Shira Pasternak Be'eri, at The Blogs

Shira Pasternak Be'eri

Living and loving in Jerusalem

Dec 31, 2024, 11:20 PM

The extraordinary ordinary women of the Swords of Iron

An ode to the women who inspired me during the early months of darkness and others who have joined their ranks in the long months since

Aug 29, 2024, 3:57 PM

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Praying with the hostages at daybreak

Woman praying against the backdrop of the hostages (Shira Pasternak Be’eri | Woman’s silhouette at sunrise by JillWellington, Pixabay)

'Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who releases the imprisoned... May they all be returned speedily and in our day'

Jan 25, 2024, 4:33 PM

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When our hearts turned orange

The kidnapping of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas (KAN TV screenshot, Shira Pasternak Be’eri)

The image of Shiri Bibas being taken hostage with her redheaded babies haunts Israelis like no other image. Here's why

Oct 31, 2023, 2:53 PM

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Inside our collective trauma

The day will come when 'how are you?' will no longer be a loaded question. That day is not here yet

May 31, 2023, 2:23 PM

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What I could (and couldn’t) see from the women’s section

A view from the women’s section of the Shai Agnon synagogue in Jerusalem. (Courtesy)

My year of saying Kaddish brought me and my camera into Orthodox synagogues on weekdays. This is what I saw

Feb 15, 2023, 2:57 PM

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Date night at the protests

A sea of Israeli flags at the Tel Aviv protest rally, January 28, 2023 (Shira Pasternak Be’eri)

Chanting 'De-mo-crat-ya!' with Israel's hordes isn't our usual fare, but it's exactly where we belong

Oct 19, 2022, 5:40 AM

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Shira’s secret cyber cookies

The IDF doesn't run on brains, brawn, and bravery alone, you know; for six years, its soldiers counted on batches of one mom's botched recipe

Sep 5, 2022, 11:58 PM

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The angels who saved my husband’s life

Leonard and his angels (Photo montage: Gil Be'eri)

A meetup with rescuers revealed the Israel we dream about but so rarely see — a place of goodness, giving and caring that transcends national and cultural boundaries

Aug 26, 2022, 12:50 AM

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Celebrating our marriage by preparing my divorce

My husband wasn't incapacitated by injury or illness, but a serious brush with what-might-have-been made me revisit the terms of our marriage under Jewish law

Jan 27, 2022, 1:03 PM

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How to make friends in Jerusalem snow

Kids sliding in the snow in the snow-covered Independence Park in Jerusalem on a snowy winter morning. February 20, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Our 13-step family recipe for how to celebrate the snow yourself and share the joy with others (includes: making the world a happier place)

About Me

Shira Pasternak Be'eri is a Jerusalem-based editor and translator who works as the coordinator of the Mandel Foundation–Israel's websites. She is married to Leonard (aka Eliezer) and is the proud mom of three fine young men and two-and-an-almost daughters-in-law, and is the happy grandma of one. Born and raised in New York, she has been living in Israel since 1982. And yes, she is Velvel Pasternak's daughter.

Contact Me