I spent an emotional day in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya on Sunday, reading from my book, The Lost Kitchen, and talking to my mom’s friends. One woman showed me the bracelet Mom had given her for her birthday 15 years ago, still being worn as a reminder of their close friendship. Another proudly told me that she was the first one to invite my parents to dinner after their arrival in 1994. These friends spoke of her beautiful smiles, her enthusiastic greetings, her melo

When my dad is away, as he is this week, I try to visit my mom each day, even if only for a short while, so that I can verify with my own eyes that she’s ok. And, I post a photo of her to our family WhatsApp group so that they can see her, too. Mom was smiling today, and when I took her photo, she asked to see it. “Is that me?” she queried as she studied herself. I assured her it was. I’m guessing that Mom thinks of herself as much younger, certainly unlike the other resident

It is hard to write and post a blog on this heavy Memorial Day in Israel. We remember the 23,741 souls who have fallen in wars and in terrorist attacks since the founding of the state in 1948, including my husband’s father's cousin, Ami-Yehiel Grossbard, who fell in 1957. And, tonight, we will transition from sorrow to joy as we observe Israel’s 71st birthday in a spirited Independence Day celebration. Yesterday, before the start of Memorial Day, I attended Mom’s "unbirthday"

This week marks the 5th anniversary of my blog, The Lost Kitchen, which features the ups and downs of caring for my mom who has Alzheimer’s. Mom was diagnosed eight years ago. And the blog was created a few years later as a platform from which to publicize a book I had started writing back then with my dad, The Man’s Emergency Cookbook. That’s what we wanted to call it, a humorous nod to all the men out there who had to learn to cook because their situations had changed drast