Jewish Luck Blog
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All of us can remember the taste and smell of certain foods that connect us to our families.Lemon meringue pie immediately transports me to my maternal grandmother's kitchen while blintzes move me across town to my paternal grandmother's. I was privileged to hear from a woman forced to flee her Berlin home for Mexico talk about how the smell o...
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Do you know Nilüfer Demir? Her name may be unfamiliar to you, but Demir's heartbreaking photo of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi's limp body carried from the sea to the sands of Lesbos touched millions around the world.Reporting on the migration crisis was non-stop all summer as boats washed ashore from Sicily to Greece and refugees were herded in ...
My high school French teacher would frequently admonish me: don't build "des chauteaux en Espagne." How irksome that my daydreaming was so clearly visible to Mlle. Her warning only made me reflect on what an interesting expression that was—"to build castles in Spain." It usually made me revert to daydreaming although now the topic w...
Remember the Blake Edwards film 10 starring Bo Derek and her braids?It was the first time I had thought about rating people by number.Of course, I was used to being graded and by 1979 I had graded a considerable number of student papers. But it seemed dehumanizing to "rate" a person from 1 to 10.Now rating is inescapable. Siskel and Ebert redu...
Recent Blogs
Meryll
09 April 2021
I snapped up the invitation to speak at a zoom meeting for the Jewish Affinity Group from Columbus School for Girls. Self-quarantining for almost a year has made me hungry to talk about Jewish Luck. It's certainly clear from the news that Vera and Alla's perceptions about the "New" Russia are just as relevant now as they were when Vera first encountered Putin in Leningrad.More than the intellectua...
Leslie
07 February 2021
What I learned from American Kompromat by Craig Unger (2021) Dutton: NYC has prompted me to write a blog.
Trigger Warning: This book contains potentially distressing content that could trigger trauma that we have experienced regarding the previous US President.
I whisper this mantra to myself: "We're safe now. He's gone. We're safe now." The purpose of this exercise is to reduce my blood pre...
Leslie
31 January 2021
"Faster than a speeding bullet." .Organized anti-government rallies in 109 cities across Russia from jail for January 23 and January 30, 2021. Watch each weekend.
"More powerful than a locomotive." Able to make a miraculous recovery from Novichok poisoning on Aug. 20, 2020 after remaining in a coma for nearly a month. His is the only known case of survival of that strain of Novichok.
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Invite Us To Speak
We were featured speakers at Hadassah Brandeis Institute and Levy Summer Series. Our speaking engagements include JCCs, synagogues, libraries, book groups, retirement communities, schools, and organizations (e.g. ORT, Hadassah, and Women's League). References are available.
Talk Review
"I was very fortunate to be able to hear Meryll and Leslie speak at a Hadassah event in Israel. Each of the ~50 participants really enjoyed the event because Meryll and Leslie were so engaging. While they had a natural rapport with the audience, you could also tell they had prepared well so they could connect with our particular group's interests. I learned a lot from listening to them, and I found their sisterly interaction unique and fun. If you want an enlightening and uplifting experience, attend one of their book talks."
Lisa Shimoni, Modiin Israel
Book Review
"Truly, you have written a story that makes accessible the reality of existence in Russia, through the eyes of individuals who lived through the various regimes and dictates. It is fascinating and very well told. As I read Vera and Alla's story, I learned more Russian history than I had known from a textbook. That's a big deal, women! You tell the tale with vivid detail and hook us on the two women and their stories, then weave in the history to illuminate their journeys. It is such a necessary book. I am thrilled that the two of you collaborated, as I can see the uniqueness of your personalities come through in the stories, and that, too, makes the book a gem."
Margaret Leibfried, Danielson Group consultant
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Tasting Torah
Nourish mind, body, and soul with Meryll's Tasting Torah, which will bring oneg (joy) and limmud (learning) to your Shabbat, broaden your culinary horizons, and draw your Shabbat guests closer together.
Highlighted Books
Meryll
02 July 2017
Leslie and I began writing Jewish Luck with an underlying question in our minds—what would life have...
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