‘The Hotel’ (2026), by Nicole Hazan

Key Takeaways

• Paper Brigade launches “The Hotel” to spotlight Jewish voices
• Story set in Israeli hotel after Oct 7 attacks
• Author Nicole Hazan explores grief, love, and ghostly memory
• Initiative counters rising cancellation of Jewish authors worldwide
• Readers invited via newsletter and short‑story challenge

Pulse Analysis

The American Jewish Book Council’s new Paper Brigade program arrives at a moment when Jewish authors are increasingly sidelined from mainstream literary platforms. Recent reports of reviewers, event organizers, and even publishers withdrawing support have sparked a backlash that threatens cultural diversity in the book market. By creating a dedicated newsletter and a series of short‑story events, Paper Brigade offers a concrete countermeasure, giving writers a reliable outlet and signaling to the industry that exclusion will not be tolerated. The initiative also serves as a rallying point for readers who want to champion under‑represented voices.

The inaugural story, ‘The Hotel’ by emerging writer Nicole Hazan, places its narrative in an Israeli hotel just after the October 7 attacks. Through a blend of speculative elements and intimate dialogue, Hazan portrays grieving families haunted—both literally and metaphorically—by absent loved ones. The ghostly characters, such as the dementia‑stricken Savta Sara, embody the lingering trauma that many survivors experience in temporary housing. By framing the aftermath as a haunted space, the story invites readers to contemplate how love and loss coexist in a landscape scarred by conflict, offering a fresh literary lens on a painful recent history.

Beyond its artistic merit, ‘The Hotel’ functions as a strategic piece in Paper Brigade’s broader outreach. The story is distributed through the council’s newsletter and tied to the #SpeccyFicChal reading challenge, encouraging community participation and amplifying visibility for Jewish creators. For publishers, the initiative demonstrates a viable model for supporting marginalized voices without sacrificing commercial viability. For readers, it provides a curated entry point into contemporary Jewish speculative fiction, a genre that can translate complex geopolitical realities into personal narratives. As the program gains traction, it may reshape how the industry approaches cultural inclusion and editorial risk‑taking.