Leslie Perlmutter

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Dec 6, 2024, 7:35 PM

My Very Good, Complicated, Fascinating, and Ultimately Uplifting Visit to Berlin

Photo Credit to Rebecca Perlmutter

The last time I went to Germany, it was the summer of 1989. With my Eurail Pass, I took a train from France to Germany and was woken up in the middle of the night by a uniformed German...

Apr 19, 2024, 6:52 PM

Semantic Satiation and a Parting of the Red Sea Mocktail

Dizengoff Square Photo Credit Leslie Perlmutter

When a word is repeated over and over, it starts to lose its meaning and just becomes an abstract sound; this is called semantic satiation. Try it. In Israel and throughout the Diaspora, Jews are struggling amidst collective grief to...

Mar 30, 2024, 12:49 AM

We Will Dance Again — Helping the Nova Survivors

Courtesy of Lana Platin

In January, while in Israel, I listened In to Ron Segev tell the story of how he survived the Nova massacre. He is a gifted storyteller with a compelling narrative about how he escaped, the aftermath, and the resulting...

Mar 19, 2024, 11:54 PM

How is everybody doing?

Neil Lazarus, an expert in Middle East politics, spoke to Restart Israel, my volunteer/solidarity mission group in January. His wife is a tutor for small children. He relayed the following anecdote: Recently, a few tutees (yes, that’s the correct...

Mar 5, 2024, 7:02 PM

We are family: Connections and community

I became a bat mitzvah in December, 1979. Disco was king, and my nuclear family entered the celebration party to “We are Family” by Sister Sledge. Since then, my family tree branches have grown through marriages, births, and the...

Feb 17, 2024, 10:18 AM

What can we do?

Last night while I was on a Zoom conference call that shockingly had nothing to do with Israel or anti-Semitism, a political strategist advised the anxious online group to “Worry less; do more.” I know this is a popular...

Feb 7, 2024, 7:10 PM

Mickey Mantle’s number and the menorah

In Season 7 of Seinfeld, George Costanza tells his fiancée, Susan, that he wants to name his firstborn child “Seven.” “It’s Mickey Mantle’s number. So not only is it an all-around beautiful name, it is also a living tribute.”...

Feb 2, 2024, 7:27 PM

A Noisy Silence

Like everything else in Israel, silence and noise co-exist and are inextricably linked. Israelis live each day with sadness and joy, silence and noise. I just got back from an 8-day volunteer mission to Israel. We visited the site...

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About Me

Leslie Perlmutter resides in New Jersey with her husband, her dog, Hank, and occasionally her three almost-grown children. A former attorney, she is a freelance writer covering a wide range of topics.

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