Herman and Itzhak were best friends late in life. I clearly remember my grandfather (Itzhak Ginzburg) telling Herman Taube stories and anecdotes of the present but, more importantly, the past, a past he was reluctant to share with family.

- Lida has passed today. -

At the age of 15 I followed my maternal grandparents from Israel to the United States to live with their son (my uncle) and his family. I was so close to my grandparents that ripping away from my immediate and loving family felt like a predestinated decision following my their departure..

When COVID took hold of our lives confusion reigned supreme. Uncertainty became the norm and fear the standard. COVID was categorized as a “war” against an “invisible enemy.” We were told that in order to “stay safe,” we must follow simple hygiene guidelines and keep a distance from fellow human beings. The message is clear: you are safer alone…

A few nights ago, on what seems like another meal, in another day, in a life that loops rather than move in a straight line, I looked at my wife and kids and thought: What would be the memory of these days of forced isolation?

“Why am I here?” “What is my value?” These banal questions are just a sample of a daily brain storm during my personal COVID middle-class existential crisis…

Through my filmic journey with The Ripple Project, I've met extraordinary people with ever more remarkable stories. Many sad, heartbreaking, but always strangely uplifting and motivating: "if they can survive the holocaust, I can survive anything…”