My Yom Kippur Prayer: On loss, and what lies ahead

In just a few short hours, the final moments of the Jewish Days of Awe will commence. Our people of the Torah will catalogue our woes like we sort our socks into piles and populate spreadsheets with our monthly and yearly expenditures. The time to reflect and repent is nigh; there is no turning away …

via 21. Done. Kaput.

My Mother, The Refrigerator

Hmm… 10pm… time for my midnight snack. What to eat? Cold chicken? Leftover spaghetti? A quick index finger through the peanut butter? “Blueberries.” “Or better yet… just a glass of water. You’re on a diet… at least, you were on a diet.” This had better be a dream because my mother’s voice seems to be …

Whose Privilege is it Anyway?

“How’s Kat?” “They’re fine.” “Who’s they? I asked about Kat.” “They’re fine.” This conversation with my eldest daughter was a millennial Abbott-and-Costello-routine gone bad. I was asking about “who” and instead was hearing about the whole infield: Who, What, I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care. I really was starting not to care myself. “Why …

Plop, Plop, Whiz, Whiz

As I sat down on the toilet for my daily quiet time, cellphone in one hand, iPad in another, I suddenly had a strange sensation. Like that sleepover prank when someone sticks your finger in warm water. But it wasn’t my finger and it definitely wasn’t warm. I jumped quickly to me feet, as a …

Choo, Choo, Shush, Shush

I made my way through Grand Central Station, looking forward to meeting my daughter for the commute home. No longer a college student, she was now a full-fledged commuter. 7:18 in; 5:28 home. Like those old gray men in their gray flannel suits. But I had made her wait for me today because I had …

The Spin Cycle

An innocuous email. A simple request. What could be so bad? “Looking to burn off those latkes from Chanukah? Join us and other fellow congregants for an afternoon of spinning.” My mind began to turn. The idea intriguing. I mean, I did consume bushels of potatoes over the holidays. Why not bite? So, with mind …

My Night with Elie Wiesel

As appearing in the Vassar Quarterly

Welcome to the Club, Son!

(as appearing on The Huffington Post site: “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you!” “Thanks Mom.” “I can’t believe my boy is 55 years old.” “Neither can I. I still think I’m 25. How are thin… Source: Welcome to the Club, Son!

Are you in or out?

  “Here’s the way I will structure this interview. I will speak and ask you questions for 40 minutes. At the end of the 40 minutes, you will have 15 minutes to ask me questions. We then will end 5 minutes early so I can prepare for my next call. Do you agree? Okay, let’s …