Iddo Gefen is Your Cool Israeli Friend

Whenever anyone asks me who my favorite writer is lately, I reply without hesitation: Iddo Gefen. 

Iddo’s short story collection, Jerusalem Beach, won the prestigious Sami Rohr Prize for Fiction in 2023, and one of the stories from the book is being adapted into a film starring Eddie Redmayne. His debut novel, Mrs. Lilienblum’s Cloud Factory, was one of GOLDA’s list of “Five Books We’re Excited About in 2025,” and boy did it deliver. 

If you like Etgar Keret, you’re going to love Iddo Gefen. 

I got to interview Iddo earlier this month at The Jewish Museum as part of my Unpacking the Book series with the Jewish Book Council (you can watch the video here). Even before we got on stage, I realized that not only is Iddo extremely brilliant—he’s a Ph.D student in cognitive psychology at Columbia—he’s also extremely cool. 

I asked him to share a few recommendations with GOLDA—his favorite new books, podcasts, and even his go-to spot when he’s back in Tel Aviv. 

Speaking of cool, I’ll be at the Angelika Film Center tonight for a post-screening Q&A with Yael Melamede, director of Ada: My Mother the Architect. The film is a beautiful and searing exploration of motherhood, ambition, and expectation, all within the context of Israel’s architecture scene. Get your ticket to join us for the 7:10 p.m. showing and the conversation afterward. 

And now, here are five picks from your new favorite author, Iddo Gefen:  

Berlin Atomized, by Julia Kornberg

Berlin Atomized is a beautifully human and deeply affecting debut novel by Julia Kornberg following three Jewish siblings as they grow up, fall apart, and search for one another across a burning, drifting world. Julia Kornberg writes with a truly promising voice that marks the arrival of a bold and original new talent in contemporary fiction.

Haachim restaurant, Tel Aviv

Haachim, which means The Brothers, is one of my favorite restaurants in Tel Aviv (which makes it one of my favorites in the world), with great food, a joyful atmosphere, and a beautiful line of T-shirts featuring logos of kibbutzim damaged on October 7, with all proceeds donated.

SHiZiNG Jewelry

SHiZiNG is a young and fresh jewelry studio founded by Shira Zinger, a Tel Aviv-based silversmith and designer with a bold style and a rare gift for turning raw materials into poetry.

HaKlat Kesidra podcast

This English-language episode of the Israeli podcast HaKlat Kesidra by Meny Aviram offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into Israeli creativity in Hollywood, through the story of top agent Rick Rosen, who helped open the door for shows like In Treatment and gave Israeli talent a real shot abroad. Other episodes are excellent too, though you'll need Hebrew for those.

Noga Erez

Noga Erez is one of the most original and exciting musicians to come out of Israel, with a bold sound that’s earned her a growing global following, including Billie Eilish and P!nk. She has a U.S. tour coming up soon, and it’s well worth catching her live.

Thanks to Iddo for making us all smarter and cooler with these picks—and with his books! Get your copy of his latest, Mrs. Lilienblum’s Cloud Factory, here. Also, he just launched a Substack where he writes about neuroscience and human behavior with his trademark wit and accessibility. You can subscribe here. 

While we’re in a literary mood, we’re wishing a major mazel tov to Sasha Vasilyuk for winning this year’s Sami Rohr Prize for her book Your Presence is Mandatory. Sasha was on the Writing Jewishly panel I moderated at the AWP Conference last month in Los Angeles, and she couldn’t be more deserving of this honor. 

We’ll be back in your inboxes Friday with the summer trend you didn’t see coming. 

Stay GOLDA,

Stephanie