à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Judaism
An Open Letter to Ivanka Trump from One Daughter to Another
Dear Ms. Trump, I, too, am a daughter of a complex if not difficult man, a man who, while he had loyal friends, trusted colleagues and loving family, was not universally understood or appreciated. He is no longer alive but, if he were, he might agree with some of your father’s political positions. I watched with curiosity as you introduced your father to the Republican … Continue reading
Veni, Vidi, Edi Prosciutti
At the end of a recent post,”Is Yoga My New Pork?!“, I mused about my longtime curiosity about prosciutto. When I visited Italy in 2007, I didn’t partake but had a close encounter with it: while sitting at a restaurant’s bar, I looked up and found myself staring at a pig’s dark hoof. My eyes followed the … Continue reading
Elie Wiesel: My Father’s Mirror or His Shadow?
“That is my major preoccupation, memory, the kingdom of memory. I want to protect and enrich that kingdom, glorify that kingdom and serve it.” – Elie Wiesel “I marvel at the resilience of the Jewish people. Their best characteristic is their desire to remember. No other people has such an obsession with memory.” – Elie … Continue reading
Is Yoga My New Pork?!
When I found Feldenkrais nearly three years ago and stopped doing yoga, I thought I’d released yoga gracefully with a deep bow and a final namaste, as a good yogi would. Apparently not. A few weeks ago a friend showed me one of the yoga studios where she teaches. The beatific faces of the two men behind … Continue reading
We Are Still in Exodus
Passover begins this evening. Although I won’t be celebrating the holiday in its traditional forms, the essence of the holiday is profound, one worth serious inquiry much of the time. Frequently, not just once a year, I ask myself: What does it mean to be free? What if true freedom means embarking on, or remaining in, an … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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