Ruth Rakoff had only written one book before, a memoir based on her cancer diagnosis. That was in 2010. Two years later, her brother David Rakoff—an acclaimed writer and storyteller—died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

That traumatic period, in part, inspired her to spend nearly a full decade writing her second book, Untethered, a novel published in Sept. 2023 by Cormorant Books. In Untethered, two siblings branch off into different Jewish worlds, one marrying into an ultra-Orthodox community while the other tries to fend off depression on a kibbutz, eventually reuniting to confront their shared generational trauma during a time of crisis.

Rakoff spoke with the hosts of Culturally Jewish to describe her writing process, how her own time in an ultra-Orthodox Israeli community influenced the story, and how its themes resonate even stronger in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Also in this episode: Ilana recounts the Jewish Futures arts salon in Toronto last week, plus she and David give a rundown of the most exciting Hanukkah events happening in the next couple weeks.

Credits

Culturally Jewish is hosted by Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Our producer is Michael Fraiman, and our theme music is by Sarah Segal-Lazar. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To support The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt, please consider a monthly donation by clicking here.