Above is 2nd Lt. Emanuel Pasana, the first Ethiopian-Israeli officer from Israel's Nachal Program. Such an officer inspired me when I created the character of IDF Colonel Rachamim ben-Solomon, the bashert of Molly, Dan and Marion's self-appointed daughter. So who would you cast to play Rocky if Bashert became a movie? Below are five candidates, four from North American and we've added Ethiopian Israeli actor Shai Fredo, who might be unknown to American audiences. Let us know

It's been years since I lived in New York, but it's always a pleasure to come back for a visit. This week I came out to pitch Bashert to the Jewish Book Council in New York City. The photo above is me waiting my turn among my fellow Jewish authors. I also had a great lunch with my friends at Meryl Moss Media. Here I am with their talented team: So nice to be back!

Vote for your favorite actress to portray Marion Gladstone, female protagonist in Bashert below. Or leave a comment if we forgot who you think would be perfect for the role.

Vote for your favorite actor to play Dan Sobol in Bashert in our poll below. Or leave a comment if we forgot your favorite.

There are two elements to casting a film: Casting stars and casting the large number of actors that play smaller roles. Casting smaller roles is more orderly. When a film is green-lighted by a studio, that is to say, financed and guaranteed distribution, casting agents are hired to select players for every role except the leads. Casting directors work closely with the director who makes the selections, but has to get final approval from the studio or distributor. Selecting st

Today is Israeli Independence Day or Yom Ha’atmaut. It celebrates the 69th anniversary of the formal establishment of the State of Israel and the signing of the country’s Declaration of Independence. The Jewish people of the Diaspora have always longed to escape persecution and return what is now Israel—every Passover we say “next year in Jerusalem”—but that need came into sharp focus after World War II when thousands of Holocaust survivors became people without a country. Th