated incidents but part of a broader campaign. In early 2024, @moyurireads on X posted a color-coded spreadsheet classifying nearly 200 writers according to their views on the “genocide” in Gaza. The list included Emily St. John Mandel because she “travels to Israel frequently”; Kristin Hannah, for posting a link to Israel’s Red Cross; and Gabrielle Zevin, who once delivered a book talk to Hadassah, a Jewish women’s organization. The list has been seen by millions and openly encourages readers to boycott any works produced by perceived Zionists.

To this day, Jewish writers are being blacklisted, disinvited, and subjected to coordinated review bombing—mass negative reviews designed to damage their professional standing. As a side note, shortly after October 7, an Israeli business owner in my neighborhood in Maryland who has nothing to do with politics had his kosher restaurant review bombed by pro-Palestine activists. Because according to these activists, ruining Jewish businesses and wrecking artists’ careers obviously helps the people in Gaza.

My manuscript, a memoir about my mental health struggles while serving in the Israeli security field, took me years to write and I didn’t want to risk having it destroyed by the mob. Ultimately, this is a temporary pain and a drop in the bucket compared to the suffering in Israel, but it is a troubling topic we can’t ignore.

These literary fatwas are racist and disgusting. These actions threaten the literary world’s most fundamental principle: the free and creative exchange of ideas. In a realm that claims to champion free speech, how many vital narratives will be silenced? If you don’t believe in book bans, you shouldn’t be okay with Jewish authors being boycotted.