As Yom Kippur approaches, Brian and the family plan a quiet afternoon by the lake at the Wohl Rose Garden…only to find it has been turned into a mobile synagogue.
Why not try this experiment: the next time you’re asked to do something you really don’t want to, just say “with pleasure”? That’s what Brian and his family tried...to mixed results.
Camping is all about freedom and the getting away from daily responsibilities. But is it prudent to take off for a remote campsite in Israel if no one in the party has a gun? Welcome to Camping in Israel, 2004.
Three years ago this week, Brian’s cousin Marla Bennett was murdered by terrorists. At a bat mitzvah party, Brian discusses Marla and life in Israel with an engaging teenage girl.
As we prepare for national mourning on Tisha B’av, Brian reviews the book “Blessing of a Broken Heart” Sherri Mendell painful yet heartfelt book about her son Koby’s brutal murder over three years ago.
Imagine if one of the two main highways into San Francisco or New York or Chicago was suddenly off-limits after dusk because snipers had targeted it. Traffic in Israel is not like anywhere else in the world.
Summer camping was one of Brian’s favorite childhood memories. But getting out into nature in Israel is an entirely different experience, complete with TVs and discos
When Brian's daughter takes to the stage, Brian turns on the videotape. Or at least that's what he thought. In the aftermath, he wonders: if it isn't on tape, is it even real?
Growing up in California, Brian is an old pro when it comes to earthquakes. But things are a little different when the ground starts to move in Jerusalem.
There’s only one thing worse than seeing a policeman waving his arms, motioning you to pull you over. That’s trying to talk your way out of a ticket…in Hebrew.
It seemed like just a routine illness. But when Brian’s son’s fever shoots up to 105 on a Friday afternoon, Brian wonders where are the Shabbat angels?
"What color is cumin supposed to be?” Brian asks his wife Jody. “Yellow,” she replies. “Is there such a thing as black cumin?” he asks. Need we say more?
Brian was holding the baby at a brit mila when he heard it. A suicide bomber had blown up a bus only two blocks from the synagogue. Is this any kind of way to welcome a new soul into the world?
As Brian ran past the #14 bus stuck in traffic across from Liberty Bell Park, he felt an inexplicable fear. Two days later, the same bus exploded in the exact same spot.
Channeling Louis Armstrong Posted at The Jerusalem Post February 25, 2004
An ultra-orthodox wedding band plays Louis Armstrong, Barry White and Men At Work. Brian meets the band leader for one of the world’s most inclusive Jewish rock groups.
In a parent’s life, there’s a first time for everything, including the first time anxiously waiting up for your teenager to get home from a late night out at a party.
Overly Sensitive New Age Guy Posted at The Jerusalem Post February 11, 2004
Movie audiences in Israel can drive even the most laid back parents to distraction. And Brian is admittedly more sensitive than the next guy. But he can’t let his son know.
Brian lives all of ten minutes drive from the Western Wall But he rarely gets a chance to visit. Until his daughter’s class trip takes him there…and beyond.
During a trip to India, Brian thinks he’s discovered one of the ancient lost tribes of the Israelites. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Rajasthani desert.
When the former Chairman of the Board of Brian’s company passes away suddenly, Brian reflects on the nature of relationship – both in good times and bad.
He has probably the best job in medicine – dispensing advice to Israelis setting off for India, Thailand and South America. Brian meets The Travel Doctor.
As his synagogue moves into a new building, Brian wonders whether this change will affect the most important part of the experience: the quality of schmoozing.
Back to school also means back to bullies. And this time they’re targeting Brian’s son. A telling story about violence in the average Israeli schoolyard.
One telling sign of cultural differences is how close together people stand. Or drive. Now it seems that the issue of "personal space" in Israel has been adversely affecting relations in the Blum household.
It’s been exactly a year since Brian’s cousin Marla Bennett was killed in a terror attack. Is it ever appropriate to “use” Marla to educate the children, he wonders?
As children all over the country prepare for their big summer scouting trips, Brian compares his own camping experiences growing up with those of his daughter, the Israeli Scout.
The recent memorial concert for terror victims Marla Bennett and Ben Blutstein turns into a unique opportunity for Israelis from across the political and religious spectrum to discover what they have in common.
Shabbat enforcement is in the news again, thanks to Minister Olmert and the NRP. But is it really better in a 24/7 world? After all, it was the Jews who instituted the first six-day work week.
Queen Esther hid her Jewish identity. Is pop star Avril Lavigne really Gavriella Levine? And what's the deal with Madonna and tefillin? Musings on "Jewish" rock and rollers in disguise.
Nation Under Construction Posted at The Jerusalem Post February 12, 2003
Despite the economic downturn and the war, Israel has somehow been able to mount massive public works projects which say a lot about where we are as a nation.
Do American immigrants to Israel envy the material success of their cousins in the old country? Commentator Brian Blum attempts to answer the question.
Dr. Surfer Punk Posted on JpostRadio.com December 5, 2002
Aviva is teaching a class in miracles. Her daughter and son-in-law recently survived a terror attack at the hands of a highly unusual miracle worker. Brian Blum tells this story about miracles, just in time for Hanukah.
History in the Making Posted on JpostRadio.com November 24, 2002
When Brian’s company goes out for a "fun day" of traipsing around the countryside, he discovers that history in Israel is a lot more immediate than old Roman ruins.
Supportive Cast Posted on JpostRadio.com November 17, 2002
In the second installment of "This Normal Life," Brian attends a school assembly led by his daughter's 4th grade class and marvels at how things have changed since he was in grade school.
Bedtime for Gar-Bonzo Posted on JpostRadio.com November 14, 2002
Welcome to the premier episode of "This Normal Life" with Brian Blum. This week, Brian visits a new age falafel stand near the memorial marking the site of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. In Israel, it seems, you can't even go out for falafel without getting a history lesson.
