I wonder what she’s reading, this well-dressed woman hiding there in the tall grass? Tolstoy? Shakespeare? An escapist 19th-century romance novel? I love this painting, In the Flower Meadow, by Claude Monet (1876) and the questions it raises. It’s in one of my favorite books, A Year in Impressionism, which I stop and savor many times a week for moments of joyful viewing.

Whoever this woman was, I’m glad she snuck out of the house long enough for a lazy afternoon of private reading time. I assume by the flounces in her hat that she probably had capable help at home to cook dinner and watch the kids during her absence.

As usual, I am in the middle to too many books. I’m making my way through a few soon-to-be-published memoirs whose authors offered me a sneak peek; Beverly Cleary’s delightful memoir, A Girl from Yamhill; and The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work from Home, by Laura Vanderkam. I Zoomed into a discussion with Vanderkam about her new book, hosted by the Independent Women’s Forum, and picked up a great tip. She advises thinking about work in terms of tasks, not time. It sounds so simple but I found that in reframing my work around tasks as opposed to chunks of time, I have really been more efficient at getting things done faster. Who knew? If you’d like to watch this presentation, which was only thirty minutes, you can see it here.

I just reviewed a book called Saving Sara: A Memoir of Food Addiction, for Story Circle Network. It’s at times a harrowing but ultimately redemptive tale, and you can read my review here.

In the last newsletter I did not hawk my own books even once. That’s a long enough silence, so if you have been meaning to check out one of my books, especially my memoir The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love with Faith, check them out here.

Reflections on an Anniversary

We pledged to build a life together, come what may, on July 12, 1987. No one can ever foresee what the future holds, and on our recent 33rd anniversary, I considered how much we have grown, changed and grown closer during these years. In this picture, Jeff and I were at a banquet for a local Jewish institution, where we were honored two years ago.
Read the story here

Mrs. Hollander’s Opus: An MS Sufferer’s Legacy of Optimism and Faith

When I first met Kaila Hollander, I was in tears of frustration over my inability to keep my baby calm. She treated me to a dose of her trademark optimism, encouragement, and sensitivity. I had no idea that she was already suffering from multiple sclerosis, which she would battle for the next thirty years, never losing her smile, her faith in God, and her determined independence in the face of severe physical disability. Our community unexpectedly lost Kaila in early July. Here is my article about this extraordinary woman who is deeply missed.
Read the story here

From My Editor’s Desk

What do the authors of a new humor book that parodies the self-help industry, a poetry collection, a spiritual memoir, and two very different books about successful communication strategies all have in common?

I’m pleased to say that they have all approached me for some form of editorial guidance and/or endorsements. It’s always a pleasure to discover new writers and their work, and to begin working with new clients recommended by other clients or colleagues. I’m also working with writers who are developing important personal essays and helping them get those essays ready to market.

I received this cute cartoon from one client, who has had several books previously published by Simon & Schuster. Seeing the kind of edits I recommend versus what he has experienced in the past, he told me, “You’re my first real editor.” That really made my day.

Do you have an article, book, or website whose content needs a fresh pair of eyes? Email me at judyrgruen@gmail.com.

Wishing everyone good health, good humor, great ice cream (none of that watery, low-fat garbage), resilience, patience, love, friendship, faith, and all the good things that make life so special. I welcome your emails at judyrgruen@gmail.com.

If you would like to receive this newsletter regularly, please subscribe at the top of my home page.

The Masks We Wear

What’s wrong with this picture?That’s right: The words “Happy” and “Sad” are on the wrong side of the images! It’s kind of like life. Sometimes the things that are truly sad will turn out to have a later happy ending, while the opposite can also be true.

Speaking of opposites, who could ever imagined that a day would come when we might go into a bank, and the only person who scares us is the person not wearing a mask? Such times we live in!

I hope that you all have found ways to discover what these times have made possible, discovering new ways of working, studying, relating, and finding joy. Keeping up your spirits through laughter and humor is important, and while the columns I’ve published recently that I share in this newsletter are not humorous ones, I’ve included a few links at the end to some very funny YouTube videos that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Lately, I’ve been increasingly busy consulting with writers, or professionals who are eager to publish books filled with their professional wisdom, and offering guidance on the writing, editing, and publishing process. I really enjoy being able to share what I have learned — and continue to learn — with others who have important messages to get across.

From my previous work as a grad school admissions consultant, I worked with hundreds of clients on grad school applications, including resumes and cover letters. Now that so many people are hunting for new work, I posted a quick tip sheet on my Linked In page about crafting effective cover letters. If you’re in the job market, check it out.

I welcome hearing from you, whether in response to this newsletter or about any writing project that you may be struggling with. This is work that I love, and I’m pretty good at it! Email me at jg@judygruen.com.
Just two new articles to share this time around, but I hope you’ll find both worth the read.

Just two new articles to share this time around, but I hope you’ll find both worth the read.

What I Learned After Unlocking My Papa’s History

Nearly 40 years after he passed away, I got to know my grandfather more deeply, more holistically. He was a man who didn’t express his emotions easily, but when I finally plumbed the mountains of personal papers and career mementos he left behind, I was touched to discover the deepest feelings in his heart were everywhere in those boxes.

This photo of my grandfather, Beryl Konopioty (seated, far right) and his family was taken in 1920 in Sokoly, Poland. From left to right: his mother, Raizel; brother, Kalman, father, Yoel Hersch, and sister, Rose.
Read the story here.

Redefining Achievement in the Pandemic Era

The sudden string of empty pages in my Planner Pad led me to a quarantine-induced realization: namely, that our lives are measured not so much by what we sell or build, but by what we give of ourselves to family, friends, and community.
Read the story here

And now for some light humor. . .

Fasten Your Seat Belts — Even if You’re Not Going Anywhere

You may have already seen this, but if not, catch some laughs from this short video made by comedian Wes Barker and his wife, Kristen Gillett, a flight attendant for Jet West airlines. When she gets tired of working in the air, Ms. Gillett should audition for comedy roles. They are both great!

Will Mabel Get “Fur”-loughed?

Sure, we’ve all seen loads of funny videos about the frustrations, foibles and inadvertently funny moments of human zoom meetings, but what about our furry friends? Why should they be left out? Check out BBC sports commentator Andrew Cotter’s Zoom meeting with his two dogs, Olive and Mabel.

Wishing you all continued health, resilience, patience, love, laughter, friendship, faith, and all the good things that make life so special. I welcome your emails at judyrgruen@gmail.com.

If you would like to receive this newsletter regularly, please subscribe at the top of my home page.

Did you also miss the official arrival of Spring? We all did. In the midst of a frightening pandemic, thoughts of the season of sunshine and blooming flowers were all forgotten under the heavy drumbeat of bad news. “Shelter in place” rules suddenly clanged down on entire states, including here in California. Now, entire countries are under quarantine.

I’m not writing to pile on with any more news that could add to your distress. Instead, I send this newsletter to offer a little light amid our temporary darkness. This in no way discounts the tragic losses, heartbreak, serious illness and threats (physical, psychological and economic) and fears that face us. However, as a natural optimist, I see many sparks of light emerging from this crisis.

Yaakov Moshe is blissfully unaware of any troubles outside his blanket, as he should be.

Personally, our hearts were lifted by the birth of a new, precious child into our family. Yaakov Moshe was born to our son Noach and his wife, Esty, in Norfolk, Virginia, March 19, a harbinger of a brighter tomorrow. COVID-19 forced us to cancel our flights to see them and to attend our grandson’s bris, but nearly all West Coast family members, plus friends in other cities, “Zoomed” our attendance. We were delighted to share in the “virtual” celebration, as so many celebrations these days are, in fact, virtual.

If some of you are thinking, “Wait, didn’t she just announce a new grandson in last month’s newsletter?” the answer is yes, but I had neglected my newsletter for a few months, and these little cousins are just four months apart. This seems to conclude the current Gruen baby boom, though we welcome future ones.

The joy we have all felt with this baby’s arrival reminds us that hard times eventually pass. We thank the Almighty for our manifold blessings and look to the future with faith and optimism. We can’t wait to re-book our flights and hold Yaakov Moshe in our arms soon.

Redefining Community

Last Friday evening it was a challenge to feel the light of Shabbat as we usually do. Synagogues were closed. With no opportunity to come together for prayer and friendship, how long would the next 25 hours feel? But just after I lit candles, I heard my neighbor across the street singing one of the opening, melodious prayers of Friday night. He has a resonant, booming voice, and I noticed a couple from halfway down the block standing next to his house. I went outside and was immediately uplifted by seeing several of my Jewish neighbors also standing outside, with plenty of social distancing, and we sang this hymn together. Even my non-Jewish neighbor right across the street looked out her window, holding her dog, and waved at us. It was so beautiful. Those few minutes of togetherness set a whole new tone for Shabbat.

The need to feel part of a community is very great, but as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks eloquently pointed out, there are communities in space, and communities in time. We are deprived from gathering in close groups, but we can feel close in other ways. It’s incredible how many virtual gatherings there are, some with thousands of people, calling in or Zooming in for communal prayer, study, or other classes. Last Sunday I enjoyed a virtual coffee date with a half dozen girlfriends via Zoom. It was fun and reassuring, so we’re “meeting” again this coming Sunday.

During these last difficult weeks, other happy news has abounded. Several friends have also welcomed new grandchildren, couples have gotten engaged, and some whose weddings were imminent had to suddenly and dramatically downsize from a big shindig with 200 or 300 people in a fancy hall to an intimate backyard or living room ceremony, with only close family in attendance, not standing too close. Next week my friend’s daughter will get married on her parents’ front lawn, and the the rabbi will wear a mask and gloves, in addition to his kippah. A couple in New York who were married in a tiny ceremony were then driven through their close-knit neighborhood in an open-air vehicle, where neighbors waited for them to drive by, clapping, singing and dancing for them as they drove by.

I think it’s very clear that one thing we are learning from all this is we must focus on what matters most, and lose the frills and extras that so many have us have long considered “essential.”

People everywhere are also stepping up to give to others. Neighbors offering to shop for those quarantined; people calling others who live alone, and so much more should give us all hope. The Independent Women’s Forum’s #InThisTogether campaign has collected dozens of heartwarming stories of American kindness, ingenuity and selflessness. You can read these Celebrating Heroes blog posts here.

Today, as I was putting this newsletter together, I received Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin’s weekly “Ask the Rabbi” column. Their answer to the question of the week, “How can (the world and I) deal with so much stress?” was simply such a home run, with so much wisdom and encouragement, that I am sharing it here.

Our current public health crisis has made many things that we take for granted impossible — for now. But our humanity and optimism are helping us to discover what is possible.

Buddy, Can You Spare a Chicken?

Hoarding? Panic buying? I was shocked, shocked to see this gluttonous purchasing behavior in my midst. But, having seen it, I just had to write about it.
Read the full story here

So These Two Orthodox Guys Walk Into a Bar. . .

I wrote this article for Jewish Action magazine about the growing presence of Orthodox personalities trading witticisms and ironic observations on social media, where many Orthodox have preferred not to tread. There’s an awful lot of insider talk in this story, but for those who live in this world, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Read Frum and Funny on Twitter here

The dramatic times we are living in will no doubt prompt many people to want to write their thoughts, remembrances, lessons learned, and other histories of this time. When the dust has settled, I would be honored to have the opportunity to help you craft your story, whether short-form essay or opinion piece, or longer form memoir.
In addition to working with private clients, I’ve recently been invited to join the roster of “critically acclaimed” writers for Story Terrace, which offers ghostwriting services for memoir writers. If you’d like to discuss a writing project with me now or in the future, email me at judyrgruen@gmail.com.

There are still some slots left in my upcoming online course, “The Art of Persuasive Writing,“ through Story Circle Network. My class will run from April 20 – May 18. Classes are for women only, and I hope some of you will sign up! Whatever genre of writing that interests you most, focusing on the nuts and bolts of making a persuasive argument will boost your writing skills and help you analyze opinion pieces.

What are you reading these days?

Many of us have more time on our hands now for reading, and my three humor books, Carpool Tunnel Syndrome, The Women’s Daily Irony Supplement, and Till We Eat Again: A Second Helping, are all light, fun reads that can offer much-needed diversion. Two of them are available on Kindle as well as softcover. And my memoir, The Skeptic and the Rabbi, not only has humor throughout, but raises the kind of important questions about life’s purpose and how we relate to faith, which are emerging as key issues today. As one Amazon reader wrote, “This is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. It is food for the soul.”

I also just finished Lady Anna, by Anthony Trollope, which I loved, though you have to enjoy that more formal, British 19th-Century style, which I do. I’m enjoying Ann Patchett’s essay collection, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, which has many pieces about her life as a writer, including a terrific piece about how she accidentally became perhaps the nation’s most famous independent bookseller in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m also a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith, and looking forward to starting The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection, from one of his must successful series. His writing is delightful, gently ironic, and compassionate.

I’ll close by wishing you all health, resilience, patience, love, friendship, faith, and all the good things that make life so special. I welcome your emails at judyrgruen@gmail.com.

If you would like to receive this newsletter regularly, please subscribe at the top of my home page.

Our son Ben and his wife Rivka welcomed a new son into the family at the end of November. It is the custom of Ashkenazi Jews to name children after family members who have passed away. Our family’s only redhead so far, Herschel Yaakov, now 3, was named after both his great-grandfathers. Our newest grandson, whom we call Dovy, was named for my maternal grandfather, born Dov Ber Konopiaty in Sokoly, Poland in 1900. That’s the name he arrived with at Ellis Island, but when he went out the doors on the other side he had been unceremoniously renamed Bernard Cohen.

As you can see, Dovy is learning the hard way what life is going to be like with an older brother getting in his face, even with the best of intentions.

Before Dovy arrived, I had spent many, many hours over a period of months going through boxes of my grandfather’s papers, career mementos and artifacts. He had a long and distinguished career as a congregational rabbi and Jewish educational leader, particularly in Los Angeles from the late 1930’s and through the early ’50s. It was painful for him and my Nana to watch how quickly most of their grandchildren left the Jewish traditions that meant so much to them both. We are thrilled that all our five grandchildren have been named after loving great-grandparents, or in this case, a great-great-grandparent, whose legacy lives on through them.

My Mother’s Annual “Surprise” Party

Apologies to those of you who remember this essay about my father’s yearly stunt of planning a “surprise” birthday party for my mother, but it is so close to my heart that I offered a newly edited version of it to ReadtheSpirit.com, a popular website devoted to issues of spirituality of many flavors. I had contributed to ReadtheSpirit in years past and was honored to be asked to contribute again.

As it happens, this is also a family-centered piece, and my late mother, Liebe Leah, pictured to the left, also has a namesake in our family in our five-year-old granddaughter.

Read the full story here.

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300 Years After Death, Gilkl bas Leyb Becomes a Literary Celebrity

Seven Ways to Strengthen Friendships

Do I Dare? Okay — Here’s the Story that Got Me into BIG Trouble

I’m excited to announce that I will be teaching my first online course in writing, specifically, a 4-part series called “The Art of Persuasive Writing,“ through Story Circle Network. My class will run from April 20 – May 18. As with all courses through Story Circle Network, the classes are for women only, and enrollment is strictly limited. I hope some of you will sign up! Whatever genre of writing that interests you most, focusing on the nuts and bolts of making a persuasive argument will boost your writing skills and help you analyze opinion pieces. I’m really looking forward to this!

Recently, I also completed an advanced editing certification program from Poynter’s News University, taught by former editors of the New York Times and other major media outlets. I’m investing more time and energy in upping my game, networking with more writers and editors, and as always, loving my work.

READER REVIEWS FROM AMAZON:

We Californians are very spoiled, surrounded as we are by so much natural beauty. It helps to make up for the much less appealing aspects of life in the Golden State: high taxes, high citizens (check out our medical marijuana centers now as ubiquitous as Starbucks cafes!), stratospherically high real estate prices, and earthquakes.

So, Jeff and I were thrilled to return to our favorite vacation spot, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, a sparking jewel of California’s central coast. Fires in recent years made access to Highway 1 impossible for long stretches, but now that iconic twisty road that hugs the gorgeous coastline is open for business. We stayed at the Pfeiffer Big Sur Lodge, which we love, and where Steller’s jays will gladly join you on your cottage porch for breakfast or lunch, just waiting for you to drop — or toss — some crumbs their way. I can’t stop gazing at these birds; the blue of their feathers is rich enough for ink.

This was our third foray up to Big Sur (a 6-7 hour drive from our home in Los Angeles), and we discovered some new, fantastic spots, particularly the stunningly beautiful Limekiln State Park, which has lovely waterfalls, campgrounds, trails and massive sycamores and redwoods. One thing Jeff and I both love about these trips is that most people you meet on a trail, a bridge, or the beach, are decidedly not on their smartphones. Instead, people are looking straight ahead, smiling and greeting other people, offering to snap photos of passersby, and just being relaxed. This is us on one of the bridges at Limekiln Park, but it hardly does justice to the place. You’ll just have to check it out for yourselves! And I hope that you do

I tried to think about future writing projects while we were away, but that was a total bust. Frankly, I was too busy unwinding, staring in awe at the majestic redwoods by day and the starry skies at night, and taking the long walks that seem so much less appealing in the city. I think I made the right choice!

I am enjoying working with some new clients right now, including a very talented writer whose memoir manuscript I am editing, and a healthcare executive who is starting her first blog. As usual, I’m reading way too many books at a time. One book I’m enjoying, and finding quite poignant, is “Tevye the Dairyman,” translated from the Yiddish, for an online class I am going to take by Harvard Yiddish Professor Ruth Wisse, about these fabled stories by Shalom Aleichem.

And now, Here are the most recent things I’ve published:

Blinded by the Light: What Bruce Springsteen’s Music Meant to Me

When I was single, I once accepted a date with a man I knew I wasn’t really interested in. This was clearly not my finest moment, but many readers may offer absolution when I explain that he had tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert. He was a music producer and in possession of very expensive, enviable seats, the likes of which I would never sit in again. I wrestled my conscience to the ground in about two seconds. No way would I miss this opportunity to see “the Boss” in concert for the first time.

Springsteen and his incomparable E Street Band played with electrifying abandon. Thousands of us danced and sang along with Bruce during “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “The River” and other hits. I’ll never forget the thrill of that evening, and the high that lingered through the following days. . .Read More

The Day I Got Scammed

A few weeks ago, I was the victim of one the most common scams going around these days: a fraudulent tech support call to help me with a problem I had reported to Hewlett-Packard about my printer. Thanks to the quick action of an employee from Western Union, the conman couldn’t put through his more than $2,000 charge on my credit card. . .Read More

Missing the Patriotic Spirit on the Fourth of July

From earlier this summer, here’s an essay about a 4th of July concert where the patriotic spirit seemed in short supply. . . perhaps telling of the rancorous political times we live in.
Read the story here.

The Cake Topper

Here’s a surprise: my first published short poem, inspired by a tiny keepsake that is very dear to me.
Read More

Making it Real this Rosh Hashana

I am sending out this newsletter less than two weeks from the Jewish High Holidays. Rosh HaShana, the “head” of the Jewish new year, is a momentous day. We stand both in judgement before God, as well as in dedication to continuing to connect with Him as both Father and King. It can be overwhelming and emotional. If you feel put off by the holiday, here is an essay I wrote last year about Rosh Hashana last year, Making It Real on Rosh HaShana, that I hope will have some nice “takeaway” for almost every reader.

For my non-Jewish readers, I also want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a healthy and blessed New Year. Rosh Hashana is considered not just “our” new year, but the New Year for the entire world!

Now, please don’t skip my last section, because I have a special offer for you!

Special Offer! Free downloads of “The Skeptic and the Rabbi” — while supplies last!

Audiobook fans, this is your moment! For a limited time I am offering links to free downloads of the fantastic audiobook produced by Cedar House Audio of my memoir. In return for the download, I ask for an honest review posted on at least one audiobook review site, as well as on Amazon or Goodreads. To request, email me at judyrgruen@gmail.com and let me know where you plan to post the review. And please do send me a link to it when it’s up.

Click here to listen to the first few minutes of the audiobook. The ebook and softcover book make great gifts also!

I’ll be the guest author next week at a local synagogue book club that has been reading The Skeptic and the Rabbi. Are you in a reading group that enjoys non-fiction? Why not recommend my memoir? I’m happy to set up Zoom meetings if your group is not local.

READER REVIEWS FROM AMAZON:
“She writes with honesty, joy and wit about her spiritual journey and I enjoyed and benefited from every page. The memoir begins with her wedding day and ends with the wedding of their oldest son . . . I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know what a Torah-observant life looks like; anyone who has ever struggled with issues of faith; anyone who is on any kind of spiritual quest.”

“I found the book very insightful and could not put it down. Read it in 6 hours.”

“This is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. It is food for the soul.”

Click here to purchase your copy of The Skeptic and The Rabbi: Falling in Love With Faith

Thanks to my daughter, Yael, I am taking time this summer to finally tackle a project I have been putting off for years: getting my older writing clips sorted, organized, inventoried and digitized. In the old days, I carefully kept all my clips in binders. Well, those binders have been moldering for decades, and while I knew I didn’t want all that paper, I still wanted a record of what I had done.

Like any good organizer, Yael forced me to make decisions about what to keep and what to toss. Using a Google scanner app, she took excellent snaps of most of my old work, and it felt great to throw out one of my fat binders on the road to a digitized record of the early years in my career. It’s also fun to spend time together this way, before she returns to her teaching job in the fall. Yes, that’s my beautiful daughter in this photo, with her husband, Yonah, otherwise known in our house as “my favorite son-in-law.” (I also have three favorite daughters-in-law, fortunately for my three sons!)

Links to my latest columns

Moe Berg, the Spy Behind Home Plate

The “Billy Graham Rule” and the Mississippi Governor’s Race

Last week the Mississippi gubernatorial primary race catapulted to national attention when Republican candidate Robert Foster denied the request of reporter Larrison Campbell to ride along with him in his truck for a long day of campaigning – unless she brought a male colleague along.

Read More

Laughter is Serious Business

As a kid, I wanted to be Erma Bombeck when I grew up. With book titles such as “If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?” and “A Marriage Made in Heaven … or Too Tired for an Affair,” Bombeck poked fun at herself and at life’s foibles and frustrations with comic genius. When I sold my first humor column to a major newspaper, I was so excited my hands shook.

Read More

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On My Bookshelf

I decided it was time to reread one of my favorite novels, Herman Wouk’s Inside, Outside, which I loved when it was first published more than 30 years ago, when I was in graduate school. I wrote Mr. Wouk a fan letter, and he delighted me by writing back a gracious typed note on a folded notecard. I am hoping that as Yael and I continue to go through my old work and memorabilia, I will find this note again. Wouk recently passed away just 10 days shy of what would have been his 104th birthday. His age was as almost as remarkable as his enormous talent, and many of his books are classics: The Caine Mutiny, Marjorie Morningstar, The Winds of War, and This Is My God, his non-fiction book on his Jewish faith.

I’m also reading — for the first time — some of the most famous Israeli novelists (in translation). I’m starting with S. Y. Agnon, who I believe is the only Israeli writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. And I’m also enjoying No Joke, by Professor Ruth Wisse, which is a primer on Jewish humor and its origins. It may sound academic, and it has elements of that, but it also has good jokes, like this one:

Four Europeans go hiking in the woods and get lost. They run out of food, and eventually, also water. The German says, “I’m so thirsty, I must have beer!” The Frenchman says, “I’m so thirsty, I must have wine!” The Englishman says, “I’m so thirsty, I must have tea!” The Jew says, “I’m so thirsty, I must have diabetes!”

If you’re laughing uproariously, you’re probably Jewish, or know a lot of Jews!

I hope you are enjoying your summer so far, and welcome hearing from you. Write to me at jg@judygruen.com.

My memoir will be on the reading list for some upcoming college courses related to Jewish culture and religion, and I’m really thrilled about that! Here are some of the latest reviews from Amazon readers — if you have also enjoyed the book, please add your own review on Amazon. It is really quite helpful with those all-important, mysterious algorithms.

New reader raves for The Skeptic and the Rabbi

“She writes with honesty, joy and wit about her spiritual journey and I enjoyed and benefited from every page. The memoir begins with her wedding day and ends with the wedding of their oldest son . . . I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know what a Torah-observant life looks like; anyone who has ever struggled with issues of faith; anyone who is on any kind of spiritual quest.“

“I found the book very insightful and could not put it down. Read it in 6 hours.”

“This is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. It is food for the soul.”

If you have read and enjoyed my book, please leave a review. It is very, very helpful. More book clubs are selecting The Skeptic and the Rabbi for their groups. Why not yours?

Click here to purchase your copy of The Skeptic and The Rabbi: Falling in Love With Faith

Have you ever done something that was both so spontaneous and also so “big” that you almost couldn’t believe you did it? Well, about six weeks ago I realized that the annual Jerusalem Women’s Writers Seminar was coming up fast. I had never been to it, and I wanted to go. Israel is close to my heart but not to my house. It’s 11,000 miles away and a 14-hour flight, if you go direct.

On My Bookshelf

Alert readers may recall that in the last newsletter, which admittedly was back in April, I raved about Kitchen Table Wisdom, but I was only halfway through with it. Now that I finished it, I can reaffirm that it deserved all the accolades it has received. It is filled with short, elegantly written stories from the author’s life, from her perspectives as a patient with a serious, life-threatening illness, a physician who became a counselor to cancer patients, a daughter and a friend.

I just bought the newly published Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, written by Benjamin Dryer, the executive managing editor and copy chief of Random House. I’ve only just started it, but it’s already a delight. Dryer teaches amusingly. Among his rules: “The passive voice is to be avoided,” and “Sentence fragments. They’re bad.” If you’re looking to tidy up your prose and refresh your knowledge of writing rules, this may be your go-to book.

Finally, I am on the edge of my seat as I close in on the ending of Perfect, a novel written by Rachel Joyce, the incredibly talented author of another of my favorite books, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. From the inside book jacket: “A spellbinding story of a young boy who is thrown, with far-reaching consequences, into the murky, difficult realities of the adult world.” I won’t say any more than this except to go and get this book!

New reader raves for The Skeptic and the Rabbi

From Amazon reader reviews:

” I found the book very insightful and could not put it down. Read it in 6 hours.”

“[A] charming and well-written book that explains a difficult subject with elegance and restraint of style that is admirable. . . This is the kind of thing I would have liked to have passed to relatives and friends who wondered what strange lifestyle I was getting myself into many years ago.”

“This is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. It is food for the soul.”

More book clubs are selecting The Skeptic and the Rabbi for their groups. Why not yours?

Click here to purchase your copy of The Skeptic and The Rabbi: Falling in Love With Faith

After so many years of drought, this past winter got us good and wet here in Southern California. We are delighted to see our local hills and mountains — dry and brown for years — now carpeted in glorious green. Flowers are blooming throughout the region so bountifully that the Wall Street Journal ran a recent story about visitors jamming the nearby regions where the famous California poppies are putting on quite the colorful extravaganza. Until I can get to the poppies myself, I can go outside and enjoy the vibrant white and purple of our walkway daisies. Last year we had a few anemic bunches surrounding by dry soil. Now they are spilling over onto the sidewalk!

The Shtisel Phenomenon

In my wildest imagination, I would never have guessed that a television series about an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family living in Jerusalem would become an overnight sensation. But when Netflix purchased the rights to broadcast the Israeli show Shtisel, that’s exactly what happened. As I wrote in my feature (linked below) on Aish.com, the show has captured the hearts and imaginations not only of Jews across the religious spectrum, but also of many non-Jews as well. As testimony to the show’s appeal, my story on Aish.com has so far garnered more than 3,400 social media shares — pretty incredible!

Here’s how I explained my Shtisel addiction at the beginning of the story:

“On a recent Shabbat afternoon, I was arranging chicken on a serving platter when I heard one of our lunch guests talking about the hit Israeli series,  Shtisel. I dropped my serving fork on the counter with a clang and hustled into the dining room.

‘No talking about  Shtisel  till I’m back at the table!’ I commanded, taken aback by my own vehemence. After all, our guest was not giving a D’var Torah; he was just talking about a television show about make-believe people. Yet, like thousands of other Shtisel  devotees, my husband and I were hooked on the show from the first episode. It was compulsively watchable, even gripping in its quiet way. Now, I couldn’t bear for even a “bissel” (little bit) of  Shtisel  talk to take place without me.”

Read the rest of the story here

Becoming a Grandmother Made Me Rethink My Priorities — in the new Nashim Magazine

A few new online magazines geared for religious Jewish women have sprouted over the last year or so, and I am really pleased to be a regular contributor to one of the best of them:  Nashim Magazine.

“Nashim” is Hebrew for “women,” and I salute the amazing editor Rochel Lazar for her professional work. In addition to putting together a smart and smartly designed magazine each month, she also homeschools her children and takes care of her infant. This is one dynamic woman who I’m sure barely sleeps! I wish her continued success with this worthy journalistic mission. I sure hope she can sneak in the occasional nap.

ast month  Nashim  ran my piece about  National Organizing Month. This month, they are running an essay about how becoming a grandmother (a few years back) helped me reassess my priorities. The essay originally appeared in the  Chicago Tribune.

Here’s how it starts:

“I am on a slow excursion around the block with my granddaughters, Leeba, 2, and Ahuva, 4. I also brought along my very elderly dog, who is 103 in human years. Just imagine how slow we are going with this crew.

Ahuva abruptly drops the handle of the red wagon she is pulling to scamper onto a short wall. Leeba ditches her plastic car, saying she is too tired to pedal. What was I thinking when I set off with two little kids, a dog, a wagon and a kiddie car? I am out of hands to deal with it all.”

Read the rest of the story here

“Politics Claims Another Friendship” in the Jewish Journal

Our political divide in this nation is very troubling, and many friendships and family relationships have soured as a result. This essay, in the March 29 issue of the Jewish Journal, describes how it has affected me personally:

“My friendship with ‘Caroline’ had been fading for years when, on a whim, I clicked on her Facebook page. When I landed there, I had a shock. She had replaced her previous personal photo — where she stands next to her husband, both of them smiling — with an illustration aiming daggers at political conservatives. It depicted a woman, seemingly Lady Justice, forcibly held down on a table. A man stands above her menacingly, his white hands projecting out of the sleeves of an expensive-looking suit. He gags the blindfolded woman with one hand as the other clamps down on her wrist, forcing her scales of justice to lay in disarray.

The pièce de résistance? The bold red-white-and-blue Republican elephant logos burnishing the man’s shirt cuffs.”

Read the rest of the story here

On My Bookshelf

I’ve just finished two very different novels, both based on real people. The title links will take you to my reviews on Goodreads, where, by the way, I have 170 book reviews, if you want to scroll through and look for books to enjoy — or in some cases, avoid! The Velveteen Daughter by Laurel Davis Huber, is a diligently researched and well written book about Pamela Bianco, an artistic child prodigy and daughter of Margery Williams Bianco, author of 24 children’s books, including the classic work, The Velveteen Rabbit. I also reviewed The Orchard, a novel by Israeli author Yochi Brandes and recently translated into English, about the life and times of Rabbi Akiva, one of the towering figures in religious Jewish history.

Currently, I am about halfway through with Kitchen Table Wisdom, a fabulous book that I know I will read more than once. This book was a bestseller when it first was published about 20 years ago. Filled with very short, elegantly written stories from her life as a daughter, a patient with a serious, life-threatening illness, a physician, and then a counselor to cancer patients, author Rachel Naomi Remen fills every page with quiet wisdom. It is no surprise that she became a pioneer in the field of integrative health. I don’t have to get to the end of this book to recommend it as strongly as possible.

New reader raves for The Skeptic and the Rabbi

From Amazon reader reviews:

“[A] charming and well-written book that explains a difficult subject with elegance and restraint of style that is admirable. . . This is the kind of thing I would have liked to have passed to relatives and friends who wondered what strange lifestyle I was getting myself into many years ago.”

“This is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. It is food for the soul.”

More book clubs are selecting The Skeptic and the Rabbi for their groups. Why not yours?

Click here to purchase your copy of The Skeptic and The Rabbi: Falling in Love With Faith

February 2019

I am happy to relaunch my News & Note s newsletter after a very long hiatus. I love the new look, and hope you will find it easy to read and worthy of sharing with others.

I’ve been productively busy with many writing projects, and am especially excited to share the publication of my first fiction story, published today in the Jewish Journal . (See below). I’m also doing more work as a book editor and ghostwriter, while also keeping up my feature and essay writing and promotional events for my book, The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love with Faith.

I never get tired of my work. Each assignment, whether short feature or book-length topic, teaches me new things. Recent and current projects have taught me about best leadership practices, holistic approaches to treating cancer, and nuances in dealing with people who have sensitive emotional make-ups.

For a good part of the last year, I was not feeling so great. In fact, I felt lousy and tired much of the time. I am extremely grateful to be feeling so much better now. I’m doing more yoga (Namaste!), and while I do not stand on my head as some of my classmates do, I am pretty proud of myself for getting stronger and more balanced through the practices. Picking up my youngest grandchildren is also wonderful form of exercise, though they are heavy to use as free weights and I must put them down after a short while. The other day I reached into a jacket pocket when I was out for an errand and pulled out a pacifier — sure evidence that I am also active in my role as Nana Gruen to our four beautiful, smart and funny grandchildren. (What else did you think I would have said about them?)

In trying to pick a suitable image to reinvent my newsletter, I couldn’t think of a better one than this incredible set up celebrating a life involvement with books, a photo that any bibliophile will love. I took this photo at The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. A worthy place to visit! I picked up two used volumes of Bernard Malamud short stories and am eager to dive in.

Books that I have recently read and highly recommend include Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill , by Sonia Purnell. Mrs. Churchill was Sir Winston’s secret weapon, and it was very eye-opening to read about how much her political astuteness, powers of diplomacy, dynamism and endless support are vastly underappreciated contributions to her husband’s career. Keeping with the British theme, I also just finished The Summer Before the War, and reread Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand , both based in England and written by the wonderful Helen Simonson. She is one of my favorites.

My four-year-old granddaughter has recently learned that fiction means that a book is not true, and it is so cute that almost any book I read to her from our book of children’s titles will prompt her to ask, “Is this fiction?” even when the main characters are dogs or teddy bears. This is part of the joy of having grandchildren nearby. So is having them rush into the house on a rainy Sunday to color, string beads, and raid my pantry. Jeff and I are so blessed to have them near us.

“The Inheritance” — My first short fiction story, published in the Jewish Journal

This is a big milestone for me — a short story I first wrote years ago, and have revised many times since then — has found a home in the Jewish Journal , which does not normally publish fiction. “The Inheritance” is the story of a couple facing a growing rift in their marriage over their diverging approaches to Jewish tradition. I would love to know what you think of it. Please post comments via Facebook at the end of the story, or write to me at judyrgruen@gmail.com.

After so many years of writing non-fiction exclusively, I wondered if I could write a good short story. You will have to be the judge of that.

Read the story here

“Getting Older and Looking it Too” Essay in the New York Daily News

I was pleased to have my first essay in the New York Daily News recently. Here’s how it begins:

“I’m at the gym, fruitlessly trying to keep up with an endless loop of ab crunches. I steal a look at the clock; has it only been 12 minutes since class began? Oral surgery goes faster than this.

Most of the other dozen or so women here are young enough to be my daughters, beautiful and toned enough to be on TV. But this is West Hollywood — they probably are on TV when they aren’t perfecting the Body Beautiful. The woman to my right looks like she might also be in her late 50s, but who can tell? In Los Angeles, it’s a misdemeanor to look older than 35.”

Read the rest of the story here

So many articles, so little time

I ‘ve published several pieces since last sending out a newsletter, but I’ll highlight two of them here. In “Stop the Sloganeering on the Cereal Aisle,” I write about how politically, socially, environmentally and gastronomically correct shopping is driving me nuts. It’s also an economically unsustainable practice.

Read the story here

Aish.com just published a longer-than-usual story of mine based on the new book by father-and-son writers David and Nic Sheff,High: Everything You Want to Know about Drugs, Alcohol. and Addiction. The book was written for teens but is important for anyone who is involved in a teenager’s life.

David Sheff is the author of the book, “Beautiful Boy,” recently made into a movie. Both father and son have written memoirs about their experiences with Nic’s years of addiction.

Read this story here

New reader raves for The Skeptic and the Rabbi

From Amazon reader reviews:

“This was a fabulous book. It helped me understand a whole other way of life.”

“Judy is a captivating writer and she explains what it’s like to become observant . . . Kudos to her for putting a positive Orthodox Jewish story out into the world.”

“For the Jewish reader looking to expand his or her understanding of Torah and Judaism, this book will resonate deeply. This is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. It is food for the soul.”

By the way, more book clubs are choosing my memoir to read — why not yours? I’m appearing at local book clubs, but if you’re far away, I can show up via Skype or Zoom!

Click here to purchase your copy of The Skeptic and The Rabbi: Falling in Love With Faith