Conversation with Matti Friedman on Leonard Cohen set May 31

The Lewes Public Library and Seaside Jewish Community will host an online lunch-and-learn conversation with author Matti Friedman at 12 p.m., Wednesday, May 31.

Friedman will Zoom from his home in Jerusalem to discuss his book “Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai” and will be joined in conversation by Susan Towers of Seaside.

“Who by Fire” is a riveting account of the little-known story of Leonard Cohen's concert tour to the front lines of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Drawing on Cohen's previously unpublished writing and Friedman’s original reporting, the author depicts a harrowing, formative moment for both a young country at war and a singer at a crossroads. Cohen fans will be fascinated to learn how the trip transformed the artist, inspired the song “Who by Fire,” and resulted in one of the best albums of his career.

Registration is required.To sign up, go to lewes.lib.de.us.

Matti Friedman is an award-winning journalist and author, born in Toronto and based in Jerusalem. His work has appeared regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Tablet and elsewhere. Friedman's last book, “Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel,” won the 2019 Natan Prize and the Canadian Jewish Book Award for history.