Monthly Archives: October 2015

It was a lovely gathering that we had for my father’s “שלושים”, in large measure due to the attention to detail that Miriam characteristically brought to the evening – a trait my father learned to appreciate even more as his … Continue reading →

“שלושים” translates into English as thirty.  The 30 day period in the Jewish tradition following burial, and including shiva.  This evening we are at Congregation Shomrei Emunah in Englewood for a relatively small and intimate gathering, to honor our father’s … Continue reading →

I name-dropped the Phillies players on this year’s AFL Glendale Desert Dogs in Part 1.  The other four clubs comprising the Dogs are the Dodgers, White Sox, Astros, and Pirates, and will be playing in Camelback Ranch Stadium in Glendale. … Continue reading →

I received a call this afternoon.  My receptionist buzzed that a gentleman by the name of Marshall Stoltz was on the other end of the line.  He identified himself as a former student of my father, and asked if I was … Continue reading →

Time to take a closer look at the AFL for 2015 – can’t wait to get out there for some R&R!  In a previous blog I noted that the Phillies are part of the Glendale Desert Dogs this year, and their … Continue reading →

http://www.packardstudios.com And on November 2, 2015 — an update I received from Ora Topiol via Facebook of this wonderful video of the event.

Sitting shiva and keeping up with the three rounds of daily prayers, highlighted by the Mourner’s Kaddish, can be an intense experience.  The feeling when this intensity begins to lift is difficult to explain, but the Velveteen Rabbi has captured its essence: “During … Continue reading →

My father requested that we sit Shiva, derived from the Hebrew word for seven, in his apartment for one day.  Following that we finished the requisite days in my apartment with my sister, Arlene.  We commenced in the home of … Continue reading →

My father died in his sleep in his apartment during the early morning hours of September 29, 2015.  His aide phoned to say that he was unresponsive, and after medically trained personnel confirmed his death, he was transported to the … Continue reading →

Let me be blunt.  End of life care in this country is horribly dysfunctional.  The problem is that you won’t realize how maddeningly dysfunctional it is until you have to navigate its many dead ends roads and potholes.  As tempting … Continue reading →