A Nosh of Jewish Wisdom: How lovely is the sun after rain and how lovely is laughter after sorrow. Dear Helen: I’m a single mom with a 14-year-old son. We have a great relationship. I’d like to take him traveling next summer: Europe, Morocco, Thailand and as many cool places as we can explore…
Dear Helen: I lost my dear husband of 30 years last summer. We had many friends we would regularly socialize with as couples. I also spent time with the ladies: shopping, lunches, cards. Since my husband has passed away, my couple friends do not call and ask me to join them for dinner or theater…
Dear Helen: I’m having a relatively small wedding in the fall and want to invite some, but not all, of the people at work. How can I do this without offending those who don’t make the list? Do I have to invite my boss? Yikes Dear Yikes: The only folks who’d be offended by…
About 25 Wondering Jews gathered one November evening to learn how to stay out of the clutches of scammers. Part of the Oregon Department of Justice’s mission is to prevent fraud and protect Oregonians. The DOJ is led by Ellen Rosenblum, the state’s first Jewish and first female attorney general. In November, her Director of…
Dear Helen How do you set goals for the New Year, beyond losing weight packed on during the festive season? I’m feeling adrift and want to hit the reset button on how I relate to the world. Hoping To Be Resolute Dear Resolute: Your answer comes in two parts: setting an intention and setting guidelines…
Dear Helen: I’m part of a circle of friends who’ve traded holiday gifts for decades. Eventually we stopped giving them to all the children, too, but it would feel very strange, even socially uncomfortable, to skip Chanukah gifts for the core friends. This summer I gently suggested donating our gift money as tzedakah instead; I…
How can a Jew possibly consider voting for a bombastic, anti-Semitic bigot? Any candidate who demonizes people by religion or ethnicity should feel scarily familiar. I’m terrified that someone I’ve shared meals and conversation with could say so casually, “They’re both the same, and I like that he’s not a politico.” I’m not a blind…
