Reflections

Amy Hirshberg Lederman
Amy Hirshberg Lederman

Reflections: Speaking from the heart on Rosh Hashanah

Exactly 10 years ago this month, I wrote my first column for the Arizona Jewish Post. “Running to Catch Up with Myself” was an attempt to address the confusion, pain and fear I felt after 9/11. I had no idea a decade ago that writing would become such an important part of my life. And [...]

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America the beautiful, part two: Discovering paradise on Highway 89

As a child, I grew up listening to music on my father’s prized possession, our stereo system, which consisted of a record player nestled deep within a richly oiled mahogany cabinet and two huge speakers that dominated the living room. Sunday mornings were dedicated to classical music, the afternoons were filled with Broadway musicals and [...]

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Amy Hirshberg Lederman
Amy Hirshberg Lederman

America, the beautiful

The route from Arizona to Mon­­­tana was mapped out, the car packed with a week’s worth of clothes and gear, and the cooler filled with snacks and water bottles. As we buckled up for the first leg of our trip, I felt the kind of excitement I had known in college, a footloose freedom that [...]

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Money and happiness: appreciating the real cost of living

Recently, my husband and I went to a Beatles musical revue and had a wonderful time singing and dancing in the aisles with other middle-aged ex-hippies to tunes like “Yellow Submarine,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Michelle.” In the car on the way home, we sang some of our favorites and one song, [...]

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Amy Hirshberg Lederman
Amy Hirshberg Lederman

Reflections: Israeli secret to business success: Don’t fear failure

I recently returned from a fantastic trip to Israel — an interfaith business and leadership delegation sponsored by the America-Israel Friendship League. Our group consisted of 29 dynamic Tucsonans — a vibrant mix of faiths, ethnicities and professional backgrounds. Together we explored the religious, archeological, business and cultural sites that make Israel so unique. Toward [...]

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Amy Hirshberg Lederman
Amy Hirshberg Lederman

A moment in time: my New Zealand Shabbat

It wasn’t easy to get there but the effort was well worth it. A bus trip winding our way out of Queenstown took us to our first destination where we boarded a catamaran and crossed Lake Manapouri, its surface shimmering in the late morning sun. A second bus ride and seven rainbows later, we traversed [...]

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Readers answer: ‘What drives the Jews?’

Several months ago I asked a question in one of my columns and invited readers’ input. Answers came from all over the country and were as diverse as Jews are themselves. The question was originally posed to me by my 23-year-old daughter: What drives the Jews? In keeping with the Jewish tradition of “two Jews, [...]

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Amy Hirshberg Lederman
Amy Hirshberg Lederman

Words of wisdom never grow old

I grew up in a house where words were the currency by which my brother and I gained recognition. Unlike most of our peers’ parents, whose approval was dished out for making the varsity team or getting straight A’s, my dad’s highest form of praise came as a result of the words we used and [...]

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Shehecheyanu: Committing to a year of firsts

I am a closet card-aholic. It’s true. Some people eat when they get stressed. Others shop. Me? I head straight to the card aisle at Walgreens or CVS. If I’m really lucky and Hallmark has declared a holiday, like National Take Your Pet to Work Day, I can get lost for hours wondering if there [...]

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Finding meaning in the sound of silence

I talk a lot and I can’t deny it. I was one of those babies who didn’t say anything until the age of two, but once I uttered my first word (which my mother swears was “beet”), I never stopped. This was a huge source of embarrassment for me in elementary school when I would [...]

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