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
So here I am, once again on the verge of sending a child, er, I mean a book, out into the big wide world, to sink or swim and hopefully find someone brave enough to undertake the task of reading it, whether as an ebook or a paperback.
It’s coming. The day is nigh. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Sometimes novelists are the ones in suspense Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastThe Jewish custom of once a year building a little hut or sukkah in one’s garden or backyard supposedly harks back to the time many thousands of years ago when the Hebrews were wandering in the wilderness after having left Egypt and had to live in makeshift huts or tabernacles, more or less in the way the Bedouin Arabs live today. Like many aspects of the Jewish religion, practice and history are bound up together. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Memories of a childhood sukkah Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish Religion, Middle EastLike every country, Israel has its advantages and its disadvantages. One of the former is its climate, which is on the whole pleasant (at least in Jerusalem) with sunny days throughout the summer, often with cool evenings and nights. It also has a long coastline giving most of the population access to the sea with all its benefits.
Considering its small size, the country encompasses a particularly wide range ofinteresting geographical features, with hilly areas in the north, and even mountains on which one can ski in winter. (To read more, please click on the headline)
Its people and geography make Israel special Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastExcerpt: I chose this book by Rebecca Cantrell because it promised to describe what life was like in Berlin in the early 1930s. I was not disappointed. Apart from the somewhat lurid plot of the novel, the book contains a vivid account of the way Berliners lived and loved at that time, the rising political power and physical presence of the Nazi party and – in a particularly sensational way – the life of the homosexual community there. (To read more, please click on the headline)
‘A Trace of Smoke’ set in pre-war Berlin Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonExcerpt: This year’s visit started with a bang, the sun was shining and we had been invited to tour the House of Lords by a sitting member who had attended the LSE at the same time as I had, but had gone on to have a stellar career in the law, eventually being made a baroness. She had seen my articles about life in Israel in the AJR Journal and contacted me last year, when we visited her in Oxford. Because parliament had been ‘prorogued,’ i.e., suspended, by the Prime Minister, the place was deserted apart from a few security personnel. Nonetheless, we were taken around the opulent building, parts of which date back to the thirteenth century, while much of it was restored in the nineteenth century after a fire. We felt very privileged to be taken around by our friend, who also treated us to a lovely meal at the Wolesley restaurant. (Please click headline to read full story)
A nostalgic, educational visit to London Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Travel and FoodIn tracing the origins and development of the Talmud over the millennia in which it has existed in one form or another (first oral, then written, and eventually printed), Harry Freedman, a historian and expert in Aramaic and Judaic studies, introduces us to the different environments and cultures in which the Talmud emerged and eventually flourished, as well as giving us insights into the various rabbis, interpreters, and scholars who helped to formulate and establish it.
The Talmud has defined the Judaism of today Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Jewish Religion…In the main part of the paper of 9 August my attention was drawn to a full-page advertisement placed by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and headed by the clarion call (in French): ’11th August 2019 – “Aid el-Kebir,” Day of Sorrow and Blood.’
What followed was a long and detailed diatribe against the fact that thousands of sheep were going to have their throats cut under appalling conditions….
Bardot Foundation fights kosher and halal slaughter Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish Religion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson TROYES, France — Several years ago I was told that I really ought to visit the French town of Troyes (pronounced ‘Trois,’ like the number three in French), since it is a charming medieval town. It is also the birthplace of Rashi, the great twelfth century commentator on the Bible and the
A visit to Rashi’s home town Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish ReligionWhat Language do I Dream in? by Elena Lappin; HarperCollins, 2017, ISBN 9781554-684632. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France — As a bilingual speaker of Hebrew and English as well as having some knowledge of French and German, I was intrigued by the title of this book. But the beginning is something of a surprise, as
Linguist learns of biological father’s secret past Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, InternationalThe Cities that Built the Bible by Robert R. Cargill, HarperOne, 2016 By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France — This overview of the history of the Ancient Near East as it relates to the events described in the Bible is written in a language that is accessible to any reader who is not an expert in archaeology
A modern history of the ancient Middle East Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — A chance remark made by one of my fellow-pupils in the weekly German-language class I attend in my neighborhood retirees’ club aroused my curiosity. Thus I learned about the activities of a group of Israelis who have made it their mission to assist Palestinians whose children require advanced
Israeli volunteers help Palestinians with medical issues Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France — Travel broadens the mind, they say. However, one of the less delightful aspects of travel is making sure you haven’t forgotten anything. I’m not talking only about essentials such as passport, documents, etc., but rather about the myriad other objects you have to have about your person to cover
Bagging it all on a French vacation Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Travel and FoodBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France –Although in my mind I’m still the eager, naïve 22 year old who came to Israel to work and study (and get away from the depressing climate and weedy men of the UK), I have to face the fact that time has not passed me by. I’m constantly getting messages
Feeling the ravages of time Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, Travel and FoodThe Journey Back From Hell: Conversations with Concentration Camp Survivors by Anton Gill, Grafton Books, 1988. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Although published thirty years ago, this book is at least as relevant today as it was when it first appeared. As the survivors of concentration camps grow old and die it is
30- year- old Holocaust research still relevant today Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History