Tami Lehman-Wilzig has had a fantastic year with 3 books published! Read this author Interview with Tami Lehman-Wilzig as she discusses On the Wings of Eagles, Rembrandt’s Blessing and The Henna Helper. These are great books that share the diversity of Jewish history and culture.

About Tami Lehman-Wilzig

Tami began her writing career as a an English language copy writer in Israel, but eventually she transitioned to writing books for children. The award-winning children’s book author has sixteen English language books published. As she says on her website, “Writing has been my passion for a very long time. My other passion is my Jewish heritage. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to combine the two so that I can share both passions with you.”

Interview with Tami Lehman-Wilzig

I am excited because Tami has agreed to talk about her recently published books. Tami, thank you for taking time for this interview. You have been quite fortunate and published several books this year.

New Books

On the Wings of Eagles

Julie: I am always interested in how a story came about. On the Wings of Eagles is based on Operation Magic Carpet, an international effort that rescued nearly 50,000 Yemenite Jews from danger in 1949 and 1950. What sparked your interest in this story?

Tami: Believe it or not, the first spark came in 2017, when Alaska Airlines pilot Elgin Long visited Israel. It was covered in all of the Israeli press because he was the last surviving crew member of the famous “Operation Magic Carpet” that airlifted 49,000 Yemenite Jews to safety in Israel. He came to meet the people he had saved. It was a very emotional reunion, but what grabbed my attention was Alaska Airlines. Who knew that was the airline involved?!? Like so many Israelis, I assumed it was El Al, so for me that was an Aha! picture book moment. I knew that American Jewish children had to know this story.

Julie: Historical fiction requires a lot of research. What did your research process entail? I was also surprised when I read that Alaska airlines was involved in the airlift. Did you discover how that company became involved in the first place?You based the character of the pilot on a real participant of the airlift. Did you know anything about him when you wrote the story?I understand that your search for interviewees actually ended up close to home, with a direct influence on the story. Tell us about that.

Tami: Wow! That’s a lot to recount.  Let’s start with the Alaska Airlines part. It was not the major airline it is today. While researching this part of the story, I found out that at the time it billed itself as “The Largest Unscheduled Airline.” The JDC – Joint Distribution Committee – contacted Alaska Airlines about airlifting the Yemenite Jews, because they knew it was already involved in another airlift – that of Jews living in Shanghai, many of whom were Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi persecution. It was the end of the Chinese Civil War, a time of great uncertainty and they needed to flee again.  Alaska Airlines was airlifting them to Israel. I then read as many articles as possible about the Yemenite airlift and along the way discovered that Darragh Metzger, the daughter of Warren Metzger (another pilot involved in the airlift) wrote a book about it called “Alaska Over Israel.” I bought it and gobbled it up. Darragh’s mother Marian was a flight hostess on the mission. In fact, that’s how her parents met, and the book is full of their recollections of the year-and-a-half airlift. What a treasure chest this book was for me! The airlift came alive, and I was so taken by Warren Metzger that I named the pilot in my book after him.

As an aside, you’ll be interested to know that my research on the airlift and the Metzger couple came full circle this past June. Alaska Airlines and the Jewish community of Anchorage flew me to Anchorage to present my book. It was a packed house, and who sat in the front row? Warren and Marian Metzger’s three adult children! This was a thrill for me. I told Darragh that her book had a tremendous impact on my story. She in turn told me and the audience that the year-and-a-half airlift was the highlight of her parents’ life. Meeting her and her brothers was simply amazing.

But back to your question(s). My search for adults who were children on the airlift. There is a Yemenite Heritage Center in Rosh HaAyin. I held several discussions with them, and they gave me names to contact, which I did. Somehow, not one of them clicked. Either their memory was foggy, or they had a hard time expressing themselves. Don’t forget the airlift just celebrated its 75^th anniversary, so many of the names given to me are by now elderly with their own challenges. My cleaning lady, Simmi, is a Yemenite-Israeli born here. I adore her and we often shmooze, so I told her about my frustration, not at all thinking she would have the solution. But she did. She broadly smiled and said: “I never told you that my oldest sister was born in Yemen and came here on Operation Wings of Eagles? BTW: this is how Israelis refer to Operation Magic Carpet. Back to Simmi. My eyes bulged. I asked: “she remembers it?” and Simmi answered: “Every detail.” She opened her phone, called her sister Leah and the next week we had our first meeting. For me, listening to Leah recount her story was the highlight of my research.

Rembrandt’s Blessing 

Julie: Rembrandt’s Blessing  is a fascinating historical fiction about the famous painter. What inspired this story? How did you turn this connection between the artist and his neighbors into a story for children?

Tami: The inspiration for this book was my first visit to Rembrandt’s House in Amsterdam, twenty years ago. There was one room that was devoted to Jewish portraits. I was blown over and asked the docent why. Her answer blew me over even more. They were Rembrandt’s neighbors! That piqued my interest. When my husband and I returned to Israel I began researching and found out that Professor Steven Nadler wrote a book entitled “Rembrandt’s Jews.” So I bought it. Another book that I gobbled up. Then I read endless articles on Rembrandt and his Jewish neighbors, and let my imagination take its course on how to create a story for children. BTW: last year my husband and I returned to Amsterdam and Rembrandt’s house. It had undergone a renovation and the room with the Jewish portraits was no longer there. Instead, some of the paintings and sketches were spread over different rooms.

The Henna Helper

Julie: The Henna Helper tells the story of a young girl as she learns about the Yemenite henna ceremony. What inspired you to write about a henna ceremony? I love how the main character comes around to appreciate tradition. Was this an important part of the story for you?

Tami: This was definitely an important part of the story. Gali is the classic immigrant offspring who wants to be modern, and pooh-poohs old fashioned customs. My aim is to show kids in a fun and friendly way that traditions are part of what makes us who we are. What inspired me to write a story on a Henna ceremony? To begin with, witnessing and taking part in this custom was one of our very first Israeli experiences. Two months after we made Aliyah we were invited to a Henna ceremony by a wonderful Yemenite lady named Yonah, who at the time was part of our life. Her daughter was getting married, and she told us that we had to come to her daughter’s Henna. We were totally clueless when we arrived, and in total awe by the time we left. Over the past 48 years we have attended several Henna ceremonies. I know that American Jews have never experienced anything like it, so when “On the Wings of Eagles” was ready to go to press and Dena Neusner, Executive Editor at Behrman House and Apples & Honey Press, asked if I could write another story about Yemenite-Israelis I knew exactly the direction it would take.

Diversity

Julie: There has been a big push in children’s literature recently to showcase diversity. But I am curious. Rembrandt’s neighbors were Sephardic Jews, and the other two books are about Yemenites. You are Ashkenazi, a Jew with European heritage. How did you end up telling these stories?

Tami: For starters, I have my own distant Sephardi roots. My father was Viennese, but his original family name was not Lehman. It was Sprinzeles, a name that evolved from Esperanza to a more German sounding surname that unfortunately, the Nazis knew was Jewish. My father insisted that his ancestors were Portuguese Jews who eventually arrived in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and assimilated into Ashkenazi culture. I always questioned the authenticity of this claim until my husband and I moved to Israel, and I met numerous Austrian cousins all telling the same story. Beyond the personal “connection,” Israel is one gigantic Jewish melting pot, and I love it! At the beginning of my career as a children’s book author, Israel served as my open lab for writing my books “Passover Around the World,” Hanukkah Around the World,” and my digital story-lesson plan series “Shabbat Around the World.” I’m not into cultural appropriation. I’m into interest, solid research, and real people. So what if I’m Ashkenazi?! My grandchildren are part Ashkenazi, part Kurdi, and part Iraqi. Getting to know and appreciate each other’s culture is part of what makes Israel so special. In fact, I recently heard that there are now Ashkenazim holding Henna ceremonies…and there are Ashkenazim that attend Mimouna celebrations…I could go on…..

Other Books

Julie: You were an advertising copywriter. How did you end up a children’s author?

Tami: My love affair with children’s literature began when I was a university student. Writing children’s stories eventually became a hobby and I was constantly reading them to my children. When the Second Intifada broke out (in the early 2000s) the volume of my work in advertising went down precipitously and I found myself with a lot of time on my hands, so I decided  to try to get published. Because of my advertising background I understood marketing. I knew that there were a lot of bible story books out there  for children. I also knew that there a lot of cookbooks for children. I researched the market and found that at the time there was not one book that combined the two. And so “Tasty Bible Stories” was born.

Julie: Your website tagline says: “Books that Get You Involved”. Can you explain?

Tami: During the first half of my career as a children’s book author, I wrote several books that had added value, meaning recipes to cook, activities to do, even back-of-the-book blank pages for readers to write their own stories. So as a copywriter I coined the slogan “Books that Get You Involved.” I feel that my current and more recent books get readers involved because they are on people or topics not ordinarily covered, and engage readers in a different way.

Julie: I always ask authors, “What’s in the pipeline?” What stories can we look forward to in the future?

Tami: I am currently working on a story dealing with a very important female bible figure who has never been covered in a picture book. I’m also juggling two other manuscripts: one about a female Israeli scientist and a second that takes place in Italy several centuries ago. And I’m toying with a story that takes place in Japan, and another story connected to the IDF that I think kids will love. Did I tell you that I have a hyperactive mind?

Storybook Lady
Reviews

On the Wings of Eagles

Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Alisha Monnin (illustrator)

It was 1949, and the Jews of Yemen were in danger. In Exodus, the Jewish people were carried to safely ‘on eagles wings”. This historical fiction picture book is based on the true story of Operation On Wings of Eagles. Between June 1949 and September 1950, Alaska Airlines airlifted 49,000 Yemenite Jews to the new state of Israel. The author, Tami Lehman-Wilzig chose to relate this event by telling the story of one young Yemenite girl. This story, filled with details and illustrated by the talented Alisha Monnin carry the reader back seventy-five years to the deserts of Yemen and the port city of Aden. In the current political environment, it is important that people realize that Jews have been in danger throughout history all over the world, and that Israel offers the safety that many see

Rembrandt’s Blessing

Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Anita Barghigiani (Illustrator)

n “Rembrandt’s Blessing”, author Tami Lehman-Wilzig brings art history to life. Classical art is not a typical subject for picture books, but Lehman-Wilzig has created a story based on the few known facts about the painter’s friendship with Rabbi Manashe Ben Israel. When Jews were forced to leave Spain and Portugal in the fifteenth century many fled to Amsterdam. Many people are familiar with Rembrandt but may not realize that the seventeenth century artist made his home in Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter. Many of Rembrandt’s works depicted Biblical scenes and the artist would have people of the book pose for his paintings. Lehman-Wilzig has written a historical fiction with children as integral characters. By writing a story that has kids who befriend Rembrandt, the author helps children relate to the story. Readers learn about the artist’s penchant for Biblical stories and his friendship with his Jewish neighbors in Amsterdam. In this story, we see a beautiful Jewish tradition which served as an inspiration for one of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings. Artist Anita Barghigiani uses colorful realistic illustrations which set the mood and capture the historical setting. Her depictions of Rembrandt’s work which appear within the illustrations are fantastic representations of these masterpieces. As an added bonus the afterward with the historical nature of the story is written at the same reading level as the book, making it accessible to young readers as well as adults. This picture book which is aimed at school aged children from k- 3, will enlighten and entertain young history buffs and art fans.

The Henna Helper

Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Yinon Ptahia (illustrator)

The Henna Helper is a sweet book that celebrates the ancient prewedding tradition of the henna ceremony. The author Tami Lehman-Wilzig shows us this beautiful tradition through the eyes of a young girl. Like many children she resists old traditions and only welcomes the new. Gali is excited because she is going to be a flower girl, but she is upset that her grandmother has not made her new flower girl dress yet. Savta is busy preparing for the henna which takes place the week beforehand. “Our family doesn’t live in Yemen anymore. Yael is a modern Israeli! Why is she having a henna?” However as Gali helps Savta prepare for the ceremony, she begins to appreciate it and the reader learns all the beautiful customs that are involved. The mostly earth tone illustrations by Yinon Ptahia are reminiscent of the henna tattoo and the pops of bright reds, oranges and gold show off the beauty of the Yemenite ceremony. An afterward provides more information about henna and Yemenite Jews. This book adds to the growing number of picture books that show the diversity within the Jewish community. Mizrahi Jews with a Middle Eastern or North African heritage will welcome a picture book that reflects their family traditions. Others will learn about a beautiful custom and learn the value of tradition in this modern world.

Picture Book
Setting – Israel modern day
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Apples & Honey Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎October 28, 2025
Print length: ‏32 pages

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