Some of my paintings:
Cain’s Wife (Graduate thesis project for New York Academy of Art)
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Author of THEY WERE LIKE FAMILY TO ME, a collection of linked stories illuminated with magical realism, following the inhabitants of a small town in 1942 Poland and tracing the troubling complex choices they are compelled to make. Finalist for The Story Prize and Honorable Mention in the 2017 ALA Sophie Brody Medal for achievement in Jewish Literature. Originally published as IN THE LAND OF ARMADILLOS. Columnist for the Jewish Standard.
HELEN MARYLES SHANKMAN 
Helen, your artwork is AMAZING! When Shelly said you were an artist, I never thought to this level. Your blog is great. I have bookmarked it so I can follow you!
My god. You are an amazing artist. I can’t believe how good these paintings are. Wow. Just wow.
Ha! Thanks. When you first go to art school, you’re the best artist in your school, you think you’re hot stuff, and then you meet all these people who are miles better than you. But I’m not bad–and I’m certainly persistent!
The paintings are truly lovely. And thanks for checking out my blog earlier today!
Thank you! It’s nice to meet you! I was reading that great interview you did with Ruchama King Feuerman.
So glad you enjoyed it!
You asked really interesting, insightful, thoughtful questions. I agree, she was taking a real risk writing a sympathetic Muslim character. But she was also taking a risk writing such pro-Israel characters, in view of liberal left-leaning Jewish readers. She’s a very courageous writer.
(Incidentally, “Speaker For The Dead” is next on my TBR list, right after I finish “Mortal Instruments-City of Bones” and Stephen King’s “Joyland.” Did you see the “Ender’s Game” movie yet?)
So funny you asked about Ender’s Game. I stopped going to movies about 10 years ago. I love the book, so the film version is one of the few things that has tempted me to even contemplate entering a theater in all those years.
I think Ruchama’s book stimulated so many questions for me because I’m somewhat of an anomaly: someone who is just shy of Chareidi, but who has had many positive experiences with people who are Muslim (as a small child in Haifa and here in the U.S.). So I was glad to see a Muslim character, but also kinda wanting more of them; very much enjoying the colorful depiction of life in Jerusalem, and appreciating the moral quandries each character was left in…a lot of powerful emotions. The book left me feeling very jumbled inside.
Okay, I’ll report on the movie for you. My son read it over Sukkot, then insisted my husband and I read it, too. And then we all went to the movie together last week.
The battle games were heart-stoppingly good, the kids flying around through the air. Some of it was so good, such a perfect visualization of the book, that it gave me chills. And the kid who played Ender was fantastic. Harrison Ford played Graff, and he was a great choice for the role.
They cut out the whole Valentine/Peter/hegemony/Warsaw Pact part of the book. Which was necessary, I think. It would have been too confusing.
However, it definitely needed to be an hour longer. Everything subtle disappeared. Ender gets chosen for Battle School, he fights a few battles, then he saves the world. There wasn’t much time for nuance.
You sound like you’ve had some extremely interesting experiences. I look forward to reading about them!