A 99-year-old Jehovah\’s Witness who survived Nazi persecution has been touring the United States and giving people a face to put on the usually obscure story of the estimated 2,000 Jehovah\’s Witnesses killed in the Holocaust.
Esther Shawmut spent three years trying to find her rescuer. The American nurse had come to Israel in 1948 aboard the Pan York, a refugee ship that was being searched in Haifa Harbor to prevent military-age refugees from entering the country. The young woman, who had come to aid Israel\’s army during the War of Independence, jumped overboard in an attempt to reach shore.\n\nAs Shawmut thrashed about in the water, a young Haganah frogman rescued her. Once safely ashore, the nurse futilely sought out the young man who had saved her.
OASIS provides an eclectic array of classes, many of which are free. Fitness fans can choose among such options as chair exercise, yoga and karate. Art buffs can study French and American impressionism or drawing. Others can explore Jewish spirituality, analyze Shakespeare or play guitar. Some of the classes are even taught by retired professors from UCLA and USC. And seniors who wish to travel can choose among a variety of day excursions and extended trips.
In August 1939, Menashe Ezrapour could have escaped the horrors of the Holocaust by boarding a train in the French city of Grenoble, but instead, he chose to stay, ultimately becoming the only known Shoah survivor of Iranian Jewish descent interned in concentration and work camps during World War II.
For 11 years. I begged my obstinate elderly father to allow a caregiver to help him with my ailing mother, but he adamantly insisted on taking care of her himself. Every caregiver I hired to help him said, \”Jacqueline, I just can\’t work with your father — his temper is impossible to handle. I don\’t think you\’ll be able to get him to accept help until he\’s on his knees himself.\”
Children experience the loss of family members in many ways, depending on their age and maturity. For some, a chance to say goodbye is very important; others find comfort in memories, rituals, or tangible reminders of the love they shared. When a child is feeling sad, good books may be especially comforting, and James Howe, the skilled author of \”Kaddish for Grandpa: in Jesus\’ name amen,\” knows how to provide that needed comfort. (By the way, this is the same James Howe who has authored three popular series for children: \”Bunnicula,\” \”Pinky and Rex\” and \”Horace and Morris,\” so your child may already be a fan.)
What is our role in the interfaith family unit? We are not just the grandparents; we are the Jewish grandparents. Their other grandparents are Christian, Muslim, Hindu or of another faith. Even when grandchildren are not raised within any particular faith, this is how we will be distinguished. Why? Because interfaith children are part of two-family cultures; therefore identifying us as such, is necessary.
After years of being talked about in hushed tones as \”the change of life\” — or not being talked about at all — menopause is now in the spotlight. Two recent plays, \”Is it Hot in Here … Or Is it Me?\” and \”Menopause the Musical\” literally put menopause center stage.
In 1956\’s \”Invasion of the Body Snatchers,\” a mannequin-like figure mysteriously appears on a billiards table, a half-formed thing without hair, face or fingerprints. Meanwhile, a woman insists that her uncle isn\’t her uncle, but an imposter who looks just like him; husbands say the same of their wives and children of their parents.
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