What a topsy-turvy week this has been for Israeli politics.  Just a few days ago, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made it clear that he was moving towards early elections, and initiated legislation in the Knesset to send Israel to the polls the first week of September.  Then just this morning, Netanyahu announced a new unity […]

The child of a mixed marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew will always be confused, will lack a clear identity and will have trouble relating to God.

  My friend and neighbor, Lenny, is back at work this week after taking off for the week-long Passover holiday.  Lenny is the creator, owner, manager and chief baker for his bakery, here in Karnei Shomron, and Passover, with its strict and inherent prohibitions against eating leavened bread, gives him a forced vacation!  But during […]

Today is the day after Passover and everything goes back to normal.  Last night we were up late washing and drying dishes, putting away the Passover dishes and taking out the regular dishes, stripping the beds from the company that stayed with us for the holiday, and starting on the mounds of laundry that always […]

  Here in Colorado Springs a major event each year during Easter season is the performance of “The Thorn”. This is a reenactment of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. I’ve always struggled with this “passion play’ because I’m aware of the violent history that has been associated with Passion Plays. For many centuries Christians have […]

  It is a daily occurrence to find news stories which loudly proclaim that Israel has no right to exist and that Palestine is the true, just and rightful country in the Holy Land. Just last week, I saw someone had posted on our Facebook page, “Jerusalem the Eternal Capital of Palestine!” So, I decided […]

  The rains started last week. It was a long dry spell—too long– and when the meteorologists started predicting a storm, it was all people could talk about. The anticipation in the air was almost celebratory… as if an important guest was coming to town, or a popular sporting event was about to begin. The […]

July 2011   I just came home from being abroad for six days. The trip was my mother’s idea and it was an incredible one! My mother, my two sisters, Judy and Batya, and my brother-in-law  Richie, live in America, all in the New York area, and my husband and I live in Israel. It’s […]

I think I’ll put in my last load of laundry tomorrow so I can take in any clothing hanging out on the line to dry, before Thursday night when the fires will be set. I make a reminder for myself to close all the windows of the house tightly in order to try and prevent […]

July 2010   Today is Tisha B’Av, a fast day which falls on the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. It started last night after our final evening meal, which was relatively quiet and somber, reflecting the mood of the 25 hour period we were about to enter. Our Shabbat […]