Dr. Ellen Frankel served for eighteen years as Editor in Chief and CEO of The Jewish Publication Society. She received her BA from the University of Michigan and her PhD in Comparative Literature from Princeton University.

She is the author of fourteen books, among them The Classic Tales; The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols; and The Five Books of Miriam. Her JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible won a National Jewish Book Award. In 2023, she won the Jewish Book Council’s Mentorship Award.

She has written librettos for chamber pieces with various composers, including two operas: Slaying the Dragon with Michael Ching, and The Triangle Fire with Leonard Lehrman.

Frankel is currently working on The Jerusalem Mystery Series featuring Israeli intelligence agent Maya Rimon. The Deadly Scrolls and The Hyena Murders were published in 2022.

Frankel lives in Sarasota and Maine with her husband, Herb Levine.