Philadelphia is a combination of two Greek words: love (phileo) and brother (adelphos) and known as the city of brotherly love. The city’s founder, William Penn, hoped it would become place where freedom would ring and it is the home of the Liberty Bell.
Jen, Barb and Lisa at LBBC Butterfly Ball 2022
I lived in Philly when I went to the University of Pennsylvania for college. I often return to visit my roommate and join her at the annual fundraiser for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
The 2022 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Butterfly Ball honored and celebrated five amazing women who are changing conversations about cancer. Together, we raised over $1 million in support of LBBC’s key programs of providing both trusted information and a community of support.
Over 100 years ago, the City Hall Annex was built and the people of Philadelphia went to this government facility for over seventy years to get official documents notarized and it is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Now a luxury hotel in the Autograph Collection which opened in 2019 showcasing its historic architecture and modern amenities, The Notary Hotel stamps a custom seal on your paperwork on arrival. In the grand lobby full of books, art and enormous arches, there is a display case showcasing typewriters from the 1920s. The dressers in each room are made from historic notary cabinets used in the original building. This is my favorite location in Center City and close to Love Park, The Liberty Bell and Rittenhouse Square for incredible dining choices. My suite had a stunning view of City Hall and the evening lights.
I walked from the hotel to PENN campus to talk to students about a career in journalism and then used the speedy wifi on property to participate in a ZOOM talk with my 1989 classmates about our travel expertise.
The museums and art collections in Philadelphia are outstanding and I did a television segment about visiting Philly for KTLA TV in Los Angeles. I highly recommend the National Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross House, the Barnes Museum and the Museum of the American Revolution. There is so much to do–you will need more than one visit.
A new book by Melanie Phillips challenges the conventional wisdom and offers innovative ideas and practical tools to fight the global surge of antisemitism.
“Out From Under” is filled with strong, dynamic women who all have something to teach Lev, but the author resists framing the novel as a feminist project.
Forty years mark a full biblical generation — a measure of time often associated with transformation, endurance and renewal. Few people embody that idea more fully than Cantor Chayim Frenkel.
Since its founding in 1951, Israel Bonds has focused on one mission: to generate financial support for the building and development of Israel’s economy.
Villaraigosa is running for governor by arguing that California needs the lessons he says he learned there: dignity for working families, better schools, public safety, second chances, coalition building and transparent government that works.
There’s nothing like gathering outdoors, firing up the grill and trying some new, delicious dishes. While traditional cookout fare always has its place, there are plenty of ways to mix things up.
The strangest thing is the instability of standards — the peculiar way arithmetic shifts, the speed with which contradictions become irrelevant, the confidence with which certainty arrives before inquiry.
A new book by Melanie Phillips challenges the conventional wisdom and offers innovative ideas and practical tools to fight the global surge of antisemitism.
In a world where encampments, boycotts and student government protests of released hostages make headlines, we must focus on students who want to learn, engage and become bridge builders.
Meet me in PHILLY for LOVE and HISTORY
Lisa Ellen Niver
Philadelphia is a combination of two Greek words: love (phileo) and brother (adelphos) and known as the city of brotherly love. The city’s founder, William Penn, hoped it would become place where freedom would ring and it is the home of the Liberty Bell.
I lived in Philly when I went to the University of Pennsylvania for college. I often return to visit my roommate and join her at the annual fundraiser for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
The 2022 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Butterfly Ball honored and celebrated five amazing women who are changing conversations about cancer. Together, we raised over $1 million in support of LBBC’s key programs of providing both trusted information and a community of support.
Where did I stay? I loved The Notary Hotel Philadelphia, Autograph Collection
Over 100 years ago, the City Hall Annex was built and the people of Philadelphia went to this government facility for over seventy years to get official documents notarized and it is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Now a luxury hotel in the Autograph Collection which opened in 2019 showcasing its historic architecture and modern amenities, The Notary Hotel stamps a custom seal on your paperwork on arrival. In the grand lobby full of books, art and enormous arches, there is a display case showcasing typewriters from the 1920s. The dressers in each room are made from historic notary cabinets used in the original building. This is my favorite location in Center City and close to Love Park, The Liberty Bell and Rittenhouse Square for incredible dining choices. My suite had a stunning view of City Hall and the evening lights.
I walked from the hotel to PENN campus to talk to students about a career in journalism and then used the speedy wifi on property to participate in a ZOOM talk with my 1989 classmates about our travel expertise.
Where to EAT in PHILLY? We loved The Love, PARC and ROUGE in Rittenhouse Square which is an easy stroll from The Notary Hotel.
The museums and art collections in Philadelphia are outstanding and I did a television segment about visiting Philly for KTLA TV in Los Angeles. I highly recommend the National Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross House, the Barnes Museum and the Museum of the American Revolution. There is so much to do–you will need more than one visit.
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
When Jews Are Told We Don’t Belong
The Rabbinical School of Chicken Soup
The Faculty Member Who Could Not Be Named
No Sleep ’til Brooklyn – A poem for Shavuot
A Bisl Torah — God’s Emergent Voice
A Moment in Time: “Shavuot (and Chess) – Between Moves we Choose who we Become”
Greek Figs, Jewish Limes
Two Smiling Zionists, Interrupted by a Mob
It’s one thing to write about the animosity Jews have been facing on streets around the world– it’s another to come face to face with that animosity.
Print Issue: Smart Fighting | May 22, 2026
A new book by Melanie Phillips challenges the conventional wisdom and offers innovative ideas and practical tools to fight the global surge of antisemitism.
Luxury Travel in 2026 Is Not What You Think.
Lev Livitsky’s Very Complicated Second Act
“Out From Under” is filled with strong, dynamic women who all have something to teach Lev, but the author resists framing the novel as a feminist project.
Amid Surge in Antisemitism, Spanish Jewish Leader Builds Landmark Museum in Madrid
Hatchwell believes the most powerful response is not silence or retreat, but education.
Cantor Chayim Frenkel: Fulfilling the Promise of L’dor V’dor
Forty years mark a full biblical generation — a measure of time often associated with transformation, endurance and renewal. Few people embody that idea more fully than Cantor Chayim Frenkel.
Laura Stein Elected Chair of Israel Bonds’ National Campaign Advisory Council
Since its founding in 1951, Israel Bonds has focused on one mission: to generate financial support for the building and development of Israel’s economy.
The Boyle Heights Lessons Behind Villaraigosa’s Run for Governor
Villaraigosa is running for governor by arguing that California needs the lessons he says he learned there: dignity for working families, better schools, public safety, second chances, coalition building and transparent government that works.
Gatekeeping Our Future: How Sky-High Cost of Jewish Education Mirrors LA’s Housing Affordability Trap
Treating education costs and housing as parallel crises reveals a unified threat to demographic and cultural vitality.
It’s Getting Hot– Moroccan Chicken Skewers
With Memorial Day here and the official start of the summer grilling season, we offer you a recipe for delicious for Moroccan-spiced chicken skewers.
Fire Up the Grill for Memorial Day Weekend
There’s nothing like gathering outdoors, firing up the grill and trying some new, delicious dishes. While traditional cookout fare always has its place, there are plenty of ways to mix things up.
A Trio of Dairy Desserts from Pati Jinich for Shavuot
Given the prominence of dairy in Mexican cuisines, Jinich loves embracing dairy for Shavuot, which is one of her favorite parts of the holiday.
Table for Five: Shavuot
The Tenth Commandment
Duck Arithmetic : Contradiction, Certainty, and the Jewish State
The strangest thing is the instability of standards — the peculiar way arithmetic shifts, the speed with which contradictions become irrelevant, the confidence with which certainty arrives before inquiry.
Fighting Smart
A new book by Melanie Phillips challenges the conventional wisdom and offers innovative ideas and practical tools to fight the global surge of antisemitism.
Rosner’s Domain | Analysis as Substitute for Panic
Was there a plan for bringing about a revolution, or more a hope than a plan?
We’ve Seen This Movie Before. Don’t Sit Through It Twice.
We are being manipulated, by the same people, with the same playbook.
A Ray of Zionist Hope on a College Campus
In a world where encampments, boycotts and student government protests of released hostages make headlines, we must focus on students who want to learn, engage and become bridge builders.
Transformation — The Art of Spiritual Leadership
To be spiritual is to be connected. To be connected is to experience the ways of being, like dancing and loving, as they are shared with others.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.