Posts by Rachel Hercman
Living and Breathing in the After
We tend to remember exactly where we were when we hear news that forever changes our lives. I’ll never forget sitting in my car in March 2019, the day after Purim, with my four-week-old sleeping soundly behind me. My pulmonologist, Dr. P, was calling- I had been expecting his call any minute. Two days earlier…
Read MoreApologizing to Mrs. S
Until I got to college, I was a fairly lazy student and found most classes to be unstimulating. Looking back, I certainly had good teachers, but between the many school rules, academic pressure, and being forced to sit at a desk for hours, it just didn’t do it for me. I spent much of class…
Read MoreWatching Grandparents Age and Holding On To The Goodies
“Bubbie, do you remember all those amazing desserts you used to bake for us for Pesach?” We are sitting at my grandmother’s dining room table on a Sunday in March. At the sound of “desserts” my children briefly look up from their coloring and then resume with dedication. Bubbie shakes her head apologetically. “Sorry, I…
Read MorePut to the Test: Why We Need to Talk About BRCA Genes
If there was a bingo board listing sensitive issues in the Jewish community today, the conversation about BRCA mutations would hit every box: Ancestry. Fertility. Modesty. Marriageability. Mental Health. Privilege. Secrecy. Intermarriage. Family Planning. Sexuality. Family Dynamics. Mikvah. Stigma. These issues floated through my mind when I attended a recent panel on this topic, entitled…
Read MoreA Good Run: Pounding the Pavement with New Perspective
Even as I lace up my sneakers, I can hear the heated debate between my lazy self and my active self. C’mon, just go running tomorrow. But you know you’ll feel better if you go now. You’re out of shape though. But you like how it feels. You can’t skip this run if you want…
Read MoreThe Layers of ‘How are you?’
How are you? Three little words that just roll off the tongue. We say them, we hear them, we deflect from them. They are a greeting and an invitation, but an invitation that is often declined. The real answer is probably more than a sentence but we typically keep the response brief and superficial. Stay…
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