Who We Are
Voices Israel is the natural home for Israeli poets writing in English, and for those abroad who support our goals and share our enthusiasm for poetry. From our initial launch by four founders in 1971, we have grown to a membership of around 150 poets in Israel and many other countries. We are a fully-accredited and approved organization registered since 1993 with the Israel Organizations Authority.
For fuller information:
- see our About Voices page;
- Come visit our Facebook page!
- download our flyer and email it to others who would like to hear about us.
- We also have a short flyer for notice boards. If there's a place where English speakers gather - why not print it out and pin it up there?
Chapbooks currently available can be ordered via PayPal: click the link below, it will ask you to log in to your PayPal account and then fill in the amount to send Voices Israel and a note saying what the payment is for. Please also send an email to whoever is distributing them (currently, our President Judy Koren: president.voices@gmail.com).
The link: PayPal.me/VoicesIsrael.
Come Join Us!
We're always happy to welcome both new and established (yes and would-be) poets into our family!
- To attend a local meeting to try us out - contact your local Coordinator.
- To become a member of Voices Israel - fill in our membership application form and send it in - full details are in the form.
What We've Been Doing (activities over the past year)
October to December 2022:
The submission period for the 2023 Voices Israel Anthology opens on December 15th. Watch the Submitting To The Anthology page for the Submittable button enabling you to submit your 3 best unpublished poems for inclusion.
We held a very successful workshop in Haifa on November 24th. Details are on the web page for the workshop. We hope as usual to make a chapbook of participants' poems resulting from it, and will put a notice on this page when it's ready.
Our Bar Sagi Young Poets Prize, a competition for school students aged 12 to 19 at the time the poem was written, opens for submissions on November 15th. For full details see the Bar Sagi Prize general information page, and the Rules and Guidelines of the competition.
The submission period for the Reuben Rose Competition closed in mid-October and our judges are now busy considering the last of the poems submitted and making their final decisions. Our administrator Mark Levinson will announce the results, hopefully in the first half of December. Stay tuned!
July to September 2022:
We're planning for the next Bar Sagi Competition. Experience shows that we need to publicize it by personal contact - if you know any English teachers (your children's or grandchildren's, friends, family, former colleagues...) please spread the word to them! Our announcement and the guidelines can be downloaded from this website and I’ll be happy to email them to anyone who requests (to president.voices@gmail.com).
Our Anthology was sent out in mid-August. Israeli members who have not yet received it: please contact our President, Judy Koren, at president.voices@gmail.com, or Chanita at millmanm@inter.net.il. Non-members may purchase copies, and members may buy additional copies, via the Buying the Anthology page of this website. Congratulations to all the members of our team who made the speedy publication possible even though the submission period closed this year a month later than usual!
The 2022 Reuben Rose Competition opened for submissions in mid-July, and will remain open until mid-October. For the entry rules and a button to submit poems via Submittable, please see the Competition page of this website.
We are looking for a new Publicity Officer. For details please contact our President, Judy Koren.
The chapbook from the Netanya Residential Workshop has been printed and distributed to everyone who ordered a copy. We still have a few copies left: members who would like to buy one, please contact our President Judy Koren at president.voices@gmail.com.
April to June 2022
We announce with great delight that the renowned American-Jewish poet, Yehoshua November, has agreed to be our International Judge for the upcoming (33rd) Reuben Rose competition.
We held a very successful and enjoyable two-day Netanya Residential Workshop on Wednesday-Thursday, May 25th - 26th. Twenty-three Voices members and guests met for three workshops and a panel, to great joy after having to cancel the previous one in 2020 because of Covid. A full description is on our 2022 Netanya Workshop page.
We held the joint Bar Sagi Prize and Reuben Rose Competition awards events on April 26th, 2022. To enable the overseas winners to participate, it was held via Zoom. It was followed as usual by an Open Mic. To see the report on these two very enjoyable events, visit our 3rd Bar Sagi Awards Event and our 2021 Reuben Rose Competition Prizegiving pages respectively.
Congratulations to the three prize winners of the 3rd Bar Sagi Young Poets Prize competition: Hila ("Sapir") Frumkin (First Prize and also an Honorary Mention), Eliav Huppert (Second Prize) and Amiad Dror Golan (Third Prize).
January to March 2022
Our 2022 Annual General Meeting took place on Tuesday March 29th, in Tel Aviv - face to face at last! Despite the still- uncertain Covid situation, 13 people managed to attend. As usual it was followed by an Open Mic.
At the AGM we said a fond farewell to our secretary Linda Suchy, who stepped down after a five-year term, and welcomed our new secretary, Pesach Rotem. Pesach has taken over the email address of secretary.voices@gmail.com. We all look forward to working with him.
Our February Zoom mini-workshop: "Seeing is Believing," another in a series on Harnessing the Senses for Creative Inspiration, given by Elana Dorfman, was fully booked and took place to rave reviews. We have prepared an e-chapbook of the poems produced at or as a result of the workshop, and have distributed it to participants. If any other Voices members would like a copy, please email our President, Judy Koren, at president.voices@gmail.com.
October to December 2021
On December 13th Judy Koren as President of Voices Israel, and Dina Yehuda as Chief Editor of the Anthology gave, by invitation, a much-appreciated workshop on writing poetry to the ESL-teacher students at Givat Washington College. The presentation covered: Voices Israel and the Reuben Rose and Bar Sagi prizes, the process of writing poetry and what inspires us, the reading and critiquing of some poems, and a writing exercise in which the students eagerly participated. These students will be teaching middle and high-school English in a year or at most two, so we're glad to have the opportunity for publicity!
We held the launch event for the Voices Israel 2021 Anthology on October 3rd, via Zoom, which enabled several of our overseas members to attend. We celebrated the hard work and achievements of everyone connected with producing this beautiful volume, and thirty poets read their poems from it. For full details see the 2021 Voices Israel Anthology Launch page of this website.
As usual, we recorded the event, and the video (around an hour and a half) is up on our YouTube channel. To see the video on YouTube click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJTvvBy9iTg
What our Members Have Been Doing over the past year
December 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev; who has been awarded a Best International Poetry Award by the Italian cultural association Mondo Fluttuante; whose poem “The Man on the Train” was published in the anthology 101 Jewish Poems for the Third Millenium, www.amazon.com/101-Jewish-Poems-Third-Millennium/dp/0912592842/; and whose chapbook of poetry and artwork, Late Life Love, has been published by New Feral Press, NY.
Eli Ben-Joseph, whose poem “Salamander Lamp” and whose artwork, which it describes and comments on, have been accepted for the ekphrastic exhibition planned for the spring on Kibbutz Gezer.
Isaac Cohen, who was the subject of the article “Poetic Labyrinth of Isaac Cohen” in Humanity Magazine; and has had a poem published in the 22rd edition of the "Garavi Sokak 2022" of the Literary Club "Miroslav Mika Antić."
Judy Koren, who has had a collection of five poems published in the webzine Mediterranean Poetry, https://www.odyssey.pm/contributors/judy-koren/.
Miriam Webber, who under her pen name Rumi Morkin regularly has poems, long and short, accepted for publishing in the quarterly digital webzine Lighten Up Online.
November 2022: Congratulations to:
Wendy Blumfield, whose poem “Yearning” was published in The Jerusalem Report.
Isaac Cohen, whose poem “To My Mother Mazal Cohen, Blessed Memory 1936-2010” was published in MA: An Anthology of Poems in Memory of Bengali Poet Kazi Masuda Saleh www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJYD34TV.
Judy Koren whose poem "Tel Shikmona" tied for 9th place (out of over 1,300 poems) in the Poetry Super Highway contest.
October 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev, who won First Prize in the IFLAC World
Peace Poetry Contest, and Larry Lefkowitz, who was selected as a
finalist in the competition.
Isaac Cohen, who was the subject of the article “Poetic Labyrinth of Isaac Cohen” by Ana Stjelja in Lamed-E at https://filesusr.com/ugd/41e276_ba79560012614c718ddd3f0db613b0d3.pdf (p. 20).
Iris Dan, whose poem “Solomon Schechter at the Cairo Geniza” has been accepted for publication by Poetica Magazine.
Paul Rabinowitz, whose prose poem “In the Original Language” was published in The Zodiac Review at www.thezodiacreview.com; whose story “Diamond Life Master” was published in La Piccioletta Barca at www.picciolettabarca.com/posts/diamond-life-master; and whose manuscript of poems and short stories called truth, love and the lines in between has been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press. Many of the poems in the book were workshopped with the Tel Aviv chapter of Voices Israel.
Patti Tana, whose new digital book of poems, Bumper Crop, which includes photographs by her husband John Renner, is now posted for viewing on his website: http://johnrennerphotography.com.
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September 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev, who was the subject of a three-page profile in the Jerusalem Post, in print and online at www.jpost.com/aliyah/article-713835.
Pesach Rotem, whose poem “Souvenirs” was published in The Ekphrastic Review at www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/souvenirs-by-pesach-rotem.
August 2022: Congratulations to:
Ann Bar-Dov, whose essay “Library Memories” won First Place in the 2021 Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize Competition. Ann read from her essay on July 24th, 2022, along with eleven other participants in the competition.
Helen Bar-Lev, who had two stories — “Bell Telephone vs. The Spielvogels” and “An Incident in Lifta” — published in the July issue of ESRA Magazine, and who had her poem “Tiberias” and her painting “Tiberias at night” included in the “Lights for the City” project under the auspices of Arte Città Amica and Immagine & Poesia.
Isaac Cohen, whose poem “The Path of Love” was selected for publication in the Touch of Japan anthology and on the Eastern Pearl website.
Ricky Rapoport Friesem, who read and discussed her poetry as an honored guest in the Limmud Ottawa “Northern Poetry” series hosted by Seymour Mayne. The entire event is at https://youtu.be/mUjqqw9omvM.
Judy Koren, whose poem “Remember His Name?” was chosen as a Featured Poem for the August issue of Better Than Starbucks and is being published in the print and e-book versions of that magazine as well as in the online version.
Susan Olsburgh, whose poem “Triangle of Hope” is being used promotionally on Hadassah Hospital's UK support site on Facebook.
Paul Rabinowitz, whose short story “On the Eighth Day” appears in the summer edition of October Hill Magazine.
July 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev, whose poems “The Second Amendment” and “The Wrong Tree” were read on the World Poetry radio station in Vancouver by Ariadne Sawyer on June 6.
Judy Koren, whose poem “The Human Reflex” has been published in Lighten Up Online.
Paul Rabinowitz, whose poem “Indigo and Half Moon” has appeared in The Writing Disorder, and whose poem “Citrus Honey Cake” has appeared in Evening Street Review.
Yiskah Rosenfeld, whose poem “A Study of Mice on Restricted Calorie Diets” was published in the Dating issue of Beyond Words.
Miriam Webber (aka Rumi Morkin), who has had three poems printed in the June issue of Lighten Up Online: “The FINDIT App” here; “R.I.P.” here and “Fantasia on Green Ideas” here.
June 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev, whose poem “It’s Raining” was published in Love the Words, an annual anthology in tribute to Dylan Thomas. The entire anthology can be downloaded for free at www.discoverdylanthomas.com/love-the-words-2022.
Isaac Cohen, who has had six poems published in The Rising Stars Anthology (www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y4LV8H9), and whose poem “The Perfume of Love” has been published in English and in Chinese translation in the Spring edition of Poetry Collection.
Judith R. Robinson, whose book Buy a Ticket: New and Selected Poems received a rave review (“a brilliant heartbreaking tapestry”) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Pesach Rotem, whose poem “Ripple” was published in the International Poetry section of Better Than Starbucks, and whose poem “Who Put the Ax in Al Aqsa?” was published in Topical Poetry.
May 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev, whose poem “It’s Raining” was published in Love the Words, an annual anthology in tribute to Dylan
Thomas. The entire anthology can be downloaded for free at www.discoverdylanthomas.com/love-the-words-2022.
Isaac Cohen, who had six poems published in The Rising Stars Anthology (www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y4LV8H9), and
who also had his poem “The Perfume of Love” published in English and in Chinese translation in the Spring edition of Poetry
Collection (https://issuu.com/377122tianjames/docs/_e87c55e76ce216).
Judith R. Robinson, whose book Buy a Ticket: New and Selected Poems received a rave review (“a brilliant
heartbreaking tapestry”) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com/ae/books/2022/05/10/judith-robinson-
buy-a-ticket-new-and-selected-poems-book-review/stories/202205030005.
Pesach Rotem, whose poem “Ripple” was published in Better Than Starbucks at
https://betterthanstarbucks.wixsite.com/may2022/international-poetry, and whose poem “Who Put the Ax in Al Aqsa?”
was published in Topical Poetry at https://topicalpoetry.com/who-put-the-ax-in-al-aqsa/.
April 2022: Congratulations to:
Iris Dan, whose poem “The Last Judgment” was published in Red Fern Review at https://theredfernreview.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/issue-2-january-2022/.
Susan Olsburgh, whose poem “Ilse’s Reply” was published in Poetry Superhighway’s Yom HaShoah Poetry Issue at
Pesach Rotem, whose poem “Banning Books” was published in Visible Magazine at https://visiblemagazine.com/banning-books/.
Judith R. Robinson, whose book Buy a Ticket: New and Selected Poems has been published by Word Poetry
(www.amazon.com/Buy-Ticket-New-Selected-Poems/dp/1625493991/). Judy will be reading at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books on May 14 (www.eventbrite.com/e/greater-pittsburgh-festival-of-books-poetry-allowed-tent-tickets-296776635907).
Isaac Cohen, who had a poem published in La Fenêtre de Paris, Vol-II: An Anthology of Poets from Different Countries on La France (www.amazon.com/Fen%C3%AAtre-Paris-Vol-II-Anthology-Different/dp/B09XZMF27W/)
March 2022: Congratulations to:
Helen Bar-Lev, whose poem “The Wrong Tree” has been published in the April 2022 edition of ESRA magazine.
Isaac Cohen, who has had two poems, “My Yearn” and “Amazing Journey”, published in the magazine Atunis, in Belgium.
Pesach Rotem, who had four poems published in Synchronized Chaos at https://synchchaos.com/poetry-from-pesach-rotem-2/, including “A Prickly Pair” written at Judy Koren’s workshop on Metaphor, and “Why an Apple?” written at Dina Yehuda’s workshop on Biblical Images.
David Ades, Australia, whose poem “The Message, Pittsburgh 2013,” was the Featured Poem in the most recent issue of Poetica Magazine.
February 2022: Congratulations to:
Judy Koren, whose previously published poem “Tel Shikmona,” has won an Honorable Mention in the Society of Classical Poets’ “The Best Poems of 2021: the 10th Annual International SCP Poetry Competition.” It will be published in their printed journal.
Hayim Abramson, Judy Belsky, Esther Cameron, Ruth Fogelman, Mindy Aber Barad Golembo, Hadassa Haskale (ז״ל), Judy Koren, Rumi Morkin, Pesach Rotem, and Michael E. Stone, who all have their poems published in The Deronda Review, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2022.
Rumi Morkin (aka Miriam Webber) who will have two poems published in the March 2022 issue of Lighten Up Online, a digital quarterly webzine.
Richard Savei-Tzion, who has had two poems published in the Weekend In Jerusalem supplement of the Jerusalem Post, as parts of photo essays, one on the Hula Valley and the other entitled “Covid in Snow.”
January 2022: Congratulations to:
Pesach Rotem, whose poems “The Stream of Consciousness” and “Ripple” were published in The Lake at www.thelakepoetry.co.uk/poetry/pesach-rotem/, and whose poem “On ‘Poetry Readings’” was published in Spillwords at https://spillwords.com/on-poetry-readings/.
Helen Bar Lev, who has two poems shortlisted in Oprelle’s “Coming Home” contest: “Early June in Metulla” and “1959 September.”
Judy Koren, whose poem “Sounds of a wet Morning” was published on January 6th in the webzine Grand Little Things.
Hannah Moshe, whose poem "Bunny" was published in Prosopisia vol XIV, no 1, 2022.
Rumi Morkin (aka Miriam Webber) who will have two poems published in the March 2022 issue of Lighten Up Online, a digital quarterly webzine.
Michael E. Stone, who has translated to English from Armenian, the book “The Genesis Commentary by Step’anos of Siwnik’ (DUB.), and who also has a newly published book of English translations of Mediaeval Armenian Poems.
December 2021: Congratulations to:
Susan Olsburgh, whose poem “Hinterland” was published in the December 2021 issue of ESRA Magazine.
Pesach Rotem, whose poem “Even in America” was published in Constellations, http://www.constellations-lit.com.
Helen Bar-Lev, whose poem was chosen as a finalist in Oprelle’s “2021 Matter” Anthology Poetry Contest.
Reuven Goldfarb, whose poem “Are the California Fires Out Yet?", appears in the December 1, 2021, issue of the Jewish Post & Opinion.
Paul Rabinowitz, who has been chosen to be the featured reader at Calling All Poets at The Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory. February 4, 2022, 7-9 PM at 8 N Cherry St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.
Miriam Green, whose poem “Testing for Covid” was a featured poem in Poetica Magazine.
Isaac Cohen, who has had two of his poems published in the October-December International Writers’ Journal; has received a congratulations certificate from the Literature World Group Ernest Hemingway for his poem “My love of nature”; and has received a certificate from Premio Internazionale D’Eccellenza “Citta del Galateo” for his poem “You’re Too Young to Die.”
Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, who was interviewed on World Poetry Café, 100.6 FM on December 16, 2021, when she read from and talked about her soon-to-be released book, Immortal Seeds: Bearing Gold from the Abyss, co-published by Cross-Cultural Communications and The Seventh Quarry Press.