ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniella (Weiss) Ashkenazy was born and raised in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area and immigrated to Israel more than 50 years ago (in 1968, when she was in her early twenties). She is a well-published bilingual Israeli freelance journalist.

Armed with an undergraduate degree in sociology from Temple University and a lifetime as a history buff with far-ranging reading tastes, since 1986 Ashkenazy’s articles – commentary, news analysis, humor and satire columns, and major features – have appeared in Hebrew and English in Israel’s leading papers and periodicals from the Jerusalem Post and Israel Scene to Davar, HaOlam HaZeh and Yediot. Her highly stylized features in Hebrew in Davar’s weekend magazine were often quoted on Israeli radio among the ‘best reads’ of the Friday papers.

The author’s political and social commentary and major features have appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide, ranging from The World & I and Christian Century to International Design. Moreover, for many decades, Ashkenazy has waged a personal crusade to balance the overly conflict-driven news about Israel abroad that warps perceptions. Under the moniker Chelm-on-the-Med Online, she has shared odd and Only-in-Israel news stories gleaned from the Hebrew press – piquant tidbits of life in Israel recapped in English that are not only good for a chuckle but also speak volumes about Israeli society. A book based on the best Only-in-Israel stories and their social context is in process under the working title A Rollicking Romp Through the Wildest and Wackiest News Stories Hiding in the Hebrew Press and What They Can Tell Us About How Israeli Society Ticks.

Parallel to journalism, Ashkenazy freelances as a translator and developmental editor for Israeli academics – primarily historians; translates classic works by leading Israeli children’s book authors into English; and has served as a pen-for-hire, researching and ghost-writing two books and countless white papers and op-eds for Myths and Facts about the Israeli-Arab conflict. Ashkenazy also served as editor-contributor to a well-received academic volume published in 1994 by Greenwood Press about the IDF’s nonmilitary functions, and The Challenge of the Dual-Role Military for other militaries.

She is a mother of three adult children and four grandchildren and lives with her husband Rafi in Kfar Warburg, Israel – a rural village south of Tel-Aviv.

The author can be reached at playingdetectivebook@gmail.com or via the dialogue box under Contact in the main menu.