She Shouldn’t, She Wouldn’t, She Couldn’t: An updated look at contemporary fiction that bravely takes on one of the oldest puzzles in the world–Mothers
Contemporary fiction focusing on mothers is vast and varied, ranging from explosive to heart-breaking, compelling to painful, frustrating to exquisite. Yet most top-ten lists offered by any internet search are massively out of date, focusing on greats such as Mona...
The Truth behind the Polka Dot: Kusama’s World
Bold, eye-popping colors; vast fields of polka dots; supersized ceramic flowers and vegetables; peep shows that hurl the viewer first into a Pachinko game, next into a Day-Glo world like that of the Teletubbies; polyptychs, composed of canvases featuring organic...
The Postman never rings twice
The postman never rings twice. Unless he’s mine. I have my very own postman, and he’s the gold standard. Here’s the story: I recently moved to Tel Aviv, certain that leaving small-town Israel for the big city would mean saying goodbye to friendly exchanges at the...
Zadok Ben-David’s premonition: Art and the Pandemic
After more than a year of social isolation, a period during which we’ve been told to keep our distance, avoid large gatherings and refrain from shaking hands or exchanging kisses hello, Zadok Ben-David’s installation at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art is nothing short of...
Things that pass
“If there’s a siren, stop whatever you’re doing and hit the ground.” I look at my bike in its stand, all ready to be grabbed once I’ve finished my swim. I imagine myself calmly pulling over, placing it gently on the ground, gears up, and stretching out on the...
Do you believe in magic?
Most of us do whether we realize it or not. Living in a world without superheroes, princes and princesses, angels, wish-granting genies and fairy tale endings would just be too harsh and one dimensional. Furthermore, it's precisely through stories and fables about...
The Perils of City Life in the 21st Century
One more beautiful night in Tel Aviv. My husband and I were spending that Shabbat, like many others, walking around, absorbing the vibe, trying to figure out whether it might be time to dump our Suburban life and move to the city. We were continually amazed by how...
Clambering to the Light
The Shalva Band. If you haven't seen them perform: run, not walk. Or at least watch them on YouTube. I'm not sure we've made a big enough deal of this group of eight individuals that, although challenged by a variety of disabilities, managed to pull Israel together...
Where’s the butter?
"Where's the butter?"It's a Friday morning like any other. I'm sorting through the groceries, putting away the items that need refrigeration. My husband shops for the family on Fridays. I get to skip that all-too-boring weekly ritual and he gets to chat up the...
The Nauseating Attraction to Mussolini’s Legacy
MAGA We all know what those initials stand for. Some of us aren't willing to say the full phrase out loud, many of us can't stomach the individual who spouts it at any given opportunity, but most of us don't know that this "concept" was co-opted. No, it's not a Trump...
