Q&A with Kerry Olitzky and Maurice Elias

  

Kerry Olitzky

 

 

Kerry Olitzky and Maurice Elias are the authors of the new children's picture book The Simcha Challah. Olitzky is a rabbi, and Elias is a professor of psychology at Rutgers. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Simcha Challah?

 

MJE: Especially now, when children are experiencing so much stress and anxiety, we wanted to write something that would feel positive, show connection to family, reinforce Jewish celebrations, and show children taking initiative and being persistent and creative problem-solvers.

 

KMO: Maurice and I have been friends for a long time. We had been talking about writing a kids’ book together for quite a while. We wanted to write something that would reflect his professional background and mine—and be subtly informed by both.

 

Since there have been lots of books about challah baking—but none about the Simcha Challah—we thought that it would be a fun topic to explore. 

Maurice Elias

 

Q: What do you think Rebecca Lipson’s illustrations add to the book?

 

MJE: Young children can just look at the pictures, not even address the text, and they will have a story that they will enjoy.    

 

KMO: Rebecca is a talented designer and artist. She has illustrated another of my books—One More Day of Passover (which is a story about the Moroccan Jewish celebration of Mimouna). I knew she could draw the pictures that expressed our word paintings. They are fun, upbeat illustrations that express the joy of childhood ingenuity. 

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between your characters Talia and Jacob?

 

MJE: We wanted to model supportive siblings, but they have their moments of disagreement.

 

KMO: They are like most siblings. They love each other and support one another, but they don't always agree on how to approach a challenge. Sometimes they even appear to be dismissive of one another.

 

But it is clear that only together are they able to successfully do what they set out to do: make, bake, and deliver a Simcha Challah for their grandparents' simcha. 

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

MJE: That it's important to celebrate family milestones-- especially of grandparents,  that they can overcome challenges, and that even when plans are difficult to accomplish, it pays to persist-- and seek out help from others.

 

KMO: We also wanted to demonstrate in the story an "We can do it" attitude through problem-solving and cooperation. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

MJE: I just celebrated the publication of Hamantaschen for Hanukkah?!, an updated, amusing  tale from the not-so-wise people of Chelm. It makes a wonderful Hanukkah or Purim present!

 

KMO: I am working on numerous projects. Most recently, my book Queen Esther Rabinowitz, which is a Purim book, was released by Dragonfeather Books, an imprint of Bedazzled Ink.

 

I am working on a second volume/sequel to Across the Jewniverse, which was a PJ Your Way selection.

 

And my picture biography of Maurice Sendak, which I wrote with Deborah Bodin Cohen, is in production at Apples and Honey Press. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

MJE: It really is a good idea for parents to let their children try to figure out the story from the pictures before reading the text.  It will be a fun and creative experience!

 

KMO: While this story can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their backgrounds, and that while there are many parts to Jewish identity formation, storytelling is an important part of that process, especially when it is contextualized. Kids can read the story and make it their own, especially when they see super-sized challahs on special occasions.

 

Another thing: this book was published by a small independent press—Higher Grounds Book and Media under its imprint L'Chayim Library. It is important to support such presses—especially in the context of such a competitive environment for all publishers. 

 

Book dedications are often overlooked. I take them very seriously. I dedicated this book to the memory of Dr. Paul M Steinberg, who was dean of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, with whom I worked for 15 years while I was on the faculty and administration. 

 

Bonus: The inclusion of a recipe by Samantha Heringer Knight of kneadbakelove.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Kerry Olitzky.