My mom is still here, diminished though she is, and I have the privilege of seeing her.

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

I lost my temper out of frustration this week. Mom had taken my coat and wouldn’t give it back. The moment I yelled at her, though, I regretted it terribly. Here’s what transpired: We had attended a sing-a-long of Chanukah songs. About an hour into enjoying the music and humming along to most of the songs, Mom asked me to find her coat so that she could put it on. Then she saw another coat on the back of a chair near her and wanted to put that one on, too. “That’s not your co

Imagine a world where reality is suspect. Think Soylent Green, Logan’s Run, The Matrix, Ender’s Game. If you’ve seen any of these sci-fi films, you can visualize the protagonist’s fight to overcome the reality espoused by those in power. Each movie ends cathartically with the protagonist winning his battle to reveal the true reality. Now imagine on a smaller scale an individual who battles against disbelief her whole day, an individual who is told by the very people she loves