Anna Maxted is a novelist and journalist.
Most significant Jewish moment?
I was about to interview Dr Jonathan Sacks for the JC. I was 22. An associate of the Chief Rabbi greeted me. I went to shake hands. He seemed to back away, and I bleated: “Sorry!” realising that if he were very religious, I’d made a blunder. “No,” he said, “I’m just holding the door open for you.”
Which biblical character would you like to meet, and why?
Samson —– there’s a whiff of Hamlet about him. He’s an endearing mixture of strength and weakness.
Favourite mitzvah?
Not to test the Prophet unduly.
Israel for me is…
Precious times spent with my grandparents in Haifa as a child. Every memory is cherished.
Last time you went to synagogue?
The last time I went I was better behaved than when I was seven — I disgraced myself then by laughing during the blowing of the Shofar. It was my sister’s fault.
Favourite Jewish book?
Betrayal by Sasha Blake — a Jewish bonkbuster. All I can say is, I like it for personal reasons.