When I had only two children, born eighteen months apart, I didn't spend a lot of time on housework. My oldest enjoyed scattering toys around the house, crumpling any paper he could find, and biting his baby brother when I got distracted for a moment. My husband and I developed a system to manage … [Read more...]
The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn
December 24, 2007 by
I've been reading Daniel Mendelsohn's book, The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million. Mendelsohn grew up in an assimilated family in New York. In the background of his visits to his older relatives in Florida lay a story about a great-uncle who remained in the family's ancestral town of … [Read more...]
Entertaining Obituaries and Yated Neeman Safety Warnings
October 24, 2007 by
I've been reading Marilyn Johnson's book "The Dead Beat" about obituaries and obituary writing. Apparently newspapers pride themselves on their obits, and the best writers even have fans. You would expect a book like that to be incredibly entertaining, but I couldn't finish it. I think the author … [Read more...]
The New School Year and What I’m Not Blogging About
September 2, 2007 by
I won't be blogging about: My conversation with the principal about the school supply list. After she asked me twice whether I have a baaya kalkalit (financial issue) I said that I have permission to complain about unnecessary expenses even if I'm not desperate enough to ask for a … [Read more...]
Help for Parents of Teenagers: Interview with Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch
January 31, 2007 by
Today we'll give babies and toddlers a rest and look at how to help our teens navigate adolescence. I've learned from personal experience that nagging and power struggles don't work. Even if such tactics result in the desired behavior, they our effectiveness in guiding teens through these critical … [Read more...]
Revolutionary Road and Our Book Club
January 24, 2007 by
I belong to a book club, consisting of a diverse group of women with an addiction to books. Its purpose is not to discuss books (although we do), but to supply ample reading material in English. Steimatzky has a monopoly on book sales in Israel, making new paperbacks prohibitively expensive. Each … [Read more...]
Spirit of Motherhood by Masha Faygel Tokayer
August 27, 2006 by
This book, subtitled Insights into Nurturing, is a revision of Tokayer's earlier book Created in Wisdom. As a mother of seven, grandmother, contributor to Natural Jewish Parenting magazine and an experienced La Leche League Leader (breastfeeding counselor), the author has a lot to say to new mothers … [Read more...]
Thought-Provoking Parenting Book
August 16, 2006 by
Last summer I attended a lecture by Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a Canadian psychologist and co-author of Hold On to Your Kids.. This book radically changed the way I look at our culture and our families. I recently reread it and it's even more powerful the second time. I can't possibly do justice to it in a … [Read more...]
Terrific Book by Lipstadt on Holocaust Denial
July 2, 2006 by
"No, I'm not a child of Holocaust survivors." Thus begins Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt's fascinating tale of self-defense against a libel charge by the notorious Holocaust denier, David Irving. This is one of those rare non-fiction books that's hard to put down (I admit I didn't finish it … [Read more...]
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