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One day when my son was around sixteen (He’s in his thirties now), while working in my studio side-by-side as was our custom back then asked, “So, what is Watergate anyway?” Where to begin?
Here we are at the fortieth anniversary of the May 1973 public hearings of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities that engrossed the country and convulsed Washington with its unwavering characters, cliff-hanging moments, and the inevitable resignation of President Nixon.
Four decades later, I wonder how the youth of today would spin a bungled break-in to Democratic National Headquarters in the now infamous Watergate?
There are lots of opinions flying around about Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy, but in the end, this is another one of those medical actions that are rightly decided between a woman and her doctor without regard to the opinions of others.
No of us can predict how we will be faced with cancer. I am a particular fan of the blog Living with Cancer in the New York Times because not only does it help to see that there are lots of ways to be with ourselves in these trying circumstances but also it reveals interesting information I don’t see anywhere else. An example, is the latest entry by Susan Gubar where she reveals the secret of making light as air matzo balls by whipping the egg whites juxtaposed with a little good news about life with ovarian cancer.
Te-Shamer Kochech- May you go in strength.
22 years ago, Judith Plaskow published “Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism From a Feminist Perspective.” The influential feminist critique proved that Jewish history including the Torah must be reshaped to inject women's viewpoints and visions into our Jewish communal consciousness. Today, we have a direct result with the actions of The Women at The Wall.
Shavuot marks the end of the counting of the Omer and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Tonight, we study through the night in anticipation of the revelation at Sinai. Tomorrow, we eat cheesecake to have milk and honey under our tongues.
Rise up and enjoy.
This past Saturday I cheered my daughter onto the win of two gold medals and a bronze at the Western Pennsylvania Special Olympics Summer Games. She is one of 450 athletes to compete in track and field, bocce and golf at Baldwin High School.
It is quite the event with the support of hundreds of coaches, family members, and volunteers encouraging each athlete to do her very best. There is always something guaranteed to bring a smile to my face along with tears to my eyes.
The most impressive group of volunteers for Special Olympics is the Law Enforcement officers. They have two great events: The Polar Plunge and The Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Next month, Iz, her teammates, and 2,000 other athletes from across the state will go to the Summer Games at Penn State University in State College. What a glorious event for our athletes!
Maya: “I like Linsey’s last name better than mine.”
Bubbe: “You could marry her and then you could change your last name to her last name.”
Maya: “That’s not legal in Michigan.”
The Delaware state legislature voted to legalize same-sex marriage. The governor signed the bill moments afterwards. The vote makes it the 11th state; Rhode Island was the tenth.
As published by Elie Wiesel in The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal on April 16, 2010 and in The New York Times on April 18, 2010:
It was inevitable: Jerusalem once again is at the center of political debates and international storms. New and old tensions surface at a disturbing pace. Seventeen times destroyed and seventeen times rebuilt, it is still in the middle of diplomatic confrontations that could lead to armed conflict. Neither Athens nor Rome has aroused that many passions.
For me, the Jew that I am, Jerusalem is above politics. It is mentioned more than six hundred times in Scripture—and not a single time in the Koran. Its presence in Jewish history is overwhelming. There is no more moving prayer in Jewish history than the one expressing our yearning to return to Jerusalem. To many theologians, it IS Jewish history, to many poets, a source of inspiration. It belongs to the Jewish people and is much more than a city, it is what binds one Jew to another in a way that remains hard to explain. When a Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it is not the first time; it is a homecoming. The first song I heard was my mother’s lullaby about and for Jerusalem. Its sadness and its joy are part of our collective memory.
Since King David took Jerusalem as his capital, Jews have dwelled inside its walls with only two interruptions; when Roman invaders forbade them access to the city and again, when under Jordanian occupation, Jews, regardless of nationality, were refused entry into the old Jewish quarter to meditate and pray at the Wall, the last vestige of Solomon’s temple. It is important to remember: had Jordan not joined Egypt and Syria in the war against Israel, the old city of Jerusalem would still be Arab. Clearly, while Jews were ready to die for Jerusalem they would not kill for Jerusalem.
Today, for the first time in history, Jews, Christians and Muslims all may freely worship at their shrines. And, contrary to certain media reports, Jews, Christians and Muslims ARE allowed to build their homes anywhere in the city. The anguish over Jerusalem is not about real estate but about memory.
What is the solution? Pressure will not produce a solution. Is there a solution? There must be, there will be. Why tackle the most complex and sensitive problem prematurely? Why not first take steps which will allow the Israeli and Palestinian communities to find ways to live together in an atmosphere of security. Why not leave the most difficult, the most sensitive issue, for such a time?
Jerusalem must remain the world’s Jewish spiritual capital, not a symbol of anguish and bitterness, but a symbol of trust and hope. As the Hasidic master Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav said, “Everything in this world has a heart; the heart itself has its own heart.”
Jerusalem is the heart of our heart, the soul of our soul. Elie Wiesel
The food was incredible. I had a fabulous falafel and a very special salted caramel cupcake but wished I had room to try the magic kale salad and Boston’s best grilled cheese.
Pittsburgh has a long way to go to catch up with the likes of these trucks and here’s hoping they do.
“The role of literature is to illuminate, to strengthen, to explain why some aspect of life is moving or beautiful or terrible or sad." Andrew Solomon
I was first introduced to Andrew Solomon through his book Far From The Tree. It is an amazing look at the acceptance (or not) of human variations. Do not be put off by the length and depth of this book. It takes a lot of information to consider how we raise children who are profoundly different. What if the child is autistic? Deaf? Has Down Syndrome? Or has dwarfism, to name a few.
Solomon began writing this twelve years ago, after attending a protest of deaf students who instead of feeling disabled saw themselves with their own unique gifts. Unique stories reveal the desire for all humans to be valued as individuals whatever their skills or limitations. Solomon also uses his personal experience as an atypical learner and nonconformist son of heterosexual parents.
I found Far from the Tree so powerful that even though I was reluctant to read a book on depression, I decided to try The Noonday Demon his first book that was a 2001 National Book Award winner.
This exhaustive examination of depression and mental illness might be a little depressing but it is also beautifully written interweaving the author's personal experience with every conceivable scientific, anthropological, evolutionary, political and historical perspective using great intelligence, warmth, and insight. If you don't want to read the entire book, do not miss the most riveting segment in the chapter on suicide that tells the story of his mother.
Solomon’s writing proves how no one is exempt. We don't get to pick and choose life experience but only our actions to persevere with awareness, open hearts, and love.
Happiness is not ready-made. It comes from you own actions. Dalai Lama
I am spending the week with my son and his family in Ann Arbor. It is filled with change: new job and a marathon for Eli; a conference in California for Annie; old and new schools for Maya; potty training for Hailey.
Upon arrival Eli hands me a book by Bruce Feiler: "The Secrets of Happy Families" about the necessity of updating the working lives of today’s family. It includes lots of fresh innovative ideas that fit within our different times and circumstances like checklists, family meetings, white boards for communication, inclusion of elders and lots of family play time.
One of the funniest play activities I saw was their family video version of The Harlem Shake. Having never heard of it and being so impressed with their rendition, I spent an evening discovering this new dance sensation and deciding on my personal favorite.
Food is always prominent for us. This trip Eli introduced me to his homemade energy bars from the no meat athlete. His results have been yummy for us and once he gets it figured out a great replacement for Hailey and Maya’s favorite snack, ZBars.
One of my major tasks as a grandparent is to give the family a larger context by supplying family stories aka bubbemeises. It is a happy synchronicity that my project for this trip is to transform my original BubbeBlog into a long-lasting paper version, jiggling my memory about all of our childhoods that I am sharing freely and happily.