Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

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  • The Origins of Memorial Day

    The men, women, and children who arrived at the race track came with shovels and picks. They came to pay tribute to the dead soldiers by giving them proper burials. The names of the dead were unknown to those who… Continue reading

  • A Note to My Readers

    A thank you to my readers. Continue reading

  • The Conversion of Freedom

    Freedom. To be free. What do we mean when we say, “I am a free woman,” or “I am a free man?” On what foundation does our freedom rest? The availability of and the choices we make when purchasing commodities? … Continue reading

  • The Cost of Loss and Leaving

    There is a peculiar, empty feeling one gets watching a farm close. The loss of a family tradition, a way of life, and, too often today, a community’s resource for economic survival. Continue reading

  • Connection and Disconnection in Desert Places

    When consciously thought about, it is odd how easily the word connect is tossed around in advertisements. Connection, in the sense used by advertisers and social networks, concerns intimacy, shared aims, and relationships among people. The attempt to establish a… Continue reading

  • The Hat Trick and the Crisis We Still Face

    I was obligated to tell a broader story. I needed a cast of characters to tell Emma’s tale and to demonstrate the complexity of the historical period of national division mirrored in contemporary American society. Continue reading

  • A Letter to an Unknown Person

    Suffering and mourning are aspects of the human condition. Suffering is an aspect of our “spiritual personality” and awakens us, if we allow it, to place greater value on our worth, and that of others, and the preciousness of our… Continue reading

  • Daydreams, Imagination, and Childlike Wonder

    Solitary moments are often difficult to come by in our contemporary life. But when we pause to reflect, we can see the interaction of space and time in nature, art, literature, architecture, and other forms of creative expression. How space-time… Continue reading

  • Freedom and Responsibility: What is Asked of Us

    Our Jewish life is both a personal and a communal journey towards Mount Sinai in freedom, and then with a conscious commitment of responsibility moving into the world to bear witness to the blessing of a meaningful life—one of respect… Continue reading

  • THE FRIDAY JIMPLECUTE

    In 2000, a clump of gas and dust was forming in the stellar nursery. The mass drew more attention as it formed, began to spin and heat up in its core in 2012. “We found ourselves wondering, would it become… Continue reading