Here’s a funny little story about Israel…. On my first night in Israel, I realized that I was the farthest anyone in my family had ever been from the homeland, the Dominican Republic. Sure, New York, to which my parents had emigrated as children, was far from “D.R.” but Israel was literally on the other… Continue reading Fish Out of Water
This piece was inspired by a previous blog. “So, are you pregnant?” a friend asked bouncing over to me enthusiastically. I rolled my eyes and exhaled sharply. “What? What did I say?” Motherhood is hard. And I don’t just mean raising the babies. I mean having them. I mean trying to have them. And yes,… Continue reading Don’t Ask Me About My Uterus (Part 2)
My mother-in-law commented during a recent Barnes & Nobles shopping spree together that I am perhaps a little too attached to vampires. This is probably because I wanted to sob over the fact that I would not let myself purchase Breaking Dawn, the last in Stephanie Meyer’s the teen vampire romance saga Twlight, and Undead… Continue reading Blood is life
Senator Barack Obama accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party in front of 80,000 people Thursday night at Invesco Field in Denver. (Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times) I’ve never been one for politics. So, it’s no secret then that while my husband was watching Barack Obama speak at the Democratic National Convention on… Continue reading What’s more historic?
Hello, little blog, I have clawed my way through hours of writing for my book, for homework (for my online classes at Gotham Writer’s Workshop) and in response to emails from readers and I have found my way back to you. My trip to Los Angeles is almost over. I’m multitasking by packing and writing.… Continue reading Wrapping up
A favorite author of mine who’s been keeping me up these late nights is Pulitzer Prize winner, Jhumpa Lahiri. I would like to pretend that I alone discovered this national treasure but the fact that her most recent collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth, debuted at #1 on the New York Times best seller list… Continue reading When I grow up…
Here is my latest piece for Interfaithfamily.com. I’m posting it before it’s published on the web and will eventually replace this text with a link to the website: A Nation Divided: Coping with Racism in the Jewish Community “So where you from?” they ask. “New York,” I say. “No, really. Where you from?” “New York!”… Continue reading A Nation Divided: Coping with Racism in the Jewish Community
Aish rules! One of the best things about living in Los Angeles is that Aish is only a couple of blocks away. Because I’ve been taking classes at Santa Monica College though, I haven’t had a chance to take advantage of this little miracle. In New York, going to Aish means a long subway ride… Continue reading Learning & the Rabbi’s wife
Monica Almeida/The New York Times The Pacific Jewish Center, an Orthodox synagogue, on the colorful Venice Beach boardwalk. One of my favorite places in California is the synagogue on Venice Beach. I’ve only been inside once but it strikes me as truly awesome that there’s an Orthodox synagogue in the middle of the chaos and… Continue reading Davening @ Venice Beach
The bed started shaking while I was lying leisurely in bed reading yet another book on writing. My first thought was to wonder what the hell those people downstairs were doing that could make my bed shake. Then I realized there were no people downstairs. There was no “downstairs,” I was on a first floor!… Continue reading Registering a 5.4 in Magnitude
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 