By 
Screenshot
By Miriam Gershenson
Along with holding a garage sale to get rid of her chametz over Pesach, Stephanie promised her family (particularly her long-suffering mother-oy!) a hiatus from being the subject matter of her humor. Her regular column will return next month, but meanwhile we delve into the meshuganah mind of the maven who creates mirth and mayhem for Mazel and Mishagoss!
For the past ten years, Stephanie Lewis has been a fixture in L’CHAIM Magazine, bringing humor to the community with her witty and sharp column Mazel & Mishagoss. But her journey as a writer didn’t start there. In fact, it began much earlier—with a handmade neighborhood magazine called The Stephanie Scribbler that she created as a child, slipping handmade copies under the doormats of every neighbor on the block.
Writing was always her way of standing out. With an athletic brother who garnered all their father’s praise, Stephanie found her own way to shine through words. A simple rhyming assignment in fourth grade caught the attention of her teacher, sparking a lifelong love of writing. That love ultimately led her to major in English with an emphasis in writing, a foundation that would serve her well in the years to come.
Before securing her own column in L’CHAIM, Stephanie contributed four or five general articles to the magazine. But when she met Diane Benaroya, the editor, the two decided to try something different: a humor column. That experiment has now spanned a decade, with Stephanie taking pride in never having repeated a joke or a line. Her humor spans a variety of topics, from funny makeup tips to the hilarity of hitting menopause, and she keeps her content relevant to the time of year to encompass the holidays.
Stephanie’s writing career extends far beyond L’Chaim Magazine. Her humor has graced the pages of The Huffington Post and Jewlarious, Aish HaTorah’s digital platform. As a mother of six (ages 21 to 34), her children often find themselves the unwitting stars of her columns—much to their annoyance. Her mother, now in her 80s, also makes regular appearances in her writing, proving that no family member is safe from her comedic observations.
While humor is her forte, Stephanie’s storytelling extends to the stage as well. She’s an accomplished playwright who has been entering (and winning) playwriting contests since COVID. Her first competition, in Carlsbad, centered on the theme of isolation, but it was in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where she claimed victory. The challenge: write a 10-minute play that includes a horn honking sound. Her winning entry, A Loaded Question, unfolded in a marriage counselor’s office, where a couple with small children clashed over the husband’s gun ownership. The play’s shocking conclusion—where the mother turns the gun on the father before the lights cut to black and a gunshot rings out—earned it the audience favorite award.
Another notable 10-minute play of hers took a lighter tone. Written for a JCC contest, it followed two non-Jewish women working in Hallmark’s Jewish holiday card department, hilariously bungling the holidays until a rabbi finally shut down their operation. Her collection of 10-minute plays, aptly titled Twisted, became a success off-off-Broadway in New York, thanks to its signature twist endings.
More recently, Stephanie has expanded into musicals. Her first show features a structured Act 1 followed by an improv-driven Act 2, where audiences vote on the storyline’s continuation—a format that has sold out performances in Nevada. She’s currently working on a second musical about female friendships, humorously exploring the spectrum from sisterhood to “mean girls.” The show’s characters—women singing in yoga studios, hair salons, and restaurants—highlight relatable personalities, from the gossip to the woman with no filter. As with her previous work, the audience will decide how Act 2 unfolds.
Beyond publishing and theater, Stephanie is also a novelist. Her book, Lullabies and Alibis, tells the true story of a woman desperate to have a daughter after a life surrounded by boys. The novel is available on Amazon for those looking to dive into her longer-form storytelling.
Stephanie’s greatest supporter in writing was her father, who passed away 20 years ago. Before his passing, he left her an inheritance to be used for a passion project. Honoring his memory, Stephanie has dedicated all ticket sales from her productions to supporting theaters and the arts. In doing so, she ensures that her father’s legacy lives on—not just in the words she writes but in the creative spaces she helps sustain.
With an impressive career including humor columns, award-winning plays, musicals, and a novel, Stephanie’s storytelling continues to evolve. And if her track record is any indication, she has plenty more stories—filled with laughter, twists, and heart—to share with the world.
Miriam Gershenson is a writer exploring a range of topics with a focus on culture, creativity, and human stories.
Comments