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
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson LONDON, England — As we all know, London has a lot to offer in the way of culture, amusement, entertainment and delights of all kinds. However, there is a very big “but” to enjoying London, and my latest visit has brought this into relief. So, I have made a series of notes to […]
Things not to do in merry old England Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, InternationalSAN DIEGO (SDJW) – During the month of August, San Diego Jewish World was privileged to publish works by the following writers and photographers. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you and to publicly express our appreciation. To access works by these contributors on San Diego Jewish World, type or copy their name into the
A hearty thank you to SDJW’s August contributors Read More »
Barry Shaw, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Edwin Black, Eileen Wingard, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Ordman, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France — I know I’ve written about this subject before, but it’s one that simply isn’t going to go away, and in fact is getting worse every day, every hour, every minute. Many of these unfortunates come from Africa, from countries where conflicts, poverty, corruption and hopelessness are endemic. Others come from
Jews can empathize with refugees Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East, The World We Share
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France –It seemed like a good idea at the time. Every village in central France – and possibly elsewhere, for all I know – holds a brocante once a year, when locals and anyone interested can set up a stall and sell anything that they feel is superfluous to their needs.
Weather, language, conspired against book sale Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, InternationalBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Not long ago I was invited to join a group on Facebook that goes by the name of ‘Yecke Yeckes, Hoppe Hoppe Reiter, Young Descendants of Yekkes Seeking to Preserve the Yecke Heritage.’ That’s more than a bit of a mouthful (and I had to have the site’s
Learning and preserving German – Jewish culture Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It’s not right and fair to engage in ‘old-timer’ nostalgia at any time, I know, but in view of recent events I can’t help comparing Israel as it was fifty years ago, when I first came to live here, and today. Israel today is, if anything, even more vibrant, productive
Bitter division among Jews threatens Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East
Levi Koenig: A Contemporary King Lear by Dorothea Shefer-Vanson © 2015, ISBN-14: 978-1511909761; 215 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – As their father weakens in body, if not in mind, three daughters do what they can to aid him; all the while resenting each other for not taking up enough of the burden.
‘Levi Koenig:’ 3 daughters and a dying father Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
SAN DIEGO (SDJW) – During the month of July, San Diego Jewish World was privileged to publish works by the following writers and photographers. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you and publicly express our appreciation. To access works by these contributors on San Diego Jewish World, type or copy their name
SDJW thanks its July 2015 contributors Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Eileen Wingard, Eric George Tauber, Eva Trieger, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Lloyd Levy, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Ordman, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve Kramer
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France — The house where we are staying in the French countryside is opposite the village church, a not very imposing edifice dating from the late seventeenth century. Many of the other churches in the region are from the twelfth, thirteenth and even ninth centuries and seem to have stood the
An outlander’s view of a French wedding Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, InternationalBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France — Taking a few weeks off from our usual routine and our home in Israel, ‘retiring from retirement,’ means changing the pace at which we live, shifting to a different location and moving to an area where tranquility prevails. It has by now become our custom to spend the summer months
Rural France: A vacation break from hectic Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East
SAN DIEGO (SDJW)—San Diego Jewish World acknowledges and thanks those writers whose bylines and photo credit lines appeared during the month of June and the first few days of July on its website. They included: David Amos Stephen Hazan Arnoff Laurie Baron David Bedein Edwin Black Dan Bloom Shoshana Bryen Stephen Bryen Garry Fabian Donald
SDJW thanks June, early July contributors Read More »
Barry Shaw, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Edwin Black, Eileen Wingard, Eric George Tauber, Eva Trieger, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Michael Ordman, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It might seem a little out of date, but it was interesting to sit in a pleasant Jerusalem home last week and listen to Benjamin Progrund’s lecture about his life as a journalist in South Africa when it was still an apartheid state. Benjamin Progrund was born in
South Africa contrasted with Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Verdi’s Requiem is not often performed in Israel. It requires a massive choir, an accomplished and enormous orchestra with augmented brass section, and four top-flight vocal soloists. In addition, it should be performed in an auditorium that can cope with the wide range of volume, tone and timbre
Verdi in Herzliya a triumph Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It sometimes seems as if we’re living in a kind of science-fiction fantasy world in which, from the comfort of our home, we watch the dreadful events swirling around us while we remain cozily ensconced in our little cocoon of comfort and plenty. The images we see nightly
Watching disasters in comfort Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East