Mandy Patinkin, I Hear Your Cry An open letter to Mandy Patinkin. Dear Mandy Patinkin, You don’t know me but we are family. We share roots and history. We have risen from the ashes. I watched your Finding Your Roots episode with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I loved the way you described growing up, hearing the ancient…

Ordinary People are Capable of Unspeakable Evil Apr 17, 2021  |  by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff We counter evil with goodness, hatred with kindness, fear with courage and falseness with truth. In “The Final Account”, a soon-to-be released documentary, the youth of Nazi Germany are seen frolicking and laughing, their blond Aryan curls glittering in the sun. They march proudly,…

WHO AM I? BY: SLOVIE JUNGREIS WOLFF When Suri asked me to write a piece titled ‘Who am I?’ I was confused. “What are you looking for?” I asked. “You mean who am I? Me? Or under the mask, who are we all?” Suri’s response: “I’m purposely being vague”. Aha. So that did not really…

Living a Life Permeated with Joy and Meaning Feb 6, 2021  |  by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff   Let’s use this difficult time to harness the joy of being alive. Even though these are anxious days, we can also use this time to discover and build muscles we never knew we had. Resilience and strength are waiting to be revealed.…

Kids Are Out of Control and What You Can Do About It Jan 9, 2021  |  by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff The pandemic has brought out risky behavior in our children. The conversation I had with a child healthcare professional was disturbing. “You cannot imagine what I am seeing,” he said. “Kids who never got into any trouble before are…

SAYING GOODBYE TO 2020 How can we use this most difficult year to better ourselves and the world? Most people are ready to bid farewell to 2020, a most difficult and stressful year. Some are planning to throw their yearly calendars and date books into a bonfire to say good riddance to all the pain…

My Father’s Gift of Silence Nov 21, 2020  |  by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff Sometimes it’s what we don’t say that becomes our greatest gift. When I was a little girl, a couple in our community went through a terrible tragedy. They lost a young child and were in deep despair. Shortly afterwards, my mother ran into the father at…

Choosing Hope: Finding Light in Times of Despair Nov 2, 2020  |  by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff Spiritual immunization for the pandemic and political unrest. Living with a pandemic and political unrest is taking a heavy toll. Alcohol consumption is up by 14% compared with a year ago; even higher for women. Depression and anxiety are making homes feel like…

Parenting in a Pandemic Oct 17, 2020  |  by Slovie Jungreis-Wolff Three pivotal ways to help our children throughout this upheaval. They need us now more than ever. Sports coaches speak about the devastating effects of the corona pandemic on American youth, using words like “tragedy” and “historic crisis”. Kids have become so used to spending time online…

This new year make your marriage a priority. Rosh Hashanah – a new year, a time for reflection and self-awareness. To make these days meaningful, we need to take time to think about our lives. We can use these moments approaching the High Holidays to better our relationships. Quality relationships help us savor life. Loneliness…