Author Event with Dr. Beth Ricanati, Abby Stern and Samantha Ettus

Zibby's Bookshop is excited to welcome Dr. Beth Ricanati, Abby Stern, and Samantha Ettus for a conversation about Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs, On Being Jewish Now, and the stories that connect us. Join us for an inspiring evening of discussion, community, and celebration.

About the speakers:

Dr. Beth Ricanati: a board-certified internist, has spent her career focused on improving the well-being of her patient’s lives, in traditional medical clinics, wellness programs, and now as an author/speaker. She has worked at the NY Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic. At the Cleveland Clinic, she led a groundbreaking lifestyle modification program called LifeStyle 180 and today she volunteers weekly at the Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles, the largest clinic in the country for the underserved.

She received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She currently speaks and gives workshops (both live and digitally) around the country, based on the premise of her award-winning book, Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs. Her audiences have included for example medical students, corporations, faith-based groups, and schools.

Abby Stern has almost 20 years of experience working as a writer and journalist. She has contributed to People magazine since 2007 and specializes in writing about entertainment, fashion, beauty, and other lifestyle content. She holds a B.A. in Theater from the University of Southern California where she was a Film Critical Studies minor. Her writing has been published in People, Entertainment Weekly, In Style, Yahoo, The Zoe Report, Poosh, and FabFit Fun, among others. Abby’s debut novel, According to a Source, was published by St. Martin’s Press to rave reviews. Goop called it, “a fast, witty book with a dose of gravitas.”

Samantha Ettus In the wake of October 7th, Samantha Ettus found herself in the unexpected position of becoming “an accidental activist.” While previously recognized for her work empowering women as a speaker, bestselling author, and TV contributor, she refocused her endeavors to combat antisemitism and mobilize the Jewish community.

Early this year, Sam launched the 2024 New Voices campaign, enlisting a combination of non-Jewish and Jewish celebrities and influencers from Cindy Crawford to NBA star Zach Randolph to speak out through an Instagram account that has now reached millions of people worldwide. Sam is also known for bringing unfiltered news to her audience via her own popular social media accounts and her Substack newsletter: The Jewsletter. She is a producer of the new documentary, October H8te.

A renowned speaker, Sam has spoken on hundreds of stages across America from TEDx to Fortune 500 companies and Jewish Federations. She has appeared on countless TV shows including the TODAY Show, Access Hollywood, NBC News, Dr. Phil, Cavuto Live and Good Morning America. She has been featured and quoted in every major media outlet including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and Fortune. Sam earned both her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard. She is a proud mom of three teenagers.

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