Don’t Give Up

Dr. Michelle Grunin shares about pursuing an advanced degree in Genetics as an Observant Jewish mom.

By Penina Taylor

Professionally she’s Michelle Grunin, but to those that know her, both in real life and online, she’s Efrat. Though for many years when other Orthodox women would ask her what she did for a living, Michelle would answer that she “worked in a lab”, the truth is that Dr. Grunin does so much more than that. No, technically, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t entirely the truth, either. This is the reality of highly educated professional women who move in circles that would be considered more “to the right” on the Jewish religious scale, or at least until recently. Things are changing, and the changes are good.

Michelle grew up in a religious home but with a very religiously diverse family. Her parents became baalei teshuva (those who become religious after having not been) when her three brothers were older, but before she was born. Practically this means that regardless of how Michelle chooses to identify herself, she’s very accepting of Jews (and non-Jews for that matter) of all different affiliations.

She grew up in Chicago (first the suburbs, then the city) in a family with deep roots in Chicago. Because of her parents’ love for Israel, and their desire to ultimately retire there, Michelle spent a lot of time visiting Israel growing up. Like many Orthodox girls, after high school, Michelle spent a year at seminary in Israel, and then returned to the US for college. But immediately after graduation she made Aliyah. About five years later her parents retired and came to Israel as well.