TORONTO — Adira Winegust believes in the power of the written word. Especially when expressing her Jewish identity.
Josh Zelikovitz, the editor-in-chief of the Internet literary magazine Milim
Writer Adira Winegust
“I would love to be part of the next generation of Jewish writers,” said Winegust, a second-year arts and science student at McMaster University. “Showing Jewish identity through anywhere is good, but writing and arts is a really creative way…Writing tends to be an outlet and therapy for a lot of people.”
This is one of the reasons that she submitted her work to an Internet publication called Milim, a Jewish literary magazine started by the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS).
“I wrote a poem and sent it off to them. I love writing, and I thought this would be a unique opportunity,” she said, adding that her poem, called Blessing, explores the feeling of being on the men’s side of her synagogue with her father.
The magazine itself, which includes poetry, stories, artwork and photography, was launched as an outlet for students such as Winegust, who express themselves through the creative arts.
Josh Zelikovitz, the chair of Jewish Identity for CFJS, got the idea for a literary magazine last fall. Right now, Milim is in its first phase – its website was launched several months ago and editors are currently accepting submissions. The ultimate goal is to eventually produce a physical publication.
“I’ve always had an interest in Jewish literature and Jewish arts,” said Zelikovitz, who is the magazine’s editor-in-chief. “I think it [Milim offers] a broader way for people to express what it means to be a Canadian Jewish student.”
Zelikovitz would like to update the website with new submissions every three weeks or so, he said, adding that any submissions must contain Jewish content.
For Zelikovitz, the magazine is a way to reach students nationwide who may not be part of Hillel or their local Jewish student associations.
“[Milim is] a way to engage new segments of Jewish students that may not have been engaged by previous programming… Art and literature can open up doors to students,” he said. “This is another way for people to get involved.”
Samantha Banks, the president of CFJS, agrees.
“I believe it’s a good forum because it taps into an aspect of Judaism which isn’t always addressed,” she said of the magazine. “There are a lot of students in the fine arts industry that maybe haven’t found an outlet to connect to Judaism. This allows them to take the art that they foster and love, and put it into a publication that can be viewed and valued by students all across Canada.”
Allison Vanek, Milim’s poetry and fiction editor and a third-year English and drama student at Queen’s University, sees the publication as a way for students to connect through their work.
“It reaches not just one campus, not just one city, but across all campuses, across all cities,” she said. “We’re trying to bring people together from different areas who may not have had the ability to share experiences with each other… [and] share their ideas and their work.”
As an English major, Vanek understands the importance of the written word.
“I believe that no matter what your identity is, the written word is the way to go to express it,” she said. “I think it’s really important that there are still literary publications that can be accessed.”
When reviewing submissions, Vanek looks for content that other students can connect to, she said.
“That can be any kind of style or subject, as long as it’s something that has some kind of human connection,” she said.
For more information or to submit work, visit www.milim.ca. Editors prefer work by students or recent graduates.
