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Personals

Saying Goodbye to Mom

For the past six years, my mother\’s often challenging journey and our evolving relationship have inspired much of the writing in my column. Although she\’s no longer here in my life, she\’s definitely still alive in my thoughts and memories.

Clowning Around

Some of my best friends are clowns. I know that sounds like a line, but it\’s true. Jewish clowns, too. Back East, there\’s Dr. Meatloaf and Dr. Noodle (aka Stephen Ringold and Ilene Weiss). They\’re in the CCU, the \”Clown Care Unit\” of the Big Apple Circus. Like badchens (Yiddish for clown) for the broken up, they play hospitals instead of weddings.

Thrown For A Loop

Looping is plugging in background sound for movies after they are shot so they sound more realistic. I had done some looping sessions before, but they were all in English. While this movie was also in English, there were plenty of scenes with Hebrew and Arabic in them. My Hebrew is far from perfect, but I can still pull off the Israeli accent so I was pretty sure I could do the job.

Far From Home

Amotz Zakai is vice president of production and manager at Echo Lake Productions, an independent film company that has produced films like \”Tsotsi\” and \”Water.\” Needless to say, Zakai is very busy right now. But when the 33-year-old Israeli American dual citizen heard about the fighting in Israel, he immediately called his army commander to see if he should return to Israel to serve.

Panama Solar Project Shows Power of Tikkun Olam

At 7 a.m., after a long, grueling red-eye journey from Los Angeles, our plane landed on a narrow runway carved out of the lush rainforest deep in a remote island area of the Panamanian outback. As my son, Adam, 13, and I trudged off the plane, 40 smiling Kuna natives eagerly welcomed us to the exotic island of Playon Chico. With vivid memories of Adam\’s bar mitzvah just a fortnight prior replaying in my mind, I couldn\’t help but think that this would be the adventure of a lifetime. Indeed, it was.

Finding Tools That Give Life Meaning

Accepting life\’s ambiguity has gotten me through a lot over the years, particularly this year, as the extremes of experience challenge any vestiges of hope I have held for things to have predictable outcomes. Say what you will about Katrina and cancer, they can be excellent teachers.

Leaving the Fold — Not the Family

\”Wouldn\’t you rather I be happy than shomer Shabbos?\” I asked. It was a seemingly ridiculous question because, of course, every father wants his child to be happy. \”I think you should be shomer Shabbos,\” he replied; for him, it wasn\’t an either/or question. He lived in both worlds — interacting with people from all walks of life in his dental practice, going to the movies, playing golf, reading news magazines — so why couldn\’t I?

Dozens of Cousins

Imagine all the \”Cheaper By the Dozen\” kids grown up, married and with kids of their own. That\’s my family. My mom is one of a dozen, and I\’m one of the children of the dozen. And maybe not that surprisingly, my mom chose to have only two children (me and my brother) and my husband and I limited our brood to three.

First Person – Like Any Other Child

By his size and handsome impression, our son, Max, appears to be like any other boy his age, however when you meet him in his wheelchair, you quickly learn that he is severely disabled, both cognitively and physically. He\’s unable to talk, use a device to communicate, propel himself or use his hands. You realize that he\’s dependent on others in every aspect of his life. Yet, that didn\’t stop our family and friends from all over California, our community and Max himself from celebrating his becoming a bar mitzvah.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.