Yes, Virginia, there is a Matzoh Claus

I was rescued from the sadness of a Seder free spring by the woman who answered my mail to the synagogue in Graz. “Yes, there’s an event you can go to, you just need to email the synagogue, but why don’t you come to our house?” she asked. How could I refuse such a kind …


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Three

Last night’s Aigen Ukulele Player’s Association gathering was graced by the presence of Layoush from Hungary, a charming, talkative man who knows how to swing him some Dixie. He says his uke doesn’t get unpacked but once a year when he plays a catchy little tune that he always screws up, but me thinks he …


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The Year Without a Passover

For the last two weeks I have been hunting for a suitable Seder to attend and tragically, I have failed. When you look for community Seders in my Seattle home, you are presented with endless options — interfaith and conservative and gay and Sephardic and oh, there’s a whole Smorgasbord of Seders to choose from. …


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Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. I was going to watch the procession with a friend, but she had a skiing accident yesterday and begged off. (She’s fine, just sore.) J. offered to take me but I was having a slow morning  and opted to skip it. I did find a bit of footage from the 1920s …


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Head Games

Yesterday afternoon’s shopping excursion was somewhat spoiled for me by the presence of a hoard of badly behaved children and their equally badly behaved parents. Thanks to the noise they created, by the time we left the shop I felt as though I had the head of an axe wedged firmly between my eyes. I …


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Von Beruf

“What’s your occupation?” Such a loaded question for a slacker like me.