Ruptured: Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life Post-October 7

The world feels ruptured, but sometimes it is through the cracks that the light gets in. In this powerful collection of essays, thirty-six women, including Ramona Koval, Dani Valent, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Kerri Sackville, Deborah Conway and Rachelle Unreich, reveal how their lives in Australia were irrevocably changed by the events of October 7. From race-walker Jemima Montag’s account of competing in the Olympics as a Jewish athlete, to actress Dena Amy Kaplan encountering hostility when she speaks against Jew-hatred, and author Elise Esther Hearst’s attempts to find solace in making comedy, Ruptured is both an exploration of the profound rift created in the wake of that devastating day, and an attempt to mend it.

 

Tamar Paluch trained as an occupational therapist and worked in disability advocacy and community development. October 7 drew her into women-led activism and she co-founded the InternationALL Women's Day platform to elevate Jewish women's voices. As a writer she is interested in themes of motherhood, memory and grief. Lee Kofman is an award-winning Russian-born, Israeli-Australian author of nine books in two languages, including The Writer Laid Bare (Ventura, 2022), Imperfect (Affirm Press, 2019), which was shortlisted for Nib Literary Award 2019, The Dangerous Bride (MUP, 2014) and Ruptured (Gefen, 2026), which she co-edited with Tamar Paluch. Her short works have been published worldwide. She teaches writing and mentors writers.