The Secret Idealism of My Grandma Rose of Texas
Grandma Rose was cranky till the day she died. It was only later that Deborah Kolben discovered that her tough-as-nails grandmother from Texas was a bleeding heart revolutionary.
Drawn to Chabad Preschools, Stuffed Torahs and All
EDUCATION: Many less-observant Jews wouldn’t dream about going to a Chabad synagogue. But the group’s preschools attract a growing enrollment from across the spectrum of Judaism.
When Not to Apologize
This is the second in a Sisterhood series on women, apologizing and Yom Kippur.
A, B, C's or Aleph Bet?
FALL EDUCATION: Picking a nursery school is a big step for any parent. Choosing between Jewish and non-Jewish preschools makes the decision even more complicated.
Perils of Facebook Parenting
Posting our kids’ cute pics can be fun and empowering, but there is also a risk of oversharing. Many bloggers and casual Facebook users alike feel things have gone too far.
Why My Daughter Isn’t Bilingual — Yet
Deborah Kolben and her husband planned to teach their daughter English and Hebrew. But raising a bilingual child proved more challenging than expected
Why Do Men Write All the Baby Manuals?
The world of childrearing is still mostly considered the domain of women. So why are most of the how-to books that ‘instruct’ us about it written by men?
Who Will Light Up Jewish Kids Lit?
Jewish children’s book authors Simms Taback and Russell Hoban died days apart in December. Deborah Kolben says her daughter’s bookshelf won’t be the same.
Jewish Day Care Is Missing Link
It’s a nightmare out there for Jewish parents looking for day care. Deborah Kolben asks why synagogues or community groups don’t step up to fill the void.
The Supreme Court and the Single Gal
It’s hard not to get excited about the nomination of Elena Kagan to replace Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court. If seated, she would bring the number of women on the Supreme Court to three, the number of Jewish women to two, and the total number of Jews on the bench to three. On paper, Kagan’s a great choice. An Upper West Side girl who went to public school and then off to Princeton and Harvard Law School, where she became the first woman to be named the Dean of the Law School. And then she became the first woman to serve as Solicitor General of the United States.