aging Archives – Kveller

One of the most noteworthy parts of the 2018 Oscars was the fact that many of the nominated leading women and supporting actresses were over the age of 50 (hi, Frances McDormand and Allison Janney).… This, in the #MeToo and #TimesUp era, is significant, illustrating that women of "a certain age" are not invisible. Women of all ages are important, and should be seen and heard. Too often in Hollywood, and in real life, older women are excluded from roles and opportunities — not to mention most middle-aged women are… >> Read More

growing up

When You Realize Your Kids Are All Grown Up

Karen Levy

Our daughter is standing in the kitchen, a heavy rock tucked under her arm, her hands cradling its awkward heft. I recognize the rock, one of many carefully selected and brought home from summer… vacations at the beach. This one had earned a prime location on the dresser in her room, one in which she hasn’t lived for two years. I can feel the weight of that rock as if I’m the one holding it except that its load is in my gut, in the pressure of tears gathering,… >> Read More

aging

I’m Now Older Than My Father Was When He Died

Randi Lynn Backall

18,987. Eighteen thousand. Nine hundred. Eighty-seven. That's not the cost of my first car, nor the amount of my first salary. 18,987 is the number of days I have lived. My father did not get as… many. I realize my Rain Man-like exactitude may seem like I have too much time on my hands. And, to be clear, I'm not writing my own version of the iconic Rent song, “Seasons of Love,” asking how to measure a year (or years, for that matter.) For me, this number is symbolic because this… >> Read More

shabbat

Watching These Elderly Jews Have Shabbat Dinner At Wendy’s Will Make Your Week

Kveller Staff

"One of my friends said to me, 'Come on, we're going to go to Wendy's for Shabbat,'" says Roberta Mahler, 87. "I said, 'Wendy's? Shabbat?' I couldn't believe this." So begins Wendy's Shabbat, a… delightful short film about a group of elderly Jews in Palm Desert, California, who gather at the fast food restaurant every Friday night for Shabbat dinner. Directed by Rachel Myers, the charming four-minute film profiles this remarkable group that's thinking outside the bun — er, box. (Wait -- that's a Taco Bell slogan. Let's just say… >> Read More

aging

Turning 40 Without My Father

Sharon Meiri Fox

Just a few days ago, I happened to be with a friend when her father called to wish her happy birthday. The exchange only lasted a mere fifteen seconds, but I felt a melancholy shift inside. It… reminded me of all the years I was lucky enough to receive birthday calls from my father. My father will not be calling me this year. He hasn’t done so for the last decade. I turn 40 this year, and this birthday feels different from all the others — sadder, more somber and heartbreaking. In… >> Read More

Load More Articles