During our trip to Rome in December, my dear friend and I entered a small shop in the neighborhood in which we were staying. As we wandered around to look at the beautiful items on display, the handsome young shopkeeper approached us from the back room, speaking to us in Italian. In my frustratingly rudimentary Italian, I asked if he spoke English. He replied in hesitant...
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, social media feeds were, understandably, filled with posts and imagery showing solidarity with Ukraine, including my own posts and those of my friends. People were horrified by the Russian leadership’s brazen, brutal attempt to invade and conquer a neighboring sovereign nation, and turning Facebook into a blue and yellow wave of...
In case you missed it, the UN halted all humanitarian aid work in Northern Yemen three weeks ago because eight of their staffers were taken by the Houthis, in addition to several already being held. There are 19 million Yemenis who are in need of such aid this year, and no one has said a word about this. No one is calling out or condemning the UN for their role in making the...
In case you missed it… Hamas turned yesterday’s release of slain hostages into a revolting celebration, complete with cheering crowds of civilian adults and children (entire families that did not look like they were suffering from a famine), music, and general merriment… On the coffins, they listed “dates of arrest”, as though a peace activist in his 80s, a young mom in her...
Even though I’m a US citizen (and taxpayer), given what’s been happening here in Israel for the past 16 months, I haven’t had the energy to weigh in on what’s been happening in the US under Trump, nor have I really been staying in the loop by reading or watching the news. The truth is, I still don’t have the energy. I will say this, though. If you lean...
Since the first hostages were released from Hamas captivity in November 2023 and again during the current releases, we keep hearing from those released that at different times, hostages were kept in cages. Prior to the October 7th attacks, Hamas purposely prepared cages in which to hold the Israelis they planned to abduct. They built cages for human beings. Let that sink...
Yesterday, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I saw a video showing a pregnant descendant of Holocaust survivors get dragged out of Ireland’s Holocaust Memorial Day state ceremony after protesting the president for trafficking in Holocaust inversion by using his speech to draw parallels between the Holocaust and Gaza. In another clip marking the day, I watched as the...
During the initial weeks and months after the war began, I had trouble collecting my thoughts. My feelings and emotions were too raw and overwhelming to put into words, and I often felt like I was simply unable to adequately convey the depth of what felt like a runaway train endlessly careening around inside my head. Our lives have changed forever. There is before October 7th...
In a comment thread that I engaged in recently, someone asked me what I think about the potential hostage deal. Here’s my response to that question, with a few edits: The conditions make me sick to my stomach, but I also believe there’s no other way to do this. I’m seeing posts from friends talking about cautious optimism, plus so many people have been in the...
Back in May of last year, I joined a Facebook group for women over 50 who enjoy traveling solo. Fantasizing about travel has always been an escape of mine, and I was inspired by so many of the posts. I even connected with an amazing Jewish woman from the town where I grew up who also lives in Israel, after we noticed one another in a post about Israel and I discovered that we...