Susan Josephs, Author at Jewish Journal

Like Some ‘Guilt’ With Your Chick Lit?

September 8, 2005

\”The Modern Jewish Girl\’s Guide to Guilt\” edited by Ruth Andrew Ellenson (Dutton, $24.95).

When Ruth Andrew Ellenson achieved the writer\’s milestone of selling her first book, her father responded in classic Jewish parental fashion.

\”He was thrilled and said, \’Honey, that\’s wonderful.\’ Then there was a long pause,\” Ellenson recalled. \”And he said, \’I guess this means I have to wait longer for grandchildren.\’\”

As the editor of the newly released \”The Modern Jewish Girl\’s Guide to Guilt,\” Ellenson now has both the professional and personal credentials to speak on behalf of any Jewish woman who struggles with the notion of \”letting my people down. I\’ve always been interested in what\’s complicated about being Jewish and how you balance the different parts of life,\” said the 31-year-old freelance journalist. \”Jewish women have been given opportunities they never had before. We live in a time of choice and so there are myriad new ways to feel guilty.\”

Writer Kaufman Brings Offbeat to Stage

September 1, 2005

During the period he lived in New York and worked odd jobs, Charlie Kaufman once had a conversation with a colleague about Jews and height.

Sarah’s Tent to Fete Feminist Scholar

August 18, 2005

Driving down Wilshire Boulevard about 35 years ago, Savina J. Teubal saw the bumper sticker that changed her life.

Writer, Cast Find Faith in ‘Lessons’

July 28, 2005

Wendy Graf sat in a synagogue several years ago listening to a rabbi\’s sermon. \”She was talking about experiencing a traumatic event and how her faith had been sorely tested,\” Graf recalled. \”That really got me thinking.\”

‘Jubana’ Memoir Rescues Its Author

May 26, 2005

On the telephone, Anders speaks exactly like the book she\’s written. Candid, passionate and prone to interspersing the conversation with hysterical impersonations of her mother\’s Cuban-accented English, Anders also emphasized that she \”fiercely loves\” her parents, now in their 70s.

A New Blend of Chick-Lit Sleuth

April 21, 2005

Like her protagonist Sophie Katz, Kyra Davis has skin the color of a \”well-brewed latte.\” That\’s why she has spent a large portion of her life fielding comments about her ethnicity.

There was her supervisor at a clothing store, for example, who asked about her Star of David necklace, since how could Davis be Jewish when she looks black? Or all the times people have assumed she\’s Puerto Rican and lecture her on taking pride in one\’s heritage when they discover she can\’t speak Spanish.

\”Occasionally, when people ask me where I\’m from, I\’ll make up some country in Africa and act really offended if they say they never heard of it,\” Davis said.

Tour Puts Kosher Boy Scout in Limelight

April 7, 2005

As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, Edward Schwarzschild did a stint as a Kosher Boy Scout and hated it.

\”Carrying two sets of dishes into the wilderness was a real turn-off for me,\” he said.

Now 40, Schwarzschild hails from a venerable tradition of writers who have mined their formative Jewish experiences for literary purposes. This makes sense, considering that his first novel, \”Responsible Men\” (Algonquin) due out April 8, revolves around a Jewish family in Philadelphia faced with the challenge of understanding their past and improving their present.

At Method Fest, It’s All About the Acting

March 31, 2005

When it comes to film festivals, Calabasas is far off the beaten path for the Sundance crowd. But there\’s method to the madness of film lovers who beat a path to Calabasas in the first week of April.

The seventh annual Method Fest claims to be the nation\’s only festival that specifically celebrates actors and their performances. This year\’s lineup includes significant works with Jewish themes. There are films about the Holocaust, contemporary Jewish families and Israeli-Palestinian issues among the 25 feature films and 47 short films. The festival also features panel discussions, workshops and special events.

Love in a Time of War

July 25, 2002

\”Daily life is certainly limited,\” A.S. says. \”My friends and I have been doing a lot of video nights, just so we won\’t feel so isolated in our apartments.\”

Signs of Love

November 2, 2000

Esther has been dreaming about Jake for four years. So when he finally asked her out, she did not hesitate to say yes. It no longer mattered that he lived in Miami and did not lead an Orthodox Jewish life. Though she hated to think of leaving New York City and wanted to make sure that their future children would receive a Jewish education, \”we were going to try to work it out,\” she says. \”It\’s really hard to find someone Jewish, so if you don\’t try, then what?\”

Jewish Journal

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Jewish Journal

Susan Josephs

Like Some ‘Guilt’ With Your Chick Lit?

Writer Kaufman Brings Offbeat to Stage

Sarah’s Tent to Fete Feminist Scholar

Writer, Cast Find Faith in ‘Lessons’

‘Jubana’ Memoir Rescues Its Author

A New Blend of Chick-Lit Sleuth

At Method Fest, It’s All About the Acting

Love in a Time of War

Signs of Love

Jewish Journal

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