Our Unforgettable London Encounter
Josh and I saw a lot of impressive sites in London–the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament. Majestic, wonderful! But my mind keeps on wandering back to one thing I saw that doesn’t appear in any guide book. While walking above the Thames, on our way to a walking tour of “Jewish […]
Read MoreMother Surprises Soldier Son (45-Second Moving Video)
Not sure any mother can watch this without getting tears in her eyes (I certainly couldn’t). Logan Brenner made aliya on his own from the US, and just completed the 8-month course in combat engineering. At the ceremony marking the course’s completion, a surprise awaits him. Watching this reminds me, no matter how big our […]
Read MoreWhat I Heard a London JewishMUM Saying to her Kids
Josh and I had a fantastic mini-vacation in London sightseeing and enjoying the hospitality and company of our hosts, Rachel and Stuart Fink of Hendon, in the heart of London’s vibrant Jewish community. At Shabbat lunch, I asked a fellow guest, an American mother and teacher who’s been in the UK for almost 2 decades, […]
Read MoreMy Daughter Under Fire
My 14-year-old daughter, Moriah, is a 9th grader at a wonderful ulpana, a boarding school for religious girls, in the south of Israel. Yesterday afternoon, on the way to attend a special event there for the mothers, I felt my shoulder muscles, which have been so clenched up over the last few weeks with the […]
Read MoreWhat Yoni Wants Me To Bring Him Back from London
My husband’s going to London this week to interview potential students for next year. And I (woo-hoo!) am going with. So I asked my kids what presents they want me to bring them home from the UK. 9-year-old Tsofia wants a stuffed animal to join the zoo at the bottom of her bed. 7-year-old Yaakov […]
Read MoreWhat the Bat Mitzvah Girl’s Mother Told Her
I once attended a bat mitzvah, and the mother said something I will never forget to her daughter. She said, “Never forget that the spiritual DNA of all the matriarchs flows through your veins. Sara’s vision. Rivka’s strength. Rachel’s self-sacrifice. Leah’s power of prayer. Miriam’s song. Devora’s wisdom. You hold all of that, and more, […]
Read More