first
Last month we went to Philadelphia for a family wedding. It was not only great to be there for Beth and Zach, but it was also a reunion of the remaining first cousins of the Graf family. There were six of us present (including myself and my sister) and after the wedding weekend, five of […]
My sister is in town, and it isn’t surprising that the conversation often turns to our mother, hers and mine. The discussion typically begins with Anita recalling how, “our mother used to say…” ,”used to prepare…”, “used to pronounce…” or “used to like…”, and ends when I respond by saying, “not my mother.” There are […]
My children attended Akiba Academy, now known as Sinai Akiba, from grades K-8. When Norm and I chose that particular school, the decision was based on reputation, philosophy, and location. We were young parents and had no idea how that choice would impact not only the lives of our children, but our lives as well. […]
As 2012 comes to an end, I want to thank all of you who have continued to give me support and encouragement over the past year. Some of you send me private e-mails, some of you post comments on the blog, some “like” me on Facebook, and some of you subscribe but never say a […]
My mother had close friends who moved to Israel in the 1940s and settled on a Moshav, Kfar Meishar, near Gedera. Although she had not seen them since the end of the war they had kept in touch, and when I made my first trip to Israel at age 16, my mother insisted that I […]
I am not sure when salads graduated from their humble beginnings to the gourmet status they have today, but I no longer dread eating them. Growing up in the Bronx of the 1950s, salads were tolerated and eaten because iceberg lettuce filled the need for a vegetable. No one worried about carbon footprints because there were […]
Gefilte Kroet, Gelupsie, Holishskes, stuffed cabbage. This is not fast food, in fact I think making stuffed cabbage requires a kind of Zen approach to cooking. I started making the rolls at 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning. The cabbage has to be cooked and cooled and the meat mixture prepared. I carefully peeled the cabbage […]
Bamitbach 