Why I Bought Myself a Mogen David Bracelet for Father’s Day

Sometimes dads screw up. I screw up all the time, as a dad, and even in my non-dad functions. One way my dad screwed up is that he changed his name from Hirschkind to Hickins. Rhymes with chickens, not quite Dickens, as American as apple pie and Doinkuss. Slim pickins indeed; no American would have … Continue reading Why I Bought Myself a Mogen David Bracelet for Father’s Day

How to Interpret Yom Hashoah

We all come to Yom Hashoah -- Holocaust Remembrance Day – by different paths. For me, it’s an ongoing education into my family’s history, which I detail in my memoir, The Silk Factory: Finding Threads of My Family’s True Holocaust Story. And this year in particular, Yom Hashoah was jolted into my consciousness by a … Continue reading How to Interpret Yom Hashoah

Vermin, Poisoned Blood, and the Jews

As asylum-seekers drown in the Rio Grande under the indifferent eyes of the Texas National Guard, and as Donald Trump celebrates his primary victory in Iowa this week, Jews especially should take heed of language such as poisoned blood and vermin used when discussing immigration. Trump has promised that if elected, he will strip citizenship … Continue reading Vermin, Poisoned Blood, and the Jews