We are all familiar with Dear Abby and Ann Landers. I would venture to guess that each and every one of us at some time in our lives has glanced over the questions asked of them and the replies offered.
Recently I had the opportunity to meet with Shashi Ishai, whose new book “Ask Avigail” offers “Advice from a Biblical-Era Sagette.” Ishai is a former Teaneck resident who moved to Eretz Yisrael with her husband and two children and resides in Netanya. Excuse me for almost forgetting their dog, Stanley Fisher (a renowned economist). Apparently he plays an integral part in the life of the family when making any type of financial decisions.
“Ask Avigail” offers advice for those living in the days of the Tanach. According to Avigail, our forefathers had many similar issues to what we have today and she is ready and willing to answer their concerns. Be it their wilderness needs, fashion tips or the concerns that the Jews had when Moshe disappeared for 40 days and nights. Avigail has all of the right humoristic answers for everyone. There is nothing that she doesn’t know. Shashi is a blogger for the Times of Israel and her style of humor, she said, originated from her childhood. Her late father’s hobby was collecting un-sliceable cheese ends at the local ShopRite. Her mother munched on gum drops all day long. Her brother read to her from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” each night before she went to bed. With such a childhood one would think you would have to grow into a comedienne. Shashi was in fact a standup/cartoonist while living in Teaneck.
The book can be purchased on Amazon.
By Nina Glick
