Jewish Dog Creates Cultural Phenomenon

By Debra Rich Gettleman

Wait, you don’t want to talk to me?”

Heidi Silverstone asks at the onset of our interview.

“Well, it’s not that.” I gently explain. “I appreciate your translating. But I really need to talk to her; to look into her eyes and see how she feels and what she’s experiencing in order to best tell her story. Plus, I can only tell if she’s being honest by direct eye-to-eye connection.”

With a bit of disappointment, Heidi fades into the background and allows Shayna Maydele to step into the camera lens.”

DEBRA RICH GETTLEMAN (DRG): Hello

Shayna Maydele. You are really so beautiful.

Shayna Maydele looks away with a coy sense of knowing and humility.

DRG: Shayna, let’s start with the question on everyone’s mind. Are you in a relationship right now?

SHAYNA MAYDELE (SM) : Maydele.

DRG: Pardon?

SM: My name. It’s Shayna Maydele. That’s what I prefer. A lot of people call me Shayna. So, it’s fine. But I like to go by my full name, Debbie.

I cringe at the diminutive version of “Debra”, the name I insist people use when addressing me .

DRG: Touché, my insightful friend. Touché. But back to the question of romance.

SM: Well, there is one dog in particular. C-H-A-R-L-I-E.

DRG: I’m curiuos why you are spelling his name, Shayna Maydele. Although it is impressive that you can spell that well.

TRANSLATOR/HEIDI: Sorry. That’s on me. I spelled his name because if I say it out loud, she’ll go crazy.

DRG: Understood.

SM: I love him. When I go to the dog park, I will stare at the gate until he gets there.

DRG: How sweet.

SM: I’m also a very…amorous dog. I do what a lot of us do at the dog park, which I probably shouldn’t. I do that a lot.

DRG: I so appreciate your honesty. I’m only seeking the truth, what readers really want to know.

SM: I enjoy physical intimacy. I’m not going to lie.

DRG: Is it hard though, being a star like yourself? Is it hard when you go to the dog park, and everyone wants to get close to you and be with you? Do you like “common folk?”

SM: Absolutely. I love dogs. But I really love people. It’s so cute. A lot of people stand around the edge of the park, just inside the fence. People who don’t even have dogs. They watch me. Sometimes,

I’ll run right over and let them pick me up. Heidi will ask them if they’d like to pet me. I’ve never had anyone say no.

DRG: I love knowing that Shayna. I mean Shayna Maydele. Because some of the stars that I talk to, they just…they don’t like people gawking at them. It makes them feel disconnected.

SM: When I first got to Heidi’s home in NY, we would walk down the street, and you know, there are people everywhere. I can just tell when I’ve caught someone’s eye, I see the desire to touch me. And I always encourage it. I just love attention from people. It takes us forever to walk even one block. It’s especially fun to walk by restaurants and see people look up lovingly.

DRG: That brings me to the question of food. What is your favorite food?

SM: Well, I’m an extremely picky eater. But I love anything with feathers in it. Fowl is my fave; chicken, turkey, you name it. I just adore Thanksgiving.

DRG: Speaking of holidays. What is your favorite Jewish holiday?

SM: Definitely Passover. I mean it’s so food intense and Heidi always makes turkey on Passover because it feeds a lot of people. She also cooks a fabulous brisket which I love. And gefilte fish is another winner in my book.

DRG: Red or White horseradish?

SM: I’ve tried both. Not a fan. I’m more of a purist.

DRG: This is all fascinating. But what I really want to know is what does being Jewish really mean to you?

SM: Debra, that’s an excellent question. I came out of my Jewish shell the first time I put on a kippah (yarmulke). It was overwhelming. I was glowing. The cameras began to flash and suddenly I was wishing people all across the world a Shabbat Shalom on Instagram. The reaction was palpable. So, I continued to do that for Shabbat and other Jewish holidays.

DRG: I understand you enjoy photo shoots.

SM: Full disclosure, I love when all of the attention is focused on me. I have a great staff with Heidi who is a fabulous stylist and very accomplished amateur photographer. She works with her husband Rob. They think he’s the “dog wrangler,” so I play along and let him think he’s in charge.

DRG: I’ve heard though that you tease a lot during those shoots, looking away when they want you to smile at the camera.

SM: Between you and me, I do that to make things a little more fun. When Rob and Heidi have to work a little to get the shot, it’s like a game to me. And the photos are so much more engaging and real. But the bottom line is that I love sharing my Judaism through photos. It really allows me to connect to Jews all around the globe. And it’s all about building community with us Jews, don’t you think?

DRG: I do. For sure. But I do have a delicate issue to raise. Have you ever experienced anti-semitism in response to your posts?

SM: I’m sorry to say that, yes, I have. As you know, I’m a very proud Jewish doggy. Sadly, my cuteness and explanations of Jewish customs are not immune to antisemitic comments. Luckily, those comments are rare, but each time I receive one, it hurts. I want my postings to be lighthearted, fun and a safe place to share my Jewishness. So, when I see an antisemitic comment, I delete it and block the account that posted it. There is no room for hate on my Instagram account.

DRG: What about future plans. Are you considering plans for a tv pilot or a film?

SM: Not at the moment. But I wouldn’t be against it. If there’s an agent out there who’s interested, feel free to reach out.

DRG: Well, I think that’s the next natural step in your progression. I mean, Benji was just some dog when he started.

Shayna Maydele looks at me blankly.

SM: Benji?

Another one of those “I’m old” moments washes over me.

DRG: Never mind. He was a big star back in the day.

SM: What I really love, Debra, is the way I’ve been able to meet so many wonderful people through Instagram. I just got a private message from a person in England who saw my picture in the newspaper and reached out. We had such a charming conversation. I love how this allows me to create Jewish community connection. And it’s not only Jews who follow me. A lot of people associate Jews with Orthodox Jews. But I’m conservative. And I so enjoy explaining things about conservative and reform Judaism. For example, yes, I’m a female. But I wear a kippah. And that’s okay.

DRG: You’re like a cultural ambassador. You break down old stereotypes and show a really cool Jewish canine doing really cool stuff. That’s what we do at Jewish Life Now, only with humans…mostly.

And you’ve formed some lifelong friendships through Instagram, haven’t you?

SM: I have. There’s a non-Jewish woman in Greece who is so fascinated by our religion that she sends me things she comes across that are Jewish and shares things with me about her religion. This one woman noticed on Instagram that I was in Baltimore and she had two cousins of mine (both Coton deTulears). We met up and have become dear friends. I met another family in Costa Rica who now live in Florida and we’ve stayed close.

DRG: I have to ask you. Do you know how many followers you have?

Again Shayna Maydele humbly smiles and gazes down.

SM: It’s hard to say. But I’d guestimate a bit over 18,000.

DRG: 18? That’s meaningful

Shayna Maydele laughs.

DRG: And what about merch?

SM: No plans at the moment. But I’m considering a line of sweaters. Maybe other clothing.

DRG: Tiaras?

SM: Too pretentious. But, maybe a kippah collection.

DRG: Speaking of pretentious, I understand you have the same breeder as Barbra Streisand.

SM: Yes, I do. But Babs’ dogs are just ordinary folk like me. Frankly, it’s the owners who get giddy about stuff like that. ♦

SEPTEMBER 2023

Chloe Sherman’s 90s iconic Jewish lesbian photo is featured in her debut monograph “Renegades: San Francisco: The 1990s.” Renown lesbian artist, Chloe Sherman defines her iconic photo, “Kindred Spirits,” on display at her summer 2023 exhibit at San Francisco’s Schlomer Haus Gallery, as an intersection of her Jewish heritage, queer identity, and her art. “My values, my identity, my art are all revealed in this work,” she reveals in a recent “Lilith” magazine article.

“Kindred Spirits, 1994” by Chloe Sherman (pictured).

Barry Diller, major Hollywood mogul, warns that if the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which now includes the actors union SAG-AFTRA, continues for much longer it could mean the end of the entertainment industry as we know it. Diller set a September first deadline for the strikes to end if Hollywood is to avert catastrophe.

What a way to celebrate our country’s independence. This past July 4th, Ben & Jerrys’ infamous ice cream company released a half-baked message to the world that the US shouldn’t even exist because the company believes that the United States was founded on “stolen land” that rightfully belongs to the Native Americans. They suggested the first step towards recompense would be giving back Mount Rushmore.

But here’s the irony, Chief of the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation, Don Stevens noted that if the ice cream maker is “sincere,” it should reach out to him as the company’s corporate headquarters — located at 30 Community Dr. in South Burlington, Vt. — is situated on Western Abanaki land.

Classiq , an Israeli startup that aims to make it easier for developers to create quantum algorithms and applications, joined major worldwide companies NVIDIA and Rolls-Royce in making what the firms described as a quantum computing breakthrough aimed at bringing ever-increasing efficiency to jet engines.

Dr. Yehuda Naveh, Co-founder & CTO, Nir Minerbi, Co-Founder & CEO, and Amir Naveh, Co-founder & Chief product officer (pictured).

David Zaslav , the CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, found himself in hot water after firing CNN CEO Chris Licht. Licht lasted just 13 months on the job. He replaced the embattled Jeff Zucker, who was forced out after serving nine years as the CNN chief because of a scandal involving an affair he had with a subordinate.

The guiding principle of comedy is to never steal another comic’s jokes. For stand-up comic, actor, and writer, Sarah Silverman , that premise applies to life as well. That’s why Silverman is suing OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Meta/Facebook for copyright infringements. Silverman and a cadre of other authors are accusing both companies of using their work without permission or compensation.

AI programs basically rewrite other people’s work, sometimes with major changes, sometimes without. But Silverman claims that programs like ChatGPT who summarize copyrighted books when prompted by users, are violating copyright laws by mirroring a writer’s original concept, idea, or unique, style.

Got an extra $300,000 lying around to help save the planet? Well, if you do, you are one step closer to buying a fully electric flying car. Alef Aeronautics CEO, Jim Dukhovny , son of a Jewish immigrant from Kyiv, Ukraine, received a legal thumbs up from the FAA to start testing his Model A fully electric flying car. Alef’s flying car has the potential to rid the world of two majorly destructive problems: highway traffic and greenhouse gas emissions. While the cost of the Model A is a bit out of reach for most consumers, in a recent Jewish News of Northern California story, Dukhovny said that his dream is to produce an affordable commuter flying car within the decade.

Ghislaine Maxwell has found her Jewish faith in prison. While she never acknowledged her Jewish paternal roots until sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex abuse ring, Maxwell has declared herself a Jewess which happens to come with a few perks; better food and additional time-off for Shabbat and holidays.