Shai Afsai (shaiafsai.com) lives in Providence. In addition to fiction, poetry, and playwriting, his recent work has focused on the writings of Thomas Paine, Zionist historiography, “the bride is beautiful but she is married to another man” stories, Jews and Freemasonry, Benjamin Franklin’s influence on Jewish thought and practice, religious traditions of the Beta Yisrael Jewish community from Ethiopia, Jewish observance and identity in Nigeria, aliyah to Israel from Rhode Island, Jewish pilgrimage to Ukraine, Jewish-Polish relations, Jews and Irish literature, the works of Gerry Mc Donnell, Judaism in Northern Ireland, and musar literature.