Looking for a Jewish Book Editor? 7 Things to Know Before You Hire One

If you're looking for a Jewish book editor, you probably already know that you don't want someone who will simply sprinkle a few Hebrew or Yiddish words into your manuscript and call it authentic.

But you also don't necessarily need an editor who shares every aspect of your Jewish background.

What you need is an editor who understands the difference between something that is genuinely unclear to a reader and something that is simply unfamiliar to the editor.

After years of editing Jewish fiction, memoir, and other writing about Jewish life, I've learned that this distinction matters.

Here are seven things I would consider before hiring a Jewish book editor.

This sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to forget.

A Jewish family from Jerusalem may have very different customs, food, language, history, and family dynamics from a Jewish family from Montreal, London, Buenos Aires, or Los Angeles.

An Orthodox Jewish character is not interchangeable with a secular Jewish character. A Sephardi, Yemenite, or Mizrahi family may have traditions that are completely unfamiliar to an Ashkenazi reader. An Israeli character may have a very different relationship with Hebrew, religion, military service, or Jewish identity than an American Jewish character.

This is one reason I don't think that simply being Jewish automatically makes someone a good Jewish editor.

A Jewish book editor needs to be curious about the particular Jewish world in the manuscript, rather than assuming that their own experience is the standard.

This is one of the things I notice most often when editing Jewish writing.

An author will use a Hebrew or Yiddish word, mention a holiday, describe a family custom, or have a character react to something without stopping to explain it.

Then comes the editorial question:

Will the reader understand this?

Sometimes, yes, the writer needs to explain it.

But sometimes the answer is: the reader doesn't need to understand every detail.

Jewish readers may understand the reference immediately. Non-Jewish readers may understand it from context. And even if a reader doesn't understand it completely, that doesn't necessarily mean the writing has failed.

We don't explain every cultural reference in every novel.

If a character says, "She was making challah for Shabbat," we don't necessarily need a paragraph explaining what challah is, what Shabbat is, and why people eat challah.

Sometimes the detail can simply exist.

An editor who understands the culture is more likely to recognize the difference.

If you're hiring a Jewish fiction editor, ask about their experience.

Have they edited contemporary Jewish fiction? Memoir? Historical fiction? Israeli writers working in English? Orthodox characters? Secular Jewish characters? Stories about Jewish immigration? Holocaust-related writing? Writing about Israel?

You don't necessarily need someone who has edited your exact type of book.

But I would want an editor who understands that Jewish writing can cover an enormous range of experiences.

I have edited manuscripts in which Jewish identity is central to the story and others in which it is simply part of the background. Both require attention to detail, but not in the same way.

The question isn't simply, "Are you Jewish?"

It's "Do you understand the Jewish world my characters inhabit?"

Cultural sensitivity doesn't mean agreeing with everything in a manuscript.

Quite the opposite.

A Jewish book editor should be willing to point out an inaccurate custom, an unlikely reaction, a historical problem, or dialogue that doesn't sound natural.

But there is an important difference between saying:

"This isn't accurate."

and saying:

"I'm not familiar with this, so I'm not sure."

The second response is perfectly acceptable.

In fact, I would much rather hear it from an editor.

If I don't know something about a particular Jewish community, tradition, or historical period, I want to check it. I don't want to change the author's manuscript simply because something doesn't match my own experience.

That is part of responsible editing.

If you're an Israeli author writing in English, this is another reason you may want an editor who understands both languages and cultures. In my case, I have been teaching EFL to Israeli college students for going on twenty years. Therefore, I am well versed in both languages and more importantly, in analyzing the humor, idioms, grammar, and syntax. 

Israeli dialogue translated too literally into English can sound strange.

But the opposite problem can be just as noticeable: an editor can make Israeli characters sound like Americans because the English has been "improved" so much that the original voice disappears.

The same thing can happen with Jewish family dynamics, humor, expressions, food, religious practice, or relationships between generations.

Sometimes what looks unusual in English is actually exactly what gives the character a distinct cultural voice.

An editor's job isn't to make every character sound like the editor.

It's to make the character sound like themselves—and make sure the reader can follow them. One time I was hired to be a sensitivity reader for a middle grade book (Harper Collins). The book took place in summer camp and featured an Israeli camp counselor. The counselor was so nasty and rude that I told them not only would I  never read my child this book, but that I would expect a lot of backlash for the portryal of this character (this was well before October 7, if that's what you're thinking). I could only assume that the author understood that the stereotype of Israelis was direct and no-nonsense but took this to absurd levels, especially for middle grade. I asked them why would any Israeli apply for a job in an American summer camp if she disliked America and Americans so much to begin with? It was a very uncomfortable read and yet my reaction took them by surprise. They certainly had not intended to leave this impression but recognized that they (the author and editor) did not have the background for this book. (They also wrote the word order of the Israeli speaking in English completely wrong, in other words, as though Hebrew was English (adjectives before nouns as in a red dress or a big house.)

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they aren't really the same thing.

A Jewish sensitivity reader may read a manuscript primarily for cultural accuracy and representation (see above anecdote). They might flag an incorrect religious practice, anachronistic terminology, a stereotype, or something that doesn't ring true within a particular Jewish community.

A Jewish book editor can look at those issues while also working on the writing itself.

That can include structure, characterization, pacing, point of view, dialogue, repetition, clarity, and voice.

Sometimes you need a sensitivity reader.

Sometimes you need a developmental editor.

Sometimes you need a line editor.

And sometimes you need someone who can do more than one of these things.

Before you hire someone, figure out what your manuscript actually needs.

This may be the most important point.

Your editor should have opinions. You are paying for their expertise, after all.

But the manuscript still belongs to you.

I don't want to turn a Jewish author's voice into my version of Jewishness. I want to understand what the author is trying to do and then help them do it better.

That can mean questioning a scene, suggesting a structural change, pointing out repetition, or asking why a character behaves a certain way.

It can also mean saying:

Keep this. It works.

Or:

Don't explain this. The reader can figure it out.

Or:

I don't think you need to change this just because some readers may not be familiar with it.

That, to me, is one of the most valuable things a Jewish editor can offer.

Not every Jewish author needs one.

A talented general editor can absolutely edit a Jewish manuscript.

But if Jewish culture, identity, history, religion, Israel, or family traditions are important to your book, there is value in working with someone who understands those things from the inside—or who has enough experience to know when they need to ask questions rather than make assumptions.

And there is another reason this matters right now.

Jewish authors are writing in a complicated cultural and publishing environment. Questions about Jewish identity, Israel, antisemitism, representation, and who gets to tell particular stories have become increasingly difficult to separate from the publishing process.

That makes the editorial relationship even more important.

You want someone who will take your writing seriously without treating every Jewish detail as a problem that needs to be explained to the reader.

You want someone who will challenge your writing when it needs challenging—but who will also recognize what makes your story yours.

And you want an editor who understands that Jewish writing doesn't have to be made less Jewish in order to be accessible to a wider audience.

I edit fiction, memoir, historical fiction, literary nonfiction, and short stories by Jewish authors. I work with writers from different Jewish backgrounds and with Israeli writers working in English.

My editing combines attention to literary craft with an understanding of Jewish culture, identity, history, family, and the particular challenges of writing about Jewish life for a broad readership.

If you're looking for a Jewish book editor, Jewish fiction editor, Jewish memoir editor, or Jewish sensitivity reader, contact me to discuss your manuscript and we can figure out what kind of editing would be most useful.

Photo: I am sharing with you a photo I took in Kruger Park August 2026