In my lifetime, I have had four last names. Perhaps you are wondering how this is possible. Well, here’s my story: Berman I was born a Berman. This seems like a pretty simple name. However, would you believe there were people who pronounced it “Beerman?” Why would they think that? […]
Culture
24 posts
A woman of valor who can find? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, And he has no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10–31 How many of us have […]
Don’t judge me by the color of my skinTake a look inside, see what’s within. Don’t judge me by my nameOr the place from which I came. Don’t judge me for my sexual choiceInstead, just listen to my voice. Don’t judge me by my sense of styleFirst, let’s sit and […]
My father’s menorah has been sitting on top of a high bookcase in our house for many years. When we took it down the other day, unused and hidden, it was covered in a thick layer of dust. This menorah is heavy and cumbersome. Made of solid brass and estimated […]
I Miss Principle K.I.S.S.* It’s so complicated today.But there’s no going back to a simpler day. Please leave me aloneI don’t want another app on my phone. When you try to get infoIt’s a run around no-go. No one knows jackAnd you have to call back After hanging on foreverThe […]
Brussels, Belgium: 1948-1950 My first High Holy Day memory is from Brussels, Belgium. It is Yom Kippur sometime between 1948 and 1950. I was recently told that I was Jewish, not Catholic, and am trying to adjust to my new state. During a break in the service, a friend and […]
Am I a country bumpkinBecause I don’t like pumpkin? A squash that’s now a spice.Sorry, that taste isn’t so nice. The hype begins in early OctoberPumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin over and over. In muffins, coffee, donuts and cakesIt’s everywhere, for goodness sakes! Peanuts’ Linus sits in the patchWaiting for the Great […]
Honey cake is to Ashkenazi Jews at Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) what fruit cake is to Christians at Christmas. Mention these cakes, and one is sure to see wrinkled noses and some serious eye rolling. Fruit cake is often the butt of comedians’ jokes. “The worst gift is […]
Down-y oh-shun, Hun (trans: down the ocean, honey) is an often-heard phrase in Bawl-tee-more (trans: Baltimore). Down-y oh-shun is my happy place. My dad loved the beach. He spent many summers in a rental house at the Jersey Shore. Grandma shared the house with her sisters, nieces and nephews. The […]