Category Archives: Uncategorized

Returning to Brussels, the City That Saved My Life 70 Years Ago

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

My family has always traveled on its stomach. So it was no surprise that when in March 2015 I took my granddaughter, Branching editor Naomi, to revisit my Belgian roots, we would eat well. Our culinary exploits started well. After … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belgium, brussels, europe, family, family stories, family story, food, german jews, hidden children, holocaust, jewish history, judaism, restaurants, travel, world war ii | 3 Comments

Claude Frank: Pianist & Childhood Friend

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

The last time I saw Claude Frank was after his performance at a Schneider concert at the New School. Though we rarely saw each other, we were always extremely happy when we met accidentally. These encounters were never planned, yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belgium, brussels, classical music, Claude Frank, family, family stories, family story, german jews, germany, jewish history, music, nazi germany, pianists, piano, world war ii | Leave a comment

Henri Matisse, MoMA, America, and the Rockefellers

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

In 1930, when the Museum of Modern Art was not even a year old, Henri Matisse came to America. The main purpose of his voyage was to visit Albert Barnes and to view the future site of the Dance Mural … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abby aldrich rockefeller, albert barnes, alfred barr, art, art exhibits, art museums, barnes, barnes foundation, dance mural, henri matisse, john d. rockefeller jr, kykuit, matisse, modern art, moma, museum of modern art, nelson rockefeller, nyc art exhibits, nyc exhibits, nyc museums, pocantico hills | 4 Comments

Manhattan’s 86-Year Old Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf) School

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

The other day I hurried along East 79th Street on my way to the Met Museum when I glimpsed a likeness of Leonardo da Vinci paired with the promise of teaching the principles of the Italian Renaissance to children in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anthroposophy, education, educational philosophies, eurhythmics, german jewish history, german jews, germany, hidden children, holocaust, jewish history, learning disability, liberal education, nazi germany, pedagogy, rudolf steiner, rudolf steiner schools, steiner schools, waldorf schools, world war ii | Leave a comment

Mrs. Rockefeller’s Garden on Mount Desert Island

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

One of my favorite places in the world is the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor, Maine. It is open ten or so days a year to a limited number of visitors and I usually manage to be among … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abby aldrich rockefeller, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, Beatrix Farrand, eyrie, gardening, gardens, landscapes, landscaping, maine, mdi, mount desert island, rockefeller family, rockefeller foundation, rockefellers, Seal Harbor | 3 Comments

The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Being Polyglot

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

In April 2014 my husband and I decided to vacation in France. We spent a few days in Paris, visited with some friends in Normandy and then boated up the Rhône and Saone in the Buri, owned by Viking River … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belgium, columbia university, family stories, first language, german jews, hidden children, holocaust, immigrants, immigration, immigration stories, jewish history, judaism, languages, multilingual, multilingualism, nazi germany, new york city, polyglot, second language, third language, viking river cruises, world war ii, writing | 3 Comments

The Gay World as Navigated by a Straight Mom (www.gaykids-straightmom.com)

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

I am launching a new blog entitled The Gay World as Navigated by a Straight Mom. Following the tradition of my Branching blog, I intend to publish a new piece every week or two. I hope that some of my regular … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blogging, blogs, coming out, coming out process, david, family, gay, gay children, gay community, lgbt, lgbt allies, lgbt community, lgbt family, lgbtq, news, parents of gay children, parents of lgbt, parents of lgbt children, pflag, straight allies, straight ally, writing | Leave a comment

D-Day, June 6, 1944: Seventy Years Later

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

Listening to the BBC radio was strictly illegal in Nazi-occupied Belgium. Still, within hours everyone in Brussels knew that the Allied Forces had finally debarked in Normandy on June 6th. We had been waiting for that day for more than four … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged allies, d-day, german jews, hidden children, history, holocaust, june 6, normandy, world war ii, world war ii history | 9 Comments

Winnie-the-Pooh Bear at the NYPL: Print books versus the Internet

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

The current exhibit at the New York Public Library is entitled The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter (through September 7, 2014). The show explores 300 years of best-loved children’s books. My favorite display is of the original Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aa milne, children's books, dolly parton, harold grinspoon foundation, imagination library, israel, maktabat al-fanoos, middle east, middle east conflict, new york public library, ny public library, nypl, pj library, sifriyat pijama, winnie the pooh | 1 Comment

Arles Revisited

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

Fifty years ago, when my children were eight and ten, they, my mom and I drove from Oxford, England to Rome. We had a week to cover a thousand miles via Europe’s then old, double-lane, tree-lined highways. The trip was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged architecture, arles, art, art museums, cafe de la nuit, church of st trophime, cloisters, cloitre de le saint trophime, europe, european art, france, medieval architecture, medieval art, metropolitan museum of art, new york, new york city, provence, rhone river, road trips, roman architecture, Saint Guilhem-le-Désert, saint trophime, travel, trophimus, van gogh, vincent van gogh, yale art gallery | 1 Comment