When I was a child, my Uncle George would grab my cheeks so hard I thought he’d lift me off the ground. “Such a shayna punim” he’d exclaim with joy. “Yes!” my parents would reply with equal joy. At 6, I hated Uncle George and I hated my parents. Now, at 67, I hate my The post My face […]

It’s been a hard year in oh so many ways. Now, thankfully, in most parts of the United States, we’re starting to emerge from the fear and isolation of sheltering in place. And as we do, I for one, am pausing to reflect on what I learned about myself during this time. One “lesson” surprised […]

Here in the Bay Area, sitting out the pandemic, I’ve developed a serious addiction. It’s surprising it’s taken so long. After all, I’m a native New Yorker, the daughter of native New Yorkers, the granddaughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Experts say addictions run in families. […]

Three years ago in this space I asked, “Am I a Galatz from Galați?” Well, since then, I’ve been taken on an unexpected joyride of genealogical learning and been thrilled by the revelations I’ve acquired. Here’s a brief sampling: First, genealogists are delightful fanatics. Second, forget […]

It’s been a tough couple of months. Politics and pandemic have taken their toll on me. Like many people, I have lost loved ones this year. And almost a year of sheltering at home has made me feel that my once larger-than-life life has shrunk to minuscule proportions. Stuck at home, I have been […]

Here in California, we continue living under shelter-in-place orders. It’s gone on for so long, I’m beginning to forget what not sheltering-in-place feels like! I’ve covered my “good” clothes with tissue paper, so they won’t get dusty and periodically I dust my unworn shoes, which do […]

Don’t call her a survivor. She doesn’t like the term. Yet it certainly applies. Many times over. She says instead that she was “lucky.” That she’s lived “a charmed life.”  Meet 87-year-old Marika Somogyi, who lived through both the Holocaust and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Happy […]

Jews are lucky. They get two New Year’s observances. And two chances to make New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, they also get two chances to break those resolutions. But all in all, it’s a pretty good deal, don’t you agree? Two opportunities each year to pause, reflect and embrace new […]

“Return to Sender,” a 1962 hit song for Elvis Presley, might as well be my theme song these days. Not only am I sitting around sheltering in place and waiting for that miracle Covid-19 vaccine, I’m also waiting for returns/replies to messages I sent out, some of them several weeks ago. […]

The gardener quit. He’s moving to Hawaii. Can’t take the wildfires and horrible Northern California air anymore. It’s not the first time he’s quit. He recently came back to work after two years away in South America. He’s a free spirit, a hippie. But this time, I think he’s gone for […]