by Paula Wagner | Mar 25, 2021 | Essays, Judaism
Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday. As a kid, I loved the rituals, songs and ceremonial foods commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt over 3,000 years ago. Okay, I admit it was tough to wait for hours before dinner finally arrived, but...
by Paula Wagner | Sep 14, 2020 | Essays
“You make the path by walking on it.” — Antonio Machado In writing Newcomers in an Ancient Land – the story of my youthful quest for adventure, love and self-discovery in 1960’s Israel – one of my biggest challenges was figuring out how to keep readers engaged through...
by Paula Wagner | Aug 1, 2020 | Excerpts
The pitch black sky was studded with stars as I crept down the dimly lit paths of Kibbutz Dan on my way to work in the kerem (vineyards) at 4:30 in the morning. My heart thumped as I passed the terra cotta bungalows, children’s houses, health center and hadar ha’ochel...
by Paula Wagner | Dec 1, 2019 | Excerpts
I shuddered at the thought of venomous vipers, as snakes were called. But darkness had long since fallen and I could no longer put off finding a place to sleep. The youth hostel was full, my fair weather English friends were sleeping on the beach, and I’d finally...
by Paula Wagner | Nov 1, 2019 | Excerpts
The Negev Desert was a land of extremes – by day a white-hot griddle; by night a blackened skillet; at dawn a copper pot; at dusk a painted gourd. Its unforgiving rocks and sharp scent reminded me of my early childhood in Texas and Kansas, where the harshness of the...
by Paula Wagner | Oct 1, 2019 | Excerpts
I couldn’t resist the beauty of the nocturnal sky as I crept up on deck alone. A shimmering canopy of stars arched over the cobalt sea, falling to the horizon like a fishnet tugged tight by unseen hands. Flying fish played in the ship’s wake, their silvery tails...
by Paula Wagner | Sep 1, 2019 | Excerpts
As a young woman my mother had made her own Atlantic crossing to bring my sister and me from England to America. Our parents had met in the midst of World War II, when Dad was an American GI stationed in Britain and Mom was coordinating live entertainment for the Rosy...
by Paula Wagner | Jul 31, 2019 | Excerpts
The Israel that greeted me on that distant, dusty road no longer exists except in memory. Today, parts of the Promised Land have been paved over to such an extent that the life and landscape of the early sixties in this story may sound fantastical. Humming freeways...
by Paula Wagner | Jun 27, 2019 | Press
A transformative story told with poetic description and the adventurous spirit of youth. Read the review here.
by Paula Wagner | Jun 22, 2019 | Press
I was honored to be interviewed on June 13, 2019, by Linda Joy Myers, founder of NAMW (National Association of Memoir Writers). It was a special pleasure because I had worked on this memoir in Linda’s Writing as Healing class over several years. With Linda...
3 Tips for Surviving Passover Without Passing Out!March 25, 2021Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday. As a kid, I […]No Comments
Keeping Readers Engaged on a Journey Through TimeSeptember 14, 2020“You make the path by walking on it.” — Antonio […]No Comments
NEWCOMERS IN AN ANCIENT LAND EXCERPT – CHAPTER 22: Sunrise over the GolanAugust 1, 2020The pitch black sky was studded with stars as I crept […]No Comments
NEWCOMERS IN AN ANCIENT LAND EXCERPT – CHAPTER 15: Night in EilatDecember 1, 2019I shuddered at the thought of venomous vipers, as […]No Comments