The play “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” will debut in January 2020 in Providence, Rhode Island, and New York City, marking five decades since the first wave of immigration of Soviet Jews to the United States. Through the lens of the Shklyanoys’ emigration, the play highlights a unique time in Jewish history: when establishment organizations and grass-roots advocacy groups coalesced to secure the release of Soviet Jews.
Here’s a scene you wouldn’t typically associate with Shakespearean theatre: People ages 8 to 80 whoopin’ it up as they learn about the six wives of Henry VIII. That was just the scene during Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Six. How? The historical characters were presented as pop stars, mimicking the likes of Beyoncé and…
I once read that if you want to foster nostalgic memories for your child, you need to create and repeat annual traditions. For my son and me, it’s our epic road trips from Chicago to St. Louis to visit Grandma and Grandpa. My husband can do this drive in four hours. The longest it’s…
A Teaching-and-Learning culture is one in which knowledge and experience are shared in all directions, from young to old or old to young; where individuals draw on what they do and what they care about and teach it to those around them. All involved not only learn new skills and gain new knowledge, but…
I asked a male-millennial-something to take a picture of me at a recent event. I was merely closing another app before opening the camera when he starts giving multiple instructions, reaching over to tap things, and telling me which buttons to push as though it were my first time holding such a ‘newfangled doohickey.’ “Thank…
I had a ridiculous amount of fun yesterday putting together a Lollapalooza playlist for my Aqua Bootcamp class. As I told the class, made up of mostly women and a few men ages 40+ to 80, “I don’t want you just to look good. I want you to be hip and cool, too!” I knew…
If I asked about new technology two years ago, you would have lamented (or relished) diminishing face-to-face connections, with the growth of Facebook and LinkedIn. A year ago you would have cried (or celebrated) the intrusion of mobile devices into everyday life. Today you might tell me how you shout out loud (Hey, Alexa!) that…
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution of Machine Intelligence is real. It will define which businesses live and die in the next decade. And the first casualties will be those who fail to adopt and adapt.” Okay, before you start to hyperventilate or call your artificial intelligence wallpaper doctor, the quote above is from Hypergiant, a company that…
At 89, grandparenting activist, author and visionary Jerry Witkovsky may be eating less and drinking only water. But “being Jerry” is an inspiration and goal. Because at 89, Jerry is filled with a driving mission and purpose; a passion for his belief that Grandparents can have a transformational effect on their families when they unleash…
Lee Bey’s Facebook musings are a mix of City sights and sounds: “The neighbor on the south end of my block is de-weeding her front yard by hand–while wearing a pair of strappy heels. She got (and returned) the nod of respect as I walked by”; With a bit of what he’s watching: “I started…
