As we often say at JWA, “If you can see it, you can be it.” I had the pleasure of speaking with author Ayelet Tsabari about this maxim, the importance of representation in written media, and her book, The Best Place On Earth. In Tsabari’s 2016 collection of short stories, she amplifies voices that are too often missing from fictionalizations of Jewish life: those of Israel’s Mizrahi Jews. Together, we discuss how The Best Place On Earth explores the complexity of identity, the importance of place, and the slipperiness of language.

The Best Place On Earth is one of JWA’s 2018-2019 Book Club picks.