as I enter the witness protection program...

Over the past five days, I've been riveted by the coverage of the three young men who were kidnapped in Israel. I hope, and pray, that they will be brought back safe and soon. But the theology represented by the outpouring of conspicuous public piety in the Jewish community has some troubling aspects, which I explore in this piece in the Forward.

When my eldest daughter was three years old, she enjoyed a comfortable morning routine. After breakfast, if she dressed quickly, she was allowed to watch half an episode of “Sesame Street” before heading off to school. Like most three-year-olds, she enjoyed the predictability and sameness of quiet time with Elmo and Grover and Oscar the Grouch. Every morning, she was engrossed, dancing and singing along, blonde ringlets bouncing.

Then, one Monday morning, tragedy struck. Instead of “Sesame Street,” there was a new show on PBS. She was horrified. Tears streaming down her face, she looked up at me and with all earnestness asked, “Ima, why did HaShem have to change the TV schedule?”

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/200199/prayer-wont-bringbackourboys/?p=all#ixzz34uUzP3EJ

on holocaust board games and other lessons

I often find myself in a funny place when it comes to parenting. I am (relatively) strict with my kids, but (very) permissive when it comes to their access to information. So, I don't censor what they read, I rarely censor what movies they watch, I am comfortable answering nearly any kind of question. This blog post on the Forward was inspired by my childhood experience and an innocent question from my then five year old about the holocaust.

“So, children, tell me how you came to Theresienstadt.”

Thus began my seventh grade intro to Shoah education. Not that we hadn’t been learning about the Holocaust for most of our day school careers. There was the yearly replica of Yad Vashem, where each grade was responsible for a booth, countless Holocaust-themed books and reports, and the rite of passage that we liked to call, “create a board game based on the book Night by Elie Wiesel.”

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Where I'm not sure if I'm a bigot.....

I have to believe I'm not the only one who's ever thought about this question - do my particularistic Jewish choices close me off from the rest of the world, or even make me a bigot? See my take on this question from Jewcy.com, starting here.

It was my sophomore year and a group of us were gathered in a dorm room, teenage bodies splayed across beds and chairs and floor. I don’t recall exactly what prompted the conversation, but someone asked a dorm mate, an Indian national, to talk about the possibility of arranged marriage.

“That’s crazy,” complained one of my friends. “To assume that the person you are meant to be with happens to be from your ethnic group. You could find him anywhere. It’s racist.”

Well, that stopped me in my tracks. Since hiding in that tiny, crowded room wasn’t really an option, I just sat still, hoping no one would notice me. And it might have worked, if not for my close friend who announced to my horror, “Leah will only date and marry Jews.” Despite all of my attempts to be seen as a left-leaning, color blind, student of the world, I had just been called out as a bigot. Awesome.

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My newfound love for Mika Brzezinski

Like many good NPR listeners, and New York Times readers, we often watch "Morning Joe" with our coffee. For many reasons, this show is not necessarily my favorite, more of a lesser of morning news evils. But there it is, most weekday mornings, while the caffeine slowly enters my bloodstream and I clean up the remainder of last night's dishes. Glamorous, I know.

Though I could offer various critiques of the show's content, the thing that has really gotten under my skin has nothing to do with editorial choices or left/right balance. Each day, as I made sure my kids had their coats zipped, boots and gloves on, hoods at the ready, as I buttoned up my big winter coat (over my sweats) to take them to the bus, there was Mika, in a shift dress and four inch heels. What the f#%&?! Why was she perpetually dressed for a Memorial Day wedding? 

I found her clothing so distracting that I realized I wasn't listening to the discussions that were taking place during the show. I literally recall the grey sleeveless dress with the pink piping that she wore repeatedly as I shivered under a blanket a 15 minute drive from her home. Is the weather really different there? And, in my experience, uber-skinny women like her are always cold. 

So why the skimpy outfits? I felt it really diminished her as a journalist. How could I take her seriously if she couldn't take herself seriously enough to PUT ON A SWEATER? Then, slowly, the news began leaking out. Mika's notorious obsession with food might be a symptom of a larger issue. Turns out Ms. Brzezinski has an eating disorder. And in her attempt at healing, she gained 20 pounds. Now, I don't know for a fact that this is the reason for the big wardrobe change that ensued. And I in no way intend to diminish her struggles with her personal demons. Eating disorders are serious business. But, recently, as the weight crept on, it seems to me some more blood has been flowing to Mika's brain as well. 

I hope her newfound love for sleeves is not an indication that, having gained a few pounds, Mika is now ashamed of her (slightly larger) body. Besides the fact that she is still, by any measure, quite thin, that would be a disappointing outcome. She should continue wearing her short sleeveless dresses to garden parties and beach destination weddings and shopping in June on Madison avenue. But, onscreen with a bunch of men in sweaters and 3 piece suits and tweed jackets, she ought to dress for the season.  Her opinions should do the speaking for her, not her buff upper arms. Now about those shoes....