Long before the Kabul of Afghanistan there was the Kabul of Galilee. Hiram, king of Tyre, was displeased with the 20 cities gifted by Solomon. He named them the Land of Cabul (Kabul), which meant “good for nothing.” During the Babylonian exile, many Jews migrated to the land that eventually became Afghanistan. They have become so much a part of the history of this country that the Pashtun, the main Afghan ethnic group that has […]
I did not vote for the first three decades of my life. My citizenship in the Soviet Union made my vote meaningless. Eventually I moved to the United States as the wife of a U.S. citizen. After a couple of years as a green card holder, I was eligible to apply for a citizenship; I didn’t. The green card gave me every privilege of a citizen except the right to vote, and I still did […]
Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. One hundred and three years ago Russia was engulfed in riots and protests. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated from the throne, ending a thousand-year monarchy. The army was war-weary after two unsuccessful wars, the people were hungry, the workers were striking, and the church remained silent. If you have ever wondered how a small group of Bolsheviks (Communists) […]
To mask or not to mask – is the question of the moment. This is not a matter of opinion anymore but a legal matter, which means a choice with consequences. It is not the first time in history a piece of cloth represents allegiance to a moral code. Once upon a time an ambitious opposition leader overthrew the government of his country. To secure his power he needed to get rid of the top […]
In the smoke of burning churches, monuments, and stores across America I see a lurking familiar ghost. This ghost does not care about the death of an innocent man George Floyd, the ghost does not care about police brutality or racism. This ghost is cunning and ancient. Its name the “Specter of Communism” was given to it by Karl Marx over 100 years ago. Under the spell of this “specter” people of Russia took to the streets […]
I caught myself grumbling in my mind. It made me feel bitter not better.When parched Israel was tested by the bitter water of Marah, the cure was in front of them but they couldn’t see it because they were grumbling – indulging bitterness in their hearts and savoring it in their mouths. The cure to the water was simple, obvious and instant – one log thrown into it turned bitter water to sweet. With this […]
For most of us in the US this has just been week one of altering and limiting our lives in some ways. For some of us things have just gotten more dramatic with the “shelter in place” order. Unless God intervenes, we are facing at least a few more weeks of sacrificing our freedom of movement and the uncertain future as the aftermath. This is a rather extraordinary challenge for several reasons. One, in the world […]
If there is an urgent deficit out there today, it is not the toilet paper, coronavirus test kits or financial injections into the economy. The world is desperately deficient of peace. Peace of the soul, that is. Everybody wants a peace of mind. They demand a plan from politicians, answers from medical professionals… Peace of mind is hard to achieve because it in a codependent relationship with the world. The panic over the coronavirus is […]
On a recent date my husband and I played a game in which we asked each other questions outside the scope of our daily conversations. He asked me what were the 5 things I would have to have on a deserted island. The first two items I named were the Bible and my other favorite book. The rest were of practical nature like a flashlight , etc There is an international day for everything these […]
My personal opinion – know how much your free lunch will cost before you take the first bite. Back in the days of the Soviet Union an American and a Russian were having a conversation about freedom. The American said, “I am free to stand in front of the White House and shout insults against the US President.” The Russian said, “I too am free to stand in front of the Kremlin and shout insults […]
Silver Shells 