Prose

Steven Grabiner finally made it to Israel. The savings bonds that he received at his Bar Mitzvah had come to maturity and provided the fare to Israel. After a brief stay in Tel Aviv he wound up on a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley where he could study Hebrew and religious instruction for half the day and work the other half of the day. From there he would take time out to explore the countryside, the historical sites, and his Jewish heritage.

I often hear people ask where the modern day miracles are. 

I was working on an important task on the computer that I needed to complete and then the electricity went out.

From as early as Joshua Sink could remember he had a passion for flying. While children typically change occupational dreams a dozen times, Josh was settled from the moment he could walk that one day he would be an airline pilot. He was spellbound as he watched planes take off and land. He would spend hours just watching them soar above the sky. Getting gifts for Josh was easy – anything having to do with planes. While his sister was playing house, he was playing airport.  As a young boy his dad arranged for him to see the cockpit during a flight. He was awed by the amount of gauges and controls.

Bubbe’s Zalts (Yiddish for the word salt)

On a scale of one to ten, my mother was a ten. Mama was my heart. My bubbe, however, was a ten and a half! My bubbe never spoke English, only Russian and Yiddish. I learned Yiddish and some Russian at a young age.

“How did you and Duane manage to have such a loving and close family?” Kathy asked following the funeral service for Doris’s husband.

Billy Joel has been open about his German Jewish roots, and even hosted a Q&A session at a concert in Nuremberg his to discuss roots with the public.

I loved going to my aunt Lilly’s house when I was kid to play with my cousin Al. I also liked being with aunt Lilly. Next to my mother, she was my second heart. Everything was great until Al would fight with his sister Geraldine.

One day I bicycled over to play with Al. I came in the midst of a fight Al was having with Geraldine. My uncle Louie was just getting home from work.