At the ripe old age of five I declared I would be a writer.
I began freelance writing in 2012 with PJMedia covering Israel, current events and pop culture before moving into parenting and family in 2015. My work has also appeared in Kveller, Iron Ladies, and Conservative Pathways.
Along with writing and content creation I’ve had the pleasure of editing print newsletters for various community organizations and covering local and regional events for print publications.
My other creative hobbies include photography, filmmaking and illustrating. You’ll see some of my photographs featured throughout this site.
Family Life
What Women Don’t Know About Pregnancy and Labor Hurts Them
Iron Ladies February 2018
I take a prenatal yoga class. I’m not crunchy by any means, I just dig the stretching. If there’s anything the first time around taught me, it’s that it is good to stay limber for labor. And, as I quickly learned, prenatal yoga has an added side-benefit: The people who teach it and the people who take it come out with the most hilarious — and downright frightening — stuff about pregnancy, labor and delivery.
Thoughts on Being a Jewish Wife
Iron Ladies July 2017
What does it mean to be a Jewish wife? The question was posed among a group of my writing colleagues not that long ago. Whether Christian or Jewish, we’re all fairly faithful in our own ways and that religious observance is what tends to guide us in our roles as wives and mothers. Somewhere in the conversation the New Testament verse about women “submitting to their husbands” was brought up and explained as, essentially, the termination point in negotiations. “Someone has to give in, so in the end it’s going to be me,” one Christian woman wrote.
When I explained this concept to my husband he about fell over laughing.
Nice Guys Finish Married
Iron Ladies November 2017
When my Adam decided to ask me to be his girlfriend… I got cold feet. You see, right as we’d started “dating” (as much as two college kids with no money could “date”) I’d made the decision to apply to graduate school. I’d be graduating in a few months and moving halfway across the country. No relationship survives that kind of move, I thought. Why start? Why do that to a nice guy like Adam?
How to Use Screen Media to Teach Your Child Critical Thinking Skills
PJMedia April 2017
Screen media criticism is a necessary element of contemporary parenting dialogue. But, as horrifying as the stories of Minecraft-addicted elementary schoolers are, they don’t represent the majority of kids plugged into screens these days. Should our kids be spending more time outside? Absolutely. Our adults should be, too. But, the reality is that while “outside” addresses elements of the discussion like screen addiction, it doesn’t touch the issue of media awareness.
Jewish Identity
Ritual and the Presence of God
Iron Ladies March 2018
Preparation, preparation, preparation. Ritual is preparation. It is as much of a ritual to wash the newborn clothes and prepare and freeze meals as it is to knead challah, light candles or turn your house over for Passover Seder. In all these things we prepare, we do our part in anticipation of God’s impending arrival. If we can connect the ritual to that level of hope and purpose, it speaks to us in a deep and meaningful way. It keeps us going. It guarantees our survival.
Loud and proud in Tel Aviv, still silent and separate at the Kotel
Times of Israel “Featured Post” June 2016
Today, 200,000 people are marching in solidarity in Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride Parade while just a short distance away in Jerusalem, heterosexual couples must separate themselves in order to pray.
When I was a teenager, I toured Israel with my parents. Arriving at the Kotel, my mother pulled her tallit from her bag in a rush of anticipation. “Please,” our tour guide stopped her on the way out of the bus, “don’t wear that. We don’t want to spend your vacation bailing you out of jail.”
The Case for Joining a Synagogue
Times of Israel June 2016
Tonight, most couples a year into parenting might be welcoming a sitter into their house for a much-deserved night out. More likely they’ll be curled up on the couch for a much-needed night in. We, however, will be dressing to the nines (more like sevens) for a night out at a local synagogue, baby and all.
How My Son’s Circumcision Made Me a Better Mother
Kveller December 2016
Oh my God, we’re going to have to get him circumcised.
That was literally my first thought when the ultrasound tech told us we were having a boy. There I was, laying half exposed, covered in goop in a glorified closet, watching my husband practically jump for joy, and all I could think was that I’d have to have a surgical procedure performed in my living room on my newborn eight days after giving birth. Congratulations, new mom!
Susan L.M. Goldberg 