This year, Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, created by Shalom Collective, takes a fresh approach by inviting Sydneysiders to experience The Jewish Poetry Project, an immersive, month-long outdoor exhibition of Jewish poetry. Presented on five installations, the project is curated around the theme – The Door is Always Open.
Wander around and experience Jewish poetry spanning centuries and continents. From ancient psalms to haiku and contemporary lyrics, the works explore love, grief, friendship, migration, and moments that shape us all.
Each installation invites visitors to pause, interact, and contribute – hear poems through QR codes, create your own verses on a magnetic-word wall, leave a line for others to discover, or take a photo and share your favourite poem.
“Curating this collection of Jewish poetry has been a unique and inspiring process. Hosting an outdoor, unticketed literary exhibition pushes us to think differently. We ask ourselves: what will someone walking by on their morning run, or stopping for a swim, pause to experience? Our goal is to expose the richness and diversity of Jewish writing to audiences who might not otherwise encounter it,” said Anna Stern, Deputy Director of Programs, Shalom Collective.
Featuring over 20 poems by Jewish writers from Australia and around the world, the exhibition showcases the breadth of Jewish experience, history, and language. Australian poets featured are Lior, Alex Skovron, Joanne Fedler, Anna Jacobson, Marina Epstein, Shoshana Gottlieb, Miriam Hechtman, Jessica Chapnik Kahn; and international poets featured are Leonard Cohen; Yehuda Amichai; David M. Bader; Adi Keissar; Emma Lazarus; Yael Statman; Rabbi Shelomo Halevi Alkabets; and Moses ibn Ezra.
Sydney Jewish Writers Festival celebrates contemporary Jewish writing from around the globe. The festival brings together novelists, journalists, screenwriters, performers, and non-fiction writers. Storytelling is at the heart of Jewish culture, nurtured through book launches, in-conversation events, workshops, and book club mailers. Shalom Collective creates inclusive, contemporary Jewish experiences that connect individuals to heritage, culture, and community.
Dates and Details
- October 10 – November 5, 2025
- Bondi Pavilion Courtyard | 7am – 10pm | FREE