Toby Klein Greenwald

Toby Klein Greenwald

Toby Klein Greenwald is a journalist, playwright, poet, teacher, and the artistic director of a number of theater companies. She is the recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award from Atara-The Association for Torah and the Arts for her “dedication and contributions in creative education, journalism, theatre and the performing arts worldwide.”  She also is the editor-in-chief of WholeFamily.com, and was the 2018 recipient  of an AJPA Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism.

Her books, available on Amazon, include:

After Persisting During Pandemic, Israeli Theater Can Now Share the Fruits of its Labor

By Toby Klein Greenwald (JNS) Raise Your Spirits Theatre released, on the morning of April 15, on the eve of Passover, the video (for women only) and audio recording (for everyone) of our latest biblical musical, “REBECCA! Mother of Two Dynasties.” It is a story of great faith, love, courage, and the hope of reconciliation

After Persisting During Pandemic, Israeli Theater Can Now Share the Fruits of its Labor Read More »

Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald

Scroll of Esther Honors Another Esther, Terror Victim Esther Horgen

By Toby Klein Greenwald It is always amazing to me how there are families who react to unbearable tragedy by creating something deeply meaningful and beautiful for the Jewish people and, indeed, for the world. This is what the family of Esther Horgen has done. Esther, 52, was brutally murdered by a terrorist on December

Scroll of Esther Honors Another Esther, Terror Victim Esther Horgen Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Toby Klein Greenwald

‘The Voice of Silence:’ Captivating and Timely Reading on the Jewish Underground in the USSR

The Voice of Silence, The Story of the Jewish Underground in the USSR, Ephraim Kholmyansky, Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2021 284 pages; $22.63 (Paperback) By Toby Klein Greenwald In a frosty February of 1988, I took a short drive from my home in Efrat to Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim, in Gush Etzion. There was a special

‘The Voice of Silence:’ Captivating and Timely Reading on the Jewish Underground in the USSR Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Toby Klein Greenwald

Soviet Jewry Book ‘Hidden Heroes’ Will Both Haunt and Inspire You

Hidden Heroes: One Woman’s Story of Resistance and Rescue in the Soviet Union by Pamela Braun Cohen; Gefen Publishing House © 2021; ISBN 9789657-023365; 393 pages including appendices and an extensive index. By Toby Klein Greenwald EFRAT, Israel — How did the prisoners of Zion and refuseniks have the courage, strength and dedication to apply

Soviet Jewry Book ‘Hidden Heroes’ Will Both Haunt and Inspire You Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA

Rabbi Eliezer Waldman, Hebron-Based Rabbi

Much has been written about the Jewish community in Kiryat Arba and Hebron, but I would like to share three personal memories of Rabbi Eliezer Waldman, of blessed memory, who was among the founders of the renewed Jewish community in the city of our forefathers, who passed away on December 18th. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

Rabbi Eliezer Waldman, Hebron-Based Rabbi Read More »

Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Toby Klein Greenwald

Autism is Frequently Misdiagnosed, Israeli Psychologist Asserts

Dr. Shoshana Levin Fox has authored a book that will hold you spellbound. Section I is titled “Children.” These first eight chapters are the stories of Jack, Sasha, Annie and others (all the children’s names used are pseudonyms) – children who came into the Feuerstein Institute after having been diagnosed as autistic. They exited with new hope, not only for themselves, but for their parents, who were usually devastated by their children’s diagnoses and needed their own emotional propping up. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

Autism is Frequently Misdiagnosed, Israeli Psychologist Asserts Read More »

Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald

Urgent Surgery for Holocaust Survivor, Psychologist and Educator Levy Van Leeuwen

Levy Van Leeuwen was one of those people at Camp Moshava, who influenced our lives for the better. As a counselor, Levy walked back and forth in the dining hall, leading us in song. In the rustic synagogue, Levy led us in prayer. In our classes on Jewish and Zionist topics, Levy led us in acquiring knowledge. Now it is Levy who is fighting for his life. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

Urgent Surgery for Holocaust Survivor, Psychologist and Educator Levy Van Leeuwen Read More »

Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA

Gaming Site, ‘Torah Live,’ Enlivens Jewish Education

Torah Live’s graphics, animation and film level are highly professional and their team of men and women includes over thirty scriptwriters, animators, video editors, and sound and special effects artists. While the world was in lockdown, Torah Live kicked in big time. Since Covid over a million and a half videos have been viewed, and the website has been accessed by 168,000 active users. It has hundreds of thousands of viewers from around North America and the world, including in Moscow, Paris, London, Australia, and South Africa, and including 117 in San Diego, a number the Torah Live people hope will continue to grow. {Toby Klein Greenwald]

Gaming Site, ‘Torah Live,’ Enlivens Jewish Education Read More »

International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA

IPO Performs at Negev Hospital for Israelis with Disabilities

ADI (formerly ALEH Jerusalem and ALEH Negev-Nahalat Eran) is legendary as Israel’s most comprehensive provider of residential and rehabilitative care. The village, that sits on 25 acres, is home to 165 individuals with severe disabilities. There are over 500 professional staff members, including doctors, nurses, therapists and special educators, and more than 800 annual volunteers.  It has a hydrotherapy pool, special education school, integrated nursery, green care farm, and a therapeutic horse farm and petting zoo.  [Toby Klein Greenwald]

IPO Performs at Negev Hospital for Israelis with Disabilities Read More »

Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald

A New Prism for Viewing ADHD

When I heard that Avigail Gimpel was writing a book, called HyperHealing, The Empowered Parent’s Complete Guide to Raising a Healthy Child with ADHD Symptoms, I knew from the subtitle that this was going to be an out-of-the-box book, by referring to their behavior as “symptoms” and not “children with ADHD.” [Toby Klein Greenfield]

A New Prism for Viewing ADHD Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald

The Gift of a Poem for Chanukah

In the early ‘90’s we moved into an old-new home in Efrat, up the street from where we had rented since 1985. The size of the house was unpretentious, and our renovations were modest, but it put a strain on our finances. Among my splurges were wall-to-wall carpeting in the children’s bedrooms (rare in Israel) and – my dream since childhood — a beautiful bay window. Chanukah was drawing near. Both general and religious elementary and high school education in Israel are, theoretically, free, but most schools ask parents to pay additional fees to upgrade what the school can offer, such as smaller classes, additional courses (in addition to the usual books, supplies, bought by parents), and so on, and we were big believers in after-school art, drama, dance and sports classes, so with six kids, and a few already in (non-free) high schools, money was tight, and that was with my husband teaching the equivalent of a job and a half, and me teaching part time, writing a bit, and working at various creative – but not very lucrative — projects. In short, we could not come up with a plan for Chanukah gifts, without plunging us into high-interest overdraft. And then it came to me. A poem. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

The Gift of a Poem for Chanukah Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Toby Klein Greenwald

Virtual meetings spur Jewish theatre community

By Toby Klein Greenwald EFRAT, Israel — In April, the board members of the Alliance for Jewish Theater bit the bullet and decided to morph their annual autumn conference into a three-day Zoom event. Like everyone, they hoped for the best, but were being proactive and not assuming there would be a miracle. Theater makers

Virtual meetings spur Jewish theatre community Read More »

International, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA