I was recently interviewed by a newspaper in Genoa about an idea I’ve been developing—“Turning Silver into Gold.” Almost every developed nation in the world, with the notable exception of Israel, now has a birth rate below replacement level. Italy’s fertility rate is about 1.18 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2026
Italy and Me: A Cultural Struggle
I first went to Italy in 1969 and fell in love with the country then. Over the years, I must have visited twenty or thirty times. I used to joke that in my next life I would return as an Italian, because I thought Italians are like Jews but without the guilt. Last year, my … Continue reading
Rethinking My Only Meeting with Jeffrey Epstein
I met Jeffrey Epstein exactly once, over breakfast at the Carlyle Hotel in New York in 1998. What I remember most is how boring he was. He seemed distracted, almost uninterested in the conversation. I chalked it up to a bad meeting and moved on. It was only years later, after the full scope of … Continue reading
I Will Not Allow Antisemitism to Steal My Humanity
The months since October 7, 2023 have changed something in the world as well as something in me. The barbaric attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians shook Israel to its core. Families murdered. Women assaulted. Hundreds taken hostage. I spoke almost daily with friends in Israel. The grief in their voices was raw. The fear was … Continue reading
Longevity: The Roles of Genetics and Lifestyle
For years, I accepted the conventional wisdom that genetics accounts for less than 30% of human lifespan. I never really questioned that figure, and in retrospect, that’s a little embarrassing. But I was hardly alone. Those numbers were widely repeated, rarely examined, and neatly aligned with a popular narrative: that lifestyle choices largely determine our … Continue reading
Two Thirds Done 