A Nuanced Children’s Novel of the Post World-War II Era

This book, intended for students in late elementary and early middle schools, tells the story of two Ukrainian teenage sisters who are taken prisoners by soldiers of the Soviet Union.  The soldiers and the sinister Soviet NKVD believe that however anti-Nazi the sisters might have been during the just-ended World War II, they also were opposed to the expansionist designs of the Soviet Union.  From the standpoint of the commissars, although the girls were just teenagers, they were enemies of the state. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Yom Kippur and the Holiday the Romans Destroyed

Like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur does not exist in the Bible. It replaces another day known as Yom Hakippurim. Yom Kippur is singular, “day of atonement,” while Yom Hakippurim is plural, “day of atonements.” The biblical Yom Hakippurim is mentioned in Leviticus 16:29–31, 23:27–32, and Numbers 29:7–11. No work was permitted on this day, special sacrifices were offered, there was a ceremony consisting of two scapegoats, and the Israelites were only obliged to te’anu et nafshoteikhem. This is improperly translated as “you must afflict your souls.” [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

OpEd: Teacher Unions Seek to Demonize Israel, Jews

While public school teachers and their unions demonstrated a shocking obstinacy during the ongoing pandemic regarding opening up of schools to in-person learning for America’s students, they seemed to have found the energy at the same time to continue their activism and advocacy for teaching children to hate themselves because of the color of their skin, distrust law enforcement, blame white supremacy for systemic racism and the victimhood of marginalized people of color, identify their gender fluidity, and a bucket full of other progressive notions that animate what now currently passes for public education. [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Memoir of a Happy, Chaotic Life of a Pet Owner

This memoir more appropriately might have been titled “The Life of Riley,” except for the fact that title was immortalized in the 1940s and 1950s by radio and television actor William Bendix, who portrayed aircraft worker Chester A. Riley on both media.  “Riley” in the instance of this book, is a black Flat-Coated Retriever, who remained very much a puppy even well into adulthood.  The Beckerman family–which included the author’s husband Joel, son Josh, and daughter Emily — also owned various goldfish, many of whom they collectively named “Larry” (even those who occupied the fish bowl at the same time);  a chinchilla; and a bearded dragon (lizard), but Riley was the star and most beloved of all these pets. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, The World We Share, Trivia, Humor & Satire

How to Help a Friend Work through Issues

In any communication between two people, each one evaluates, accepts, rejects, classifies, or assimilates what the other is saying. We all have a tendency to hear what pleases us, or what we think the other will say, preoccupied as we are by our own response—we often don’t really listen. One of the pleasures of conversation is to talk about oneself, each believing that the other is fascinated by the tale. We love an audience. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Satire: Take Me to Your Leader

Like most Martians, I live beneath the planet because it is too hot or cold. When I occasionally venture up to the top to catch some sun or see the stars, I have been angered by how littered the landscape has become with metal vehicles from earth which are collecting samples of our soil and rocks or hovering above the surface.  Since most of them bear the insignia of a place called the USA, I’ve decided to lodge a complaint with its leader. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire