Ellen Sandler

Life on the picket lines—a striking writer reports

Published on November 15, 2007

When I was asked by The Jewish Journal whether I'd like to write something funny about the WGA strike, I thought -- hey, there's nothing funny about this: corporate bullies refusing to pay writers for their work. This is serious. But as my friend Rob Lotterstein, creator and executive producer of Fox's "The War at Home" says, "Just because we're not writing doesn't mean we've lost our sense of humor."

Raymond Barone, Crypto-Jew?

Published on January 24, 2002

Is it an Italian sensibility? Or is Raymond a crypto-Jew?

Too Jewish? No Way!

Published on January 11, 2001

One of the reasons, perhaps the reason, Bette Midler has been a very big star for a very long time is her enormous gift to let us in on who she is, and that includes being Jewish, with no apologies.

Divine Inspiration

Published on January 11, 2001

Why do most people want to believe that a successful career in show business happens by luck? Maybe it's because for people who haven't made it, that's a good explanation or excuse.

Why Get Married?

Published on November 9, 2000

One of my favorite jokes goes: "You want to make God laugh? Make plans." I assume a wedding must be one of God's favorite jokes. They take more planning than preproduction for a feature film.

Disseminating Distortions

Published on September 21, 2000

The Internet may prove a valuable tool for preserving a language spoken by Jews for 500 years. Sephardi Jews from around the world could help compile a dictionary of Ladino by providing their input via the Internet, according to Winfried Busse, a professor of philology at the Berlin Free University. Making the suggestion at a recent conference in the southern Croatian city of Dubrovnik, Busse said the Internet could serve as a global workshop for people to create the dictionary.

If You Are What You Eat, I Must Be Jewish

Published on April 20, 2000

I'm a vegetarian. So why were there six pounds of brisket in my oven last week? Because Max, my 15-year-old son, loves it. When he was 9 we went to my friends the Weisses for seder, and he ate brisket. He never forgot it. Two years later he asked me if I could get "Arlene's recipe" and make a brisket. When I called her and told her Max asked for her brisket recipe, she wept.
So last week I made brisket.

It’s Just Business

Published on August 19, 1999

"Do they all have to be Italian?"

This is the question the network executive asked the creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond" as they were casting Ray Romano's family.