Elul Poetry Salon: Song of Songs, An evening of poetry and wine by candlelight
Join Merav and Rabbi Yonatan Sadoff on a multisensory journey through the ages as we explore poetic and artistic responses to the biblical Song of Songs. This session invites you not only to delve into the imagery and poetics of this extraordinary text through Midrashic, mystical, and poetic interpretations by such artists as Paul Celan, Mika Karni and Zelda, but will also inspire you to create your own literary, musical or artistic response, should you wish to do so.
Please arrive from 7:15pm to make a tea, pour a wine and settle in for a 7:30pm start.
About the Guest Speakers:
Dr Merav Fima is a writer, translator, and literary scholar currently based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of the forthcoming mystical Sephardic migration novel The Rose of Thirteen Petals and the Pomegranate Tree (Running Wild Press, 2027) and of the short story collection Late Blossoms (Vine Leaves Press, October 2025). She holds a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from Monash University and her work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals worldwide, including: Meanjin Quarterly; Parchment; Poetica Magazine; and The Australian Book Review. Her debut book, Late Blossoms, is currently shortlisted for the Australian Jewish Writer Awards’ Bobby Adler Award for Young Jewish Writers.
Rabbi Yonatan Sadoff serves as the spiritual leader of Kehillat Nitzan in Melbourne, Australia. Ordained at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem, he has led communities in Israel, the United States, and Australia with a deep commitment to spiritual growth, authenticity, and creativity in Jewish life. A certified life and relationship coach, Rabbi Sadoff integrates insights from coaching, mindfulness, and Hasidic spirituality into his teaching and leadership. His forthcoming book, Still Becoming, explores how we can continue to grow and transform at any stage of life—a theme that also shapes his “still emerging” rabbinate. Through his work, Rabbi Sadoff invites others to discover their own evolving connection to Torah, community, and the sacred journey of becoming.
