Arts & Entertainment

Into The Stars

Chart a course to finding the right man with Oak Park natives Tali and Ophira Edut.

Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News

W

illiam Tigertt grew up in
Pleasant Ridge and became
a friend of Oak Park twins
and Ferndale High School grads Tali and
Ophira Edut. The friendship continued
through student years at the University
of Michigan and as they all established
themselves in New York City.
While Tigertt was building his career as
the owner of a trendy restaurant, the Edut
sisters were gaining attention as astrologers.
He was around to watch the two increase
their writing commitments and appear
more frequently on television and radio.
The twins' latest writing project, a book
advising women how to interpret the
zodiac to bring about enduring romance,
is proving a winner for both the authors
and their friend.
After interviewing many men, includ-
ing Capricorn Tigertt, to do research, the
twins arranged a blind date for their pal
and set the stage for a long-term relation-
ship. During the research, the Edut sisters,
now 36, had noted personality patterns
according to dates of birth and considered
that important to savvy dating.
The public can find out about the
Eduts' approach to settling in with the
right mate in The AstroTwins' Love
Zodiac: The Essential Astrology Guide
for Women (Sourcebooks Casablanca;
$14.95). Readers will get some in-person
comments as the sibling look-alikes sign
books 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at the
Birmingham Borders.
"We look at astrological signs as blue-
prints, out-of-the-box models that people
come with even though there's always free
will to make choices': Tali says.
"Capricorns, like our friend from
Michigan, are known for being very pio-
neering in business but can be shy and
reserved. We had a female friend who
described wanting a guy like that so we
sent them on a blind date a while ago, and
they're still together."
Love Zodiac, after giving a brief expla-
nation of astrology, is divided according
to sign and describes how men born into
a sign can be spotted and understood.
Each chapter explores physical attractions,
romantic signals and manhunt tactics.
Love matcher charts tell women of dif-
ferent signs how to approach guys who fall
into each of the signs of the zodiac.

WHAT YOU SEE IN HIM AND
WHAT HE'LL SEE IN YOU

Tali and Ophira Edut: "Even if your skepticism remains firmly intact,

it never hurts to have an extra tool in your romantic arsenal."

"We're like `astro yentas:" says Tali, who
is in a long-term relationship with an
Aries network engineer and now living in
Seattle. "Our friends often come to us for
advice about love, and now they can just
go to the book. We still give some personal
counsel, but this cuts through some of the
questions and becomes a nice guide."
Ophira, married to a Taurus who
installs environmentally friendly systems
into cars, thinks the book can save rela-
tionships.
"We really feel a lot of women break up
with men because of a lack of understand-
ing," she explains. "We're happy that we
have this resource so women can under-
stand the men in their lives and resolve
their conflicts without breaking up!'
The twins, always close, share a career
that has them dividing up assignments.
Besides their Web site, www.astrostyle.
corn, they communicate through columns
and information found on www.mylife-
time.com , www.brides.com and www.

hellokitty.com. The duo has done celebrity
charts on MTV, E! and the Style Network.
Detroit's Aretha Franklin and Stevie •
Wonder have been among their subjects.
Tali had been an astrology skeptic
until college years, when Ophira revealed
a highly accurate birth chart done by a
friend. The chart served as motivation for
both study and experiment with horo-
scope topics.
"We've actually been collaborating all
our lives:' Tali says. "Our first publication,
in second grade at Jackson Elementary
School, had drawings and stories. We
started a newspaper and our own maga-
zine in college.
"I think one of the benefits of being
twins is having a natural flow. We easily
divide up work, and it all seems to fall
right into place."
The identical twins, flattered when fre-
quently told they look like glam actress
Uma Thurman, consider themselves very
similar in nature. They attribute any subtle

differences to the ranges within every sign.
"We're Sagittarius so we like men who
are visionary, entrepreneurial and cre-
ative," Tali says. "The men we're with fit
those descriptions in slightly different
ways. They're both good at building things,
creative and mechanical."
The Eduts practiced religion at
Congregation Beth Shalom and see no
conflict between Judaism and astrology.
Their mother, Dorit Edut, is a rabbi at
Temple Israel, a Conservative congregation
in Bay City.
"Our mom has found places in Jewish
texts where astrology is mentioned and
used:' says Tali. "We've done a little study-
ing of kabbalistic astrology and find codes
in Hebrew letters!'
When the sisters visit Michigan, they
are based in Huntington Woods, where
their parents now live. Their dad, Shimon
Edut, raised in Israel and now owner of
a landscaping firm, gets credit for instill-
ing all three of his daughters with a work
ethic. Younger sister Leora is a makeup
artist in New York.
"When we return to Michigan, we like
to eat at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor," says
Ophira, who has written for 'Vibe, a maga-
zine and online Jewish community for
Jewish teens. "We like the coffee shops in
Royal Oak and Ferndale and the vintage
stores in the area. We like to look for trin-
kets at the Salvation Army outlet!'
Although the astro whizzes would like
to do a book for men and advise them on
romantic relationships, their agent has
nixed the idea. Apparently, men don't buy
astrology books.
Instead, the two are thinking about writ-
ing a book to help women understand
themselves and a book for parents to guide
them in raising kids according to the stars.
Tigertt would seem to fall in line with
the agent's impression.
"I take astrology with a grain of salt;'
he says. "I think it can be interesting, fun
and good for conversation. The blind date
arranged by Tali and Ophira worked out,
but I believe part of the success had to do
with their instincts about people." El

The AstroTwins, Tali and Ophira
Edut, will sign copies of their new
book 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31,
at Borders, 34300 Woodward, in
Birmingham. (248) 203-0005.

January 29 2009

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