Introducing: The Maiasaura – (the Dinosaur-Mum)
I’m old. Ancient actually. Could be compared to one of those extinct dinosaurs. Thing is, I’m not actually old per se, it’s more of a relative term for where I live and the company I keep. You see,...
View ArticleFinding Your Own Yellow Curtains
A thought occurred to me this Shabbat as I sat on the couch reading ‘The Glass Castle,’ wearing my ‘Little Miss Chatterbox pajamas,’ pausing intermittently to play some kind of a version of ‘Go Fish’...
View ArticleStripy Tights Anyone?
I love living in Israel. Although for the most part I don’t actually feel like I’m living in the real McCoy Israel. Don’t worry; this isn’t a political statement. It’s more of a cultural one. Y’see...
View Article“Inherit the land and live in it…”
When you learn this commandment in heder at the age of 11 and all you can think about is getting home to eat your bag of Golden Wonder cheese-and-onion sorta kosher crisps, you don’t actually imagine...
View ArticleThe Chanukah diet
So it seems like this year – perhaps more than other years – people are very concerned about potential weight gain over the traditionally greasy upcoming Jewish holiday. Maybe it’s because it’s “early”...
View ArticleThanksgivingukkah Devar Torah
Clearly it’s not just the Jews who have realized that this Thanksgiving – coinciding with Chanukah – is something special. Chanukah may have fallen close to parshat Miketz before, but it’s a first for...
View ArticleOnly in Eilat…
From my vacation last year, where I encountered the same wonders as I did this Chanukah. Since landing in Israel nearly 17 years ago to begin what was to be quite a life adventure, I’ve heard many...
View ArticleMarriage messages from the Maiasaura
No, I don’t have any great words of wisdom to impart about having a successful marriage. I’m not one of “those” people. I don’t lie about encountering perfection. Go to the Aish or Chabad website for...
View ArticleTel Aviv driven? No soiree
I made aliya 19 years ago today, to Jerusalem. I spent my first 12 years in the country living there, only to move to the Gush 7 years ago. I have never lived anywhere else in the Middle East. So it...
View ArticleHe who lives in a glass house…
Yes, that’s you. And you. And you. And indeed me too. All of us. Although none of us will admit it. We all think we’re perfect and follow the law 100% of the time in every single area. We don’t say...
View ArticleTo Kitniy[n]ot?
So here’s my personal kitniyot dilemma. Hear me out. I have to preface this piece by saying that for the last 9 years – upon entering the state of blissful wededness (depending which day you ask) – I...
View ArticleWhen Winnie-the-Pooh Goes to a Seder
For my good friends and family – aka those who were zocheh to be at my wedding 9 years ago – you will probably by now be familiar with my comparison of Winnie-the-Pooh’s personal struggles to those we...
View ArticleStop Being a WOPI
Are you the kind of person who goes out to fancy restaurants but struggles to pay the makolet bills? Do you live in a beautiful house but every time you need to pay mortgage you panic? Do you work a...
View ArticleParade Attack: Point the Finger Elsewhere
The attack by Yishai Schlissel at the gay pride parade was unequivocally horrific. There is no justification, excuse or way around this. Everyone agrees on that. But what we’re disagreeing on is where...
View ArticleBeing a ‘Bad’ Mummy
There is so much talk about being the perfect parent. If you are not giving your kid sky-diving lessons by the time they’re 7, then you must somehow be failing as a parent. Those who are not teaching...
View Article7 Tips for a Successful Aliya
I am always nostalgic for the first time I spent a significant amount of time in Israel. I was 11. My parents took a year off from their respective careers so we could get an authentic taste for life...
View ArticleHow the Other Half Live
A few weeks ago, my family and I spent a Shabbat in Herzliya Pituach. My aunt and uncle — who made aliya from the UK about a year ago — live there and told us to come and even bring our dog. Since it...
View Article7 Tips for a Successful Aliya
I am always nostalgic for the first time I spent a significant amount of time in Israel. I was 11. My parents took a year off from their respective careers so we could get an authentic taste for life...
View ArticleHow the Other Half Live
A few weeks ago, my family and I spent a Shabbat in Herzliya Pituach. My aunt and uncle — who made aliya from the UK about a year ago — live there and told us to come and even bring our dog. Since it...
View ArticleWhen Sushi Unites: Why This UK-Israeli Ashkenazi Jew Eats Kitniyot
Being single for what felt like forever in the religious community, sucked. Although I had a ton of friends, a great community, wonderful family, I never ever felt like I belonged. And I hated that....
View Article
