Writing on the Wall is a global platform founded by Professor William Kolbrener and Ronit Eitan in the aftermath of the traumatic events of October 7th.
Bill, religious American from Jerusalem and Ronit, secular Israeli from Tel Aviv disagree on most everything, except that fighting antisemitism starts with joining our different voices together through poetry and art. Our diversity is our strength – give voice to the complexity and layered reality of Israel today.
Join Our Community
Writing on the Wall is a registered 501-3c charity – EIN 93-4852107
The Crisis
- Trauma of October 7th
- Global Antisemitism Surges
- No Safe Spaces for Jews
- Intergenerational Scars Re-Opened
Our Solution
- Empowering Our Voices: Listening to the Voices of Others, We Find our Own
- Building Strength through Diversity: All are Welcome!
- Fighting Antisemitism Together: Resilience through Creativity and Community
Our Initiatives
- Connecting our Global Community through Poetry and Art
- Workshops, Lectures, and Masterclassess
Events and Community Building
- Podcast Series (Israeli Bytes)
- NEW! BALAGAN - A Magazine of Art, Poetry and Perspective
William Kolbrener
Executive Director
Professor of English Literature at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, Bill has written books on John Milton, Mary Astell, and Joseph Soloveitchik. Bill has put academic research aside because he believes in the power of writing and art to transform the Jewish People.
Ronit Eitan
Creative Director
Ronit is an Israeli novelist, lives in Tel Aviv, and has a Masters in Creative Writing from Bar-Ilan University.
News
Three issues. Hundreds of voices. One beautiful BALAGAN.
It's not just a magazine — it’s chaos worth framing.
Next step: on the wall.
Free download!
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Our community is growing, and so is our reach. Haaretz recently featured us for creating a space where writers, artists, and poets can speak freely and share boldly. Read it here!
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We’re now accepting contributions for our next series, Food.
Food is never just food. It’s love, memory, ritual, identity.
Tell us what you ate, burned, hoarded, served. Write of hunger and feasts, loss and longing—anything tied to food, glorious food.
We welcome essays, short fiction, criticism, secret recipes, art, photos—anything that simmers or explodes.
[email protected]
Deadline for Submissions: July 3, 2025
🎧 This morning, Prof. William Kolbrener and Ronit Eitan of Writing on the Wall joined Howard Feldman on 'Morning Mayhem' for our weekly update. From the violent Barnard College protests to hostage returns and resilience, we break down the week's emotions and events in #Israel.
📲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:
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In October 2023, Writing on the Wall was born from the urgent need to express our collective scars. Through poetry, prose, and art, ‘Scarred’ explores themes of trauma, resilience, and healing. This series features powerful works from a range of voices, reflecting personal and shared struggles.
Explore the 'Scarred' collection here.
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"Not since the Nazis has the vilification of Jews been affirmed with such moral authority. We Israelis will keep writing."
In a recent op-ed for The Times of Israel, Prof. William Kolbrener, Executive Director of Writing on the Wall, critiques the literary boycott of Israeli authors by figures like Sally Rooney, calling it a form of antisemitism. He highlights the resilience of Israeli writers, who continue to share their stories despite rising hostility. Read the full piece here.
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We are honored to be featured in StandWithUs’s Holocaust Education Center 2024 Fall program, titled Jewish Resilience and Creativity After October 7. As part of their Express Yourself initiative, they highlight our work empowering people to channel emotions through art and writing. Excited for this partnership!
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📢 Check out our latest newsletter - Writing into the New Year! From reflections on resilience and sorrow during Rosh Hashanah to powerful new episodes of Israeli Bytes, we dive deep into what it means to live in today's Israel. Plus, exciting partnerships, projects, and upcoming events! ✨ 👉 Read it here
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🎙️ It's here! Our podcast - 'Israeli Bytes' is Live! Our conversations on 'Israeli Bytes' explore the nuance and complexity of Israel today through art and poetry. Tune in now!
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Professor William Kolbrener talks about rediscovering poetry in 'Restoring Our Poetry, Our Infinite Book'
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In Israel, the 'miklat' provides a safe space - protecting us from incoming threats. Outside of Israel, we search for news spaces as the old ones are no longer available. Our miklats are both solitary and shared, literal or metaphorical. Write about your miklat, your shelter, your safe space. Send you submission of 500 words to [email protected]
Professor William Kolbrener writes about his 'miklat' - shelter - in Gimme Shelter
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Lahav Harkov, Senior Political correspondent for Jewish Insider came to one of our Writing on the Wall workshops, and wrote this!
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