Over the years, I have written articles after a visit to Israel. No matter how many times I have been there, each visit opens my eyes to another aspect of the Land and its remarkable people. Let me start with one anecdote. One morning, in the hotel, I was waiting in line for an omelet. In front of me was a man and his two children, and I started a short conversation with him. He was a non-Jew from the Midwest on his first trip to the Holy Land with his family. He appreciated my interest and gave me a warm pat on the back as we parted.

I remarked to the omelet lady that it is important to be nice to visitors to Israel and to make them feel welcome. She responded, “Of course we have to be nice to any human being. Anachnu rachmanim bnai rachmanim – We are merciful children of our Merciful Father.” This once again demonstrated that not only is Israel a Jewish country, but we are truly one mishpacha.

Our community has recently experienced multiple tragic events, and as humans, we cannot help but be impacted by them. The loss and injury of people in our lives and the lives of those around us affect our actions, our thought processes, and our emotions. 

Some of us have consciously changed our actions in response to the tragedies. We may be attending Tehillim groups, adding a chesed as a merit for others, and strengthening our Torah learning. We may have become defensive while driving, or become more protective over our children. Some of us may be spending more time alone, while others may be making concerted efforts to connect with others. Perhaps our bodies have been subconsciously affected: perhaps we are feeling muscular tension, easily startled, having trouble sleeping, or experiencing our hearts race.

To most people, memory loss means Alzheimer’s disease, but in reality that is only half the picture. A large percentage of cognitive decline in the elderly is due to vascular changes in the brain, as described by Prashanthi Vemuri, a Mayo Clinic researcher who studies cognitive decline.

As discussed in the Nutrition Action Healthletter, the distinctive characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease is the presence of amyloid, abnormal fragments of protein in the brain. These fragments collect in the brain and may trigger a chain of events that eventually leads to damaged nerve cells. Vascular dementia, on the other hand, is due to damage to blood vessels in the brain. On scans, it can show up as brain cells that have died from lack of oxygen after tiny blood vessels became blocked. In both cases, people are not aware of the amyloid accumulation or that the small blood vessels are damaged. By age 70, about 15% of people have vascular disease in the brain, and some people with memory loss have both amyloid and vascular damage.

Winter is a time for heart-warming, cozy food. Here are a few great wintertime recipes that your family is sure to enjoy.

A good friend of mine, Julie A., has taken on making something special for the third meal each Shabbos. I bought a three-quart Crock-Pot just for that purpose. I like to make hot dishes that will be delicious for the third meal (after cooking in a Crock-Pot for almost 24 hours). One of the perfect dishes I found is French onion soup, though if you want to enjoy it with cheese, you’ll have to make it during the week (or serve dairy for lunch!).

It’s well known that a commitment to regular exercise is the most important thing you can do to assure successful long-term health and weight loss. Countless studies have shown that dietary changes without exercise rarely lead to sustained weight loss. The problem is that the definition of exercise is not clear. You may think doing housework is exercise, while someone else would consider that normal activity.

If you think you’re exercising but you’re really not, you’ll be disappointed when you don’t lose weight. In order to successfully lose weight, working out just for the benefit of heart health is simply not good enough. We need exercise to shed some serious pounds. For this reason, I’ll give you the definition of exercise that I believe is most effective for long-term weight control.

After several failed attempts, you finally pick up the phone, call that recommended therapist, and schedule a session. No turning back now. As the day approaches, you wonder what it’s going to be like. The day finally arrives, you enter the office, shake his hand with sweaty palms, and sink into the couch. After exchanging pleasantries, the question is posed: “So what are you hoping to get out of therapy?”

Invariably, that question triggers a look of puzzlement. “Hmmm… Good question… I guess to stop drinking, fighting, worrying, missing school, crying, cutting [fill in the blank]?” Or perhaps a panicked reaction: “I have no idea! How am I supposed to know? Aren’t you supposed to tell me? Stop pressuring me!”

In the nearly 20 years since our aliyah, I have traveled to the US many times – generally combining business and pleasure by attending family simchas and fundraising in the same week. Since I now have two married children in the States, these visits have become more frequent, but they are also for the most part uneventful.

That word cannot be used to describe my most recent trip to the East Coast, scheduled for two weeks after Sukkos. The “fun” began on erev Sukkos, when my son forwarded me a news item that, due to runway repair construction at Ben Gurion Airport, all flights for 16 days in November would be flying over the Holon cemetery and thereby pose a problem for kohanim.

It was June of 2015. Jerusalem was hot and grimy. It was starting to feel like clammy Baltimore, and I was getting cabin fever. One Shabbos, someone who was hosting me for a meal told me that he had vacationed in the Austrian Alps one summer at a kosher hotel there. “The mountains weren’t as high as in Switzerland, but you get the feel of Switzerland – and it’s cheaper,” he said. The name of the hotel, with its predominantly chasidishe clientele, was Alpen-Karawanserai, about an hour-and-a-half by car from Salzburg.

I was a bit wary of patronizing Austria. Yes, I enjoyed the movie classic “The Sound of Music,” which was about a singing Austrian family that defied the Nazis and featured breathtaking scenes of the Austrian Alps. But I have other scenes of Austria in my head: pictures of Austrians wildly cheering Hitler after the Anschlus (German annexation of Austria) and the famous picture of the Hitler Youth forcing middle-aged Jews to scrub the streets of Vienna on their hands and knees. Austria was home to the concentration camp Mauthausen, and the Austrians are unrepentant of their past to this day. (“What? Pay the Jews reparations?”)

When Mashiach arrives, the entire world will know it instantly! I heard this opinion many years ago, and it was hard to imagine, then, how this could happen. Today, the scenario is quite understandable. A few “shares” on Facebook reposted thousands of times, a few tweets forwarded, not to mention live breaking news, and you’re there.

But aside from its future role in heralding the arrival of Mashiach, the modern cell phone is truly a wonder right now. It has the ability to connect us with virtually anyone, anywhere, any time – and to access a seemingly endless amount of information – with a device that fits into our pockets. Like any technology, however, mobile devices can be a blessing or a curse. As Rabbi Yissocher Frand said in his pre-Yom Kippur drasha, “Is Your Master in Your Pocket?” we need to make sure that we are controlling our technology and not vice versa..

JEWELS first opened its doors in 2012 with 13 students and a goal to equip each child with the skills to achieve his or her full potential through special education, rehabilitation, and loving support, all in a Jewish setting. Five years later, JEWELS has tripled in size to 40 students and has 34 incredible staff members, including therapists. JEWELS is growing…and thriving! Special Educators lead each of the six classes, divided by age and level of development. Through its clinic, which provides therapies to children from all schools, JEWELS fulfills its mission of servicing the entire community, regardless of ability.

JEWELS is the only inclusive preschool program in the Baltimore Jewish community that is equipped to educate children with special needs. Each child has a custom-tailored learning and therapy experience so he can succeed. Additionally, students benefit from a range of supplemental enrichment activities, including music, gymnastics, cooking, and art.