It was the worst day of my life. I was 18, a straight-A student, and I’d just been denied access to medical school—something I wanted more than anything in the world. But in anti-Semitic Soviet Russia, Jews weren’t welcome in prestigious universities. “I told you so!” My...
I was a junior at Boston University, majoring in Speech Pathology, working my way through school in a variety of jobs. I packed candy in a mom-and-pop factory, sold men’s underwear at a downtown department store and performed dramatic readings for Jewish women’s clubs like...
I always wanted to be somebody’s mother. Since I was six, I would fantasize about holding my baby, dressing her and loving her. I shared so much love and laughter with my own mother, Helen Ruset, that I wanted to have that with my baby....
"I dreamed of certain outcomes. But it’s the ones I didn’t see coming that feel exactly right—beshert."...
"Fred and I shared a love for skiing and hiking. We had the same values about family life; he took care of the children when I was busy with lectures and talk shows. He loved Miriam like his own daughter and ended up legally adopting...
I’m named after my great-aunt Lillian, my maternal grandmother’s older sister. She was born in Paris, France, in 1938 and moved to Brooklyn, New York with her parents in 1939. From the pictures I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard, Aunt Lillian was a gem—intelligent, vivacious,...
Our first wedding dance was an Argentine Tango. Marrying a dance instructor, the pressure was on. Most grooms just have to avoid stepping on the bride's feet or dress, twirl her a couple of times and make it through 3-4 minutes without doing the "high school prom...
Then I saw her. Across the crowded room. Dancing alone in a red dress. It wasn’t just her beauty. It was a spirit emanating from her being. I approached her and we talked a bit. I found out her name was Rusti. Enchanting. But she...
I met my husband in a hotel lobby in Montevideo, Uruguay on my 27th birthday. We were browsing the lobby stores because the hotel’s only elevator was broken. We hailed from different continents and were both on delayed business trips, which made meeting on yet...
The man had just eaten the lunch of Jewish champions. There went my heart quandary; he embodied the simplest and best parts of being Jewish. With that one “lunch,” I realized he was the perfect Jew for me. ...