Author Archives: בָּרוּך

Shabbat shalom!  Shiva shout out out this week to Madeleine Albright, who passed away at the age of 84. A remarkable woman, feminist, diplomat, first female Secretary of State, was raised a Catholic but found out late in life that her parents were Jewish and converted to Catholicism to avoid being killed by the Nazis.Continue reading “The Jew News Review – March 26, 2022 – Spring, ancient curses, and Israeli marital shackles”

Shabbat shalom! Good luck with your brackets if you are following NCAA’s March Madness (basketball at its best) and, happy Purim to one and all! Growing up, I don’t remember ever celebrating Purim, at home or at Hebrew School. That could just be my withering memory. For in Israel, it is a widely celebrated holiday,Continue reading “The Jew News Review – March 19, 2022 – March Madness”

Shabbat shalom! My new JNR staff member requires a lot of supervision, so this posting will be short, as Sandy and I are pretty busy making sure the new kid has adjusted to his temporary quarters for the weekend. Amidst the gloom and doom of Putin’s war on the world order, and amidst the whirlwindContinue reading “The Jew News Review – March 12, 2022 – On the Road with our new JNR Staffer”

Shabbat shalom one and all!  Birthday shoutouts to Alyssa Hirsh and my sister Phyllis. And send your good thoughts and financial support to our friends in the Ukraine. Here are links to a few deductible charities to help the Jews in Ukraine.  Chabad-Lubavitch Ukraine Relief Fund and the Mishpacha Orphanage, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Jewish Committee.Continue reading “The Jew News Review – March 5, 2022 – Bullies, Babyn Yar, and Barkley doing the Hora”

Shabbat shalom. A serious shout out to our Ukrainian friends which include a team of developers from my old company. Resurrecting the ghosts of Soviet leaders past, Darth Putin has the Death Star pointing at Kyiv as I write this entry. Russian missiles are dealing death blows to a free, democratic country which will beContinue reading “The Jew News Review – February 26, 2022 – Ghosts…new and old”

Shabbat shalom everyone! And happy birthday to my number one son and number one roommate! Good to be back in good ole Sharon, MA even if there are no palm trees and the average temperature is more suitable for polar bears. Sandy was definitely ready to return, but as for myself, not so much. Fortunately,Continue reading “The Jew News Review – February 19, 2022 – Retail wars, culture wars, and Boston’s best babka!”

Shabbat shalom one and all!  Well, everyday is groundhog day here in Palm Springs, but instead of waking up to Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe”, we have been waking up to this scene out our bedroom window every morning. But alas, this will sadly be our last posting from Palm Springs, as this comingContinue reading “The Jew News Review – February 12, 2022 – Harmony Hangover”

Shabbat shalom from sunny Palm Springs! And welcome to new subscriber and friend of the family, Zach Gekow!  What a week! If the desert sun isn’t enough to cause me a stroke, the news certainly will. Just when you thought the Republican Party could go no lower, they censure two of their own who dareContinue reading “The Jew News Review – February 5, 2022 – Making Whoopie, the “A” word, and the Jewish spin on Wordle”

Shabbat shalom from sunny Palm Springs! And greetings to our new subscriber, Jamie Agins, friend of Phyllis and glass artist extraordinaire. Link to Jamie’s website Last Thursday was International Holocaust Remembrance day which was pretty widely noted by the mainstream media, and of course, The Forward and other Jewish media. I don’t usually get a chanceContinue reading “The Jew News Review – January 29, 2022 – “Never Again””

Shabbat shalom.  My late father-in-law was a snowbird and invariably, during every snowstorm or patch of bad weather we suffered through in Sharon, he would call us with very self satisfying remarks on what great weather he was experiencing in Florida. So, only out of great love of that memory do I sit here inContinue reading “The Jew News Review – January 22, 2022 – A glitch in The Matrix?”