A Witch’s Bat Mitzvah: Judaism Unbound Episode 378 - Laurel Snyder
Her name is Zipporah Chava McConnell, but everyone calls her Zippy. See, the thing is...that she's a witch — and this year she's having her Bat Mitzvah!
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This is the premise of The Witch of Woodland, the latest novel from Laurel Snyder. Snyder is a Sydney Taylor Award-winning author who has written over a dozen works of fiction. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about The Witch of Woodland, her ongoing effort to overcome "Jewish Imposter-Syndrome," and the ways in which works of fiction can shape our Jewish world. This episode is the 3rd in an ongoing mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes, honoring Bat Mitzvah's 100th anniversary, and exploring the present and future of B Mitzvah ("B Mitzvah" is a term for Jewish coming-of-age ceremonies, across the gender spectrum).
[1] Learn more about Laurel Snyder, and check out all her previous books, by heading to LaurelSnyder.com!
[2] Snyder references a number of books from the mid-late 20th century, that she was familiar with as a child. Two did not speak deeply to her as a reader who felt different from many mainstream Jewish narratives, and one did. If you were curious to learn more about those books that she mentioned, click any of these links: All of a Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor, Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories, by Isaac Bashevis Singer, or Davida’s Harp, by Chaim Potok.
[3] For a previous episode of Judaism Unbound that touches on Jewish magic, see Episode 345: When Jewish Meets Jew-Witch - Ketzirah Lesser.
[4] See below, for the famous “Tabernacle Cake” from Snyder’s son’s Bar Mitzvah celebration, mentioned toward the end of this episode. Everything you see in the image is edible!
