(AUTHOR’S NOTE: Three years ago, I posted a similar version of this interview with Singer/Songwriter Billy Joel on Medium. Some 300,000 people read the story and circulated it to friends and families, amazed, as I was, at Billy Joel’s family’s deep Jewish history. I am reposted it now, in the…

I had a crush on Jen Psaki. I know, I know. At my age, it’s tacky. But, I did have a crush on Jen Psaki. No, it’s not her soft, red hair, Nor her Jessica Chastain style. I love how smart and poised she is — And that sweet, disarming…

It all came down to a Hula Hoop and a large, white bedroom pillow, with a leather belt tied tightly around its’ waist to underscore the question of when life actually begins. That image and message were implanted in my brain 52 years ago, when I sat in the New…

I am a muscular democrat. I think and I act with purpose and strength, and I never give up. I believe in the Rule of Law, and the Constitution of the United States. I believe people, organizations and nations must face the consequences of their actions. I am a tough…

(As of today, April 23, 2022, the reported number of deaths in the United States from COVID, or COVID-related diseases has reached 990,000. The number of COVID deaths in the US has probably surpassed one million, since some States, like Florida, have stopped reporting the actual number of deaths, and…

For years, I asked a question of my students in an Ethics Class I taught in Cornell University’s Labor Studies Program: “If you had the hard evidence that Hitler was slaughtering Jews, and had the opportunity to kill him, would you? This week, in an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes…

My oldest granddaughter, almost 13, might just be the best teacher I’ve ever had, and I’ve been blessed with quite a few through college, grad school and law school. A naturally gifted artist, with the superpowers of deep insight and a diverse set of sensitivities, she has taught me, by…

I know why the caged Boys sing. Closeted, they do their thing. Deep, below the belt they reach, Pulling out a high-pitched screech. I know why the caged Boys sing. Some come off as hateful, hard; Eyes as flat as playing cards. Flitting, fidgeting like a finch, Angry over their…

Ukranian President Zelensky, Ukraine’s first Jewish President, commemorates the lives and humanity of 33,000 Jews massacred by the Nazis at Babi Yar, Kyiv, 80 years ago. Babi Yar has been bombed, And at least one Russian weeps. As old in tears as all the Jewish people, The ghost of Yevtushenko…