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Isaac Steven Herschkopf

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Sep 17, 2026, 10:51 PM

The White Coat: In Life and Death

"God sat there, His coat as white as snow." -Daniel, VII, 9 Until the 20th century, physicians traditionally wore black. To evoke antiseptic cleanliness, the white coat was born and worn. (Original white scrubs however, were soon replaced by blue/green...

Sep 16, 2026, 5:20 AM

Yom Kippur at Ground Zero: 9/11 25 Years Later

"Your testimonies are truthful. Your home is forever holy." - Tehillim 93, 5 25 years later, I realize my most visceral memory of 9/11 did not occur on 9/11. I realized I had to spend Yom-Kippur 2001 at Ground Zero when...

Sep 14, 2026, 6:38 AM

The Book of Death: “Remember!”

"What's brave, what's noble... And make death proud to take us." - Antony and Cleopatra, IV, 13, William Shakespeare (1607) The High Holidays focus on The Book of Life being inscribed, then sealed therein. And yet, the most heavily attended service...

Sep 7, 2026, 4:27 AM

Inscribed In The Register Of Life: Now And Forever.

"One thing alone I charge you. As you live, believe in life!" - W.E.B. Du Bois' last message (1957) There are so many painful aspects to getting older. If we focus on them, we depress ourselves. We remind ourselves that not getting...

Sep 4, 2026, 6:14 PM

Cry Me A River: Tashlich’s Aqua Vitae

"Ol' man river, dat ol' man river, He must know sumpin', but don't say nothin'. He jus' keep rollin', He jus'keep rollin' along." - "Ol' Man River" Showboat, Oscar Hammerstein II (1927) "I can wait, Doctor. The river saved me, you...

Sep 1, 2026, 7:25 PM

Knowledge Without Understanding: God Bless Toddlers!

"Knowledge without understanding is useless." - Analects, Confucius (551 - 479 BCE) Highlight of any toddler birthday-party is opening the presents. Mommy saved the best for list, a bills-and-whistles car-dashboard, working lights, windshield-wipers, the works. We ask the three year-old if...

Aug 28, 2026, 6:14 AM

They came; they saw; they Concord: A Catskill Tale

"Love-quarrels oft in pleasing concord end." -Samson Agonistes, John Milton (1671) Once upon a time, there was The Concord, the Crown Jewel of the Catskills. The biggest and ritziest of the hotels, it featured Garland, Berle, Sinatra, Streisand, Seinfeld and...

Aug 26, 2026, 7:50 AM

Schwarber Tsu Zayn A Yid: Chayim, Meir, Baseball

Shver Tsu Zayn A Yid! Sholom Aleichem (1914) Although both Rav Moshe Feinstein and the Lubavitcher Rebbe discouraged the usage of this discouraging phrase, it's undeniably true, 613 times over. It's also true it's hard to be a baseball fan....

Aug 20, 2026, 9:00 PM

A Beast Would Mourn Longer: ‘My Child! My Child!’

"A little month... O God! A beast that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourned longer." - Hamlet, I.2, William Shakespeare (1601) Every parent's worst nightmare is losing their child. Whether due to illness, drugs, suicide, crime, war or terrorism,...

Aug 14, 2026, 4:02 AM

Always Someone to Blame: Politicians’ Demagogy

"The blame is his who chooses: God is blameless." -The Republic, Plato (375 BCE) What do Mamdani, Trump, Bibi, Kamala, AOC, Erdogan, Putin, Biden and all other politicians have in common? They will always find someone to blame when things go...

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About Me

Son of survivors, Yeshiva University H.S., Queens College (Phi Beta Kappa), NYU School of Medicine (medical school and university Valedictorian.) Attending physician, Teaching faculty NYU School of Medicine (retired), Great Teacher, Alumnus of the Year Awards, Chair Sesquicentennial, President Alumni Association, Founding Chairman NYU Bellevue Psychiatric Alumni. Chatan Torah Park East Synagogue. Served on boards: [IADAF] International Drug Abuse Foundation, Ramaz, Lincoln Square Synagogue, [FASPE] Fellowships Auschwitz Study Professional Ethics. Married five decades, father, grandfather.