Yearning for Jerusalem in Jerusalem
Rachel Zamir grew up in a Lubavitch family in Stalinist Leningrad. Far from an easy combination. Jews caught observing their religion could be exiled to labor camps in Siberia, or far, far worse. But young Rachel’s parents were determined to raise their three children as Jews, despite the risks. The highlight of Rachel’s childhood was […]
Read MoreAn Ex-Prisoner’s Guide to Passing Life’s Tests
Yesterday I heard such a moving talk on Chazak Hotline (phone numbers below) by a man named Yerachmiel, a religious father who spent 3 years in a federal prison after he was convicted of insider trading. There was so much wisdom in this talk, based on the many things Yerachmiel learned during his painful imprisonment, […]
Read MoreThe Fire that Nearly Consumed my Daughter’s High School
This past week Israel has been battling one of the most fierce and wide-spread waves of fires in its history. One of the worst-hit communities in the country has been Neve Tsuf (AKA Halamish), where the fire (which, like many of the fires nationwide, was set by Palestinian arsonists) burnt the homes of 20 families […]
Read MoreCommitment Brings Happiness (10-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
The findings of Happiness researcher Dan Gilbert on the Commitment-Happiness connection.
Read MoreWhen a Jewish Mother Gives Birth
I mentioned that my dear friends just had babies last week. And our conversations ever since have reminded me that birth and recovering from birth can range from challenging to downright brutal. This morning, my friend told me, “You know how we read at the bris, ‘B’Damayich Chayee’– through your blood you will live?’ Well, […]
Read MoreSocks vs. No Socks
I was really relieved to find a ride back to Jerusalem from my daughter’s high school, saving me an hour and a half shlep to and on the bus home. And then the mother driving started talking about a topic which is of great importance to her: Socks. At that school, she said, the girls […]
Read MoreMy Daughter’s Family Photos
On Sunday, I traveled to Maayan’s high school for a mother-daughter event. In her 9th-grade classroom, all the mothers sat beside their daughters and introduced themselves. As far as I could tell, Maayan is the only girl in her class with a mother born outside of Israel. And if my BT-radar was accurate (as it […]
Read MoreSomething Cool About My New Glasses
Last week, I took Moriah to choose out new glasses, after her old lenses got chipped three (THREE!) times during recess. The French storeowner looked at me, and then said to Moriah, “I see your mother likes the newest styles, and we actually are having a sale on the newest fashion in glasses over here…Come […]
Read MoreBeing a Spiritual Heroine (15-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
The miraculous impact of going high when your family members go low. If you cannot view Youtube video, download video from google drive.
Read MoreHaving Another Baby?
For many years I’ve had 3 learning partners, and this has been a busy time for all of them. One of them, Sara Debbie (as you read last week) is recovering from running the NY Marathon. And the other two, Efrat and Chaya, gave birth this week to baby girls. In fact, they even overlapped […]
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