I was sitting with my friend, T. at the shiva for her father. "I want you to write about this," she says suddenly. "I don't know how to write. I know you'll write something poignant, with humor, like you always do." We've taken care of the humor, at least. Here is the story. T. made aliyah as a child with her family. After she married, she and her Israeli husband went to the US for schooling, and ended up staying for 16 years. They returned to Israel 8+ years ago. Every so often T., who is very careful with money, would lament that they never made it back to the US for a fun visit — it just never worked out (her DH went twice for business). Then one day a co-worker … [Read more...]
A Creative Solution for Unruly Teenagers
November 24, 2007 by 8 Comments
In the excellent book On Writing Well by William Zinsser, the author suggests improving your writing by imitating other writers you admire. My most recent post on cooking is modeled on Frugal Journey, Raanana Ramblings inspired my post on Efi, and the following is the kind of story that Rafi would tell. On Friday we made a shiva call (visit to comfort a mourner) to our neighbor, who lost his mother. While there the neighbor mentioned that his father's family has run the hevra kadisha (burial society) in Jerusalem for generations, and told the following story. During the forties, young Arabs disrupted the funerals on Har Hazeitim (Mt. of Olives) by yelling and throwing stones. Our … [Read more...]
Birth, Death, Illness, and Breastfeeding
April 18, 2007 by 11 Comments
The other night I attended an evening of prayer and song for the recovery of Penina bat Shimona and her premature baby, Odeya Chana bat Penina. Please keep them in your prayers. At the evening I met a woman from my synagogue, who asked me what I do. When I said that I counsel breastfeeding mothers, she said, "Oh," and changed the subject. I walked home with a different woman that I knew equally well (that is, not so well). She not only remembered what I did, but told me all about the challenges she experienced nursing her numerous children. One had a heart problem and she pumped exclusively for several months, one was hospitalized as a newborn and didn't nurse for a few days, and she … [Read more...]
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