Podcast appearances and mentions of angela himsel

In this episode Rabbi Wildes talks with Angela Himsel. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Jewish Week, Forward, Lilith and elsewhere. Her column Angetevka” on Zeek.net American won two American Jewish Press Association Awards. Angela holds a BA from Indiana University, which included two years at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and an MFA from The City College of New York. She grew up the seventh of eleven children in rural southern Indiana in a fundamentalist, doomsday, Christian faith. She converted to Judaism and lives in New York City. A River Could Be a Tree traces that journey. 

Angela Himsel’s writing has appeared in TheNew York Times, The Jewish Week, Forward, Lilith and elsewhere. Her column Angetevka” on Zeek.net American won two American Jewish Press Association Awards. Angela holds a BA from Indiana University, which included two years at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and an MFA from The City College of New York. She grew up the seventh of eleven children in rural southern Indiana in a fundamentalist, doomsday, Christian faith. She converted to Judaism and lives in New York City. A River Could Be a Tree traces that journey.     In this episode, we talk about Angela's memoir: A River Could Be A Tree. Angela shares her experience growing up in an evangelical branch of Christianity - the Worldwide Church of God. Strict adherence to the church’s tenets, which forbade make-up, medicine, and other demonic  influences, was the only way for her to receive the Holy Spirit and live forever in God’s Kingdom. In search of salvation, Angela decided at nineteen to study at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. But instead of strengthening her faith, she was introduced to a thrilling new world. And she began to think that maybe everything she had been taught was wrong. Ultimately, the connection to God she relentlessly pursued was found in the most unexpected place: a mikvah on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. This devout Christian girl found her own form of salvation—as a practicing Jewish woman.   Favorites: Book: the Bible, anything by Jane Austen Quote: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”- Hillel City: Jerusalem Role model: her mom You can find Angela here . To order or find out more about A River Could Be A Tree check out www.angelahimsel.com      

Angela Himsel is the author of A River Could Be a Tree, a memoir chronicling Angela’s journey from a conservative Christian upbringing in rural Indiana to life as a practicing Jewish women in Manhattan. Angela and I discussed growing up with ten siblings, the fascinating research that went into the book, and the magical brochure that changed her life. 

Angela grew up the 7th of 11 children in Southern Indiana in the Worldwide Church of God, a doomsday apocalyptic church. After spending two years in Israel, she ultimately converted to Judaism. She wrote a memoir about my experience, "A River Could Be a Tree," and hopes that her words serve as a bridge of understanding between cultures and religions. Rebecca grew up in the same Christian cult as Angela, and this conversation is a delightful exploration through territory that is familiar yet different... listen in as Lucca and Rebecca find out what influenced Angela's path and what she's creating now!

Angela's seemingly impossible road from childhood cult to a committed Jewish life is traced in and around the major events of the 1970s and 80s with warmth, humor, and a multitude of religious and philosophical insights. Angela shares a fascinating story of struggle, doubt, and finally, personal fulfillment.

My guest is Angela Himsel. Her new book is a memoir entitled A River Could Be a Tree (https://www.amazon.com/River-Could-Be-Tree-Memoir/dp/1941493246). From the time she was a young girl, Himsel believed that the Bible was the guidebook to being saved, and only strict adherence to the church's tenets could allow her to escape a certain, gruesome death, receive the Holy Spirit, and live forever in the Kingdom of God. With self-preservation in mind, she decided, at nineteen, to study at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. But instead of strengthening her faith, Himsel was introduced to a whole new world—one with different people and perspectives. Her eyes were slowly opened to the church's shortcomings, even dangers, and fueled her natural tendency to question everything she had been taught, including the guiding principles of the church and the words of the Bible itself. Ultimately, the connection to God she so relentlessly pursued was found in the most unexpected place: a mikvah on Manhattan's Upper West Side. This devout Christian Midwesterner found her own form of salvation—as a practicing Jewish woman. Himsel's seemingly impossible road from childhood cult to a committed Jewish life is traced in and around the major events of the 1970s and 80s with warmth, humor, and a multitude of religious and philosophical insights. A River Could Be a Tree: A Memoir is a fascinating story of struggle, doubt, and finally, personal fulfillment. Angela Himsel is a freelance writer based in New York City whose work has appeared in _The New York Times, The Jewish Week, the Forward, Lilith Magazine, BOMB Magazine _and several other outlets. Her weekly column “Angetevka” on Zeek.net examined her life as an observant Jew on Manhattan’s Upper West Side against the backdrop of her fundamentalist Christian upbringing in Jasper, Indiana. For this body of work, Himsel received the American Jewish Press Association’s Rockower Award for Excellence in Commentary. She holds a BA in religious studies from Indiana University, which included a two-year stint studying at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and also has an MFA in creative writing from The City College of New York. Himsel is represented by The Deborah Harris Agency. More information can be found at AngelaHimsel.com. Special Guest: Angela Himsel.

Wednesday, November 21st, 2018 On today's episode of XRAY In The Morning: (1 ) News With Friends, with Emily Gilliland and Lillian Karabaic, (2) It's a special Thanksgiving episode of Everything is Interesting, with Keera & Kira, (3) Emily speaks with author Angela Himsel about her latest book, A River Could Be A Tree, (4) We listen back to an older interview, between Emily and author Mark Anderson, in which they discuss The Clash. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! We'll be back next week.

How did Angela Himsel make the transformation from rural Indiana and apocalyptic, fundamentalist Christianity to the Upper West Side of Manhattan and observant Judaism? Her new memoir, A River Could Be A Tree (Fig Tree Books) chronicles that process, bringing to life a story of family and discovery. I talk with the award-winning columnist about how she came to Judaism from the Worldwide Church of God, when she met Jews for the first time, what Israel means to her, and what she considers the weirdest aspect of Judaism. We get into the difference between seeing the world as the emanation of God and seeing it as the Devil's playground, her conversion to Philip Roth-ism, the beautiful family secret she uncovered in the process of writing her book, the decision to include her terrible teenage poetry in the memoir, why God may need therapy, and the Rapture-based prank she and her siblings still pull on each other. • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal