The Laps We Keep Walking

 

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Laps We Keep Walking."

This Rosh Hashanah, a difficult year of health challenges alongside the blessing of early retirement led me to confront a central truth: life rarely offers uninterrupted good fortune or a straight path from strength to success. Walking laps despite a limp became my personal reminder that accepting a limitation is not the same as accepting defeat—and that resilience can mean simply taking one more step forward. Remembering my grandmother’s final expression of gratitude to my grandfather, who had patiently cared for her through years of memory loss, reminded me not to wait to thank the people who stand beside us. Amid private sorrow and a deeply divided public culture, we need gratitude, humility, compassion for burdens we cannot see, and the courage to begin again.

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The Laps We Keep Walking

Lion King

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Lion King

Elephant Plant

 

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Elephant Plant

Podiatrist Humor

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Podiatrist Humor

Flowers to Make You Sing

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Flowers to Make You Sing

Beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach

Beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach

Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome.

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome."

Israel’s recent military achievements show the extraordinary courage, skill, and resolve required to defend a people surrounded by enemies committed to its destruction—but they cannot guarantee that danger will disappear. The horror of October 7 showed, at terrible cost, that even a strong and technologically advanced country must never allow confidence or complacency to replace vigilance. Through Moses standing at the Jordan, the article reminds readers that we may not control the future or see the final results of our efforts, but we are never excused from doing what is right and necessary today. This Rosh Hashanah, it calls on Jews everywhere to stand with Israel, protect Jewish life, care for those carrying the wounds of terror and war, confront antisemitism without fear, strengthen Jewish unity, and join prayer to courageous action.

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Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome.

Steamrolled

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Steamrolled

Hair Dying a Bucket

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Hair Dying a Bucket

Overgrown

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Overgrown

Blondes Do What Better? ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Blondes Do What Better? ;-)

Office Flower

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal) 

Office Flower

There Is No “Other Jew”

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "There Is No 'Other Jew.'"

Antisemitism isn't someone else's problem anymore — it's outside our museums, our vigils, our synagogue preschools, and it doesn't check your politics, your zip code, or how observant you are before it strikes. Every time we tell ourselves "that's not really about me," we hand hatred exactly the cover it needs to keep spreading. There is no Orthodox Jew's problem and no secular Jew's problem, no Zionist's problem and no anti-Zionist's problem — there is only us, together, or we are all exposed. The answer isn't fear and it isn't silence; it's showing up louder, standing closer, and refusing to let anyone convince us that someone else's fight isn't our own.

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There Is No “Other Jew”

Hip Replacement 101

Hip Replacement 101

Rustic Table

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Rustic Table

Yellow Fish Blue Water

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Yellow Fish Blue Water

Golden Dragons

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Golden Dragons

Colonoscopy

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Colonoscopy

Stalactites

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Stalactites

The Work of Living After October 7

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Work of Living After October 7."

Reading Tuesdays with Morrie after October 7 made me think differently about fear, loss, and what it means to keep living. Morrie’s lessons reminded me that we cannot ignore danger or grief, but we also cannot let them take over our hearts, homes, or communities. I believe Israel must face its failures honestly, protect its people, and rebuild with strength and care. Most of all, I came away believing that the answer to terror is not only survival—it is choosing love, connection, purpose, and Jewish life again and again.

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The Work of Living After October 7