When the baby boom generation was growing up, Catskill comedians were a big phenomenon. Entertainment in the mountains was always a comedian. And everyone was in the mountains! No one took an airplane anywhere and no one had air conditioning. Therefore, the “cool” mountains, and I mean cool air not cool crowd, was…
Category: Lectures
It Could Not Happen Here
Giving voice to my uncle’s sacred memories of the Holocaust. by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff I made a promise. I gave my word to my dear Uncle Yanky, Rabbi Jacob Jungreis, that I would not allow his story to be forgotten. So I am sitting at the table of my beloved mother’s brother with notebook and pen in…
A Bissel Torah: Devarim
In the book of Devarim/Deuteronomy, we have Moshe rehashing history, but with a twist. If you compare the original scenes in the original three books of the Torah, they are told with a different lense. Moshe is unable to bring the Jews into the promised land. He is afraid when he dies, that the…
Alas, I Am Aging
Summer makes me nostalgic. I guess there are fond memories attached to school days, but it’s the summer, when I was free to be me, that brings on the nostalgia. I remember 30 years ago, commuting to Manhattan, pre-Gamara car and smartphones. There were the men in the multi-seaters facing each other, spreading out…
Hey Lock Me Away
What’s your instrument of choice? So, you wind up with some unused melon or some dinner left overs……where does it go? Some people refuse to save! If it doesn’t get eaten, it’s in the trash right away. While others, will store it somewhere in the fridge till the days of Armageddon…
Be Strengthened and Catch the Wave!!!
This week, those who are learning daf yomi will complete 176 pages of Bava Basra, to complete the masechtah. I am proud to say, I am amongst the lucky. I am not a religious feminist. I have stated many times that I am happy with the mitzvoth given to me by the torah, I…
Piddle Paddle
You don’t want to get up real early, especially if you were up late the night before. You don’t want to welcome the dawn before the sun does, do you!. But give someone the right incentive and up they go! I am amazed with a new experience that I see many joining. Ok, maybe…
Gee, What a Delimma!!!
Here’s the big G question! — Which is more difficult, finding the Guy or the Gown? Now for some that might sound like a ridiculous question. Yet, not to sound like I categorize people, but those people who think it’s a ridiculous question are usually the ones who only have to decide which tie…
How Would You Like Relaxation in a Bottle?
You can’t drive anywhere!! And your car’s perfectly fine. You can’t use your phone, even though it’s fully charged. You can’t cook or go to a restaurant. What are you supposed to do, starve?! You can’t watch TV, shop, or spend money! Hooray??!! Does that sound stifling? Yet —You can relax, notice…
Enjoy the Simplicity While You Can!
There’s a time in a toddler’s life when you can give them a little pasta, a little pizza, and they are a happy camper! But somehow – you are not!! Oy, you think- I wish they’d eat something besides pasta and pizza. Even though you know they sell healthy, whole wheat pasta, completely protein…