The Power of Choices
How do you not just survive but thrive when you live in a world that requires you to hide in plain sight? The highly courageous and determined Anne Frank wrote in her diary, “Our lives are fashioned by our choices. First we make our choices. Then our choices make us.” And sometimes choices are foisted […] Learn More ›
What Makes A Book “Jewish”?
Is it the theme, the author, the characters and their values, or the opportunity to learn something new? If I can close the book (or in my case, turn off the Kindle) and feel connected and inspired, in any part of my life – relationships, work, community – then to me, it is “Jewish.” Recently, […] Learn More ›
Grandparents, Please Write Your Stories!
My granddaughter Jessica was the one who inspired me to write my stories. “What was life like when you were a boy, Grandpa Jerry?” she started asking me last year. “What were some favorite games you played with your friends? What did you spend your allowance on? What were your parents and grandparents like?” As […] Learn More ›
The Benefit of Investing In Women Leaders
After a career in recruitment for over a decade, I had come to a fork in the road. Working in Talent Acquisition for a premier healthcare system in Illinois, the workforce I supported was being tested every day by the pandemic. Their struggles were agonizing. We all were working long hours, feeling anxious, frustrated, and […] Learn More ›
50 In 50
How a commitment to 50 books in my 50th year became an obsession (in a good way) In January of 2020, I was contemplating my 50th birthday and trying to figure out what I could do just for me, something meaningful that I gave myself and would always remember…not a trip or an experience, not […] Learn More ›
Menashe: Sundance Film Festival Breakout Hit Opens in Chicago
As I sat down last week to watch the screening of a film made entirely in Yiddish, set in a secretive, ultra-Orthodox Jewish New York neighborhood, I wasn’t sure what to expect and how (or even if) I would connect with these characters. But moments in, I was curious and fascinated by the script, the […] Learn More ›