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 MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Jerusalem International Book Forum was held once more this year. The opening ceremony included a (virtual) presentation of the Jerusalem Prize to British author Julian Barnes by the mayor of Jerusalem (accepted by the representative of the British Council […]
The Changing World of Books Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, LifestylesBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — A few years ago an enterprising resident of the suburb where I live, just outside Jerusalem, initiated and organized an association providing social and cultural activities for the growing number of retired persons living here. Since then the association has reached over one thousand members and conducts a
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was recently made aware of the importance of being careful to avoid falling by the incident in which a friend who is a little bit younger than myself fell in her home and broke her hip. This involved a trip to the emergency room of a local
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — We all make decisions in our lives. Someone like me (i.e., a very old person) has had to make decisions at many points in my life — what to study, whom to marry, where to work, where to live, whether to have another child, what to cook for
The Road Not Taken Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Middle East, Opinion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — From Broken Glass: My Story of Finding Hope in Hitler’s Death Camps to Inspire a New Generation, by Steve Ross, is truly an inspiring story. Interspersed with the author’s vivid recollections of being incarcerated from the age of 8 in a succession of concentration camps are accounts of
Author’s Vivid Accounts Range From Nazi Death Camps to Boston’s Worst Neighborhoods Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — As Passover approaches the word “tradition” assumes increasing prominence in the lives of Jews — and Israelis. Each ethnic group, and each family, has its own traditions regarding the way the festival is celebrated (cue musical interlude “Tradition” from “Fiddler on the Roof”). This was brought home to
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Whether you call the city Lvov, Lviv, or Lemberg, the place that was once a center of culture and commerce in Ukraine is currently the scene of destruction and devastation. Now that the whole of Ukraine is being subjected to attack by Russia, I am reminded of the
The Irony of it All Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, InternationalBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It goes without saying that a certain amount of cognitive dissonance is inevitable in the psyche of anyone living in Western society in this day and age. Our mental balance depends on finding a way of coping with the situations in which we find ourselves. Recent events in
Living with Cognitive Dissonance Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, OpinionBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — We thought the age of war in Europe was over. We thought that people of intelligence and culture had learned to cooperate and at least to prevent the senseless destruction of property and lives. We thought that the lessons of the past had been learned, and that the
In This Day and Age Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, OpinionBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was born in London in 1942. My parents were refugees, stateless and penniless. The fact that I was born in that specific place and time gave me the right to remain in England, and hence also enabled my parents to remain there. It was wartime, London
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — One’s heart goes out to the Ukrainian men, women, and children caught up in the devastating and unprovoked attack on their country by their powerful and greedy neighbor, Russia. The sight of women carrying children as they tramp along frozen roads and fields in an attempt to find
Ukraine: Can We Detach the Present From the Past? Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Opinion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — My TV consumption is usually limited to the (extended) evening news, plus the occasional cookery program, provided it does not involve a competition. I do not watch reality TV or competitions of any kind. But the times they are a-changing, and Europe is teetering on the brink of
The Human Condition Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Being able to hear all five Beethoven piano concerti played on two successive evenings was a rare treat. This was provided by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Steven Sloane, and brought Beethoven’s immense oeuvre in this realm into sharp and impressive perspective. On the first evening
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven Feast Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — In the same week as the Israeli government announced a rise in the price of fuel and electricity, several major food importers and manufacturers in Israel proclaimed that they would also be raising prices. For once, instead of the usual passive acceptance of their fate, consumers in Israel
Israeli Consumers Revolt Read More »
Business & Finance, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Opinion