An MFA with Jews is still just an MFA
OR: Three Foolproof Steps to being a Jewish Writer
This post was originally a Note - which was already too long - and has been expanded more to make it a more of a proper Post.
An MFA for Jewish writers is not a Jewish MFA.
There’s been a lot of buzz in the past week on the Jewish writer side of Social Media about the Jewish Thelogical Seminary’s new Master of Fine Arts program.1 And to be honest, I know very few details - not because I haven’t tried. Rather because even after reading the program’s website and watching the program’s announcement interview video- there has yet to be a solid explanation about what makes this anything more than an MFA that will be safe for the students who are scared to be Jewish elsewhere.
I am sure it will be a helpful program for people who do want an MFA - especially those who want to be openly Jewish. The only thing actually Jewish about the degree is that they have access to the library and that “students can optionally enroll in Jewish Studies courses and seek feedback and guidance on their work from JTS’s diverse and distinguished scholars.” Optional is a key word here. You can get a degree from this MFA without any actual Jewish studies.
Further - it says under FAQ
Do I need to write about Judaism and/or related topics?
Artistic freedom is a core value of the program, and we welcome the exploration of diverse topics and perspectives on Jewish and non-Jewish topics.
Do you know what that means?
That means you don’t need to write about Jewish topics. That means it doesn’t need to be Jewish writing. That means despite all the buzz and hype - it is merely a normal MFA program that will have lots of Jews - with all the downsides and problems of any other MFA program. MFA programs generally have high tuition costs for a training that has debatable merit and value in the actual market. Furthermore, MFA programs tend to look down on commercial fiction - otherwise known as- the writing of books with actual intent to make money. Writers do not and should not need an MFA for validation as a writer.
I am sure some people will find it to be a worthwhile endeavor regardless-
But it is not a degree in Jewish Writing-
It’s a degree for Jewish writers who need a safe space
And there is a difference.
There are degrees in Comparative Literature and Jewish Literature - which help academics approach these stories from an analytical perspective and understand the context. An MFA is for writing generally. Any of these can be helpful. None of these is an approval stamp for officially being a Jewish writer.
There are only three steps required to be a Jewish writer from what I can tell.
Be Jewish.
Write regularly.
Write about your Judaism.
I am still working on all these steps. I don’t claim it to be easy. But it is simple. No degree is required. I will even accept some debate about step 3 - though I do think it is required. Writing while Jewish is not the same as Jewish Writing.
I do think there is room for growth and improvement in the conversation around Jewish storytelling and writing - that is why I started this Substack. I am not quite sure what a degree would look like - but I think more opportunities for learning and education is great. I personally would love to be able to learn more Jewish texts from the perspective of how I as a writer can better incorporate them into my work. I also think that having an MFA marketing itself for Jewish writers - but failing to require any writers who attend to truly grappel with their Judaism in any way is failing to truly change this conversation or actually provide anything new.
JTS’s new MFA degree is simply a safe space for writers who want to be openly Jewish. That is worthwhile for those who need it. Maybe it will change the conversation more than I give it credit for. Afterall - it hasn’t started yet, but at this moment, there is not enough actual information to support any of the excitement I have seen. I also acknowledge I am biased against MFA’s in general. For those interested in the program, regardless of the tuition cost or other concerns, I wish you luck and I hope the program is everything you need it to be.
As always, I welcome disagreement, pushback, commentary, correction, etc. I am not a scholar. I do not write this from on-high to declare and prescribe the answers. But rather I want to talk about what I have found interesting, make a proposal, and hopefully enable others to make it their own. I do not write alone, but in conversation and as part of a community and I look forward to hearing from you.
Perhaps the real value for any potential student isn't in the curriculum but in the audience. If you're an aspiring writer who does want to write about Jewish themes, you may well receive more helpful feedback in a class or workshop with other Jews, even if those other Jews aren't themselves writing about Judaism in anyway.
Interesting article - have you read Philip Roth? He's one of my favorite Jewish authors.