It was on a clear but cold winter afternoon that I landed at JFK Airport on my first visit to the United States. After clearing customs and immigration and being granted a three week tourist visa, I climbed into a taxi on my way to my Manhattan hotel. Half an hour later, as the sun …
What is interesting about these cities: Naples, Oslo, Paris, Quebec City, Rome, Stockholm, and Tokyo? No, it’s not the alphabetic sequence; that’s just me messing with you. Here’s a clue: Jerusalem is probably the only city that doesn’t fit that pattern. What other great city older than two hundred years is not built on either …
Chana Beri lost her son Meir during the Yom Kippur war. She lost her grandson Moshe during the Lebanon War. Now, she lost her great-grandson Erez Orbach in a terror attack in Jerusalem. May his memory, and that of his fellow murdered soldiers, be for a blessing and may we merit to live in peace. …
Had you been in Jerusalem last week, you might have seen me sprinting down the street in pursuit of a total stranger. Or, you might have caught me approaching a young Israeli couple at a restaurant and asking them if they had ever spent any time in China. What was going on? It all started …
In some cities, like Vancouver, British Columbia and Jerusalem, Israel, we have noticed that a significant percentage of apartments and condos in many buildings are vacant most of the year. In the former example, they tend to be owned by Chinese investors as an ’emergency refuge.’ In the latter case, they tend to be owned …
Question: Why would only men go up to Jerusalem? – Nancy B. Answer: Dear Nancy, You are referring to the obligation of Jewish men to go up to Jerusalem on the three major holidays; Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. (Exodus 23:17, Deut. 16:16) As you can see from the opening of the book of Samuel, women often …
“What an overreaction!” This exclamation came from a man who consulted me about some business problems. He was alluding to a former customer of his who angrily left him for a competitor and also bad-mouthed him to others. “We were late on a delivery and off he went on a rant,” he continued. “What an …
That may not be the most original title, but it pretty much sums up my recent trip to Jerusalem. Arriving just a few days before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, meant starting off with an intense prayer experience. Yom Kippur is an annual occurrence, and unfortunately, it is often wrongly perceived by many Jews …
As a youngster who loved woodwork, I remember once announcing to my mother that I was about to build her a spice rack. After a few hours of sawing and gluing, I realized it looked more like a doll house so I asked mom if she’d mind having a doll house instead. It later became …
