Naomi Gryn is a film-maker and writer. She was born on New Year's Eve 1960 in New York, the second daughter of Rabbi Hugo Gryn who was later rabbi of the West London Synagogue and a much-loved broadcaster. Several of her films and radio programmes have touched on the Holocaust and other Jewish themes. Resident in central London but a frequent visitor to Israel, she loves the Jewish practices that pervade her daily life but allows her spirit to be moved by a wider faith than that devotion implies.
"Sometimes God lets us down, too." Oh? Isn't God by definition the One that doesn't let you down? "There are hurricanes, famines, diseases, accidents. Shit happens. What's best for the individual isn't always in the best interests of the collective. We're tied into a constantly evolving ecosystem with God at the helm. Sometimes God acts like a parent, sometimes like a partner, and just like any relationship, sometimes God lets us down."
"What I hope is that by steadfastly living my own style, declaring myself 100% authentically Jewish I can encourage other people, especially women, to be confident that whether or not they keep every minute observance, they too are legitimate Jews. Do it with pride! And if you don't like it, don't do it! And in my deepening awareness of Muslim culture, I see clear reflections of my own. I can understand how, just as Islam offers a language to access spirituality, so Judaism offers the same to me."