Two unprepared teenagers trapped in a small restaurant in the old city of Jerusalem. A skeptical and unlikely grandfather invited to a Hanukkah party by his daughter. These are the kinds of situations in which Joan Leegant’s sometimes disaffected characters find themselves, in her recently published collection of short stories, Displaced Persons. Leegant travelled to Acton on Sunday November 17 to discuss her New American Fiction award-winning book with members of Congregation Beth Elohim and the broader community as part of the annual celebration of Jewish Book month. In this collection of 14 stories, half from Israel and half from the US, Joan Leegant’s characters are skeptical, disconnected, and displaced. Although some stories are filled with tension – as in her story of two teenage girls navigating the shuk, or marketplace, in the old city of Jerusalem – they are also sweet and relatable. One lovely story is about a mother who brings a magazine to “read” while her son gets infusions for chemotherapy. Another is about an Iraqi-Israeli befriending an American academic. Americans who travel to other countries will relate to these characters or see themselves or someone in their family in them.
As Leegant describes, her characters are geographically or emotionally displaced within their communities or within their families. The title story tells the tale of a young American Jew who works with African refugees in Israel, and surprises herself with the connections she makes. Like other characters, she is trying to “repair” her family, especially about expectations, or at least what her family expects of her. In all of the stories, these displaced people seem to seek connections.
In the question-and-answer session following her presentation, Leegant revealed that she writes stories without knowing where they are going. She starts with a sentence, an idea, and finds out what the story is about. Her first book, An Hour in Paradise, won the PEN/New England Book Award, the Wallant Award for Jewish Fiction, and was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. As a visiting writer in Israel, she has educated students across Israel on American literature and culture under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. She has also taught English to African refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan, Ivory Coast, and Eritrea.
Leegant also discussed an issue facing the Jewish community now – antisemitism. It is a difficult time for Jewish writers, she said, as some bookstores hosting Jewish writers have retracted their invitations, especially after the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent invasion of Gaza by Israel in response. This was the case, Leegant said, for Joshua Leifer, whose book launch in Brooklyn was cancelled, and Gabrielle Zevin, author of the popular book Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, who was blacklisted. As an author, Leegant feels that this kind of chill over the publishing industry is very concerning.
Congregation Beth Elohim is an independent and egalitarian synagogue located in Acton, Massachusetts. We are committed to fostering an open, diverse community that acts as a place for spiritual development, as well as the celebration of Jewish culture and values. If you missed the program, you can view the recording here: www.bethelohim.org/photo_galleries#Leegant
Matt Liebman is Acton Exchange correspondent from Congregation Beth Elohim