Book Launch: Ferryman The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch

Next date: Wednesday, 18 June 2025 | 06:30 PM to 08:00 PM

Join us to celebrate the release of Katia Ariel’s remarkable new book, a profoundly moving exploration of life, loss, and legacy. Blending biography, memoir, and cultural history, Katia Ariel brings to life the remarkable story of Ephraim Finch OAM—a deathworker, community builder, and guardian of cultural memory.

Drawing from Finch’s handwritten journals and intimate interviews, Ariel masterfully explores themes of grief, memory, ritual, and the celebration of life, all with tenderness and wisdom. Finch’s extraordinary journey—from his working-class Sydney upbringing to his conversion to Orthodox Judaism, and later, his pivotal role as director of Melbourne’s Jewish Burial Society—offers a deeply human reflection on belonging, service, and the enduring power of stories.

With a foreword by Arnold Zable and praise from literary luminaries such as Hannah Kent, Raimond Gaita, Chloe Hooper, and Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Ferryman is an essential addition to our literary and cultural landscape.

Katia Ariel is an award-winning author, book editor and educator from Melbourne/Naarm. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine. Her memoir, The Swift Dark Tide, was shortlisted for the Stella Prize in 2024 and was the winner of the 2024 Society of Women Writers NSW Non-fiction Prize.

This event is being held in partnership with Wollahra Library.