A Letter to My Father
by Slovie Jungreis-WolffIt's been 13 years but there is still a crack in my heart.
It's been 13 years but there is still a crack in my heart.
My mother died when she was almost 98 years old. We thought she'd live forever.
On a bus in Jerusalem, all eyes followed the girl who suddenly broke down and cried.
Passover reminds us that not only can't you escape your past, but you have to cherish it too.
A lost diamond, a gaping black hole, and an inspiring Passover realization.
My father's enthusiasm for Passover was so contagious, that each member of our family approached the Seder in an emotional state approaching ecstasy.
Sometimes it's the small gestures that penetrate most deeply.
Life sure has changed, my little one, ever since you've joined the family.
In these unstable and scary times, the sukkah gives us a reassuring message.
Using symbolic foods to cook up real change for Rosh Hashana.
Lying in the bed she had no questions. Sitting at her side I had no answers.
This was my third pregnancy and it was going blissfully well. How things can change in an instant.
As I took care of my dying mother, a new bond was created.
We were marrying off our eldest daughter. Why was I feeling so much pain?
"What is someone like me, a person who, for most of his life, has wavered between being staunchly Reform and staunchly secular, doing sending my kids to an Orthodox Jewish day school?"
Because of my father's devoted love, I barely realized that I was missing a mother.
Polio makes you different. And at age ten, who wants to be different?
Watching Judge Lefkowitz balance the needs of four generations and a seat on the New York State Supreme Court was impressive, especially to her daughter.
Was I supposed to be stuck in town that weekend just for this purpose?
How my daughter's short life changed mine.
Having just turned 43, never married, no kids, I was having a tough time getting up the enthusiasm to pray for these same things once again
Our Chanukah candles shone extra-bright last year. That's because they were the only lights in our house.
The sudden loss of a pregnancy shakes the world of a young mother-to-be.
Somehow birthdays morphed into a day of doors closing behind me with a final thud.
I knew Bubby would be leaving this world soon, and I was determined to be with her before it happened.
After the sudden loss of my father, Tisha B'Av took on new meaning.
I did not stop praying for my miracle. I wanted my grandmother to dance at my wedding.
I thought if I could remain in control of every factor affecting my son's life, perhaps I could cure him.