Andrea Simantov, at The Blogs

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Aug 9, 2023, 7:45 PM

Prayer book serenade

“Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.” - Anonymous Although not such a fan of bathroom humor, the joke occasionally haunts me, especially as I stand knee deep...

May 3, 2023, 10:23 PM

All there is, and more

My Yiddush speaking ancestors said it best: “Mit ine tuchas, ken men nit tantzen oyf tzvai chasones!” ("With one tuchas, you can't dance at two weddings!") Still, the women in my family historically suffer from a documented disorder called...

Apr 4, 2023, 3:22 PM

Revisiting redemption

The results of several polls indicate that 95-96% of Israelis will attend a Passover seder this year. I find this information astounding because as someone with eyes on the ground, I confidently opine that most Israeli Jews identify as secular...

Mar 2, 2023, 11:50 PM

JERUSALEM TOSSED SALAD

Leaving the bountiful land of one's birth and moving to Israel requires conviction. To come without family already here takes a boatload of bravery or naivete. My late father had been unwavering in his support of my move to Israel...

Feb 6, 2023, 7:25 AM

The then that remains

As a child, my family took vacations. I don't know whose idea these two week summer sojourns were but it feels accurate to attribute them to my late father. He’d grown up poor and while he could have played...

Jan 1, 2023, 3:03 PM

The compassion gene

I awakened at 4:00 a.m. with a rare bout of anxiety. Unable to meditate myself back to sleep, I ultimately stood up, stretched and checked the freezer for anything that could be prepared for Shabbos without going to the...

Dec 5, 2022, 10:21 AM

Democracy, the Divine

(courtesy)

Several years ago, a good friend of mine took issue with an opinion piece I'd written regarding American politics. The forgotten subject that I'd penned so passionately did not impact Israel in any way. She fumed, “Stay out of...

Dec 25, 2015, 10:19 AM

AACI Launches Israel’s First English eBooks Library

Illustrative photo of a Dell Latitude 10 tablet computer (CC BY-SA Intel_DE/Flickr)

With a tablet in hand, kids and adults can explore a new world of reading

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About Me

New York-born Andrea Simantov moved to Jerusalem in 1995. Writer, podcast host (israelnewstalkradio.com), life-coach and image consultant. She is spiritual, funny, cries easily (laughs harder), enjoys caravanning, celebrating her Jewishness and is always up for her next big adventure. With six children, 22 grandchildren and a mostly tolerant husband, life is busy, passionate and always evolving.

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