Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is a freelance journalist based in Mevasseret Zion, Israel.
Her published works, available on Amazon, include:
* All Quiet on the Midwestern Plains: A Tale of Deception, Betrayal, and Vindication
* The Balancing Game: A Child Between Two Worlds, A Society Approaching War
* Chasing Dreams and Flies: A Tragicomedy of Life in France
* The Diary of Anne Frank (Cliff Notes)
* Levi Koenig: A Contemporary King Lear
* Time out of Joint: The Fate of a Family
Shefer-Vanson also is a Hebrew to English translator, with those works on Amazon including:
* The Rainy Day Man by Amnon Jackont
One Friday night, when my grandchildren tried to tell me a joke (in Hebrew) and my sole response was to point out the linguistic fallacy involved, it dawned on me that I had become an old curmudgeon. And a bilingual one at that. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Becoming an Old Curmudgeon Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastWhen a recent zoom meeting of the only group in which I still participate set as a subject for discussion ‘A Book That Has Influenced Me,’ I had no hesitation in choosing J.G. Frazer’s study of comparative religions, anthropology, history and sociology entitled The Golden Bough; a Study in Magic and Religion.’The paperback copy I bought in 1962, when I was a university student, numbered almost 1,000 pages and was touted as the ’abridged edition in one volume.’ [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Books that have greatly influenced me Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonAttending an annual performance of Handel’s oratorio Messiah has been part of my life since childhood, and I have tried to pass this tradition on to my own children and grandchildren whenever and wherever possible. (Dorothea Shefer-Vanson)
Messiah: An oratorio of enduring beauty, spiritual uplift Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
Meet Anna, Helena, and Naomi. As a reader of this novel, you’ll have the privilege of knowing exactly what each of these women is thinking over the course of a few days in Jerusalem, circa 1983. (Donald H. Harrison)
Novel eavesdrops on thoughts of 3 lonely women Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson“You are invited to watch the ceremony to mark the graduation of the soldiers who have completed the Officers’ Training Course.” That was the text of the official invitation emailed to me and other family members by one of our granddaughters, whose sister was one of the soldiers concerned. We were informed that we would be able to watch the ceremony live, as filmed by the IDF’s official photographer, on the official IDF site on the internet. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Watching granddaughter’s IDF ceremony in Covid19 time Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Theatre, Film & BroadcastThe euphoria lasted exactly two weeks. As June progressed the general rejoicing and premature self-congratulation on the part of the government came to an abrupt stop. The dreaded second wave had arrived. The curve which had been flattened reared its ugly head again, and alarm bells started ringing as the number of infections rose drastically. The idea of returning to the theatre and the concert hall vanished like the proverbial mirage. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Between Hunkering Down and Resurgence Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Albert Cohen wrote (or at least published) this book when he was about sixty years old. I don’t know when his mother died, but – as its title implies – the book is about his late mother and her devotion to him, embellished by his evidently deep-rooted sense of guilt at not having been as kind to her as he felt should have been in her lifetime. (Dorothea Shefer-Vanson)
French Jewish author details a son’s deep regret Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, LifestylesBack in the day, when my children were young, I would sometimes join them when they watched certain programs on Children’s TV. One of these was Zehu-Zeh (That’s It), which tried to amuse, entertain and educate by means of little skits, songs and quizzes. Let’s face it, most of the programs on Children’s TV were noisy, gaudy American imports, with little or no educational content, though of course Sesame Street was the exception that proved the rule. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
‘Zehu-Zeh’ revival brings much needed humor to Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USAI read Orlando by Virginia Woolf originally many years ago, when I first ‘discovered’ Virginia Woolf and the fascinating world of the Bloomsbury Group – the coterie of artists, writers and intellectuals who coalesced around her and her husband, Leonard Woolf (who was Jewish). I eagerly swallowed every word she had ever written, as well as her diaries, collected letters and the many works about her and the other members of the group. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Who’s reconsidering Virginia Woolf? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, InternationalThe CD with the title (in German and Hebrew) Total Baloney was given to me some time ago by the Association of Former Residents of Central Europe, and when I finally got round to watching it I found myself taken back to the kitchen of my mother and other ‘Yekke’ relatives, back to the enchanted land of nostalgia, to the tastes and aromas of yesteryear, and to a time of innocence and memories (though not always fond). [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
‘Total Baloney’ and the secrets of the German kitchen Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and FoodThere has always been a certain divide between rulers and ruled. That is the way of the world, whether in ancient Mesopotamia, the ancient Land of Israel, ancient Greece and Rome, the various nations of Europe and all over the world. The relatively recent attempt (in historical terms) to introduce an element of fairness into the system has had its successes and its failures, whether in the shape of democracy or some form of socialism, but there is no getting away from the fact that countries have to be governed, and some people seem to feel the urge to govern them. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
In UK, US, and Israel, politicians flout the law Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, USAMarione Ingram was born in Hamburg in 1938 to a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father, and so was defined as a ‘mischling’ (half-breed) by the Nazi authorities. Her autobiographical book begins with her account of having been sent by her mother when she was eight years old to take her younger sister to their aunt. She decided to return unbidden and found her mother in the throes of an attempt to commit suicide by putting her head in their gas oven. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
A ‘Mischling’ growing up in WWII Hamburg Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish HistoryIn Israel we are just beginning to feel the easing of the strict lockdown rules. At the recent very low-key Independence Day celebrations one of the individuals honoured with lighting one of the twelve flames which traditionally mark the opening of the day’s events declared how much she missed being able to see, hug and kiss her grandchildren. That must have triggered something in the national psyche, as not long afterwards the Prime Minister announced – as part of the easing of restrictions – that grandchildren will henceforth be able to visit their grandparents, though still keeping a safe distance. I doubt that any other national leader has included that particular facet of family life in their official announcements about relaxing coronavirus restrictions. Well done, popular entertainer Tzippi Shavit! [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Hanging out with hubby at home in Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastThe author of this book takes the reader through the various periods of British – and American – history, describing who conquered whom and when, and the effect this had on the growth and development of the English language. He starts with the Biblical legend of the Tower of Babel and posits the idea that there may indeed once have been a universal language, now lost in the mists of time, but paralleling the tale that once upon a time all people could speak the same language and understand one another. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
How the English language evolved Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, USA