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March 7, 2003/Adar2 3 5763, Vol. 55, No. 28
Author presents a day in the life of Israelis
LILA BALTMAN
Special to Jewish News
Day in and day out, most of us living here in the Valley receive our information about Israel and the current state of events there from reading newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and, of course, watching countless hours of CNN.
But when was the last time you heard information about Israel from a real Israeli? From someone who is actually living over there?
On March 14, there will be two opportunities to listen to Barbara Sofer of Jerusalem, a popular author and columnist in the Jerusalem Post (see Details box).
A lecturer, originally from Connecticut (and still with a Connecticut accent), Sofer made aliyah a week after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her master's degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem while teaching in a development town and at Jerusalem's University High School.
Always a writer by profession, she has been a contributing editor at Hadassah magazine for more than a decade, and has covered articles in all sectors of Israeli society.
The topic of her March 14 speaking engagements is "Life Goes On - The Day in the Life of Israelis 2003."
"In Israel, we're always aware of the thin line between truth and fiction," writes Sofer in an e-mail from Jerusalem. "The falsification of life here by our enemies manipulates half-truths. Over the last few years, I have been drawn into the country's public relation efforts. As the Israel spokesperson for Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, I have been able to connect foreign news media with leads to true stories which show Israel in a positive light. I have continued my own writing, both nonfiction and fiction, and spend part of my time speaking.
"Today, even more than the past, I'm aware of the sacred duty, not just on Hanukkah, to publicize the miracles that take place in our Jewish state," she continues. "I'm also reminded daily that miracles don't happen in a vacuum. They require our own constant efforts, our self-criticism, our need to maintain the values of Judaism and democracy and our unwavering faith."
Sofer is the winner of seven Rockower Journalism awards for outstanding Jewish journalism and of the Sydney Taylor Award in 1996 for the best Jewish children's book for "Shalom, Haver."
She and her husband, scientist/author Gerald Schroeder, have raised and educated all five of their children in Israel.
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