Normally, a “Behind the Bylines” article begins with some musing about the different facets of journalism or the work that gets done at The Jerusalem Post. But not this time.
Let’s just get this straight off the bat: Judith Segaloff writes a lot. And that is an understatement.
She has been writing for longer than I’ve been alive. She has written numerous books, countless articles, conducted many high-profile interviews – and that’s just skimming the surface.
Nothing I can say can do Segaloff justice, so In Jerusalem asked her to put it in her own words – and the only price I had to pay was to invite her to the annual IJ Hanukkah sufganiyah review.
What brought you to Israel?
I moved to Israel in 2017 after years of dreaming of living in Israel. I was raised by two very Zionistic parents who always wanted to live in Israel but somehow never could make it happen. My first husband had no affinity for Israel, so I didn’t even get here for a visit until I was in my forties; but when I did, it was love at first sight.
I got married again in 2010 and moved to Michigan. At age 53, I gave birth to twin boys. That’s a story in itself. I am a grandmother to three amazing grandchildren, ages six to 16.
My husband and I were on the same page. More than anything, we wanted to raise our children in Israel. When they were three years old, we pulled up our roots and moved to Karnei Shomron, the ideal place to raise children in Israel.
There is something very special about yishuv living. The children make friends and roam from house to house and spout Torah. Zionism is flowing through their veins, deep in their blood. It’s beautiful to watch them grow and flourish here.
Karnei Shomron is the closest thing to a bedroom community that I have seen in Israel. It is convenient to the center of the country, with many amenities right here. There are lots of small businesses and awesome people of all ages.
Since we ‘overlap’ the generations – fitting into both the ‘parents of teens’ group and the ‘almost retired’ group, we have found many friends of all ages.
My husband is a pediatrician. We each have three older children from our former marriages. Only one of my children lives here, and I’m hoping that my other children (and my three grandchildren) follow in our footsteps and join us here.
What got you into writing and journalism?
I have written under three names – Judith Steinberg, Judith Lederman, and Judith Segaloff.
I have always been a writer since a very young age. I wrote songs, poems, plays, and stories. At age 15, I lived in Brooklyn. Other girls would babysit to make money. I would go to the movies.
I began by ghostwriting for an entertainment columnist at The Jewish Press. I would interview celebrities. I interviewed all the original Saturday Night Live cast by walking into NBC studios and announcing I wanted to write for them. This was before security was put in place. The NBC writers thought I was cute and let me in to hang out and interview them.
I spoke to actors Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, and many of the writers. I interviewed the Israeli band Poogy (Kaveret) when they came to town. My interviews really spiced up the Jewish Press column.
I used the published articles to work my way into a local paper, The Brooklyn Graphic. They needed an entertainment writer, so I talked my way into movies (for free) and wrote articles. Eventually, I was given my own column.
Then I moved up to interviewing rock bands at clubs, and major league baseball players. I enjoyed meeting interesting famous people – and getting paid to write about it.
Then I realized that with all my connections, maybe I should investigate the world of public relations as a way to keep writing and getting paid. In my senior year of high school, I interned for CJ Straus, a rock ‘n’ roll PR firm that represented Carlos Santana, Jefferson Starship, the Bay City Rollers, and others.
Interning in PR was eye-opening and fun, even when it involved fixing printers or washing the coffee cups.
At Brooklyn College, I studied filmmaking (screenwriting, cinematography), and oceanography. I was offered the opportunity to interview Paul Newman onstage in front of 2,000 students. He was a sweet man, and I only fumbled once when I looked into his sea-blue eyes.
Through college, I was offered an internship in the Field Publicity Department of Paramount Pictures Corporation, which used to be in New York City. I wrote reports summarizing Radio Promo screenings – the free screenings that helped Paramount market films.
Based on my reports, sometimes they would tweak the advertising, movie trailers, or even the endings of the films. I was offered a permanent job, so I completed college at night and continued to work for Paramount by day. It was the best first job ever, and I keep in touch with my boss to this day.
The job involved watching movies before they came out, and working with celebrities (Martin Sheen and sons, John Travolta, Richard Gere, Sly Stallone, Rosanna Arquette), running media junkets, and planning launch parties at Studio 54. Movies I worked on included An Officer and a Gentleman, Flashdance, Airport 2, and many more.
I won’t bore you with the minutia of my brilliant career, but suffice it to say, I stayed in the PR and writing field, occasionally writing articles for The New York Times’s Westchester section and various consumer and trade magazines.
I was also a market analyst for Consumer Reports for several years, writing reports, and testing products from orange juice to electronics.
Years later, I started my own PR firm, JSL Publicity & Marketing, and worked with products and people who were interested in attracting press. I knew what made a good article – it was easy for me to ‘place’ them.
I wrote three books. The first was Searching for Mary Poppins: One Family’s Quest for Perfect Childcare. That’s the book that got optioned but never published. However, it landed me on Oprah! I have been on many network TV shows, including Good Morning America, Dateline NBC, and I was a talking head on CNN during the Louise Woodward (British Nanny) trial.
I also had two radio shows in the New York area – Marketing Maven and Beyond Childcare with Judith Lederman.
I wrote another book that was published by Simon & Schuster, The Ups & Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child: A Survival Guide for Parents, and a third book, published by Three Rivers Press, Joining the Thin Club: Tips for Toning Your Mind after You’ve Trimmed Your Body.
All the while, I was exploring topics, writing, and getting paid for my words. I discovered that I live to write!
I just finished writing my debut novel, Accidental Soldiers, and I am so excited about it. It’s a fictional story about a 48-year-old woman who accidentally joins the IDF after October 7. Accidental Soldiers is a love letter to midlife reinvention, female friendship, living in Israel, and finding belonging in the unlikeliest foxhole. I’m looking for a literary agent now.
Also, a song that I wrote for Erika Kirk was recently released on streaming platforms. I’ve written many songs over the years, even an entire musical, but this one is really a tribute.
Tell me about your other career as an interior designer
During COVID, I felt the need to explore a new world. I took online courses with design instructor Yael Steinberger. I met fabulous designers, all English speakers, and learned a whole new trade. It was fascinating. Design was something I always loved, and I wanted to know how to design amazing rooms.
I still love design, but I prefer writing about it to doing it. So, I combine the two and try to incorporate design topics into many of my articles.
What’s something about your work (both writing and interior design) that most people don’t realize?
Creativity expresses itself in one way or another. It begins with curiosity, and then putting the whole picture together is a process. This applies to anything someone is interested in. It’s all formulaic.
I see all my work as a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. You find the pieces, put them together, and end up with a masterpiece at the end. The masterpiece is your own creation, though. The finished product is the compendium of everything you put in it.
What advice do you have for aspiring journalists?
I have lots of advice for journalists, aspiring or otherwise.
Start with curiosity – write about things that pique your interest. Then take it apart, shake it up, interview lots of people from different perspectives, and put it back together.
Be careful with AI. Use it with caution because firstly, as smart as it is, it is simply a collection of information that someone originally programmed, and it is not completely reliable. It often reflects bias and sometimes is just wrong.
Always check your sources when using AI. Formulate your questions for AI with great care. If the answer sounds generic, reformulate your question until you are sure you are getting a usable response. Always go to the sources to ensure that the information is accurate.
Write – and make sure you get paid for writing. Don’t give it away for free. That devalues the entire art of journalism for all of us. There is so much babble and noise in the world. If you have a real voice, it will cut through the clutter.
Don’t let moss grow under your feet. If you see an idea or opportunity to use your writing skills, go for it. There are so many interesting projects out there. The world is your oyster – find the pearl!
Start young, but don’t discount your talents if you are older and wiser. Perspectives change, and that’s a good thing. Fresh outlooks and experiences yield new things to write about at every age and stage of your life.