If what every Jewish woman needs is great accessories, a bissel Yiddish and copious chutzpah, she need look no further than Lisa Alcalay Klug's new book, Hot Mamalah: The Ultimate Guide for Every Woman of the Tribe. "Jewesses with Attitude” [JWA] talked to Klug [SK] about her irreverent look at what she calls “Hot Mamalah-tude.” 

JWA: What prompted you to write Hot Mamalah?

LK: When I was writing my first book, Cool Jew, I realized there was so much more that speaks specifically to the experiences of American Jewish women. That story has never been told or celebrated in a spoof on a lifestyle manual showing readers how to love every aspect of being a Jewish woman.

JWA: Who is a Mamalah and what makes her hot?

LK: A Mamalah has one foot rooted in tradition and another in today. She knows who she is, what she stands for and how to celebrate it. She fully embraces who she is as a woman and as a Jew. And she’s beautiful in every way: inside and out. A Mamalah is hot because she summons up the fire in her belly that we all have. She takes that fire to know what she wants and, then, to go for it. A hot Mamalah is the woman who wakes up in the morning determined to conquer what terrifies her. She might say, “Today, I’m going to ask for a raise. Today, I’m going to rebrand myself.” Or “Today, I’m finally going to let him propose.”

JWA: Who needs to read this book and why?

LK: This book is for every woman who lives life with confidence, charm, and chutzpah… or aspires to! A Hot Mamalah summons up the fire in her belly instantly with three critical tools: humor, playfulness, and Yiddish. Yiddish is naturally filled with enough humor and playfulness to make you a hotter Mamalah in minutes. It also helps a hot Mammal gets her point across with a lot of grace and more than little chutzpah.

Of course, any hot Mamalah could, at times, be plagued by doubt. That's a normal part of being a human being. But a truly hot Mamalah is not going to worry about what other people think. She is not going to be intimidated by the buxom co-worker who always gets want she wants, the sexy mommy on the playground, or the snotty saleswoman at Nordstrom's. She is the kind of woman who has an amazing ability to overcome her challenges with an uncanny know-how. She's just irresistible. You just can't help but love a hot Mamalah.

JWA: What was your greatest joy in writing Mamalah?

LK: My greatest joy in writing this book was when I saw the look on my niece’s face when I finally presented it to her. She’s only 10. It was a very touching moment for us both when she saw the book’s dedication page, “To Makayla.”

JWA: What’s Jewish about this book?

LK: What’s not Jewish about it?