Teens and Twenties

The New York Muni-Meter system is a disaster! There are many issues that have presented themselves with this new idea and they need to be solved.

I passionately believe that focusing on healthy habits for people of all sizes is so much more important than focusing on weight loss.

Every moment was a gift. I held each one, savoring.

We arrived in Auschwitz on Thursday, January 30, 2014. My seminary was taking us to see where the prisoners were kept. When we got...

We aren't at a platform; we are underground, just sitting there.

One minute you're shaving shwarma off a pit, then the shwarma guy tells you he read a (fake) WhatsApp that the boys are dead.

Today is day six without a phone. Besides for feeling slightly isolated, it’s not too bad. I’ve been doing things that I know I would not be doing if my phone was sitting next to me, shiny screen beckoning.

The girl that can’t cry has a heart so cold buried under frozen tears rhythm; untold.

Nearly half a million of them fought in Red Army uniforms, under communist slogans but with a personal vengeance that was solely the result of Jewish experience. More than the “Greatest Generation,” they were the living superheroes hidden in plain sight.

A little while ago, I was at my friend’s house for Shabbos. Her younger sister, who was in second grade, had a friend over; let’s call her T. According to today’s beauty standards, T was absolutely gorgeous. In addition to being physically appealing, her personality was totally adorable.

I close my eyes and fall back rejoining the strong women of my history

“Your time on this earth is limited, don’t live someone else’s life, live by your vision.” – Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011

Taking the words from my mouth, Twisting them, stretching them, turning them round and round, Negating their true meaning, as it was meant to be heard, You hear what you want without really listening.

It’s the classic image - the pumpkins; the berries; the squash, the turkey. It’s the beginning of a season that brings with it a sudden, exciting feeling. It’s the crisp fall air turning to gray winter; the strings of perfect, colorful leaves decorating doors and houses, the bright hues of reds and oranges. It almost feels like the cinnamon in the pumpkin pie is somehow in the air.

If you look up the word "role model" in the dictionary you will find the following definition: "a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.”

You've gotta settle, stop being so choosy, it's a boy's world after all And you're just one of the millions who think their worth something, have the gall. You've got to start looking better, so that you'll be noticed when you walk through town And perhaps you can lose a few pounds too, so we can pull your resume dress size down.

As a person who grew up close to New York City, where everything is impressive and accessible, I never felt much of a need to go anywhere. In typical New York fashion, I considered local parks sufficient greenery, and never thought about traveling to places where the sky might be visible or that might have clean air. So it is not surprising that until last year the extent of my world travel consisted of several trips upstate, going to visit friends in New Jersey and Connecticut, and a couple of trips to Boston.

When I think of how to describe my Zaidy to someone who has never met him, I find myself at a loss. I don’t know how to put my grandfather’s presence into words in a way that will sufficiently describe the picture I have of him in my mind. The fact that my most vivid memories are from when I was quite young make the task no easier. He was, simply, “Zaidy.” Regardless of profession, history or future, he just was.

College should be a place of learning, a place for a free exchange of ideas, a time to explore new perspectives.

Watching people a few hundred feet up in the air, walking or bicycling on a string has always astonished me. Regardless of the science behind it (using a long pole as a means of forcing one's center of gravity onto the string) does nothing to subtract from the magnificence of the act.

We've fought for woman's rights, and equality for African Americans and other minorities, but our challenges are far from over. Our final war has yet to be won.