A Parent in Israel

Gilad, Amir and Marla

December 2, 2009

With negotiations heating up over the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for up to 1,000 hardened Palestinian prisoners, debate on the merits of the deal have been all over the news for days, as well as in discussions within our own family. Two recent events have made it particularly personal. The crux of the […]

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My Son in Greens

November 25, 2009

On his way back from Tel Aviv, 18-year-old Amir called to ask if I could pick him at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. He was carrying a heavy bag and didn’t want to schlep it all the way home. Fair enough. I arrived at our agreed upon meeting place but I didn’t see my son. […]

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Little Rat Dog

September 7, 2009

We have been taking care of a cow this summer. No, not an authentic bovine. Rather a cash cow. At least that’s how it was explained to me by my 15-year-old daughter Merav that an adorable little dog would be joining us for the next six weeks. Adorable is not the word I would have […]

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Hugs and High School

June 26, 2009

What I’ll remember most about our son Amir’s graduation from 12th grade earlier this week was the hugs. Hugs between the guys. Hugs from the teachers to the graduates while on stage receiving their diplomas. The spontaneous group hug and circle dance the guys did to Mashina’s “Return, Return” at the end of the evening. […]

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Kaddish & Kiddush

June 4, 2009

Since my father died two months ago, I’ve thought a lot about what is the nature of community and, in particular, what is my place in it. It’s not a simple question. For many years I’ve been what I jokingly call “tefilacally-challenged” (tefilah being the Hebrew for “prayer”). Prayer is not something that’s easy for […]

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TNL Classic: Overly Sensitive New Age Guy

May 15, 2009

Last night, my friend Eliezer and my son Amir dragged me to the movies to see the new Star Trek film. I have not been to a movie theater in more than three years, since we bought our big screen plasma TV. For me, 42 inches is an entirely acceptable alternative to the costs and […]

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The Original Ponzi: An Inside Account

April 24, 2009

Bernard Madoff’s multi-billionaire dollar swindle has been called a “Ponzi Scheme,” referring to a similar scandal perpetrated by Charles Ponzi beginning in 1920. There has been no surfeit in articles on Ponzi, but nearly all have focused on comparing and contrasting Madoff and his would be inspiration. That’s one reason Chapter 3 in my father’s […]

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The Power of Shiva

April 17, 2009

I have paid many shiva calls but I never truly realized how important they are until I sat on the other side of the chair. My father, Walter Blum, died on a Sunday. He was buried on Wednesday. I sat shiva for one day in California at my parents’ home. Then I returned to Israel […]

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Shiva Limbo

April 6, 2009

The most disconcerting thing about my trip to the U.S. for my father’s funeral was the “pre-shiva” period (known in Hebrew as aninut). Shiva is the seven days stipulated by Jewish tradition for mourning following burial. My father died on a Sunday. But the funeral didn’t take place until Wednesday. The official reason was that […]

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Marathon Man

March 30, 2009

I had planned on running in the Jerusalem Half Marathon last week. Instead, I found myself running half way around the world in a frantic attempt to kiss my father one last time before he died. The sprint from the diagnosis of cancer to his final days went alarmingly fast – less than three weeks […]

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