BEYOND THE GDR // JEWISH LIFE IN EASTERN GERMANY

Shortly after we went to press with this magazine, the terrible events of the Israel-Hamas War began unfolding in the Middle East. It feels pertinent that it features two of Israel's most eminent novelists – Ayelet Gundar-Goshen and Eshkol Nevo – in an insightful and moving conversation. Elsewhere, in another piece that also feels particularly prescient, journalist Rafael Behr talks about being a Jewish journalist in times of tension and introduces our Emerging Journalists Programme. We also travel to Germany's eastern regions to explore the huge cultural flourishing that took place in Berlin and cities such as Dresden before World War II; hear from those who lived in the GDR during the Cold War; and meet the Jews living in Germany's eastern states today. Lift your spirits with Anna Nyburg's piece on the fabulous Fashion City exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands; chuckle over the new biography of funny man Mel Brooks; and uncover the extraordinary life of the Ladino-speaking porn queen of New York, whose life is the subject of a new film at London's UK Jewish Film Festival. We wish you a peaceful read…