Author Judy Pex is nearly as besotted about writing as I am. Part of my trip to Israel last Christmas involved time in beautiful Eilat on the Red Sea, that she calls home. We caught up together and I interviewed her about her writerly life and four books.
JUDY – JEWISH BELIEVER
Judy, daughter of a Ukrainian-Polish secular Jewish family from Washington DC, came to believe in Jesus/Yeshua while visiting Israel as a young woman . She met and married a Dutchman, John, and 46 years ago they made Aliyah (immigrated) and came to live in Eilat, then a small town but that is rapidly expanding into a burgeoning city today. There they have raised their 4 children.
WALK THE LAND
Together, they have founded a believer community and The Shelter Hostel, that they own and run.
‘Walk the Land’ was Judy’s first book. She wrote it after she and John hiked the 1000-km/600-mile Israel trail. “This was a life-changing walk that turned me into an author. I journaled every night. ” The book has proven an inspiration to anyone walking the trail. It has been translated into German, Dutch and Hebrew.
“I wrote the book without using Christian jargon. It’s a great book to give to Jewish friends.” One of Judy’s friends has said, “Reading this book was the first time I realized I should consider Jesus.”
I have seen Judy giving the book in Hebrew to Israeli backpackers at The Shelter.
The Shelter became what is known as a Trail Angel after Judy and John heard on the trail about Trail Angels, dedicated to helping people who travel the trail, a great boon in the more dangerous areas of Israel, such as the Negev Desert, where the heat is intense and it can be hard to find water.
“My second book was about Sudanese refugees and their challenges.” ‘A People Tall and Smooth’ can be found in all the USA’s prime academic libraries.
Judy’s third book was the story of The Shelter, the founding and running of which has been a lifelong passion for her and John.
Judy’s latest book is a novel, her first after three non-fiction works.
TO BELONG
‘To Belong’ is set in Eilat. “It’s about a Messianic family who find themselves foster parents of two Sudanese children.” It charts struggles, internal and external, with the authorities. Released September 1, 2022 in English, it will soon be available in German and in Hebrew. “I am excited about this,” she says, “because there are very very few novels written by Israeli believers.”
‘To Belong’ is fairly autobiographical, so it’s no surprise that Judy calls it her current fave among her books. “I want to write more: I am attached to my characters and I want to continue.”
Sounds like a sequel may be on its way…
All Judy’s books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. She writes as Judith Gablum Pex.
