CURRENT MISSION

Beauty, Kindness, Joy

ABOUT ME

If laughter and kind words resonate with people when they think of me, I'll consider myself a success.

PHILOSOPHY

Build bridges. Complain less, say "thank you" more. We're all in this together.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We're BAAACCCKK!! Covid put us on hiatus, but the International House of Random has reopened its doors.

My wife and I were Servas hosts - and occasional Servas travelers - for close to 15 years. We enjoyed meeting people from diverse backgrounds.

We recently took a peek at our guest book. We've hosted people from Austria, Brazil, China, Cuba, Denmark, England, Estonia, Gambia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Korea, Turkey, Uganda and Venezuela - and from all across the USA. We've hosted Israelis and mid-level Fatah officials. We hosted an Imam and Pastor from Nigeria, formerly mortal enemies, now committed to interfaith dialogue and understanding. We recently signed on as Appalachian Trail Angels. We pick up through hikers from the Trail, give them a few days respite and take them back to the Trail to continue their journey.

We hope we give back to our guests as much as they give to us. We look to provide comfort and camaraderie - and an affirmation that, in the face of the rampant ego-centricity, cruelty and greed that seem to characterize our times, there are still people who care and who are not in it only for themselves.

Interests

• gardening
• reading
• hiking
• teaching
• schmoozing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - Depends on the day and my mood. Some days Latino, other days Israeli pop.

Books - I'm drawn to the characters in Anne Tyler's novels. Lately, I've been reading books about or set-in my hometown, Chicago: I've read Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America and am about to start (I'm writing this on November 30 2025) Donald Miller's The City of the Century: The epic of Chicago and the Making of America.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I recently received a call from a friend from Gambia. Many years ago he asked for my help in getting his daughter - in her late teens at the time - to the US. He wasn't looking for money - merely a letter that he could add to her profile. I hadn't heard from him for years. He called to tell me that his now American daughter had just completed her Masters degree. I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to make a difference in one person's life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Cuba, England, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, Israel, Jamaica, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Turkey, Uganda

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, United States

• 

•