The eruv came too late for me. . .

If the level of observance was low in New York before the war (see previous post and comments), imagine the state of Jewish life in Sacramento, California. My mother's family settled there in the late 30's,  where my grandfather and my grandmother's brothers had established a business. My … [Read more...]

(Mis)Adventures in International Travel: A long life

A year ago my sister's energetic and charismatic mother-in-law, still living on her own, was diagnosed with incurable cancer. It was sad to hear of this 96-year-old woman suffering at the end of life.My sister called a few days before my trip to tell me that her mother-in-law had stopped eating. She … [Read more...]

Input from the inlaws

Sephardi Lady posted about her in-laws' disappointment at the most recent simcha honoring her baby daughter. Even though Sephardi Lady and Gentleman celebrated just as every other young couple in their community did, the in-laws felt it should have been fancier. Unfortunately they hadn't discussed … [Read more...]

Dads Who Don’t Change Diapers

Recently, while I was out with a group of women friends, "G" got a call on her cell phone. She told the caller that she was on her way. It turns out that her grandson needed a change, and her daughter had gone to a concert with friends. Her son-in-law doesn't change diapers. When one of the other … [Read more...]