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The report found that Israeli and Jewish writers have faced increasing isolation in the international literary world since Oct. 7, 2023.
By Shula Rosen
PEN America President Dinaw Mengestu has resigned after objecting to a report by the free expression organization that documented growing exclusion and harassment of Israeli and Jewish writers, saying the findings threatened the rights of those who support boycotts of Israel.
Mengestu, an Ethiopian American novelist and Bard College professor, told The Atlantic he was leaving because of concerns about the report, titled “A Silent Moratorium.”
The report found that Israeli and Jewish writers have faced increasing isolation in the international literary world since Oct. 7, 2023, including publication barriers, canceled appearances and pressure over Jewish and Israeli content.
Mengestu argued that PEN America’s stance could infringe on the free expression rights of people advocating cultural boycotts of Israel.
“It’s the First Amendment that allows all of us to engage in boycotts, not PEN America,” Mengestu told the publication. “PEN America as a free expression organization is supposed to defend that right.”
PEN America, an organization focused on writers and human rights issues, confirmed Mengestu’s departure.
The organization said it was “grateful” for Mengestu’s leadership and would “respect” his decision.
“We tell hard stories, in politically challenging moments, about writers from a range of perspectives, even when it’s uncomfortable for us given our own recent history,” PEN America said.
“A Silent Moratorium” drew on accounts from more than 30 authors and publishing professionals who described losing agents, having events canceled, encountering obstacles to publication and facing online harassment. Some writers said they were pressured to remove Jewish characters or references to Israel from their work.
Israeli literary agent Deborah Harris said she has not sold a single literary novel to US publishers since the Oct. 7 attacks. Other writers described cultural boycotts, ideological scrutiny and a climate that led some to censor their own work.
PEN America warned that the exclusion of Israeli and Jewish writers poses a threat to free expression. The organization also acknowledged that Palestinian and pro-Palestinian writers and activists have faced censorship, harassment and other repercussions.
Mengestu’s resignation followed the report’s examination of whether cultural boycotts and broader hostility toward Israel and Zionism have increasingly affected Jewish and Israeli writers’ ability to publish and participate in literary life.
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