L

ike many Ashkenazi Jews, 
author Ellen Gelerman 
grew up with superstitions 
passed from generation to gener-
ation. One of the most prominent 
was that of the evil eye, kein ayin 
hara.
Learning about the famous 
Jewish saying, which translates 
to “no evil eye,
” from her parents 
and grandparents, Gelerman, a 
Long Island native now residing 
in Milford, decided to base her 
second published novel on the 
long-standing superstition.
Jewish YA (young adult) novel 
The Hand of Miriam was recently 
debuted to 110 professionals 
at the Jewish Book Council 
Network event in New York. Now, 

Gelerman is ready to introduce 
the 235-page book to the rest of 
the world.
The novel centers around 

Miriam Saperstein, a 12-year-
old girl who meets a mysteri-
ous elderly woman in her new 
Brooklyn neighborhood. She 
begins to believe a story that 
they’re both descendants of an 
ancient line of Jewish matriarchs 
capable of protecting others from 
the evil eye.
Yet is the story superstition or 
something much more? Readers 
will have to find out whether 
amulets and blessings are enough 
to shield Miriam and the elderly 
woman from real evil.

INSPIRING GENERATIONS
Gelerman, 62, never anticipated 
writing a YA novel, yet the story 
seemed to write itself.
The Hand of Miriam was meant 
to be an adult fiction book, but 
when she realized the story would 
work best when told in first-per-
son perspective from the main 
character — a 12-year-old girl 
— the book was written in a way 
that made sense for a younger 
audience.
“I built this girl very much on 
me,
” explains Gelerman, who 
often crafts characters out of little 
pieces of her history. As a secular 
Jew who grew up in a Reform 
household, Gelerman built 
Miriam around that world. With 
many ancient traditions — and 
superstitions — fading with each 
generation, she hopes Miriam can 
teach younger audiences about 
their heritage and history.
“Young Jewish readers are one 
or two generations removed from 
those superstitions,
” Gelerman 
explains. “There are numerous 
books about shtetl life and biblical 
life, but the availability of books 
for young people that aren’t about 
struggles and trials [is limited].
”
She calls The Hand of Miriam an 
“uplifting and empowering” book.
“I think it’s exciting for young 
women in particular to know they 
have that power,
” she says.

A LOVE FOR WRITING
The Hand of Miriam isn’t 
Gelerman’s first foray into author-

hood. Her debut release, The Book 
of Hannah, was the winner of the 
Chick-Lit category in the 2021 
NYC Big Book Awards. She was 
also a featured local author at the 
69th annual Detroit Jewish Book 
Fair in 2020.
As a true adult fiction book, 
The Book of Hannah delves into 
the trials and tribulations of an 
infertile 55-year-old woman’s 
unexpected first pregnancy. 
Ironically, it took Gelerman nine 
months to write the story (as did 
The Hand of Miriam).
Gelerman, inspired by requests 
from readers, is currently work-
ing on the sequel to The Book 
of Hannah that she hopes to 
complete within the next few 
months. Its working title is Full 
of Grace.
Like many authors, Gelerman 
grew up writing. She wrote 
short stories in school as a child 
and later majored in English at 
Indiana University. “It’s the kind 
of degree you get when you love 
the written word and you want 
to absorb as much of it as you 
can,” she says.
Gelerman built her career in 
advertising copywriting — prod-
uct information and telemarket-
ing scripts — but discovered her 
true love in fiction writing when 
she retired in her 40s. Her hus-
band’s career also brought her to 
the Metro Detroit area about 12 
years ago.
“I was able to let my imagina-
tion run wild,
” she says of fiction 
writing. “It took me a while to 
adjust [to life in Michigan], and 
one of the things that helped me 
adjust is my writing.
”
While there are various super-
stitions across different commu-
nities and cultures, Gelerman felt 
a kinship with the ones she had 
grown up with — and looks for-
ward to sharing those traditions 
with young Jewish and non-Jew-
ish readers who pick up The Hand 
of Miriam.
“We have survived and thrived,
” 
she says of Jewish life, “and this is 
a continuation of that.
” 

New YA Novel 
Tackles Jewish 
Superstition

44 | JULY 6 • 2023 

The Hand of Miriam introduces 
young Jewish readers to the legacy 
of the evil eye.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ARTS&LIFE
BOOKS

Ellen Gelerman

