Walking Where My Father Walked
Visiting Częstochowa, Poland — the city where my father once walked as a young man before World War II.…
Berlin Then and Now
Two visits to Berlin, separated by nearly four decades, revealed a city transformed. Berlin taught me that remembering the past and rebuilding for the future are not opposites.…
What Was Destroyed Did Not Vanish
Born before Poland existed, my father lived to see what survives destruction.…
My Parents Were the Argument
In 1896, Theodor Herzl warned that antisemitism would return even after periods of calm. More than a century later, his words still resonate. As the child of Holocaust survivors, I have never viewed the need for a Jewish state as an abstract political question. My parents’ lives were the argument.…
The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk: Architecture, Memory, and Politics
Bold design, curated narrative.…
POLIN Museum: A Monument to Life and Memory
A museum recounting 1,000 years of Jewish life in Polish lands.…
The Joy of Photography
A thoughtful essay by Ferdy Christant reminded me that photography does not need to justify itself.…
Vintage Images of Washington
Vintage photos and ephemera of Washington preserved on Flickr.…
Pan Am Promised Me the Moon
Signing up to go to the moon.…
Heaven on the Edge of a Lake
Before this trip, I had never heard of Queenstown. What I found was a small town on the edge of Lake Wakatipu that felt immense in presence — a place of glaciers and gondolas, cemeteries and laundromats, where even ordinary moments unfold against something extraordinary.…
The Resonance of Laura Pausini
I don't speak Italian, and I understand only a small fraction of Laura Pausini's lyrics. Yet her voice has captivated me for years. Some music transcends language.…
Lara Fabian
In 2018, I saw Lara Fabian perform at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. Hearing her sing live from a few rows away gave me a new appreciation for one of the most powerful and expressive voices I have ever heard.…