Gillian Polack
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Gillian Polack
@gillianpolack.bsky.social
1.1K followers 470 following 760 posts
Writer, historian, educator, foodie. Maker of seriously bad jokes.
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Reposted by Gillian Polack
sarahmackattack.bsky.social
I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.
September 19, 2025 at 12:30 PM
My favourite typo this morning is "Jewish asp." "Jewish past" is so much less interesting.
August 30, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Food and Family (with household hints)
open.substack.com/pub/judithma...
Food and Family (with household hints)
Gillian Polack explores how Anglo-Australian Jewish recipes and family traditions helped sustain identity and counter antisemitism
open.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Dear Spellcheck
Would you please give me a reason for your insistence that 'Lebkuchen' should be replaced by 'Lecherous. This is not the first odd suggestion you've made about food. Do you find German food history difficult?
August 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
eliseswritings.bsky.social
🇦🇺 Writers 3/3

VIC
@gillianpolack.bsky.social
@xombiekitty.bsky.social
@chiefwritesbook.bsky.social
@catog.bsky.social
@karden.bsky.social
@juliettewade.bsky.social
@sonjajkaye.bsky.social
@elementeds.bsky.social
@sfflanigan.bsky.social

🇸🇬 ✍️
@jolantru.bsky.social

🇨🇳
@dei2dei.bsky.social
August 1, 2025 at 7:07 AM
I have submitted my thesis. If anyone wants to ask if I plan to do another PhD, please tell them "I do not need another one." Really, truly.
I now have to finish a rather silly vampire novel, essays, and a book on how we explain history and how this tells us who we think we are.
July 9, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
levostregc.bsky.social
*INDIANA JONES AND THE CLOSURE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGY DEPARTMENT*
A news story: "Disney Reportedly Planning Full Reboot of the INDIANA JONES Franchise"
July 2, 2025 at 5:22 PM
I may be Australian and live in Canberra, but I know these people: blogs.timesofisrael.com/10-people-yo...
The Blogs: 10 People You’ll Meet in Your Bomb Shelter
From the blog of Sarah Tuttle-Singer at The Times of Israel
blogs.timesofisrael.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:27 AM
I've just done the plagiarism check for my thesis. I am a failure. Anyone expecting otherwise needs coffee. Or tea. Or maybe a good night's sleep. You see, I'm not just a failure, I'm a total failure.
May 15, 2025 at 3:49 AM
I am almost finished my degree. This means I am in a very particular mood and best avoided. Until Thursday is over, I will adjust your punctuation, clear up three sentences, and fill in two forms as part of any conversation. My mood shows: when two things were delivered today, no-one stopped to chat
May 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
spavel.bsky.social
Who can forget the Swiss-Austrian Union, or its famous capital - Istanbul.
AI generated ad by a company called Travello showing the 10 most visited cities in Europe, except the cities are hilariously poorly placed. London is in Wales, Paris is in Ireland, Rome is in France, Rom (yes like Rome but without an E) is in Spain, Barcelona is in Morocco, Prague is in Germany, Vienna is in Italy, Istanbul is in Austria, Milan is in Libya, and Antalya is correctly shown as in Turkey but is in the wrong place. Also a few of the borders like Switzerland and Austria or Hungary and Slovenia are missing.
May 5, 2025 at 2:53 PM
@princejvstin.com I have a present for you. In the middle of Canberra, an anticline, giving the suburbs some texture. The splash of red is proof that we have autumn leaves... in some suburbs.
The Deakin Anticline, Canberra. Picture: Gillian Polack The Deakin Anticline, Canberra. Picture: Gillian Polack
May 1, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I voted today at Old Parliament House. I have a pencil to prove it.
April 29, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
benyehudapress.bsky.social
OTHER COVENANTS: ALTERNATE HISTORIES OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE is exactly what it says on the tin; a collection of alternate world Jewish histories, edited by Andrea D. Lobel & Mark Shainblum. www.benyehudapress.c...
1/4
Other Covenants cover; cover image is a star of david with lines radiating off of it, connected to various weird planet like figures. The background is black with blue lights, suggesting interdimensional spaces.
April 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I could be quiet about cleaning my fridge, but antisemites are out in force right now. I'm certain their lives would be improved to know that I have only got breakfast and lunch and then I'm into Pesachtic food.
I don't keep very kosher, but right now I want to give a detailed report on all my prep.
April 11, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Passover is incoming! Less than a day away where I am. My gift to myself this Pesach is to avoid all the wonderful people who believe that hating Jews is more important than festivities.
April 11, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
bookishlyjewish.bsky.social
BookishlyJewish is preparing to count the Omer! What is the Omer? How can you participate? Check out our list and get ready for 49 days of books recs!

https://bookishlyjewish.com/?p=2200
White background. Hold border with a top header of hanging leaves. A pair of golden tablets sits next to a green banner that says “counting the Omer with BookishlyJewish”. Below that is a table/chart with 49 boxes in seven rows of seven labeled 1-49
April 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
heardislandgov.bsky.social
Our open letter response to the #USCommerceDept and #POTUS
April 3, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
heardislandgov.bsky.social
We take tariffs on our beautiful Heard Island very seriously. We will be consulting all mammals and flightless birds and will make an announcement in the near future detailing our response. #heardisland #tariff #mcdonaldisland #trumptariff
April 3, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
asauthors.bsky.social
❗️Authors and illustrators: have your books been used to train AI? Today the Atlantic published a search tool allowing authors to search for their books in the LibGen dataset, which has been used to train Meta's AI system.

Search here: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
March 21, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Reposted by Gillian Polack
joshuajfriedman.com
NEW summary of Khalil case from Judge Furman:
—Khalil's attorneys get to talk to him on the phone today and tomorrow; will file amended habeas petition tomorrow
—gov't files its motion on improper venue today before midnight; won't remove Khalil from US
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
JESSE M. FURMAN, United States District Judge: As stated on the record during the conference held earlier today: • With the consent of both parties, the Court orders that the limitations on remote access to electronic files otherwise applicable in this case, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2(c), are lifted. Accordingly, the Clerk of Court is directed to lift all viewing restrictions on the docket — i.e., to make all prior filings electronically available to the public - and to update the docket to conform with the caption of this Order. All future filings shall be publicly available unless the Court grants leave to file something under seal or in redacted form. Any application to file a document in such a manner shall be made in accordance with the Court's Individual Rules and Practices for Civil Cases, available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/hon-jesse-m-furman. • The Government shall file its Motion to Transfer or Dismiss for Improper Venue by 11:59 p.m. tonight. Briefing on that motion and Petitioner's Motion to Compel Respondents to Return Petitioner to this District, see ECF No. 11, shall then proceed as follows: The parties shall file their oppositions by March 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.; and the parties shall file their replies by March 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. • Petitioner shall file an Amended Petition no later than March 13, 2025, at 9:00 p.m. After the Amended Petition is filed, the parties shall confer and then file a joint letter, no later than March 14, 2025, at 12:00 p.m., proposing next steps, including an expedited schedule for any additional motion practice. • With the consent of the Government, Petitioner shall be granted at least one privileged attorney-client call (of at least one hour) today and at least one such call (also of at least one hour) tomorrow. • The Government raised no objection to the temporary relief that the Court granted in its Notice of Conference entered on March 10, 2025. See ECF No. 9, at 1 ("To preserve the Court's jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise." (citing cases)). Accordingly, that order remains in effect. SO ORDERED. Dated: March 12, 2025 New York, New York JESSE M. FURMAN United States District Judge
March 12, 2025 at 6:53 PM
I've been away for a bit because of computer changes. However, I'm back and felt I should share an entirely inconsequential blog post with you: treehousewriters.com/wp53/2025/02...
Intermission – Treehouse Writers
treehousewriters.com
February 25, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Canberrans & Canberra visitors, I will be at the CSFG stall at CanCon late Sat. afternoon & possibly on Monday afternoon. CSFG has heaps of books for sale. I'm a writer, but also a Medieval historian and am happy to chat. I will have potsherds, for those who want to touch the Middle Ages.
January 23, 2025 at 5:12 AM
I reached 1000 followers!
Since most of you don't know me so well, let me share an oldie but a goodie. It's a reading of the story "Impractical Magic" which is a sequel to the novel The Wizardry of Jewish Women. gillianpolack.com/the-wizardry... The print story is here booko.com.au/w/9932998/Mo...
The Wizardry of Jewish Women – sequel – Gillian Polack
gillianpolack.com
January 23, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Today is going to be such a long day. A good day to play along.

1 like = 1 thing I love.
January 22, 2025 at 9:27 PM