On Being Modern and Orthodox: A Conversation with Tova Mirvis

Abstract

At 34, Tova Mirvis is a success story, the author of two best-selling novels, The Ladies Auxiliary (1999) and The Outside World (2004). She is popular on the lecture circuit, a wife and mother of two little boys, and secure in the affections of an extended family, parents, grand-parents, and siblings. A Modern Orthodox Jew, she seemingly balances her religious and secular lives confidently, in stark contrast to such a literary ancestor as immigrant writer Anzia Yezierska. What do these two, separated by almost a century, have in common besides being Jewish women writers, and why do I feel drawn to both? Having researched Yezierska’s life and works for an earlier chapter in this book, I decided to interview Tova Mirvis, representative of a group of young women authors who write openly and warmly about Judaism.