Shelley Kleiman Trachtenberg, at The Blogs

Oct 22, 2023, 2:29 PM

What follows is an edited version of a letter I sent to colleagues at a large US-based tour company that I have been associated with since 2009. I have omitted the company’s name for privacy considerations. Hello, my friends: While I...

Oct 2, 2020, 8:04 AM

Ushpizin in the Time of Corona

When my husband and I sat down -- just the two of us -- at our Passover Seder half a year ago, there is no way we imagined we would be sitting alone in our sukkah. At the time,...

Jun 21, 2020, 8:10 PM

Old City Revisited

I had not ventured into the Old City of Jerusalem since my last group of tourists left the country close to four months ago. It seems like a lifetime. Last week I decided to visit my professional playground. Alone....

Jun 5, 2020, 1:08 PM

Ode to New York

It was the city where I was born; the city where I was raised. It was the city where I took my first steps, rode my first bike, learned to skate and went on my first date. It was the city...

About Me

Born and bred in New York , I made Israel my home over 40 years ago. Graduate of CCNY (BA) and Harvard University (MA) in English and American Literature, I am a (lapsed) freelance writer and former English teacher and am currently a licensed Israel tour guide and educator at Yad Vashem and Jewish Heritage sites in Poland.