Book Week Opens After Brief Delay

Book Week is getting underway after a brief delay caused by the 12-day war with Iran. The month of reading opens with dozens of events at several major venues, from the book fairs in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to workshops and meetings with creators and cultural figures, including Etgar Keret, Dorit Rabinyan and Dror Mishani.

Hebrew Book Week, which marks 100 years since its founding, opens today, Wednesday, and will span several venues with a wide range of events for adults and children. In Tel Aviv, Reading Month will be marked throughout June with dozens of events in libraries and community centers. The main book fair in Sarona Park will take place from June 10 to 18, starting in the afternoon, and will include, among other things, book stalls and author meetings with Haim Be'er, Eshkol Nevo, Dorit Rabinyan, Jermi Finkus, Aviva Segal, Céline Assega and others. The Bernstein Prize ceremony for early-career writers will be held on Sunday, June 14.

The Tel Aviv Municipality book fair will open today in the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and run through June 14. Around 70 independent publishers will take part, and thousands of books for adults and children will be offered, along with lectures and street performances. Events will include a rap poetry workshop and lectures at nearby businesses led by Dr. Jeremy Fogel, poet Eran Hadas, Dr. Itamar Cohen, Noa Shabtai and others.

In addition, throughout the month, House of Ariela and the city’s libraries will host meetings with creators and cultural figures such as Etgar Keret, Dror Mishani, Adva Bula, Galya Oz and Yiftach Levy. Activities will include "Hear This!" for young creators, a "Reading Party" for young people in cooperation with Beit Radical, and a "Book Buffet" selling out-of-print books.

In Jerusalem, the book fair will take place in Safra Square from today through June 20. Similarly to the Tel Aviv fair, the Jerusalem fair will open every day in the afternoon, and visitors will be able to browse book stalls and new titles, alongside events and activities for the whole family.

In Rishon Lezion, the Book Festival has opened in Gan HaMoshava and at the municipal cultural center, and will continue until tomorrow. The program includes the "Israeli Writers Festival," featuring independent writers in intimate meetings, as well as literary performances. Among other events, there will be a special meeting on words and melodies between author Eshkol Nevo and singer-songwriter Ehud Banai. Noa Koler and Etgar Keret will discuss how to keep imagining even in a shelter and what role humor plays in the current reality.