Posted on: July 22nd, 2009

I was recently traveling across the United States/Canadian Border. As soon as people heard I would be traveling that way, my phone began ringing off the hook. Friends, and even strangers, called me to ask if I would take packages for them. From a favorite food for someone's daughter, baby clothes for a new grandchild, to a much loved breakfast cereal; the requests came pouring in. But what astounded me the most was the requests from people I didn't know asking me to take jewelry. One person asked if I would take a diamond ring to her son so he could propose. She wanted to send it with me so that it would not be held up for taxes.

Posted on: July 22nd, 2009

Many books have been written about the Warsaw Ghetto in the 66 years since its destruction. There have been reports, memoirs, studies, albums and movies of all kinds that have tried to tell the story of what happened. But to date for the English speaker the story was never complete.

Posted on: July 22nd, 2009

Many books have been written about the Warsaw Ghetto in the 66 years since its destruction. There have been reports, memoirs, studies, albums and movies of all kinds that have tried to tell the story of what happened. But to date for the English speaker the story was never complete.

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

When you lose your spouse, whether s/he was sick or healthy, whether it's through divorce or death, the transition period into the next part of your life is a difficult one. Many new singles find that they no longer fit into their old friendships. They are no longer part of a couple, so associating with couples can be uncomfortable.

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

As the summer gets underway there are many events throughout Poland connected to Jewish history and culture. It usually kicks off with the massive Krakow Jewish Festival and ends with the Singer Festival in Warsaw. Also many Jewish groups come to Poland during the summer to visit their hometowns, work in the cemeteries and look for connections to the pre-Shoah past.

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

As the summer gets underway there are many events throughout Poland connected to Jewish history and culture. It usually kicks off with the massive Krakow Jewish Festival and ends with the Singer Festival in Warsaw. Also many Jewish groups come to Poland during the summer to visit their hometowns, work in the cemeteries and look for connections to the pre-Shoah past.

Posted on: July 8th, 2009

Last week I wrote about how female caregivers are affected by the role reversals that take place as they care for husbands with chronic illness. As the husband's illness progresses, and he is able to do less and less for himself, his wife ends up doing more. And, as she continues to take on the traditional male roles, her loss of femininity may escalate. When this happens, it is reflected in how she cares or perhaps in how she stops caring and taking care of herself.

Posted on: July 8th, 2009

After years of planning, and two years after the initial groundbreaking ceremony, construction has begun for the Museum Of The History Of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland.

Posted on: July 8th, 2009

The other day, while schmoozing with a friend, the conversation (as chats often do) turned to food. My friend talked about a delicious dish she had eaten as a guest during Shavuot. She mentioned how she planned to replicate it in her kitchen, but hadn't gotten around to it yet.

Posted on: July 1st, 2009

As I have reported many times over the past 12 years that I have been writing this column, one of the major problems in Poland today, even greater then anti-Semitism, is the poor condition of Jewish historical sites. Many of the cemeteries are overgrown and synagogue buildings are in disrepair.

Posted on: July 1st, 2009

For most women, care-giving means taking on many of the roles that were routinely filled by their husbands, in addition to those things they were already responsible for. For many of these women, this has been hard to deal with. Not just because of the difficult physical nature of these new, additional roles, or even the tremendous emotional burden that has been added to the women's daily routine.

Posted on: July 1st, 2009

Virtually all of the rabbonim who came to America during the latter part of the nineteenth century did not speak English. A few did master the language and become proficient at speaking and writing it; one of these was Rabbi Simon Joshua Glazer, who did more than just learn to speak and write in English - he also acquired a substantial secular education.

Posted on: June 24th, 2009

Recently, as I exited my car in a crowded parking lot, I saw an elderly woman approach an elderly man as he was getting out of his car. Wagging her finger in the man's face, the woman yelled. "Do you know why I'm here? I'mhere to tell you that you are not a very nice man!"

Posted on: June 24th, 2009

Like most people on this planet whose abodes are wired to electricity, I have a computer and go online. It is amazing to me that information on any subject or on any matter can be instantly retrieved with a few clicks of a mouse.

Posted on: June 24th, 2009

The Museum Of The History Of Polish Jews is proud to announce the launching of the Virtual Shtetl website, which is devoted to the local history of Jews. Although at the moment of its launch the portal is primarily a source of information, its future is based on the interaction of web surfers using Web 2.0 technology. The medium created will constitute a bridge between the history of Polish Jewish towns and the contemporary, multicultural world.

Posted on: June 24th, 2009

The Museum Of The History Of Polish Jews is proud to announce the launching of the Virtual Shtetl website, which is devoted to the local history of Jews. Although at the moment of its launch the portal is primarily a source of information, its future is based on the interaction of web surfers using Web 2.0 technology. The medium created will constitute a bridge between the history of Polish Jewish towns and the contemporary, multicultural world.

Posted on: June 17th, 2009

Who are all these ladies with the gray hair and/or sheitels? We are all looking into each other's faces for a glimmer of recognition. Thank goodness everyone has a nametag; it makes it so much easier to identify each person.

Posted on: June 17th, 2009

For the last two weeks I have shared your responses, suggestions and experiences about marrying into a family wherein there is a parent who has a chronic illness. This was prompted by a letter I received from a woman who wrote that her daughter is having difficulty getting dates because her father has Multiple Sclerosis. Below are more letters from readers who wanted to share their experience and offer help.

Posted on: June 17th, 2009

The 19th Jewish Cultural Festival in Krakow will be held between June 27 and July 5. As always Janusz Makuch, director of the festival has organized an exciting program with all the usual performers and many exciting new exhibits, lectures, tours and musical artists.

Posted on: June 17th, 2009

The 19th Jewish Cultural Festival in Krakow will be held between June 27 and July 5. As always Janusz Makuch, director of the festival has organized an exciting program with all the usual performers and many exciting new exhibits, lectures, tours and musical artists.