You were almost right, Dad – Jewish underground in Krakow

Reiza SHoshana Klingberg Cohen“Father looked out of the window and said that the Germans will finally lose and Hitler will die, but we will hear of it only when someone shouts it into our graves. And now I sit here, in Auschwitz, in my block. The Russians are knocking at the gates.” The memories of Reiza (Shoshana) Klingberg, later Cohen, who was my mother-in-law. She survived Auschwitz, where she stayed, not because of being Jewish but because of her membership in the Jewish underground.
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Vegetarianism, Vegan – recommended sites

גינה מהצומח - צמחי מאכל ותבלין - A herbal gardenVegetarian! Vegan! How we laughed at those people. Who does not know the saying, “You do not need a restaurant! You can eat in the garden!” A lifestyle that avoided meat brought a plethora of jokes at the time. Like, “Why do vegans give good head? Because they are used to eating nuts”. Thus, vegetarians and vegans had constantly to justify themselves. Yet, like any trend, their day has come! Science research and data, known in medicine for many years, managed to reach out to the simple man with the Internet’s help. There is no need for brokers, lobbyists, and other interest groups to filter the information and decide for us. We can read and see it for ourselves and decide what lifestyle we prefer. Continue reading Vegetarianism, Vegan – recommended sites

Life is too short – four things to let go

לשחרר כי הזמן הניגר Let go as time is shortReading time: 7 min.

Life is too short for all the things we would like to do. Thus, there are things we need to let go of. “Time flows like water,” says Hava Alberstein in her song “Another Evening.” Indeed, time passes without stopping for a moment, and every minute brings us closer to our end. People tend to forget or repress the simple fact that we will be gone one day. The world will linger on without us. The sun will continue to rise and set; Traffic jams will go on as usual (at least in Israel, Darling 😉.) Someone else will live in my apartment, and the elevator will keep working, up and down, without me ever in it. Continue reading Life is too short – four things to let go

Living in hypertext without understanding what it is – the new era

Literary hypertext - by Hava Ritter Cohen“Living in hypertext” is the description of my site and is also my engagement in recent years. Everyone who asks me about my doctoral dissertation expresses astonishment when I explain it is about literary hypertext, immediately asking what it is. Literary hypertext has to do with literature and computers. To be more precise, it is writing/reading literature using computers. The wonder stems from the common concept that literature is a humanistic field, while computer science is an exact field; computers are engaged in precise calculations, hence their name. In contrast, literature deals with imaginary worlds, emotions, deeds, and especially with people and events. There’s stress between the two fields, as one comes from exact Sciences and the other stems from humanities. Continue reading Living in hypertext without understanding what it is – the new era

Psychology of the trickling persecution in the Bavarian quarter

Auschwitz hand tattooWhen the strange people started coming to Israel, I was a little girl. They were wearing a blue number tattooed on their left hand. People whispered, pointed their fingers at them, and argued. I did not quite understand. The streets filled with people who would mumble to themselves or shout in all kinds of languages and frighten us, the children. Parents whispered that they were not dangerous but wretched, that they lost their minds in the concentrations camps. They taught us about the Holocaust at school and asked: “Why did they go without resistance? prosecuted like sheep to the slaughter.” We did not understand.

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Why are we pressed for time and energy?

Sometimespressure for time and lack of energy we feel drained of energy. We do not want to talk to anyone, and we do not want to hear of anybody; we don’t desire to watch or read anything. The general feeling is that we have become a shell. No one is living inside. As if we had posted a sign: “Out on vacation.” Who cannot recall coming out of bed after an illness and feeling she had no strength to deal with anything? Please leave me alone. Usually, the lack of energy comes after dealing with complex issues or diseases. But recently, I feel that way at the close of every day. Not to mention how fast the days fly! Continue reading Why are we pressed for time and energy?

How fear, racism and violence rule the world, again!

We look at the present through the rear-view mirrorThe epigraph at the beginning of my book, Literary Hypertext, is that of the Canadian researcher Marshall McLuhan, “We look at the present through the rear-view mirror. We march backward into the future.” McLuhan was referring to the quick technological developments, of which we are continually trying to catch up with. That is precisely how I’m feeling about life in general — the feeling that every progress that has been made suddenly goes backward. Continue reading How fear, racism and violence rule the world, again!

Memory games for brain fitness and improvement

.המוח והזיכרון Brain and memoryThe prevailing opinion is that the brain needs exercise as much as the body needs training. Though research is still debating games’ contribution to the brain’s health, the general public, especially the elderly, embraced memory games warmly as they help in forming new neuro-connections, and preserving older connections. The aged population contends with memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s as it grows older and older. Thus, this population is ready to try anything in order to conserve their memory and boost it.

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International Holocaust Remembrance Day – Time rushes by and memories are lost

Trains to Life – Trains to” Death” – Frank Meisler

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is not as crucial in Israel as it is in the world. In Israel, Holocaust Remembrance Day comes a week ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day and Independence Day, which comes next. Thus, the concept of “from the Holocaust to Revival” is presented. Nowadays, the remembrance of the Holocaust has been ever so important in light of the “fake news,” and proceedings, and actions that are spread around. We need to keep in mind the last century’s unthinkable acts of evil.

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