Joel ben Izzy

Website : www.storypage.com
Residence : Berkeley, California

Biographical information

For nearly twenty years, Joel ben Izzy traveled the world, gathering and telling tales in twenty-five countries. His specialty had always been Jewish stories, ranging from his own adaptations of biblical tales, to stories of the fools of Chelm, along with his own original stories.

Then, a few years back, Joel's own story took a strangely ironic turn, when he found he had thyroid cancer. Thought to be a treatable form of the disease, in his case there was a strange complication; when he awoke, he discovered he could no longer speak. At first the doctors thought the loss was temporary, but after two months they informed him he would not be able to speak again.

So begins the remarkable and inspiring story that Joel recounts in his new book, The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness. He takes us on a journey into a world of stories, following the twists and turns of his own life, leading up to the strangest twist of all; eighteen months after the loss of his voice, when he finally came to terms with the fact he would never be able to speak again, his voice was miraculously restored to him.

Once again able to speak, storyteller Joel ben Izzy has an amazing story to tell, filled with stories, tales of curses that turn to blessings and of finding light within the darkness. In the process, he weaves tales, both Jewish and international, to bring humor and wisdom to audiences around the world, to help others find meaning in the challenges of daily life.

Tailoring his presentation to the needs of any audience, Joel does what the Jewish people have long done--using stories to help bring meaning to life, making him a true, modern-day maggid.

Discussion topics

• What seems like a curse may be a blessing…--Filled with humor and stories from Joel's own journey, this is a talk about how we, as Jews, use stories to squeeze meaning from misery.
• People Make Plans and God Laughs--Again, drawing on his own adventures in life, Joel uses stories to take those in the audience on a philosophical voyage, helping them to laugh along with the almighty.

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