“How are you?” – a year and a half later

September 15, 2019

“How ARE you?” Miriam asked, corners of her mouth dropping. It’s a question people with long-lasting chronic illnesses hear all the time. How to answer?

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New kosher restaurants make dining out on Shabbat a mitzvah

September 1, 2019

A few weekends ago, my wife, Jody, and I ate out in a kosher restaurant open on Shabbat. In Jerusalem of all places.

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Bubbles of happiness

August 18, 2019

This week’s column is about how to find happiness when our bodies conspire to push us in the opposite direction. Hint: it’s all about the bubbles.

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Datlashim: can there be a second generation?

August 4, 2019

Last year, I wrote a column that asked the question: “how do datlashim – the Hebrew acronym for formerly religious Jews – want to raise their children?” The main response I received during the course of my research: “to be just like them”– that is, to also be datlashim. This poses a dilemma, as to […]

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Flunking out of blood school

July 21, 2019

I flunked out of blood school last week. I wasn’t expelled exactly, but my scores dropped significantly enough that I was put on probation.

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Sex and religion come together in new podcast

July 7, 2019

Sex and religion are two of my favorite topics. So when I heard about this new podcast, I knew I’d have to write about it. A review.

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Meeting the enemy

July 7, 2019

“Why do you Israelis want to wipe us off the map?” The question wasn’t meant to be provocative. I was, after all, the first Israeli Zahra had ever met.

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Is it all in my head?

June 23, 2019

If you were to have told me a year and a half ago that my chronic stomach pain was all in my head, I would have picked up the nearest stick and shown you what “all in your head” really feels like.

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What I learned from Facebook about God

June 10, 2019

How a Facebook conspiracy theory helped me understand why some people, when confronted with cosmic questions like the Big Bang, say “God made it.”

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Letting go

May 27, 2019

I was the fat kid in elementary school. I worked hard to keep the weight off. Then I got cancer. As my weight ping pongs, can I learn to let go of the “small things?”

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