Alexandra Polsky is the founding editor of a new Jewish literary magazine at Columbia. Originally called wet sand and small stones, the magazine was renamed Avanim. Alex is a junior at Columbia College, majoring in biology and the writing program.

So, I know the name of the magazine was changed but what was the inspiration for its original title and why did you change it, and what’s the inspiration for the current title?

The inspiration for the original title and the current title are the same. In the entrance to the main building of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, there is an inscription written on the wall in English, Hebrew and Arabic. It says, “Wet sand and small stones, laid out in the sun to dry (all mixed together).” This is such a beautiful comment on Israel, art, humanity, countries, people - it portrays the subtlety of differences in human experience while at the same time leveling all of our experiences - we are just wet sand and small stones in the sun. Or maybe it is more a comment on our art and the way we express human experience, that we do so in such simple ways, by laying mixtures of sand and stone out in the sun to dry.
The reason we changed it (after I think one day) was just because wet sand & small stones, while very beautiful, is a very long title. Avanim is less of a mouthful, it’s easier to remember, and it’s in Hebrew, which shows more what we are upfront.

Are you the only Jewish literary magazine on campus? If not, how are you different from whatever else is out there? If this is the only Columbia Jewish literary magazine out there currently, do you know whether there’s been anything like it in the past?

We are the only Jewish literary magazine on campus, which is basically the reason for our existence. I write things about Israel and Judaism all the time and it is so frustrating for me when I submit them to my writing classes (in the writing program) for critique because people in my classes don’t understand the subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) references to things Jewish- or Israel-related. Many people experience this, they write things for a certain audience and then they can’t find that audience, and it’s a shame because the nuances of their writing or art are often lost. So, Avanim exists to connect these writers and artists with the right audience, and to serve as a creative outlet for the Jewish community at Columbia. In the past, the closest thing to a Jewish literary magazine that I know of on our campus was Igrot Ha’ari, which was a journal of scholarly articles on Jewish topics but did not include any creative writing.

Is there an existing literary journal/magazine out there that you’re trying to model Avanim after? If yes, which?

One magazine I refer to a lot is Mimaamakim, a Jewish literary magazine in New York. Other publications we have gotten inspiration from are Zeek magazine and Poetica.

Are there any faculty members involved? If yes, can you name them and tell me how they’re involved?

Chanel Dubofsky, the Tzedek Coordinator at Hillel, is acting as the informal staff advisor for Avanim. She helped choose the editors and editorial board and she has been involved with every step of the process of getting this going. She is also a published Jewish writer herself and she is currently teaching a six-week course through Hillel on contemporary
Jewish women writers.

Any long-term goals for the magazine that you want to share?

I would love to see this magazine become something that people look forward to reading and writing for or submitting art to. I hope it becomes somewhat of a household name in the Columbia Hillel community, and even better, in the general Columbia/Barnard community or even outside of Columbia and into New York. We hope to also hold events at some point in the future such as poetry readings and perhaps art showings, either showcasing work of our published authors and artists or events just to bring the Jewish writing and artistic communities together.

When does your first issue come out?

Our first issue will - hopefully! - come out at the end of the semester!