death Archives – Kveller

Anthony Bourdain, the famous celebrity chef and writer, died last week after a long struggle with mental illness. There was an outpouring of support by friends, peers, and those whose lives Bourdain… impacted. One particularly touching tribute was from Barney Greengrass, the iconic Jewish deli on the Upper West Side New York. Bourdain was a breakfast regular at the old-school eatery, so in his honor, an empty table — the same one Bourdain sat in a 2002 episode of his Food Network show, "A Cook's Tour" — was… >> Read More

humor

Jewish Jokes About Cancer — Or, How I Dealt With My Brush With Death

Heidi Shertok

They say laughter is the best medicine, but it’s hard to remember that when faced with life-threatening news. When the dermatologist first said the word “melanoma,” my mind fizzed into a… state of paralytic shock, especially as this appointment was supposed to be a standard cosmetic procedure. The grayish/blue mole that emerged from my cheek had injured my vanity, but thoughts of it being anything other than a superficial nuisance never crossed my mind. “It looks dangerous,” the dermatologist frowned, lowering her hand-held light. “I recommend… >> Read More

holocaust

Holocaust Survivor Couple, Married 75 Years, Die Weeks Apart

Joanna C. Valente

If there was ever a love story to make you cry and smile at the same time, it's the story of John Jacob Rothschild and his wife, Renee Rothschild. The Holocaust survivors, who were married for 75… years, recently passed away within weeks of each other. Talk about kindred spirits. Last week, John died at age 98 of a stroke at his home in Louisville. Renee died of a stroke seven weeks earlier. Their love ran so deep that John famously snuck into a Nazi internment camp in France to find Renee, then his fiancee. This… >> 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

loss

Mother of Murdered Teen Blaze Bernstein Speaks Out

Kveller Staff

The parents of murdered teen Blaze Bernstein are doing their best to turn tragedy into something that resembles a triumph. On the night of January 2, the 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania… student — home in California, visiting his parents on winter break — made dinner for his entire family. He then went out to meet friends and never returned. Bernstein was later found buried in a shallow grave in a park near his family's home, having been stabbed 20 times. A former high school classmate, 20-year-old Samuel Woodward, was… >> Read More

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