Juliene Berk

Juliene Berk was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, the youngest of seven children. From childhood she wanted to know about her parents’ life in Roumania before they came to America in the first years of the 20th century. The answers to her ceaseless questions gave her both a fascinating picture and an insatiable appetite to learn more. For 22 years Juliene collected and wrote down stories about the early Jewish immigrants in the South--her family was among the pioneer Jewish settlers of Florida--and the life of her grandparents in Europe as well. Her research, including a trip throughout Roumania and extensive oral interviews, furnished the raw material from which she wrote her stories, a play entitled YANKEL IN AMERICA and a memoir/​biography--CALL HER BLESSED--recounting the story of her mother’s life in Europe and America. CALL HER BLESSED portrays those times and places with historical accuracy and evokes the life of a fascinating, loving and extraordinary human being… a woman who embodied the legendary attributes of the Victorian Jewish woman at her very best.

Juliene is a writer and playwright who resides in New York City. She attended The Juilliard School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University. She has published three books and a number of short stories. Her first book, THE DOWN COMFORTER,was published by St. Martin's Press in hardcover and in paperback by Avon Books. On a seven city national book tour, she made many personal appearances on TV and Radio interview shows.