Here’s a rough draft of a cultural criticism essay assignment for one of my writing classes. No one talks about what Sammy Davis Jr. contributed to Jewish culture. Nor do they talk about what the newly converted Isla Fisher, star of the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” film and baby mama to Sacha Baron Cohen, is… Continue reading Rough Draft: Beyond Sammy
The number one question you want to ask a convert is exactly the question you shouldn’t ask. Asking someone why they converted, just after meeting them, is a little like asking to see their underwear. Don’t you realize you’re asking us to get very naked about something deeply personal in a crowd full of strangers?… Continue reading What to say and what not to say to a convert…(Rough Draft)
So, anyway, how in the world did I become a Jewish writer? If anyone would have told me five years ago that the first big story I would sell would be about my conversion to Judaism, I would have laughed it off. And yet, five years later, my bread and butter comes from Jewish stories… Continue reading The Jewish Writer
I just wanted to send y’all a big “THANKS!” for making “Funny You Don’t Look Jewish” one of the TOP TEN articles on Chabad.org for 2008.
I miss teaching High School English. I miss the kids and their crazy stories. I miss the teachers and the constant gossip. I miss knowing deep down that no matter how horrible the day was, I made a difference. Lucky for me, I get fan mail on a routine basis that seems to suggest I’m… Continue reading A Little Hope
I know the title for my latest Interfaithfamily.com piece doesn’t sound uplifting. But, trust me, “The Stupid Jew” will fool you!
I’ve been astounded by the amount of fan mail I’ve received over my latest piece, “My Love/Hate Relationship with G-d.” It’s really been a wonderful experience this week to wake up every morning and find a new email from a fan. Keep it coming! I’ve gotten so many virtual hugs from Jewesses also suffering from… Continue reading Speaking Out
Writing in Rome. When I came back from the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles where my husband was standing in as a rabbinic intern, the first thing I noticed about New York was that it was really dirty. Had the city always been so filthy or was I just desensitized to it? I suspected that… Continue reading Italy Trip Recap: Down and dirty in the city
Memoirist and filmmaker Sadia Shepard Back from a week in Italy, my friends, more on that later. In the meantime, please check out my latest piece for Interfaithfamily.com. It’s a profile on Sadia Shepard and her memoir, “The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories and a Sense of Home”. I hope… Continue reading Three Religions, Three Cultures and A Search for Identity
Oh, wow, I feel…wow, overwhelmed. I just logged onto Gershom Gorenberg’s blog and discovered a post about little old me!!! Good timing, too, since I had just been struck by a bout of the blues. Check out: “Big Tent Judaism” and why Gorenberg thinks Jews should be reading my blog like a text book.
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 