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Shira Schwartz

Reflections on the News

Aliyah

I see now with my own children, that news is very much a part of our lives. They live the news. When the government was threatening to give away Gush Katif, my daughters LIVED the news, making their way to a community in Gaza, being some of the last people to be pulled from the synagogue as the army took over. Maybe the news is such a part of us because Israel is ours. Maybe it’s because we’re so small and vulnerable. Maybe it’s because we care so much.

Jerusalem: 50 Years as a Unified City!

Exactly 50 years ago, in just six days, the IDF liberated all of Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley and returned us to our historic heartland. This Jubilee year is a time of celebration, of jubilation!

Reflections on Rosh Hashanah

I hosted a crowd at my home for the Rosh Hashanah holidays.  Add that to me, my husband, kids and grandkids, and we were quite a house full.  Lots of people to house, feed, and keep happy. The basement was set up with guest beds and a crib.  My daughter offered to move out of … Read more

Reflections on Hitchhiking

I just dropped my son Avraham off at the main entrance to our community.  He groaned when he saw the crowds standing near the guard booth, knowing he had a wait ahead of him for a ride.  He was on his way back up north to his  Israeli yeshiva program combining military service with Torah … Read more

People in My Neighborhood: Meet Celia

It was a little difficult to write about Celia Ulanovsky.  I knew her as a neighbor—as a lovely, modest, always pleasant, incredibly kind woman. But when I spoke to her, to get a bit of background, a little more of who she was, I was met with “Oh, there’s really nothing to say about me. Me? I … Read more

People in My Neighborhood: Meet Alex

I will always associate my neighbor Alex with my move to Israel. Twenty years ago, I arrived in Karnei Shomron with my husband and four daughters, ages 9 months to 7 years old. We asked around for extra curricular activities which would appeal to the girls and signed them up for gymnastics. We showed up … Read more