Putting Pen To Teaneck’sPaper

BY STEFANIE SEARS

Whether she is at home, at the library or waiting on line at ShopRite, chances are Teaneck resident Chana Stiefel is writing, and she has been doing so ever since elementary school with the encouragement of her wonderful parents and teachers.

Now having authored over 30 books, it was actually journalism that ultimately led her to creative writing. She earned her master’s in science, health and environmental reporting at NYU School of Journalism. While interning at Scholastic, she became an editor at Scholastic’s Science World magazine. It was here where she discovered her books for children.

Stiefel’s most recently released books are one of each. Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up

Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up is about a teenage Jewish boy named Mendel who always manages to mess up his family’s Hanukkah traditions, whether it is frying latkes incorrectly, placing sparklers instead of candles in the menorah, or accidentally leaving jelly then decides to stay in the background to avoid causing anymore trouble. However, to Mendel’s surprise, Hanukkah bash and spread the good news of Hanukup occurs, and Mendel teaches everyone about the true meaning of the holiday.

What makes Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up unique in comparison to Stiefel’s other written with her husband, pediatrician worked out the storyline,” Stiefel explains. “We con- though we still might argue about who’s the funnier one… it’s me,” Stiefel laughs.Chana explains) and Mendel’s Hanukkahries.

30 years and we say that we have one brain.

“One Hanukkah, while I was traveling to write eight stories, one for each night of the about the story behind the book. “Years later, it occurred to me that the story would make a great picture book. It had a fun, loveable but hapless main character and a lovely story arc.”

At the end of the book, Stiefel includes educational tidbits about Jewish culture, such as a glossary of Jewish terms, the story of Hanukkah’s history, instructions on how to play Dreidel, lyrics to “Oh, Hanukkah,” and the recipe for potato latkes. Stiefel aims to contribute to Jewish representation in literature with her writing.

story.’ While some of my other books touch on Jewish of worlds that we may be unfamiliar with. Mirrors

Jewish books I’ve published,” says Stiefel. “As Dr.

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And sliding glass doors allow us to step into other worlds, experience empathy, and hopefully be transformed by the experience. I believe that children should be exposed to a wide range of books from all cultures, to learn from each other and to share our life experiences.

“Many people aren’t aware that Jews make up only two percent of the U.S. population,” she continued. “In addition, Jewish people come from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. I would love to see all children reading books that include accurate, non-stereotypical portrayals of Jewish people, life, culture, holidays, history and Jewish joy. Jewish books should be included in all conversations and collections of diverse books.”

Though Stiefel enjoys writing lighthearted and humorous stories like Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up, The Tower of Life is “the book of my heart,” as she puts it. The Tower of Life is the true story of Holocaust survivor and historian read her obituary in The New York Times in 2016. small Jewish town) called Alte was the town photographer who would capture the joyful moments of the townspeople. On the eve of the

Jewish on her people’s lives instead, so it became her life’s mission to restore the collecting stories and photographs from nearly every person who had lived