The story centers on Esther Perez (portrayed by Leïla Bekhti), a Moroccan-Jewish immigrant and devoted mother of six. When her newborn son Roland is diagnosed with a clubfoot and given a bleak prognosis, Esther refuses to accept limits placed on his future.
DEMA Show 2021: In Vegas, I learned to TikTok!
Lisa Ellen Niver
Thank you to DEMA (Diving Equipment & Marketing Association) for including me as media for the 2021 conference in Vegas. It was great to be back together IN PERSON!! Thank you to Resorts World Las Vegas for my conference stay!
The annual DEMA Show is the largest trade-only event in the world for companies doing business in the scuba diving, ocean water sports and adventure/dive travel industries. It attracts hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of dive and travel industry professionals from around the world each year.
At the show, I started a social media challenge of 5 videos a day for 30 days. Thank you to everyone for being in my new videos! It was so much fun to see everyone in person and talk scuba!
I did my first TikTok dance in the Beqa Lagoon Booth with Bamba!
My first job in travel was at CLUB MED! It was great to learn about what they are doing NOW!
Check out my TikTok channel as well as Instagram Reels to see the 15 videos we made at the show about diving in Bonaire, Fiji, Indonesia, Cayman islands, a mini-series about Lionfish, Tahiti, Mexico and Antarctica!
DEMA 2019:
What Will You Love At DEMA?
Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.
Editor's Picks
Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review
The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC
What Ever Happened to the LA Times?
Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?
You’re Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House
No Labels: The Group Fighting for the Political Center
Latest Articles
The Book and the Sword
In the Desert – A poem for Parsha Bamidbar
A Bisl Torah — Your Time Capsule
Not Wandering in the Wilderness with Bewilderness
A Moment in Time: “Me Time”
Inaugural ‘Core Vital Voices Conference’ for Orthodox Women Who Provide End of Life Care
Print Issue: The Speech I Won’t Give at Georgetown Law | May 15, 2026
An outcry over my support for Israel in my Jewish Journal columns forced me to withdraw from my commencement address at Georgetown Law School. Here is the speech I was going to give.
Israel’s Noam Bettan Advances to Eurovision Grand Final
This is the fifth time that Israel has qualified for the Eurovision final in the past six years.
The Klezmatics Are Made for These Times
“We Were Made for These Times” is as inventive and joyous an album as I’ve heard in a long time. And the most proudly Jewish.
Motherhood, War and Media: WIZO Luncheon Reflects a Changing Reality Since Oct. 7, 2023
In a sold-out event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) hosted its annual Mother’s Day Luncheon.
Brian Goldsmith’s Senate Bid Rooted in Fighting Antisemitism in California
He became the first senior adviser to Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, helping elect pro-Israel politicians to Congress and winning more than 80% of races.
AJU’s Ziegler School: Growth and Transformation
The challenge is how we can reinvent rabbinical training so that it’s not clinging to models that no longer work, is sustainable, and addresses the needs of today and tomorrow’s Jewish community.
A Guava Gourmet Cheesecake for Shavuot
Let’s just say, Shavuot gives us a wonderful, guilt-free excuse to indulge in this guava mango cheesecake!
Celebrate National Hamburger Month
While there may be limitations on how to enjoy burgers due to the laws of kashrut, it just means Jews have to get a little more creative.
Table for Five: Bamidbar
Counting Soldiers
Kehillat Israel to Return to Palisades 16 Months After Devastating Fire
It’s not just a momentous occasion for the congregation but is significant for the larger Palisades community as well, as it helps restore a sense of faith that the community will reemerge stronger than ever.
‘Once Upon My Mother’ Brings Roland Perez’s Extraordinary True Story to the Screen
The story centers on Esther Perez (portrayed by Leïla Bekhti), a Moroccan-Jewish immigrant and devoted mother of six. When her newborn son Roland is diagnosed with a clubfoot and given a bleak prognosis, Esther refuses to accept limits placed on his future.
An American Shabbat
When I travel in America, I love being invited to observe Shabbat building bridges – uniting tribes – among Christians.
Synagogues Have Become the New Front Line for Jews in New York
The moment Jewish houses of worship become targets for political intimidation, the line between activism and harassment disappears.
Rosner’s Domain | Remembering the Inimitable Abe Foxman
In the introduction to the book about the U.S. community I wrote about a decade and a half ago, a little story about Foxman appeared, which I thought was appropriate as a farewell to this man and to an era.
The Remnant of Israel and the Meaning of Monticello
America’s third president’s home survived thanks to the efforts of a proud Jew thankful for freedom of religion in the United States.
The End of an Anti-Israel Propaganda NGO – More to Come?
Perhaps this also signals a belated reckoning for other false-flag NGOs claiming to promote human rights. The damage from terror-supporting propaganda will take many years to reverse, but at least further abuse can finally be prevented.
Shavuot: Return to Sinai
Shavuot is that moment in the year where all becomes one – People Israel, Torah, memory and the Divine – a unification begun at Sinai.
A New Jewish College
This idea is not just about fleeing antisemitism, nor proving native loyalty. It is about experiencing life from a different angle than the coasts.
Two Down, One to Go
So now, for my wife and me, it’s time for the mezinka, an Ashkenazi Jewish wedding custom that is observed when parents marry off their last child.
AIPAC and Israel Are Good for America
Emphasizing Israel’s value to America must become a community-wide effort. From the ADL to the AJC to the Federation system to Hillel and every pro-Israel activist group in the country, the collective priority must be to strengthen the U.S.—Israeli relationship.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.