As of today I have spent a third of my life living as an expat, having made the choice to leave what I knew and start over somewhere else, with specific goals and ideology fueling the decision. And 11 years later I really don't have much to complain about, which I appreciate is incredibly fortunate.... Continue Reading →
On rocks, Arabs, talking it out, conflict, and more rocks.
This, an hour after listening to the recent This American Life podcast on the way home from work; the one titled, #570: The Night in Question, the one about the Rabin assassination and associated conspiracy theories. "Listen, I want to talk to you about some stuff. Do your friends talk about Arabs in school?" "[My... Continue Reading →
Best 6th birthday party idea ever: Go take a hike!
We brought you superhero explorers... we brought you dinosaur adventures... this year, it was a birthday party on a hike. And this was by far the easiest and best and most all-around enjoyable birthday party that we've done so far. We are fortunate to live within a nature area, and in our town itself, right... Continue Reading →
Visiting and storytelling at Har Herzl on Israel’s Memorial Day
A colleague who visits children of friends and neighbors, acquaintances and others at Har Herzl every year invited some of us to join him today on Israeli Memorial Day. I had never been there on Yom HaZicaron itself, so the experience was new. There's a lot to see and hear. High school students. Scouts. Foreign... Continue Reading →
No better Israel education than the one from your sabra kids
Things I love about Independence Day season in Israel: Every year - without fail - I manage to learn something new from my kids. This morning, all dressed up for the gan celebration, on the way to the car, my gan-aged kids broke out into song together. I asked them to teach it to me.... Continue Reading →
Local Holocaust remembrance in 2015 and beyond
Since becoming a mom, everything has gotten harder to swallow. I don't read the news as much. Especially local evening news from New York. I can't stomach certain facts of life. And I've distanced myself from my cultural ties with Holocaust education and remembrance. Which is getting easier to do - less voices, more distance... Continue Reading →
A day in the life
7:50 Find out about the breaking news from a friend on Whatsapp 8:05 Make sure to give huz and kid #3 a solid goodbye 8:10 Have sinking feeling about letting your kids go for the day 9:45 Pick up kid #2 for speech therapy, feel excited because it's bonus kid time 10:45 Drop kid #2 off at gan... Continue Reading →
What do Palestinians think this month? A public opinion poll
A friend of mine at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Jerusalem sent me these findings of a new Palestinian public opinion poll (conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, September 25-27, 2014). Coming a month after the end of the latest Gaza war, and a couple... Continue Reading →
Video marketing: so you *can* teach an old man new tricks
I watched a lot of videos tonight. And they all made me happy. But none so happy as this: Ex-President of Israel (and ex-every other job) Shimon Peres goes job hunting. I'm extra happy there are subtitles so you can enjoy if you're not from around here.