What I’m Thankful For This Year

2025 has not been an easy year. I’ve spent much of it mourning my father, continuing to call for the return of the hostages that are/were still held captive in Gaza, absorbing the news of rising antisemitism all around the world, and trying to make sense of the increasingly tense and divided political scene here in the U.S.

That said, I’ve also spent a bit of time trying to get back to whatever “normal” is these days. Doing that meant going on a proper vacation for the first time since before Covid (yes, really), getting back into the routine of seeing (and reviewing) movies, and spending more time in Boston again than in Florida. It’s given me a lot of time to appreciate what I’d de-prioritized in recent years and how I enjoy spending my time.

One lesson my dad always taught me was to have perspective and to be grateful for what you have, rather than dwelling on the negative. So, in that spirit, here (in no particular order) is a list of some of the people, places, and things that I’m grateful for in 2025. A big thank you to all of them.

• The Coolidge Corner Theatre, for being one of only four theaters in the world to show One Battle After Another in VistaVision
• The fact that 168 of the 251 people Hamas took hostage came home alive — especially the final 20 who were finally released on October 13, after 738 days in captivity (Obviously, I wanted all of them to come home alive, but the fact that any of them did, that so many of them did, is worth being thankful for)
• The people who expressed their condolences in some way, or who were otherwise there for me, when my father died
• English Teacher and Adults, the two funniest shows on TV right now
• Photographers on Instagram (like Moshe Biran and Ira Farkhin) who capture sunsets and life in Tel Aviv so well
• My mom, for deciding to move back to New York earlier this year
• F1, the most enjoyable time I’ve had at the movies this year — three times
• My friend Rebecca, who hosted me, hooked me up with free passes to multiple attractions (including Disneyland!), hiked up behind the Hollywood sign with me, and helped make my trip to Los Angeles this summer a really fun one in so many ways
• The customs, traditions, and inherent community of Judaism, especially in the week, month, and year after the loss of a loved one
• Grammy voters, for nominating “Something in the Water,” one of my favorite songs by the band Lawrence, for an award this year
• That spectacular view looking down on Avalon Bay on Catalina Island
• My upstairs neighbor, who is about as courteous and considerate as my former neighbors have not been
• The Brad Pitt episode of Armchair Expert
• Hulu and AppleTV, for releasing new episodes of their shows weekly, like normal broadcasters do
• My sister and brother-in-law, for all they do to take such good care of our mother
• The Red Sox, for making it fun to be a fan again this year (Bonus gratitude to the designer of the new “Fenway Greens” uniforms)
• CarPlay
• The non-Jewish allies who’ve stood by the Jewish people and supported Israel this year (Chris “Babka King” Campbell is a great example)
• The cookies from Beascakes in Armonk, N.Y.
• Myrtle
• Bill Maher’s moral clarity when it comes to Israel
• Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, for turning the Patriots back into contenders this year
• Cynthia Erivo, for the Wicked movies, sure, but specifically for her excellent job hosting the Tony Awards in June
• Jonah Platt’s Being Jewish with Jonah Platt podcast
• SeatGeek, for making it easy to score a deal on last-minute tickets to Red Sox games and other events
• Barnum’s Animal Crackers
• Anderson Cooper’s All There Is podcast
• Those nights when my dad or my Bubby visit me in my dreams
• Run for Their Lives, and their weekly gatherings (in Newton Centre and many other places) to advocate for the release of the hostages in Gaza
• My niece and nephews, just for being them
• Democrats like Ritchie Torres and John Fetterman, for standing firm in their support of Israel, even when it’s not popular to do so
• The Broadway stage adaptation of Buena Vista Social Club, as joyous a theatrical experience as you would hope it would be
• The fact that we were able to sell my mother’s house in Florida as quickly as we did, given how long other houses in her area were staying on the market
• Pro-Israel influencers and content creators and fierce advocates like Eitan Levine, Yediel Kadosh, and Brian Spivak
• Warm, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies
• This blog, for continuing to provide me with an outlet when I have something I want to write about
• You, for reading this post and others, and giving me an incentive to keep this site going

In addition, thank you to Robert Palmer, on Unsplash, for taking the photo at the top of this blog post.

Thank you to all of these people, places, and things.

Happy Thanksgiving!