We live in a time of labels and hyperbole and I don’t like it. Too many groups are being defined by labels that are then used to stereotype and marginalize. This tendency has been brought to my attention with two particular groups since my trip to Switzerland. The groups in question are the Poles andContinue reading “An Unnecessary Divide”
Tag Archives: Antisemitism
An American Jew in Paris
My husband and I planned a vacation which happened to fall over Yom Kippur this year. I realized we would be in Paris over the holiday and looked into the possibility of attending Kol Nidre services. By looking at MavenSearch.com I was able to identify every synagogue in Paris and picked a reformed congregation thatContinue reading “An American Jew in Paris”
Kaddish in Prague
For our second day in Prague I had set up a meeting with one of the archivists at the Jewish Museum. I was hoping that she might have access to some of the primary source material I was looking for. According to my great-grandfather’s diary, my grandfather, Heinz, had been told to report for aContinue reading “Kaddish in Prague”
Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague
I just returned home after spending two weeks in Europe digging through the last bits of unearthed archives for “Scraps of Hope” research. Over the next several weeks I will share some of what I did and didn’t find. Our first stop was Prague. My husband and I spent the first day as tourists exploringContinue reading “Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague”
Back to Work
I have to confess that I haven’t been working on “Scraps of Hope” for a while. First there were some family problems that drew my attention away from my book. Then I was sick. I spent two months in bed recovering, and just when I thought I was healthy enough to get back into theContinue reading “Back to Work”
Annelies: Your Words are Still Powerful and Necessary
Last night I went to see the Handel Society of Dartmouth College perform Annelies by James Whitbourn based on Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl I really had no idea how someone could put the diary to music. I was wondering if we were about to see Anne Frank: The Musical and ifContinue reading “Annelies: Your Words are Still Powerful and Necessary”
In Search of a Title
I decided it was time to name my book. It isn’t finished yet, but the title has been a thorn in my side for a while now. I started with a working title of “Tutti & Popje.” It was cute and it worked in my mind. I thought the book would be told from theContinue reading “In Search of a Title”
Walking through the “isms”
During my visit to Holland to do research for my book I visited the different places my mother lived in Amsterdam during the war. Each one had a different feel and a different set of circumstances in the 1940’s and also now in 2014. Please come with me for a “walk” from house to house.Continue reading “Walking through the “isms””
Surviving Jews were Asked to Pay Back Taxes after the Holocaust
Yesterday I came across this article, which I urge you to read for yourself. The surviving Jews of Amsterdam were apparently charged property taxes and utilities during the time that they were either in hiding or deported by the Nazis. They were fighting for their lives. Only 5% of the country’s Jews came home, andContinue reading “Surviving Jews were Asked to Pay Back Taxes after the Holocaust”
I Am Not Trayvon Martin
I watched this video yesterday and I knew I had to share it in my blog. I do not know who this young lady is, but I want to thank her for her words of wisdom. I am not Trayvon Martin. I am George Zimmerman. I have privilege and I hold stereotypes. I want theContinue reading “I Am Not Trayvon Martin”
K Heidi Fishman (Popje and Me) 