Howard, I am so sorry about the hate-mail. We (gentile Zionists) get a dose of it daily too. It must be much worse for Jews, especially those in the public eye. Judith magazine is my favourite substack and even though I seldom read romances I am certain that I will enjoy your book because I've noticed how thoughtfully you choose what you share in the magazine. As you say, "there’s a market for Jewish books because we read them, we write them, and we buy them." Publishers who refuse to publish them are doing us readers a disservice. As for those who don't read books by Jewish authors, it's their loss.
You don't need to thank me. I love reading and supporting Jewish authors is no hardship. It's the authors whose work I enjoyed before I realised that they are antisemites who have been disappointing.
I've thankfully only received at most a dozen comments like that on Substack since I came on here 4 months ago. However, I decided to put some articles on Medium two weeks ago, and have received over a dozen like that in that short period. It really is an infested anti-Zionist/anti-Jewish snake-pit, even worse than twitter. I block them after a snappy answer... but it's quite upsetting and somewhat draining knowing there's an army of them out there.
Yes. I am a Hindu and a Zionist and have already been dropped (because of my FB posts) from two venues where I was scheduled to speak on a completely unrelated topic. I have also lost a lot of friends and acquaintances. Good riddance. Here is my latest blog post on the indifference of many to the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim: https://ruthvanita452091.substack.com/p/killing-indifference
Be aware that most of these are sent by Russian/Iranian/Chinese troll operators of sock puppet accounts, or by the retards convinced by such antisemitic propaganda who are as dumb as troll bots. It's a negative Turing test - people so monomaniacally hateful and stupid as to pass for a bot.
Whenever this happens in your own posts, simply delete their comments outright to frustrate them. When it's on someone else's post I enjoy demeaning them. Make a sport of it, and it stops being a worry.
It’s hard to watch how both Middle Eastern and Jewish writers are being affected by the current climate in publishing. So many platforms seem afraid to engage with anything that might feel too controversial, and the result is silence, right when we need more voices, not fewer.
This is a moment in history when understanding each other—our experiences, histories, and pain—is more important than ever. Hate and discrimination don’t come from nowhere. They come from ignorance, and from people not being willing to see the other side.
As writers, I think we have a responsibility not to back away. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable. If we want a future with more empathy and less division, we have to keep writing—and helping others connect through our stories.
No one whose life is going well trolls a writer with antisemitic email. This is a sad, lost, likely friendless loser. My guess is even her family doesn't even want her. And when she finally drops dead, no one will care. Or even notice.
Howard, I am so sorry about the hate-mail. We (gentile Zionists) get a dose of it daily too. It must be much worse for Jews, especially those in the public eye. Judith magazine is my favourite substack and even though I seldom read romances I am certain that I will enjoy your book because I've noticed how thoughtfully you choose what you share in the magazine. As you say, "there’s a market for Jewish books because we read them, we write them, and we buy them." Publishers who refuse to publish them are doing us readers a disservice. As for those who don't read books by Jewish authors, it's their loss.
Thank you, Rosa.
You don't need to thank me. I love reading and supporting Jewish authors is no hardship. It's the authors whose work I enjoyed before I realised that they are antisemites who have been disappointing.
I've thankfully only received at most a dozen comments like that on Substack since I came on here 4 months ago. However, I decided to put some articles on Medium two weeks ago, and have received over a dozen like that in that short period. It really is an infested anti-Zionist/anti-Jewish snake-pit, even worse than twitter. I block them after a snappy answer... but it's quite upsetting and somewhat draining knowing there's an army of them out there.
Yes. I am a Hindu and a Zionist and have already been dropped (because of my FB posts) from two venues where I was scheduled to speak on a completely unrelated topic. I have also lost a lot of friends and acquaintances. Good riddance. Here is my latest blog post on the indifference of many to the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim: https://ruthvanita452091.substack.com/p/killing-indifference
And the other posts on my blog: https://substack.com/profile/147445119-ruth-vanita
You can like, subscribe for free, and forward to others
What Poetry has Done for Me
https://substack.com/home/post/p-162133254
The Killing of Hindus in Kashmir. Posted May 1, 2025
https://ruthvanita452091.substack.com/p/the-killing-of-hindus-in-kashmir
A Cento for Oct 7. Posted May 10,2025
https://substack.com/home/post/p-163280062
Posted 23 May 2025 A licence to kill is given out to every maniac [Bob Dylan’s song]
https://ruthvanita452091.substack.com/p/a-licence-to-kill-is-given-out-to
Thank you, Ruth.
Be aware that most of these are sent by Russian/Iranian/Chinese troll operators of sock puppet accounts, or by the retards convinced by such antisemitic propaganda who are as dumb as troll bots. It's a negative Turing test - people so monomaniacally hateful and stupid as to pass for a bot.
Whenever this happens in your own posts, simply delete their comments outright to frustrate them. When it's on someone else's post I enjoy demeaning them. Make a sport of it, and it stops being a worry.
It’s hard to watch how both Middle Eastern and Jewish writers are being affected by the current climate in publishing. So many platforms seem afraid to engage with anything that might feel too controversial, and the result is silence, right when we need more voices, not fewer.
This is a moment in history when understanding each other—our experiences, histories, and pain—is more important than ever. Hate and discrimination don’t come from nowhere. They come from ignorance, and from people not being willing to see the other side.
As writers, I think we have a responsibility not to back away. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable. If we want a future with more empathy and less division, we have to keep writing—and helping others connect through our stories.
No one whose life is going well trolls a writer with antisemitic email. This is a sad, lost, likely friendless loser. My guess is even her family doesn't even want her. And when she finally drops dead, no one will care. Or even notice.