Thoughts on being Jewish

I never gave much truck to fortunetellers, but this one’s message was vague enough to spark a niggling of worry; “Company’s coming. Could be trouble.” “Company’s coming,” I told Jeff, my new husband. “Oh yeah - I forgot to tell you,” he replied. “Ben’s coming for the weekend.” I remembered Ben vividly. Tall. Excellent bone structure. A hunk. Lived with his mother. Late 20's. One girlfriend after another. Drove a UPS truck. Anti- Semite. He and Jeff used to get in trouble in High School, like... Sign in to see full entry.

When I was six years old, I’d come home from my Hebrew Day School bursting with the knowledge of a new language. Filled with enthusiasm, I’d grab my closest neighborhood friend, Carol, fresh from St. Roch’s Catholic, and, sitting on my front porch we’d engage in a grassroots religious exchange. I taught her Hebrew. She taught me Catechisms. My instructional technique consisted of writing each Hebrew letter on an index card and repeating its name and sound until Carol either got it or went home... Sign in to see full entry.

Happy birthday, Israel and Shalom By Andrew Roberts, The Daily Express -- May 8, 2008 The State of Israel has packed more history into her sixty years on the planet – which she celebrates this week – than many other nations have in six hundred. There are many surprising things about this tiny, feisty, brave nation the size of Wales, but the most astonishing is that she has lived to see this birthday at all. The very day after the new state was established, she was invaded by the armies of no... Sign in to see full entry.

Last night, I attended a "Friendship Circle Volunteer Appreciation Night" in Greenwich, CT. The Friendship Circle, an organization that matches special needs kids with High-School age volunteers for one-on-one playtime (an hour per week). Over 100 kids with issues ranging from autism to down's syndrome to other disabilities are visited weekly by over 300 dedicated teens - and one of those teens is my son, Jacob. Jacob "hangs" with Spencer every Friday afternoon after school. With Aspberger's,... Sign in to see full entry.

Back in the 1960’s and early 70’s, my Uncle Fred owned a bar in Port Chester, NY right next to the venerable Capitol Theatre, where the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and the like would fill seats to overflowing. After the show, the bar would be a hangout for many of these musicians and, according to Yolen Family lore, Janis Joplin wrote her famous, “Oh Lord Won’t You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz” on a Freddie’s Place cocktail napkin. I thought of this when my young socialist Israeli friend, Leor,... Sign in to see full entry.