A Story about Stories...and a Monster!

My parents and grandparents were not storytellers. By the time I was old enough to ask the right questions—about the old country, the journey to America, life in the new country—there was no one left to answer them.  That left a gaping hole
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Why Jump to Sorry?

MTV debuted its reality series “The Real World” in 1992. Young adult strangers lived together in an apartment and were followed by cameras to capture what drama might ensue. In one of the first episodes, a young man asked his roommates to do him
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What Looks Like Bupkes May Simply Mean You Aren’t Looking Hard Enough

The folks at Kar-Ben asked if I’d be willing to write a blog about my new book, A Book About Bupkes. (*Nothing.) I gladly agreed. Let me say that I think the book is lots of fun, with an essential message about the small acts of kindness that
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Writing While Walking...or Riding a Donkey?

In my experience the hardest part of writing a story isn’t the actual writing of it—finding all the right words—but finding the right shape for it: the right beginning, the right middle, and the right end. For this hardest part I’m usually not
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Kindness to Animals: Moses and the Runaway Lamb

Children have a natural fondness for animals. The simple sight of a waddling duck at a pond can elicit hand-clapping glee in a preschooler. Puppies are much more than pets, they are treasured childhood friends. Children find comfort in loving
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Recalling My Childhood: My Name is Hamburger

As the author of over fifty children’s books, I have written about the US Constitution, a gigantic mythical bird, Pluto’s demotion, Rabbi Akiva, goblins, a boy with magic sneakers, and an eclectic mix of other topics. But until My Name is
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Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue

Tzedek, tzedek tirdof. 

The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg brought the biblical phrase back into modern parlance, but the pursuit of justice has always been fundamental to what it means to be Jewish. Justice is a work in progress that we should never assume is complete. ...
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Healing the World with Two Simple Words

A child first learning to apologize, will typically hang their head low in shame, avoiding eye contact. The words “I’m sorry” will be soft and meek.  Apologizing is publically admitting to doing something wrong and causing suffering to others. The point of apologizing is to acknowledge where we have gone wrong so that we may do better going forward. Being forgiven is just the icing on the cake....
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Happy Mother’s Day (And Don’t Forget To Call!)

The “Jewish mother” is a cultural icon. Her overbearing love and constant fretting over her children are staples of late-night comedy. If the Jewish mother stereotype tells the story of Jewish assimilation in America, it casts women as secondary
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We Shall Overcome in Hebrew is Anu Nitgaber

At the end of the 19th century, just two generations away from slavery, a girl blessed with a talent for singing was born in Philadelphia. Her name was Marian Anderson and she was musically gifted, but she was Black. Time and time again she had
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