A new book of poetry explores resilience and conflict in a post-Oct. 7 world

The CJN Daily with Ellin Bessner

After the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Sharon Zohar wanted to take action. The serial entrepreneur, no stranger to kickstarting new organizations, decided to start a grassroots movement called EnoughTO, aimed at bringing civility back to the streets of Toronto. But rather than strengthen the city and its myriad communities, she says, "all I got was hate."

The response shocked her. She withdrew to her home and decided, instead, to try and express herself in a more personal way—through poetry. She immediately felt refreshed and invigorated. That led her to reach out to OneFamily Fund, an organization that helps Israeli victims of terror, which agreed to partner on a new poetry anthology that publishes writers from around the world reflecting on this new post-Oct. 7 reality.

That anthology, Proof of Life: An Exploration of Conflict, Survival, and the Human Spirit Post October 7th, was released last month, on the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7. To explain more about the book, Sharon Zohar sat down with Ellin Bessner for an intimate interview that dives deep into her creative process and how she recruited collaborators to make it happen.

Relevant links

• Buy the book at proofoflifeanthology.myshopify.com
• Learn more about OneFamily Fund
• Read about one of Sharon Zohar's earlier fundraisers, a lemonade stand that raised thousands of dollars to combat homelessness, in The CJN archives (from 2012)

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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