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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson[/caption]
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is a freelance journalist based in Mevasseret Zion, Israel.
Her published works, available on Amazon, include:
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* All Quiet on the Midwestern Plains: A Tale of Deception, Betrayal, and Vindication
* The Balancing Game: A Child Between Two Worlds, A Society Approaching War
* Chasing Dreams and Flies: A Tragicomedy of Life in France
* The Diary of Anne Frank (Cliff Notes)
* Levi Koenig: A Contemporary King Lear
* Time out of Joint: The Fate of a Family
Shefer-Vanson also is a Hebrew to English translator, with those works on Amazon including:
* The Rainy Day Man by Amnon Jackont
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By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — As Passover approaches the word “tradition” assumes increasing prominence in the lives of Jews — and Israelis. Each ethnic group, and each family, has its own traditions regarding the way the festival is celebrated (cue musical interlude “Tradition” from “Fiddler on the Roof”). This was brought home to […]
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Whether you call the city Lvov, Lviv, or Lemberg, the place that was once a center of culture and commerce in Ukraine is currently the scene of destruction and devastation. Now that the whole of Ukraine is being subjected to attack by Russia, I am reminded of the
The Irony of it All Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, InternationalBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It goes without saying that a certain amount of cognitive dissonance is inevitable in the psyche of anyone living in Western society in this day and age. Our mental balance depends on finding a way of coping with the situations in which we find ourselves. Recent events in
Living with Cognitive Dissonance Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, OpinionBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — We thought the age of war in Europe was over. We thought that people of intelligence and culture had learned to cooperate and at least to prevent the senseless destruction of property and lives. We thought that the lessons of the past had been learned, and that the
In This Day and Age Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, OpinionBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was born in London in 1942. My parents were refugees, stateless and penniless. The fact that I was born in that specific place and time gave me the right to remain in England, and hence also enabled my parents to remain there. It was wartime, London
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — One’s heart goes out to the Ukrainian men, women, and children caught up in the devastating and unprovoked attack on their country by their powerful and greedy neighbor, Russia. The sight of women carrying children as they tramp along frozen roads and fields in an attempt to find
Ukraine: Can We Detach the Present From the Past? Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Opinion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — My TV consumption is usually limited to the (extended) evening news, plus the occasional cookery program, provided it does not involve a competition. I do not watch reality TV or competitions of any kind. But the times they are a-changing, and Europe is teetering on the brink of
The Human Condition Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Being able to hear all five Beethoven piano concerti played on two successive evenings was a rare treat. This was provided by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Steven Sloane, and brought Beethoven’s immense oeuvre in this realm into sharp and impressive perspective. On the first evening
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven Feast Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — In the same week as the Israeli government announced a rise in the price of fuel and electricity, several major food importers and manufacturers in Israel proclaimed that they would also be raising prices. For once, instead of the usual passive acceptance of their fate, consumers in Israel
Israeli Consumers Revolt Read More »
Business & Finance, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Opinion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson For some time now I have been hearing and reading about audiobooks. Members of my family have told me that they listen to them while on long car journeys or taking long walks. The idea seemed alien and remote to me. After all, I have been addicted to the printed word since
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — When it all started, just about two years ago, everyone thought that the nasty bug known as Corona, or COVID-19, would soon come to an end. When it didn’t, precautionary measures were put into effect, with lockdowns, quarantine and the wearing of masks. People had to keep a
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — When one of my two sisters asked me to try and find a document about our father, who died 20 years ago, I remembered the filing cabinet. Twenty years ago it took my sisters and me many months to sort through his possessions and dispose of them. His
Down the Time Tunnel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, LifestylesOver the course of six years the author toiled to trace the movements, ideas and political currents underlying two seminal terms in modern international law: ‘genocide’ and ‘crimes against humanity.’ In this undertaking he has interwoven the history and fate of his own family in Galicia (Poland and Ukraine), as well as that of a number of incidental characters, who were involved directly or indirectly in the rescue of some of his family members and the failure to save others. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
‘East West Street:’ Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish HistoryIn 2000 a natural gas field was discovered in Israel’s offshore waters near Ashkelon, and amid great rejoicing commercial production started in 2004. An offshore rig can be seen from the coast, which doesn’t do much to improve the beauty of the scenery but certainly helps Israel’s energy-starved economy. Till then Israel relied on imported coal and oil to fuel its power stations, as well as on its only natural resource – ample sunshine – to heat water by means of solar panels on the roofs of houses. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
OpEd: Israel’s Energy Muddle Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East