Sephardic Stories Initiative: Year Two
The Sephardic Stories Initiative is part of PJ Library’s mission to represent the diversity of North American Jewish communities through the books we send to families. Year two of the Initiative aims to lift the voices of Sephardic emerging writers, with generous support and guidance from the Seattle-based Samis Foundation. This year-long, all-expenses paid fellowship (January – December, 2025) includes monthly virtual workshops with Sephardic experts, established authors, and publishing professionals; individual mentorship; a special in-person writing retreat; and regular editorial feedback.
Fellows will delve into the craft of writing children’s books and work with PJ Library publishing experts to develop their own stories, informed by Sephardic/Mizrahi traditions, tales, and/or experiences. Participants will also build a strong support base of authors with similar goals. Read about the Sephardic Stories Initiative Emerging Writers below.
To learn more about our first-year Fellows, a cohort of seven established authors who are also serving as mentors in Year 2, please click here.
Adam Eilath serves as the Head of School at Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City, California. He is proud to lead an incredibly diverse team that provides an outstanding education to students rooted in the goal of developing Jewish leadership. He was most recently the Scholar in Residence for the Sephardic Fellowship for Senior Jewish Educators run by JIMENA. He is also on the faculty of the Pedagogies of Peoplehood Fellowship run by M2. Adam lives in Oakland with his wife and four children and is proud of all the threads of Jewish traditions coming from North Africa, Europe, South America and Iran that weave their way through his home.
Danna Zeiger is a former biology professor-turned-homeschooling mama and passionate children’s book author. Danna lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three curious children, two pet chickens, and a bookcase always filled with the maximum number of checked out library books. Her debut nonfiction STEM picture book, Rewriting the Rules, is slated for publication in September 2025. Learn more about Danna, her books, and her love of all things science and Jewish at www.dannazeiger.com.
Ella Ben Yacov is an animation director and creator with a degree from Bezalel Academy of Arts, Jerusalem and a teaching certificate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Since 2016, she has been working on various animation productions, including features, short films, TV series and music videos. She has contributed to films including "Where is Anne Frank" directed by Ari Folman, "Harold and the Purple Crayon" co-produced by Sony Animation, and the short films "Holy Holocaust" and "Pisces," which were both nominated for Academy Awards. Currently, she is developing an original children's animated series.
Enid Baxter Ryce is an author, artist, and filmmaker whose newest book is Plant Magic at Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature From Rituals to DIYs (Running Press, 2025). She exhibits internationally at museums and festivals, and has won numerous awards for her work as an artist and arts educator. She has an MFA in Visual Arts, and studied at The Cooper Union, Yale University, and Claremont Graduate University. Enid is Professor of Cinematic Arts at CSU Monterey Bay.
Erez Hadad is an accomplished screenwriter, children's author, and director with a rich background in film, theater, and creative writing. A graduate of the "Maaleh School of Film" in Jerusalem, he has won multiple grants for his film and television projects, including support from the Rabinovich Foundation. His works have been showcased in festivals both in Israel and abroad, reflecting his passion for storytelling and innovation. Erez is also the author of two Hebrew-language children's books published by Kinneret, dealing with themes like friendship, communication, and empathy.
Esther Chehebar is a contributing writer at Tablet Magazine, where she covers Sephardic Jewish tradition and community, and is a member of Sephardic Bikur Holim, a non-profit supporting the growing Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn. She holds an MFA from the New School. Chehebar’s first book, I Share My Name, was an illustrated children’s book explaining the Sephardic tradition of naming children for their grandparents. Her debut novel, Sisters of Fortune, will be published by Random House in the summer of 2025.
Dr. Hannah S. Pressman is a scholar of Jewish languages, religion, and culture. She is the Director of Education and Engagement at the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project, which preserves Jewish linguistic diversity around the world. She is also the co-founder of the American Ladino League (ALL), a new national nonprofit supporting Ladino teachers and learners. With roots in Rhodes and Turkey, Hannah is passionate about Sephardic family history and connecting the past to our Jewish identities today. She lives with her family (including three PJ Library readers!) in Seattle.
Julie Segal Walters is a children’s book author and community engagement consultant based in Washington, D.C. Her first picture book, This is Not a Normal Animal Book (illustrated by Brian Biggs), released in 2017 from Simon and Schuster. In addition to writing for children, Julie is the president of Civic Action Strategies, a community outreach and civic action consulting firm. Julie specializes in helping organizations build their community participation and social justice advocacy strategies. She is fluent in Spanish, and has been featured at librarian, teacher, and writer conferences about using children's books to build life-long social action and community engagement.
Lisa Aslan is a non-profit leader with nearly 20 years of experience across a broad range of social impact programs. Lisa has been working to improve the lives of young people throughout her career in Israel, New York City, and Boston. Outside of her day job, Lisa is particularly interested in how formal and informal Jewish education spaces can explore ways to embed Mizrahi history and tradition to be more representative of the full spectrum of Jewish identities. As part of her own ancestral recovery work, Lisa is learning Judeo-Arabic, Iraqi-Jewish Shabbat and holiday traditions, and recreating family recipes.
Dr. Merav Fima is a writer, translator, and literary critic currently based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of the forthcoming Sephardic migration novel The Rose of Thirteen Petals and the Pomegranate Tree (TBA) and of the short story collection Late Blossoms (Vine Leaves Press, October 2025). She holds a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from Monash University and her work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals, including: The Jewish Literary Journal; Parchment; Poetica Magazine; and The Australian Book Review. She was awarded a grant for “exceptionally talented writers” from the Israel Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, as well as a translation grant from the Israel Science Foundation for her translation of Gal Ventura’s scholarly monograph, Maternal Breast-Feeding and Its Substitutes in Nineteenth-Century French Art (Brill, 2018).
Nat Bension is a literary consultant and aspiring children's author based in the American Midwest.
Nimrod Dweck is an Israeli author, entrepreneur, and activist, known for founding Darkenu, DemocratTV, and several entertainment-tech startups. His writing, spanning fantasy, science fiction, and poetry, has been featured in Israeli newspapers and various magazines. His debut novel was published in 2019. Nimrod is also an educational games designer, blending creativity with impactful storytelling.
Rinat Hadad Siegel was born in Israel to a Jewish Mizrahi family. She is a children’s book author and a former educator and resource teacher for elementary and middle-school-aged children. Rinat received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev and holds a Master’s in Education from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. Exploring Mizrahi roots is one of Rinat’s passions, and she aspires to promote and add diverse Jewish history into children’s literature. Find more information at rinathadadsiegel.com and on Instagram at rinathadadsiegel
Shay Azoulay is an Israeli novelist and playwright. His works include the novel Lazaretto, several plays staged in Israel, short stories in Hebrew and English, and book reviews written for The New York Times. He currently lives in Washington DC with his wife and two boys.