Held every second year, the Jewish Literary Festival (JLF) is a one-day smorgasbord for lovers of literature, current affairs, and thought-provoking dialogue. The JLF showcases authors, poets, illustrators, journalists, writers and educators who have a Jewish connection or are engaged with subjects of Jewish interest. Sessions occur simultaneously and include panel discussions, readings, and debates. Themes do depend on the books published since the last festival but include fiction, memoir, politics, academia, journalism, and the arts.

JLF aims to foster constructive discussion across a wide spectrum of genres without promoting any political, religious or other agenda. Multiple sessions run concurrently throughout the day, offering a literal plethora of choices to suit a wide variety of tastes. Festival goers have the opportunity to talk directly to writers and fellow readers alike.

The first ever Jewish Literary Festival (JLF) in 2016 was a sold-out success, and JLF has since become a regular event on the communal calendar, including 2018, 2020 – where we adapted our planned programme to a series of zoom sessions due to Covid, and our most recent festival in 2023.

Our esteemed guests over the years have included the likes of international authors Thomas Harding, Jonny Steinberg, Jill Edelstein and Simon Sebag Montefiore and local superstars like Damon Galgut, Steven ‘Boykey’ Sidley, Diane Awerbuck, Arthur Goldstuck, Denis Hirson, Rachel Zadok, Patricia Schonstein, Gail Schimmel, Gus Silber, Richard Poplack, Jonathan Ancer, Joanne Jowell, Rahla Xenopoulos, John Matisonn, and Mandy Weiner.