Published Essays

Personal essays drawing on case studies and Jewish thought, originally collected on drjudithguedalia.com

• Any Port In A Storm... Well Maybe Not 'Any'
  The doctor gave me a list of blood tests I needed to take, but said: "We'll start the chemo next week and you'll get the tests all done in a week of two." That…
  2011-06-07 · in Judi-isms
• The Appointment Dress
  It wasn't until I entered high school that I had a rude awakening. Not everyone grew up like I did and not everyone could relate to what I thought was normal.…
  2011-04-18 · in Judi-isms
• Purim 2011-Cheering On Our Warriorettes And Warriors
  I know I'm treading on thin ice here but I can't help but see certain parallels between what's happening all around us (the hair raising events in the Middle…
  2011-03-09 · in Judi-isms
• No Time To 'Do' Anything But Get Into Trouble: Wheels of Fortune
  Yossi (an amalgam of many cases I have seen) has been having difficulties with the police. Yossi lives on a yishuv . A yishuv is a smaller suburban community…
  2011-01-11 ·
• Love With Respect
  "In the nine years since the car hit me, leaving me at 14 years of age a quadriplegic on a respirator, the options available to me for work, narrowed…
  2010-11-04 · in Judi-isms
• Elokai Neshama: The Miracle of G-d Given Breath
  Chaim K. rolls into my office with a determined look on his face and a twinkle in his eye. I am filled with relief that his dark days seem to be coming to an…
  2010-10-06 · in Judi-isms
• A Life Lesson And My New Reality
  In the spring of 1998, Shaare Zedek's New York-based Women's Division, under the watchful direction of Lee Weinbach, chose me as the recipient of the…
  2010-09-07 · in Judi-isms
• "...but they are only children"-- On motherhood and punishment-- the Ben Sorer U'Moreh
  Recently the Israeli press reported a complex capture involving Argentine and Israeli police, Interpol, and the assistance of the local Jewish community. About…
  in Judi-isms
• "He Is Blind But He Can See": More Diagnostic Tales from a Neuropsychologist's Journal.
  "We'd like you to come up to see a young boy", said Dr. A, the then pediatric chief resident. "We have a patient here, an 8 year old boy from a small Bedouin…
  in Judi-isms
• 'Capped And Then Handi-capped'
  Co-written by Chaim K. and Dr. Judith Guedalia © 2007 (Written last Purim) Kail Maleh Rachamim , He Who lives in the uppermost levels of the heavens So begins…
  in Judi-isms
• 'Chaim B'Seret' - 'Living In A Movie' (Part I)
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2008 Almost immediately on entering my office, Chaim K. begins with the title and says: "You might ask why I thought of…
  in Judi-isms
• 'Chaim B'Seret' - 'Living In A Movie' (Part II)
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2008 The unsaid words in Chaim's 'bubble' are still hanging about the room; it is heavy with hope, expectations tinged…
  in Judi-isms
• 'Do You Have A Moment To Discuss Something With Me?'
  It was late in the afternoon - well, early in the evening, and my last patient had canceled. I am grateful that I love my work, but also relish those "found"…
  in Judi-isms
• 'High Man' On The Totem Pole
  Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K.* The meanings of the designs on totem poles are as varied as the cultures that produce them. Totem poles may recount familiar…
• 'Hollyvood' for the Orthodox?
  For the first time in Israel the Haredi community has produced a movie for, by, and with ‘real' Haredi actors. Well really two movies. The first one, Ushpesin…
  in Judi-isms
• 'I Am My Brother's Keeper'
  This is not our first appointment - he has been here before. We are writing this together, Jeff (*not his real name) and I. He was referred to me with a…
  in Judi-isms
• 'Off-The-Derech' From Off-To-The-Side: A Different Perspective
  Dr. Judith Guedalia © 2008 and Mr. Chaim K. "Don't make me into some kind of " Hacham b'Leila. " Literally this means a wise-man-of-the-night, figuratively,…
  in Judi-isms
• 'Two' Is Better Than 'One', And The Cord Of Three Strands...
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia, Chaim K., Jenny S. and Mimi N. © 2007 I was nervous. This was going to be my first "group" in a very long time. How would I segue to a…
  in Judi-isms
• A Bonnet* Lass
  She is eight years old and was referred for neuropsychological assessment consequent to being in a car accident when she was only a few months old. By age…
  in Judi-isms
• A Kuna Matata - Don't Worry, Be Happy vs. Gam Zu L'Tova
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. There we were less than a week before Tisha B'Av, the most cataclysmic day in our history. The Two Tablets lay broken as a…
• A Miracle of Co-Existence
  Wednesday, June 09, 2004 This week the ‘Separation Plan' -separating Israeli and Arab settlements and villages passed in the Cabinet by a narrow margin. We…
  in Judi-isms
• A Plane Story: A Shoah Story
  I pride myself on NOT being a creature of habit. Well except when I fly (as a passenger), which I do a bit. I have developed a pattern of sorts. I have my…
  in Judi-isms
• A Purim L'Chaim, BS
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2008 (This column was written several weeks before Purim.) "When a person wakes up in the morning, opens his eyes and…
  in Judi-isms
• A Sad Tale Of Four Sons
  On January 18, I saw the telecast of a horrible car accident on the Arava road to Eilat, where two people were killed and five wounded. It was announced that…
  in Judi-isms
• A Schnitzel In Time... Saves Lives!
  "We need a consult," said the voice on the other side of the phone. A quick look at the LED read-out on my "smart-phone," anchored the caller to the pediatric…
  in Judi-isms
• A Tale Of Two Cities And Life's Passages
  If you are "sane" enough to say you are crazy, you are not insane enough to be taken seriously (see Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, 1961). Two parallel existences…
  in Judi-isms
• A Thanksgiving Day Story
  One of the hardest things for me to give up when moving to Israel from The States, was not Sunday, but rather Thanksgiving (we have a six day week here, though…
  in Judi-isms
• A Visit To
  By: Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K "Do you dream, that the world will know your name So tell me your name Do you care, about all the little things or anything…
  in Judi-isms
• An Open Letter To You...Woman!
  I can't believe it! I can't believe you are gone from this world. I can't believe it is Erev Shabbat and Erev Sukkot, and I am debating which earrings and…
  in Judi-isms
• And Don't Forget Your Gemushka
  After tirelessly working "the system" for over three years, a resident of Rechov HaGedaim , perpendicular to my street in Jerusalem, was ecstatic. The…
  in Judi-isms
• Anger vs. Midot: States And Traits From Chaim K.'s Perspective
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2008 Over the Hagim I met many Americans who − once introduced to me − said something like the following: How is Chaim…
  in Judi-isms
• Beaufort And Me
  At the recent Nefesh Israel Conference, a woman gave two thumbs up, smiled and said, "'Beaufort' made it; we're on the 'short list.' " I knew her to be his…
  in Judi-isms
• Being Too Frightened To Stop Running: Another Case From The Neuropsychologists Journal
  Have you ever felt these signs when in acute stress? Heart beating out-of-control Flushing and/or paling of our face Butterflies in our stomach Sometimes, in…
  in Judi-isms
• Bringing on the Redemption via South East Asia
  12 January 2005 A few weeks ago the Trauma Team of Shaare Zedek Medical Center were informed of an upcoming ‘drill' with the Home Front (similar to the U.S.…
  in Judi-isms
• Bukra Fil Mish-Mish: Tomorrow When The Apricots Bloom
  "Od tiyeh, od tihye, Kamah tov yihye, Ba'shanah, ba'shanah ha'ba'ah." "In the year that will be ... we'll sit out on our porches Counting migrating birds as…
  in Judi-isms
• But I Just Drank Two Piña-Coladas A Week!
  Over the past ten years, the shelves of wine in my makolet (local minimart) and the regular supermarket have spread. Gone are the days where sweet red, syrupy…
  in Judi-isms
• Canavan Disease, Dental Care And A Parent's Way Of Attending To Her Child*
  Years ago when I was starting as a Developmental Neuropsychologist, a mother of a patient taught me one of the most important lessons of my over 30-year…
• Case of the Mute French Again
  Wednesday night I finished ‘early' at 5:30 pm. What can I say, at 5:45pm the beeper went off, the radio channel had ‘ Piguah (apres terrorist) music'-soft…
• Cleaning our ‘larger house--our Community: Egla Arufa and Domestic Harmony
  Israel's Supreme Court has recently come down with a ruling on a case where a mother punished' her child by hitting him with a vacuum cleaner. The Court also…
  in Judi-isms
• Collateral Damage
  The term Collateral Damage is the military parlance for the damage and destruction of targets or personnel not considered as lawful; when it is used as a…
  in Judi-isms
• Coming to Israel for the Year
  Coming to Israel for the Year/Aliya with a ‘Special-needs' family member? Chezi Goldberg z'l --H'YD- May Gd Avenge his blood- wrote about coming on Aliya with…
  in Judi-isms
• Confusing and Converting Symptoms
  I had already received four different phone messages referring this child for assessment. The parents, the Talmud Torah Rebbe, and the Rav they consulted. The…
  in Judi-isms
• Consultation Across A Seemingly Great Divide.
  There was a request from both the nurses and social workers of Pediatric Oncology, to see a patient. The patient was a 9 year old girl but the person "we…
  in Judi-isms
• Counting-Up Our Days And Hopes For The Future
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Mr. Chaim K. One of the hardest things to do is the "count-up." Start at a point of extreme, almost ineffable sadness and pain, and…
  in Judi-isms
• Crowning Glory; The Gift - Not Just Learning About Chesed, But Doing It
  I looked at her thinking of my grandmother, who used to refer to one's hair (especially girls') as "your crowning glory." There she stood before me, all of 14…
  in Judi-isms
• Days Of Awe And Fear: Another Case In A Psychologist's Journal.
  A few years ago, immediately after Rosh Hashanah, I received a call from an askan (literally translated as an "activist," but colloquially the "can-do-man" of…
  in Judi-isms
• Depression And Help From Our Friends Shaul, King David, Iyov and others...
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Jenny S. Overheard: · "I'm so depressed I gained five pounds over the last holiday!" · "The economic situation struck so hard, I'm…
  in Judi-isms
• Doing 'The Right Thing'
  The pediatric hematology department referred her to me. I was told that she had severe anemia and needed to be developmentally assessed prior to receiving a…
  in Judi-isms
• Don't I have the 'Right' To Love and Be Loved?
  It was an unusual request for an appointment. A phone call from a Rav who is a well-known popular posek for married couples, requesting an appointment to come…
  in Judi-isms
• Dumb Things That People Say
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. Words are very powerful indeed. So much so that mute -- unable to speak (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) is in the…
  in Judi-isms
• Eretz Ochelet/Dorechet Yoshve'ha
  Ochelet Yoshve'ha (consumes its inhabitants) is what the meraglim (Biblical spies sent out by Moses to check out the Israel of old) reported when they…
• Erev Taanit Esther 2009 - The Eighth 'Yahrzeit': Don't Judge Anyone
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2009 Chaim comes rolling into the office, and no sooner has he parked his motorized wheelchair he says: " Hevei Dan Et…
  in Judi-isms
• Ever-Ready Battery
  There is an advertisement for Eveready© batteries in which a group of battery-driven toy bunnies jump around until there is only one left standing - the one…
• Finding A Name For A Situation
  Yossi (not his real name), aged 15, underwent three ophthalmologic surgeries within one month (in another hospital in the country). The first two were for…
• Giving A 'Loan' From The Bank Hanafshi (Emotional Bank)
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. When he was wheeled into my office for our weekly appointment, I noticed a change. He seemed to be bursting with something…
  in Judi-isms
• Hang In There: Larvae, Pupae Metamorphose and Do Become Functioning Adults
  " Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in…
  in Judi-isms
• He is nineteen years old
  Excitement and Joy are meted out here like single M&Ms. Saturday night the country was thrown in to ecstasy (not the pills that were just smuggled into the…
  in Judi-isms
• Homeless (for the year) in Israel
  July 2004 "Mrs. Guedalia you might not remember me, but I ate at your house on Yom Tov, right now I am at a pay phone, and have a large piece of glass in my…
  in Judi-isms
• How Do We Deal With Something Which Is Frustrating Our Success?
  The mother spoke to me with tears in her voice. "We are having a lot of difficulty with my daughter in school. She is eight years old, a very good girl and is…
  in Judi-isms
• I B, Ther4 I M - But Wht 'bout Me 2?!@?!
  He * (*" He " and " She " here are a conglomeration of quite a number of similar yet different cases) called and said he was having terrible headaches; the…
  in Judi-isms
• I Heard You Like A Challenge
  My private number at the office (The Neuropsychology Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem) rang. Now I am quite reachable, most people "have my…
  in Judi-isms
• I understand you....
  Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2006 People who see me in my wheelchair, and bother to come over, say ‘oh, we understand you'. My brother, my sister and my…
• I've Got To Hand It To You
  A recent article in the Journal of Medical Genetics brought Leah (not her real name) to mind. Though it was almost eight years ago, I remember it as if it were…
  in Judi-isms
• Information for Patients
  Confidentiality: Maintaining your privacy is very important. Test results and anything said in therapy are kept strictly confidential and are onlymade…
• Is Ice Fleishig Or Milchig? Another Case From A Psychologist's Journal
  Late one afternoon my secretary, Tova, told me in my office that I really have to take this call now , as the woman on the other end of the phone kept saying,…
  in Judi-isms
• Is It Better To Have Loved And Lost Than To Never Have Loved At All?
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never to have…
  in Judi-isms
• J'accuse
  Sir, - I accuse myself for not getting out of my chair in Jerusalem and running to Kiryat Malachi to give Gila Katsav a hug. J'accuse the talking heads on TV…
• Jealousy, Cupidity/Desire And Honor/Dignity Put A Man Out Of The World (Pirkei Avot/Sayings Of The Fathers': 4:21)
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2007 "Last night I went to a good friend's wedding, yet again; my friends seem to be dropping-out of bachelorhood like…
  in Judi-isms
• Liar, Liar Pants On Fire: Curiosity About 'Made-off' (Madoff) Or, What Can Lying Be?
  I don't presume to be a criminal psychological profiler - however, the Made-off Case has piqued my curiosity. This creep (a word I usually only use for sexual…
• Listening With The Third Ear
  "Hello is this Dr. Guedalia?" When I answered in the affirmative the woman on the other end of the phone began to cry. I just held on to the phone. "Are you…
  in Judi-isms
• Living And Learning From The Sayings Of Our Fathers
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2007 Hillel says: "Do not separate from the community. And do not trust yourself until the day of your death. And don't…
  in Judi-isms
• Lung EMDR
  "We would like you to come up to pediatrics for a consult", the department social worker asked, "I'll be right up". Generally the patients who request pre and…
• May The Gates Of Heaven Connect To Our Bridges Of Beseechings
  Coming into Jerusalem is always a thrilling experience, even for 'veteran' Jerusalemites, but since the new opening of Spanish architect, Santiago-Calatrava's…
  in Judi-isms
• Me, We, and Them - States and Traits in our family: An Experiential Workshop
  In Israel we are not accustomed to a three day Chag. We don't have a Yom Tov Shel Goliut -the extra day tagged on to the Shalosh Regalim--Sukot, Pessach and…
  in Judi-isms
• Mental health and religion in Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews
  Sharmila Devi Psychological after-effects of the recent evacuation of the Gaza strip are starting to show in both soldiers and settlers. But, says Sharmila…
• Mirror, Mirror On The 'Cell Wall?'
  Former MK and former Prisoner of Zion Natan Sharansky is said to have kibbitzed that he seems to have been the only member of Knesset who had the distinction…
  in Judi-isms
• Moli's Story: The Heroism and Optimism of a Fifteen Year Old and Her Mother
  She was a cute 15 and a half year old teenager from a development town in the southern part of Israel. She couldn't believe that her usually ‘strict' Moroccan…
  in Judi-isms
• NEUROPSYCHOLOGY UNIT
  Testing can be comfortable and non-stressful Dr. Guedalia believes it is important to make the testing and evaluation process as easy and stress-free as…
• No we haven't all joined MDA (Magen David Adom) Ambulance Crew.
  If you happen to be in Israel after January 1 st , you will see many cars with reflective vests hanging over front row seats otherwise they might be in the…
• Nursing a Grudge
  Nefesh International is now celebrating its bar mitzvah. Begun, 13 years ago in someone's living room, its 13 th annual conference will be held December 31 st…
  in Judi-isms
• Od Avinu Chai - Revisiting Germany
  "Germany," she shouted, as if I could have heard her here in Jerusalem through the open window. "The line is awful tonight, I thought I heard you say you are…
  in Judi-isms
• Off the Path but on the Derech: An Unusual Travelogue
  Firstly, I would like to paraphrase Lyndon Baines Johnson, when, in his inaugural speech in the Senate, after President Kennedy's murder, he said: I would give…
  in Judi-isms
• On Community Service: Kohanim And Cities Of Refuge
  On a recent Shabbat my grandson commented on how quickly I walked "considering " - for the sake of his present and future birthday gifts from me, I felt sure…
  in Judi-isms
• On Crying And Genetics (Part 2)
  One of the benefits of working in the same place for close to 20 years is receiving "surprise" guests. Not infrequently, people who happen to find themselves…
  in Judi-isms
• On Crying And Genetics (Part One)
  She came in with two children; a six-year-old girl and an infant boy in a stroller. Batya (not her real name), the elder of the two children, was to be…
  in Judi-isms
• On Motherhood and Punishment-- the Ben Sorer U'Moreh
  Recently the Israeli press reported a complex capture of an infamous young man named Ben-Ivgi, involving Argentine and Israeli police, Interpol, and the…
  in Judi-isms
• On Siblings, Jealousy And The Normal One
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. "When I was healthy and my brothers were young and bothered me," said an exasperated and frustrated Chaim K., as we began…
  in Judi-isms
• On Wayfarers, Tabernacles And Tents
  Each of our holidays has unique qualities - beyond food - that allows us to build special memories for our families and us. With the approach of chol hamoed…
  in Judi-isms
• On Weddings And Children...
  We were at a wedding, which in retrospect was a significant venue, when a woman, whom I didn't know, asked me if I would "talk" with her husband. I thought…
  in Judi-isms
• On Winter, Smudge Pots, Dirges And S.A.D.
  Winter is upon us. Well sort of, Winter, here in Israel connotes rain-time and though I'm not complaining, everyone is concerned. Getting very little, or no…
  in Judi-isms
• Orange is Hot and Blue is Calming? Living in Israel During Colorful Times.
  I am in a conundrum. Torn between parts of myself. In Jerusalem right now, as in many areas of the country, cars are ‘festooned' in blue or orange strips of…
  in Judi-isms
• Out 'Darn' Spot: Another Case In A Neuropsychologist's Journal
  In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, plagued by guilt for her part in the killing of Duncan, utters the famous line "Out, Out ['Darn'] Spot!" while in a…
  in Judi-isms
• Partnering With Hashem To Heal The Sick
  The Madrich HaCharedi , a veritable goldmine, is the Yellow Pages of goods and services of the ultra-religious community here in Israel. One gets just a taste…
  in Judi-isms
• Press release
  1.11.05 Hatzalah Yosh now Saving Lives in Sri Lanka By Order of Israel's Chief Rabbis Week after refusing an Israeli aid delegation, Sri Lankan authorities,…
• Pure Belief
  Chaim K. has gone through a difficult time of late. It is impossible to imagine oneself confined to a chair 24/7 for a week, let alone ten years! Over the five…
  in Judi-isms
• Pyramid Of Needs And Then Some...
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. © 2008 We have many needs. Sitting with Chaim K. as an annoying fly buzzes around, a need that is not on Maslow's iconic…
  in Judi-isms
• Re: Elections 2006 in Israel
  Last week we had Election Day here in Israel. The final results will not be known vis a vis the ‘constitution' of the government and the ‘deals' that the…
  in Judi-isms
• Reflecting On Reality... Or Not Every Race Is Worth Winning
  He knocked on the door. He was early and I asked him to wait in the waiting area. He paced back and forth. He knocked again. And again. All I could think of as…
  in Judi-isms
• Reunion
  I would be lying if I said I was not excited/nervous/curious/anxious/happy/worried. I was all of these things from the moment I was told about our elementary…
• Seeing Life as It Can Be - Not Accepting Life As It Is!
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. "When I first came to Dr. Guedalia, about a year ago, I believed/thought that my life was over, because I am paralyzed;…
  in Judi-isms
• September/Elul and New Beginnings
  September/Elul brings with it the sense of new beginnings, the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the School New Year. Over the past 20…
  in Judi-isms
• Setting Sail on the Sea of Life
  Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K.© 2009 Chaim K. rolls into the office with a very focused look this week. After close to three and a half years of almost…
  in Judi-isms
• Si Vas Pacem Para Bellum --When you want peace prepare for war!!
  What do we ‘do' in times of Piguim and what to 'expect' on order to prepare for multiple (mass) community 'events' given the 'warnings', a question some of my…
  in Judi-isms
• Soaring In Our Minds To Heights When Stuck On Earth
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia © 2008 with Chaim K. To be honest, almost all of the cases or people I see cause my brain to take flight and "soar" to points unknown.…
  in Judi-isms
• Sometimes The Diagnosis Is As Clear As The Nose On Your Face...
  She came into the office with her mother. They sat down. The mother, facing me on an angle, her back towards her daughter; the daughter, on the other, hand was…
  in Judi-isms
• Sounds Of Silence: Chaim K. And His Old Friend Darkness
  Dr. Judith Guedalia © 2008 and Chaim K. Hello darkness, my old friend; I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while…
  in Judi-isms
• Stop And Smell The Flowers
  There is a saying in English "Stop and smell the flowers" which loosely means to take time out and enjoy the beauty in life. In Shaare Zedek Medical Center,…
  in Judi-isms
• Sukkot: Temporary Dwellings And The Woman With The Scarf Knotted Under Her Chin
  She came in, sat down at the table, and in faltering English said, "I just wanted to say goodbye". Odd, I thought, since she had just arrived! I looked…
  in Judi-isms
• Taking Home The Lessons Of Gan Eden - Ultimate Kindergarten (Part Two)
  Last week I related right after Simchat Torah and the beginning of the new cycle of Torah readings, how I was pondering about my role in helping patients in my…
• Taking Home The Lessons Of Gan Eden: The Ultimate Kindergarten (Part One)
  After not even a week since Simchat Torah, and starting the "whole thing (the cycle of life) again," I wondered what I might learn about the "Garden of Eden…
  in Judi-isms
• Terrorism has many forms
  With the advent of the Internet we have made ‘boundri-less' contacts. We may be sitting in the office, at home or on the ‘road', but we can ‘connect' with…
  in Judi-isms
• Thanksgiving Jerusalem Style 2006: The Triple's Fifth Anniversary
  Amalia Oren, director of social work at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem where I work, came down to show me a well-worn edition of LaIsha. On the cover…
  in Judi-isms
• The Case of the Soldier Who Couldn't Whisper
  They were afraid, afraid for him and afraid for themselves. He, let's call him Lochesh (the Hebrew word for whisper) could not whisper. When they are out on…
  in Judi-isms
• The Color Of Water
  Late one evening I needed something from the supermarket. I walked over to the Supersol on Agron, near King George Street. This is not an easy task today as…
  in Judi-isms
• The Continuing Legacy Of Chezi Goldberg
  Chezi Goldberg, H"Y"D, May G-d Avenge His Blood, was the columnist who wrote the weekly column "Chezi's Corner" for The Jewish Press. He was an early member of…
  in Judi-isms
• The Gift Which Was Too Expensive
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. It has been a month and a half since the last time we met. Holidays and other constraints have gotten ‘in the way'. One…
  in Judi-isms
• The Happy Non-Dyslexic: Another Case In A Neuropsychologist's Journal
  Avraham L. (not his real name) came in with his mother. As things have a way of happening, my previous patient took longer than expected, and I had gone into…
  in Judi-isms
• The Higher The Expectation The Bigger The Fall
  Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. Chaim K. comes into the office and immediately begins to speak, as if our last meeting had never ended. "Eight years ago, at…
  in Judi-isms
• The Morning (Mourning) After the Days Before
  Today is the day after The Sixth Annual Nefesh Israel Conference. It was a major success. We had close to 300 hundred people a day for three days. The…
• The Theory of Mind and the Little Experiential Museum that Roared
  Frequently when one lives in a place you don't see it as well as a tourist does. Tucked away in ‘The City' is a small museum that reminds me of a movie I saw…
• The third star had just begun to twinkle: A case of neuro/psychological detective work.
  It was just about Motzei Shabbat, the third star (of the three required to signify the end of Shabbat) was barely twinkling when I received a phone call.…
  in Judi-isms
• There are many topics that are not easily spoken about, death is one of them.
  There are many topics that are not usually spoken about, death is one of them. I imagine this ‘discomfort' with the topic stems from the fact that for each of…
  in Judi-isms
• This week I had a visitor
  This week I had a visitor. I didn't recognize him immediately because it had been over two years since we had last met. He was in Jerusalem for a wedding and…
  in Judi-isms
• Tissue, I hardly know you
  This play on words was a favorite of Mr. Simon Solomon, Z'L, my Chumash -Torah- teacher during my elementary school years; I guess with today's sensitivity to…
  in Judi-isms
• Tragedy at the Dentist's Office
  Our hearts go out on hearing (widely reported in the press here) about the tragic case of the death of two year old (he died on his birthday) Yair Lupoliansky,…
  in Judi-isms
• Waiting To Exhale: Israel, August 2006
  We see each other in the makolet (local grocery), and though we have known one another from the neighborhood for over 30 years, we just nod. We look forlorn…
  in Judi-isms
• We 'Get' Pachad Yitzchak, But What about Avraham?
  When my kids were younger I used to say, "My sons keep me in stitches," meaning of course, that they were great fun and also frequently needed to get "sewn-up"…
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• We Are Walking On The Shoulders Of Heroes: Alexander Rubowitz, aged 16 forever, HY'D.
  There is a song in the musical "My Fair Lady", that goes something like this: "I have often walked down this street before..." Well I have often walked down…
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• We don't want to be on the ‘menu' as the ‘October Surprise'!
  Recently I heard a news program about the forthcoming American Presidential elections. They mentioned something that was called: The October Surprise. This new…
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• We got him!
  3/23/2004 "We got him!" That's what President Bush said with pride and relief. Well ‘we got him' (Sheikh Ahmed Yassin), but the hush over the city of Jerusalem…
• We Have All Been In School At One Time Or Another...
  We have all been in school at one time or another. We were all aware of who was known as the "class clown," the "one the teacher hated," and "the teacher's…
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• We Have To Be Grateful For Many Things
  As Rosh HaShana approaches we have to be grateful for many things. The present ‘intifada' began Erev Rosh HaShana in October 2000, just four years ago. There…
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• We lost our general on the battlefield
  Tuesday September 9, 2003 6:00 pm I am writing this to give you a ‘temunat matzav', a picture of the ‘situation'. The ‘Matzav' in Israel vis a vis ‘them and…
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• When Pigs Fly - Something Out of the Ordinary: Chaim K.'s Perspective on Days of Awe and the Swine Flu
  By Dr. Judith Guedalia and Chaim K. The Days of Awe are upon us, a time of introspection and renewal. Time reviewed and time projected. When Chaim K. came into…
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• When The Mouth Can't Speak... (Conclusion)
  When Sara, Moses and Zvi Banai (not their real names) left my office after their first appointment, they were somewhat "shell-shocked" by what had transpired.…
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• When The Mouth Can't Speak... (Part I)
  "I can't believe I finally reached you," said the harried voice at the other end of the phone. "I have been trying to call you for months." "Trying to call me…
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• When Will We Ever Learn.....??!!!???
  We live here with many contradictions. In May and June for example, we have the juxtaposition of Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZickaron (Memorial Day) for Soldiers of…
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• Who can benefit from a neuropsychological examination?
  It can benefit individuals with: Traumatic injury, including brain injury and concussion, post-concussion syndrome, including the synergistic effect of…
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• Who Moved My Chocolate Cake?
  Levi C. (not his real name) is a 26-year-old chassidic young man. At age 20, he was hit by a car. Now, over five years later, after many hospitalizations and…
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• Yahrzeit on Erev Rosh Hodesh Adar: 5768 - When the 'Deer Hunter' Lost
  The Deer Hunter, is an anti-war movie about the loss of innocence as seen in three American friends - steel workers, who are soon off to fight in the Vietnam…
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• Yesterday I saw a 10 year old pulling a tree down the street.
  Yesterday I saw a 10 year old pulling a tree down the street. Today I saw a group of kids with strollers, thinking how nice it was that they were helping with…
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