Karen Galatz

Matzo Chronicles: Halal and Back

Alas, the best-laid plans of mice, men, and holiday hostesses often go awry! This I recently learned. We were scheduled to host eight Algerian exchange visitors for a “traditional” Thanksgiving meal. The group was in town for a few days as part of a multi-state tourism education program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. [Karen Galatz]

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Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

The Matzo Chronicles: My Fountain of Youth … Time with Young People

With apologies to Ponce de Leon and plastic surgeons, I have discovered the real Fountain of Youth. It’s spending time with young people. I made this fortuitous discovery just the other day as I peered into the glowing, unlined face of a student I was working with. Actually two things hit me. The first was that I was 50 years her senior! Five-zero. A half a century. Yikes! [Karen Galatz]

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Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, News Media, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The Matzo Chronicles: Hosting a Muslim Student from Jordan

My concern was mostly for him, a 20-year-old, religiously observant, first-time visitor to the U.S. How would he feel staying with Jews? We were fine. We were adults, who had willingly opened our home, but how about him? Would he, who had merely been assigned a random housing slot, feel blind-sighted, uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or G-d forbid, hostile? [Karen Galatz]

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Israel, Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Sweet Memories of a Short-Order Cook

The man at the grill never fully turned around, just swiveled his head slightly to acknowledge the newest person to grab a coveted spot at the counter or listen to the takeout order shouted at him by the person standing over the shoulder of somebody seated. He provided equal service to all — working-class men in coveralls, prim secretaries all made up and wearing high heels even on icy days, and Wall Street types in pinstripe suits. Nobody got special treatment. Nobody got special attention. First come, first served. [Karen Galatz]

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Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

The Matzo Chronicles: Give Me Liberty? Nah, Give Me Laundry!

A few days after he died, my mother — still in a daze — was in the garage doing the laundry. In the mix of just-dried garments were my father’s undershirts, shorts, and socks. I watched as she folded his tee shirts in the same neat manner she had done for so many decades. First, in thirds, then, in half, brushing away each wrinkle with care. The sight of her folding his clothes — for the last time — took my breath away. [Karen Galatz]

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Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

The Matzo Chronicles: My Whirlwind European Tour, Tulips and Turmoil

Where are the proudly proclaimed markers of historical Jewish life and contributions in the great European cities? Why are they — we — too often erased or at least, largely invisible from the tours and guidebooks? 
Second, for all the glory and achievement, how is it that humankind still hasn’t learned to respect religious, ethnic, and cultural differences, or at least tolerate them? [Karen Galatz]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Karen Galatz, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food