Living Within Two Worlds

Living within two worlds is a challenge that many modern Jews face.  Lately I’ve been noticing that living an observant Jewish life, even at the level of my and my husband’s observance, can be an interesting game of push and pull. 
A little background for newer readers and for those of you who may not [...]

I WON!

As I went about a normal day of checking the blogs I read, I stumbled upon a little contest of sorts. “Why not give it a try” I thought to myself. Even though I know I rarely, if ever, win things of this sort.
And so I commented on the Life of Rubin blog, and [...]

And Now the Stuffing…

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday no matter which way you celebrate it. I also hope everyone takes a moment to remember the real roots of Thanksgiving and the Native Americans. As a Jew, the significance of this holiday resonates with me. For many Native Americans, this day celebrates the beginning of an end. [...]

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Just under 2 weeks ago I posted about the novel “The Kite Runner”. A book which I really enjoyed. Although not a happy-go-lucky story, it was a story that had depth and meaning.
Today I finished Khaled Housseini’s second novel, “A Thousand Splendid Suns”.  This will no doubt be another best seller and in my opinion [...]

New(ish) Blogger

I just started reading and corresponding via comments with a blogger that is new to me,  Schvach. I wanted to share the link to his blog because, although we have very different views, I respect his right to share them and I appreciate that he has been seemingly open minded or at least respectful in [...]

Band of Bloggers

“Trying to make sense of this place is like moving a mountain by smashing your face into it”

I just heard this quote on “Band of Bloggers”. This is a documentary on the History Channel about soldiers in Iraq who blog.  They are showing footage of the war, including everyday scenes and not just what we [...]

Shmuley, Dorff, and Books

Today Avi and I went to the Celebration of Jewish Books at the American Jewish University, formerly the University of Judaism.  We had a really great day roaming around, scanning through books, and people watching. However, the best part of the event is the list of big name authors who were speaking. 
We got there [...]

130 Ninth Graders go to College

Today 130 ninth graders and 7 adults, including myself, took a field trip to Occidental College. We jammed into two busses. I mean JAMMED. We’re talking about high school kids, many THREE to a seat.  Luckily we weren’t going a very long distance. 
Once we arrived at the school the kids were broken into groups [...]

The Kite Runner…GO READ IT!

I just finished reading The Kite Runner.   This is definitely on my list of favorite books. Frankly, the book floored me.  There is no doubt I will be purchasing Khaled Hosseini’s newest book entitled: A Thousand Splendid Suns.
I can’t quite put into words the profoundness, the poetic writing, the sadness, the suprise, the “I [...]