Judaism Archives - The Culture Mom

21Jan

A Visit to Israel with a Loving But Conflicted Heart

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

“But doubts and loves dig up the world like a mole, a plough. And a whisper will be heard in the place where the ruined house once stood.” These are words from Israeli poet Yehudah Amichai’s poem, “The Place Where We Are Right.” Interpretations of poems can vary, but for me, this piece refers to a difference in opinion about a place that you love but can’t quite vocalize both out of fear and out of love. I have felt this type of conflict several times in the past year on two very different types of trips. A year ago, I visited Read More

25Nov

A Visit to the Haunted Warsaw Ghetto

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

Several weeks ago while visiting Warsaw, my tour of the Jewish Ghetto started early in the morning. I was eager to get to know a city where my ancestors once lived before coming to the United States in the early part of the 20th century. My mother didn't know much about where they lived, but we wanted to see what life had been like and what had caused them to leave. Seeing the Ghetto was part of the soul-searching process we needed, even though the sad events had occurred after they'd left. What I was able to gather was that before World War 2, Jews Read More

22Nov

My Visit to Dachau: Never Forget

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

#Dachau - let me tell you about my visit. Please note I have also just been to Auschwitz and Birkenau, where even worse atrocities were committed, and to countless Jewish ghettos all over Eastern Europe, so I am tired....and sad. However, I also feel compelled to share what I have just seen while it's all very raw. Just over 70 years ago, innocent people entered Dachau through the SS training camp after marching through the town for all to see, thinking that they were going someplace safe as that is what they had been told. But they left registration Read More

21Oct

My Latest on Medium: The Anti-Semitic Wrath that Exists on Twitter

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

I am not new to Anti-Semitism. However, as a Jewish writer and avid user of social media, the recent outbreak of blatant Anti-Semitism on Twitter has taken my experience to a whole new level. Having woken up to images of swastikas and concentration camps, as well as being called vile names like “kike” and “dirty Jew” earlier this week, I fear that the recent Presidential campaign has provoked voters and has given them the view that Twitter is a forum to target their abusive and racist messaging. I grew up in Georgia. I was always one of five Jews in my Read More

09Jan

My Bat Mitzvah Card Snafu

Posted by The Culture Mom 3 Comments

My tween aged daughter and I have been busy planning all the details for her Bat Mitzvah for the past six months. I've sunk my heart and soul into the planning phase of this life-altering event. We've been choosing a venue, picking out a DJ, photographer and photo booth vendor, making lists of invitees, picking out dresses and of course, she's been hard at work learning her Torah portion and how to lead the congregation in a service. From the get go, I made it clear to her that this Bat Mitzvah is hers, not ours, as much as my husband would beg to Read More

20Apr

Chasing Holocaust Ghosts in Paper Love by Sarah Wildman

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

Is it possible to chase ghosts? One woman would say that it is. It all started with just one letter. After consulting with her grandmother about it, she found out that the woman in the photographs had been her grandfather's "true love". With knowledge of his escape from Vienna during the Holocaust, Wildman wanted to know more about her and started to chase her ghost. No longer able to ask him, as he had passed away prior to her discovery, she would have to venture into the unknown, a chapter not discusssed much by her family. Armed with a a cache Read More

15Dec

My Hanukkah Hooplah Story: Celebrating the Holiday with a Special Needs Child (with a Giveaway!)

Posted by The Culture Mom 24 Comments

When my kids were small, I initiated a tradition in our house of giving eight gifts over the course of the eight days of Hanukkah. I didn't have this tradition when I was younger, but I liked the idea of lighting a candle every night and giving my children a gift to unwrap to celebrate. It was easy to go into a toy store and pick up tchotchkes for less than $10 each, or even $1 each (at the Dollar Store). My children didn't ask for anything much in particular and they liked whatever they got. As the years progressed, I kept up the tradition of eight Read More

21Sep

Rosh Hashanah: A Time to Reflect, Recharge (and Cook!)

Posted by The Culture Mom 5 Comments

After I deal with my worry about getting food on the table for Rosh Hashanah this year (brisket, pomegranate chicken, kugel, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, to name just a few dishes), I need to take time to reflect on this past year and think about the year ahead. The holiday is a time to renew, to realign ourselves with what we really, really want, to think back on our mistakes or errors and make repairs. The problem is finding the time to reflect. Finding time is as challenging as anything else in my life right now, but having the time to make Read More

30Mar

Getting Ready to Spend Passover in London (w/ Matzo Pizza Recipe)

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

This year Passover is going have a different meaning than it has over the last few years. We'll be with in London with my husband's family on our annual trip over. My kids will be with their first cousins, grandmother and aunts and uncles, and we'll be in another culture. Another culture we know very well, no less. But still, the Jewish life in Britain is very unique for me. First of all, my Jewish UK experience starts as soon as I board the plane tomorrow night. There will be a lot of black hats and Yiddish speakers, many of whom "daven" or Read More