She’s an author of books.

As editor of The Jewish Woman’s Book of Wisdom, Ellen put together writings by Jewish women from Glückel of Hameln to Roseanne Barr.

Ellen’s novel for middle-school students, No Big Deal, takes on issues of intolerance, family dynamics, and what it means to be different in a conformist world.

Ellen’s first nonfiction book, Embracing the Stranger: Intermarriage and the Future of the American Jewish Community, examines one of the thorniest problems in American Jewish life.

She’s a veteran journalist, reviewer,
and essayist.

First published in Seventeen at age 17, Ellen has written feature stories, op-ed pieces, and book reviews for local and national publications, including The Village Voice, YM, and The Hollywood Reporter.  She’s been especially active in the Jewish press, with scores of articles in The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles and several major features and provocative columns in Moment magazine. Ellen has also contributed numerous book reviews and review essays to the Baltimore Jewish Times and JBooks.com.

For a sampling of Ellen’s work as a journalist, click here.

She’s a superb editor.

Ellen has been an eagle-eyed copy editor since holding the job at her college newspaper, and she has been copy chief and/or line editor for every type of publication, from daily and weekly newspapers to monthly magazines, one-shot catalogs and guides, novels, and nonfiction books.

For more details about Ellen’s experience as an editor, click here.

She’s a sweet singer of Israel.

Ellen, a mezzo-soprano, is a member of the American Conference of Cantors. She has appeared in concert as headliner, soloist, and ensemble singer. She and her pal Leah Ellias perform as a duo, The Six-Foot Sopranos.

As a cantor and now as a rabbinical student, Ellen loves to prepare kids for bar and bat mitzvah and to be with families as they mark the milestones of their lives.

She’s a dynamic speaker.

With a master’s degree in Judaic studies from Hebrew Union College along with her cantorial certification, Ellen has background in a wide variety of subjects across the spectrum of Jewish history, ritual, philosophy, and liturgy.

From her work as an author and journalist, she is especially knowledgeable in areas such as intermarriage and conversion and the historical and contemporary roles of women in Jewish life. Ellen has addressed audiences as lecturer, guest darshanit and scholar-in-residence at synagogues, organizations, JCCs, conventions, and other venues across the United States.

For more about Ellen’s range as a speaker and a listing of venues where she’s lectured, click here.

A veteran of public school classrooms, Ellen has been an enthusiastic, nurturing educator for most of her adult life, both in religious and secular studies. She is an experienced tutor for bar and bat mitzvah students through synagogues and on a freelance basis and also teaches classical Hebrew and Judaica for adults. In addition, she has experience tutoring kids and adults in general studies and in preparation for standardized tests.