Jewish Book Week is to make four of its events accessible to deaf audience members.
Those deaf or hard-of-hearing will be able to use live speech-to-text translation, transcribed by a reporter using a special phonetic keyboard, using technology from charity Stagetext.
The method could be rolled out across other Jewish educational and cultural events, and has been used for a lecture recently at the Jewish Community Centre.
The talks, which take place at Kings Place near Kings Cross, will include a debate with novelist Linda Grant and historian Simon Schama, chaired by Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis, called “60 Years On”, looking back on the changes since Jewish Book Week began.
Others include “Tales of Mediterranean Coexistence” with historians of the region Professor David Abulafia and Dr Philip Mansel, an exploration of Charles Dicken’s Fagin in Oliver Twist, and a debate on “Religion and Science” with the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy.
Tickets are being held back for those hard of hearing until February 7.
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