Interviews with Macrobiotic Friends
This article contains profiles of Israeli macrobiotics friends. The interviews were conducted at our weekly pot luck support group over a period of several years.
- An interview with Shulamit Slotki.
- An interview with Pesha Goldsmith.
- An interview with Ginat Rice.
- An interview with DrMichael Feinerman.
- The Profile Questionnaire - complete list of questions.
Shulamit Slotki
Interview date: September 9, 2004
Date of birth: 21.5.50(5-soil)
What do you do?
Health food store owner.
What is your macrobiotic background?
In 1980 I was living in Cardiff, Wales. I was invited to dinner at the home of a woman with MS who was eating macrobiotically. The food was delicious, but I never thought more about it after that. That was my first exposure.
In 1988 we made aliyah (moved to Israel). We lunched with a macrobiotic friend soon after arriving. When I ate the food, I felt like I'd come home.
We subsequently spent a few years in Boston, living in the home of the Boston Rebbe's son. A macrobiotic cook named Tom Howard used the space to cook for his clients, so we joined in and ate his healing food. I then studied three days a week at the Kushi Institute. After three months I felt wonderful. The only problem was my guilt over my family's complaints.
When we returned to Israel in 1990 we resumed conventional food habits, and of course we all got sick. Then we returned to a modified macrobiotic life style. Each child has adopted macrobiotics in his own time and way.
Have you had a health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor?
Yes, several: with Michio Kushi in Boston, with Ginat Rice , Rik Vermuyten and Jeanne van den Heuvel.
Do you eat out frequently? Do you eat homemade lunches?
I find that it's not worth it any more to eat out. The smells mask the real essence of the poor quality food. I take my lunch every day.
Do you have support?
The MacroLover's support group are my friends, the people I come to when I'm in trouble. I'm so grateful to Klara for initiating this group.
In what direction do you want to take your macrobiotic practice?
My direction is always towards consciousness and awareness.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, how would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
7-8. My practice is purer since Jeanne (Jeanne van den Heuvel of Belgium) has been here. I'm much more aware now, and focused. Sometimes I cheat, which is knowing how I feel and eating something that doesn't suit that. I'm often attracted to baked flour products from an emotional level of judgment-this is something my mother often made us, and it makes me feel good to eat them-until it doesn't.
What has changed in your macrobiotic practice as it has developed? Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
I have a more focused practice now because of the existence of the MacroLover's group. They are my macrobiotic family. I don't feel alone. I used to be a macrobiotic evangelist, but I'm not any more.
How do you define / understand macrobiotics?
"Less is more." For me the simpler something is, the greater. I was always worried about where the next meal would come from. Now I can relax and allow, eating simply. Life is easier this way. I need less.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics keeps my emotions stable and my creativity on tap. It also saves a lot of money! People don't always realize all the food they are not buying and how expensive they are.
What is the back side of macrobiotics for you?
I feel badly for the people who invite us over when I don't eat their food. Some people try to accommodate me, or else I eat beforehand and then play with the food that I put on my plate.
What is illness? What is health? Is health synonymous with happiness?
Health is not just food. It's emotions, feng shui, thoughts, and many other things. I don't know how to define happiness.
What do you understand as the main cause of [your] illness?
Unhappiness. Before, food masked my emotions when I'd eat chocolate or butter that I thought would lift me up and stop my feelings. Now I have to deal with life as it is.
How did you/does one heal?
Our thoughts heal us. We can choose to be however we want to be.
Why doesn't everyone heal?
I have no insight on this.
What is the benefit of illness in your opinion?
It could be attention, or a means of self punishment.
How do you replace fear with love and let go of attachments in order to change?
First, I resist. Then, in privacy, I face my fears until I can say, "Thank you." Eventually I feel them. Change is hard for me. I need to recognize what I need to change, and then I can do it.
Is macrobiotics for everyone? Is a macrobiotic diet the ideal diet in your eyes?
"Yes, but." Every condition needs its own adjustments. There's not just one way to eat or be. It's a question of balance. Macrobiotics means going back to our roots and eating simply.
What does it mean to be a spiritual person?
To eat less and breathe more; to live consciously. Because of macrobiotics I have become closer to HaShem (God).
FRIEND'S RESPONSES TO THIS INTERVIEW:
"You are brave and honest; it's inspiring!" - Batsheva Carlier
"I read once that people return to being more of who they really are. You are doing this. Good for you!" - Klara LeVine
Pesha Goldsmith
Interview date: Feb 25, 2004
Date of Birth: 1944
What is Your Macrobiotic Background?
My mother suffered from breast cancer for 15 years. In 1990 her condition worsened and chemo was not successful. We had an acquaintance that had healed himself of prostate cancer with the help of macrobiotics, so I decided that we should give it a try. We got some direction from Michel Abehsera, and I read Elaine Nussbaum's book, Recovery from Cancer. I practically forced my mother, who was 84 years old, to comply along with me, and both she and I began to feel much better. Although I felt overwhelmed at the beginning, I read whatever I could find on the subject and taught myself. My mother lived another two years, calm and stabilized, until more medical intervention ruined what we had accomplished.
I remarried in 1999 and stopped practicing macrobiotics. I gained weight, lost focus and never felt as good as I had previously. Now in order to help my husband we have resumed our macrobiotic practice. My husband and I feel more focused, and have better health and improved digestion. Cooking for his condition keeps me creative in the kitchen.
Who cooks in your household? Have you had cooking lessons? Have you had formal macrobiotic study?
I do all the cooking at our house. I learned from books when I was helping my mother, primarily Aveline Kushi's Guide to Macrobiotic Cooking. I took some cooking classes with Raezelle Lazar, and other than that I am self-taught. My friends help me whenever I turn to them with questions, including Ginat Rice, Chavi Brook, Klara LeVine, Chanah Simpson.
Have you had a health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor? Do you have support?
I've been to two macrobiotic consultants. I take the information they gave me as a foundation, and then I apply it to my evolving situation and do what feels good to me. I ask others for help as well. We're so fortunate to have this macrobiotic support group. This is a great thing.
Do You Eat Out Frequently?
We enjoy going to the Asher Lazar's weekly dinners. Other than that, we don't eat out at all. I'm not even attracted to other food that I see when we go to celebrations and special occasions.
How do you define/understand macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics is a centered, balanced, calming, and gentle life. It makes me feel strong. I want to know more about yin and yang in order to use it in daily life.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, how would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
I need to understand yin and yang in order to be creative. I'm on a simple level now. I'd give myself six points out of ten.
Is your macrobiotic practice consistent? What has changed?
We're very consistent. Perhaps I'm using a little more oil than we had been doing. We have no fruit at all during the week-our sweet taste comes entirely from vegetables.
Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
I'm busy and it's hard to be creative when I don't have much time. I have a method for my day, a routine I stick to. I freeze my soups. On Shabbat we have barley cholent (stew) and noodles instead of rice, and I make oatmeal cookies with apple juice. After I eat them I don't feel very well.
Is a strict macrobiotic diet an ideal for you?
Right now a strict macrobiotic diet is our ideal. We need it right now. I enjoy it because I feel good.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
I feel very healthy and strong. I'm able to master the cooking - I'd been nervous about that. I love my food! Rice helps us the most.
What is the backside of macrobiotics for you?
I'm always cooking and washing dishes. Macrobiotics is really not difficult, although my husband still complains. He's still unhappy. I'm grateful that I'm able to do this great chesed (kindness) and to know this support group-it's a bracha (blessing). Macrobiotics is my hishtadlot (personal effort) towards health.
What is illness? What is health? Is health synonymous with happiness?
Everything is from HaShem (God). A balanced mind, along with prayer and a macrobiotic way of life all help us to be well. I feel good. Health is a big gift. It brings happiness.
What do you understand as the main cause of [your] illness?
One's mental outlook is the most important factor for health. One must decide his focus. For me my relationship with HaShem is the most important thing. Second for me is macrobiotics. I've gained clarity on my goals in life with its help.
How did you/does one heal?
Healing is a combination of HaShem's will, exercise, friendship and mental clarity.
Why doesn't everyone heal?
I can't answer this. I can't speak for others.
What has been the benefit of illness for you?
I see setbacks as challenges. Nothing in this world is bad. Illness can be a gift. Everyone simply has his challenges. We all try to find a higher level in everything we do.
How do you replace fear with love?
Coming closer to my creator, like a father correcting us, lets me know that there is nothing to be afraid of-except chilul HaShem (profaning God). I aspire to great heights.
How do you change/let go of attachments? Do you have a bottom line that you will not give up?
My husband sometimes forgets that he agreed to try macrobiotics. Because he did I got rid of all our junk food. Now he asks for it. I chose to stay married to him.
Do you participate in a macrobiotic community?
I like to hear the experiences of others-it's so helpful. Our support group is wonderful.
Is macrobiotics for everyone?
No. Everyone can gain from macrobiotics, but some are not open to it, or their circumstances are too difficult. I'm so grateful that my husband Eliahu was ill. I want to keep learning and sharing this great way of life.
Do you use additional healing modalities?
We take vitamins, especially C because I don't know if I need it or not. As a teacher I need to guard against strep throat that is so rampant in the schoolroom.
Do you consult an allopathic physician?
Yes, but I take his advise very moderately. He's supportive of me. Doctors can kill you-make no mistake about it. I hold back from them. They have a certain mind set. It hurt my mother very much.
What does it mean to you to be a spiritual person?
I believe that we pass on to another world before resurrection, and that we are eternal. If this is so, then any challenge we have is from HaShem. We can't always understand our own potches (difficulties). The great Rabbi Chafetz Hayim taught that we forget all our Torah when we are born, so we won't be able to understand the way in which HaShem works. Acceptance brings us peace.
Ginat Rice
How did you start with macrobiotics?
In 1973 I joined a group of Americans and Israelis to found a new kibbutz on the Golan Heights of northern Israel. In an effort to get to know one another several of us took a trip together in America. One man was vegetarian, so in order to make the food arrangements simpler we decided to join him for the week. That was the last time I ever ate meat.
By 1980, I was living in Jerusalem and working in a health food store. A friend invited me to a lecture on micro-macro-something, and the ideas presented there made perfect sense to me. I became part of the first macrobiotic center of Israel, and we began teaching one another how to cook brown rice and understand yin and yang.
A wonderful couple named Richard and Isa Gombin came to Jerusalem to further our education. They invited me to Paris to continue my apprenticeship with them, and from there we took a side trip to Morocco. After two more years in Israel, I moved to Boston to study at the Kushi Institute. I completed Levels I, II and III in 1982, and then joined the cook referral service, traveling across America to teach and care for newcomers to macrobiotics. I scribed for Michio Kushi in his consultations and became chief chef at Satori Macrobiotic Restaurant. Eventually I bought the restaurant with two partners, remaining in Boston another 10 years.
In 1995 I returned to Jerusalem where I met and married a wonderful macrobiotic man. Together we created a home-based macrobiotic service, offering health consultations, cooking lessons, take out meals, gourmet dinners, B&B, live-in recovery, and classes in shiatsu massage, macrobiotic medicine and reflexology.
For the last two and a half years my husband Sheldon and I have been touring America by motor home, visiting beautiful areas and meeting outstanding macrobiotic people. We were fortunate to participate as consultants in a large research project examining macrobiotics and recovery from cancer, conducted by the University of South Carolina under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C.
What problems do you have with macrobiotics?
In 2000, after 20 years of macrobiotic practice, I developed a cancerous tumor in my lower right breast. I was quite surprised, as I considered myself immune from serious disease. The growth was very compact and yang, and compresses and plasters did not dissolve it. Finally I had the tumor surgically removed. I stopped chemotherapy treatment in mid-course because I found it too toxic. I began a course of Louise Hay teachings and returned to macrobiotic study when we came to the States, completing Level IV in Becket, Massachusetts with Michio Kushi.
I understand now that gourmet macrobiotic cooking, frequent baking, and flour products, few green leafy vegetables and a high-pressure work schedule all contributed to a cancerous condition. I have developed on a personal level more than I ever could have imagined as a result of this experience, and am healthier now than I have ever been.
How has macrobiotics helped you?
Macrobiotics has given me an understanding of the order of the universe. With macrobiotics I have developed a deep sense of God and a connection to source energy.
I have met magnificent people who are like family to me, and have gained meaning and significance in my life.
What do you offer and specialize in?
The most important thing I can offer another person is inspiration and vision. Through personal example I demonstrate the joy of living a big dream, focusing on what rather than how.
The ongoing development of a goal is the biggest encouragement I can offer. After that, all the details fall into place.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone trying macrobiotics for the first time?
Focus on why you want to adopt a macrobiotic way of life. Pay attention only to what you want to achieve. Never mind what other's say, or what may feel difficult or discouraging.
Put your attention only on what is good, the ways you feel better, and the things in your life that are improving. Then your journey will be joyful and easy.
CONTACT DETAILS AND BOOKS
When my husband and I arrived in America to begin our cross country journey I sought an understanding of my recent illness. I began to interview senior macrobiotic teachers and counselors, eventually developing a detailed survey recording our conversations on issues of health, healing, well being, recovery and life meaning. This self-published project is called Food, Faith and Healing, and will be made available after it is completed in the near future. Watch our website for developments. Excerpts appear in Non Credo, an e-magazine by Yogen Kushi at www.yogenkushi.org
The research project at the University of South Carolina contains an original paper detailing macrobiotic practice in the US and Israel, including an in-depth survey of macrobiotic activity throughout America. It is now available on this web site.
The May - June, 2003 issue of Macrobiotics Today magazine, published in California by the Georges Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation, includes my personal story of macrobiotic recovery entitled "Cancer in a Macrobiotic Counselor." This can be obtained by contacting Carl Ferré atgomf@macrobiotic.net
Dr Michael Feinerman
Interview date: November 24, 2004
Date of birth: May 20, 1938 (8 soil)
Profession: Plastic surgeon; macrobiotic consultant
What is Your Macrobiotic Background?
In 1998 I was dealing with a severe case of osteoarthritis in my knees. My activity was limited and I couldn't do the things I wanted to, particularly working out in the gym and exercising. The medical route neither satisfied me nor remedied the problem. When I saw an article in a natural foods magazine that spoke about eliminating nightshades to heal joint problems, I did that cold turkey. Within two weeks I saw a major improvement in my condition. This opened me up to the world of alternative health.
We heard about a macrobiotic seminar that summer, and there we met Sheldon and Ginat Rice. We began attending their gourmet macrobiotic dinners, and from there I began consulting with Ginat, then Rik Vermuyten, and most recently Jeanne van den Heuvel. I read everything I could find, and got a good education. Two years ago I completed all three levels at the Kushi Institute in Becket, Mass. Now I have no pain, take no medication, lift weights in the gym, and practice t'ai chi.
Have you had cooking lessons? Who cooks in your household?
My wife took cooking lessons with Ginat and gave me assignments in the kitchen. I was the seitan man, the fish chef, and the seed roaster. Now I do everything: vegetables, grains, and beans.
Have you had a health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor?
I have enjoyed consultations with Ginat Rice, Rik Vermuyten, John Kozinski, and Jeanne van den Heuvel. Each one had something special to offer me and has helped me progress on my path.
Do You Eat Out Frequently? Eat Homemade Lunches?
We almost never eat out in Israel-there's nowhere to get a good macrobiotic meal. When we travel to the States we enjoy a few of the restaurants there. Here we either take lunches with us, or if we are invited to friends, either they make food for us or we bring our own. The easiest way is to invite them to visit us and cook a macrobiotic meal. Everyone will find something to eat in our diet.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, how would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
8 - I still like baked flour products.
What has changed in your macrobiotic practice as it has developed? Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
I understand more now, so my practice is more refined and balanced. We transitioned at first, eating lots of nuts, sweets, rice syrup, etc. I'm more sensitive to these foods now. My body responds quicker, and I know that too much fruit, for example, bothers my knees because a strongly yin element is attracted to a yang place.
Do you miss "old" foods that you used to enjoy?
I miss their smell! But I know what I'd feel like if I eat them, and it's not worth it. Yet I can still tolerate old foods fairly well, and sometimes I enjoy them.
How do you define/understand macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics is the balance of energy. It is the appropriate fuel that keeps our engine running at its optimum.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
I need less sleep now than I ever did, and I have more energy. On our last trip to the States, I had almost no jet lag. It's a sense of freedom-I don't have to watch my weight like I once did, and I can eat as much as I want. I don't worry about it now. I have more clarity and focus, I am not fatigued after a long day at work, and I can do many tasks at the same time with great concentration on each of them.
What is the back side of macrobiotics for you?
As we all know, macrobiotics limits our social lives. For example, before we go to a wedding or some other celebration, we make sure to eat our own food. That way the temptations there are less attractive.
What is illness? What is health in your opinion?
Health is balanced energy on a daily basis. It's a pleasure to know that I can become and remain healthy-that's freedom. I don't get colds, fevers or headaches. I don't have to avoid people or places because of "contagious" illness. I don't take a flu shot, and I don't get the flu.
What do you understand as the main cause of illness?
Illness is being out of balance, meaning either a yin or a yang excess.
What is the relationship of the mind and the body?
Hunger can be mental as much as physical. With macrobiotics I have control over my body because I'm clear in my mind. Fasting now is easy for me. Instead of looking for a nap at 4 p.m. on a long fast day, I'm ready to begin a project.
Why doesn't everyone heal?
Basically people don't heal because they don't want to. If they really want to heal, they do. The macrobiotic success stories are all people who were totally determined, regardless of what anyone else said or thought. It doesn't have to be with a macrobiotic approach in fact. Belief and support are the two most important aspects of healing.
What is the benefit of illness?
Illness tells me that I'm not doing something that I need to do. The Rambam stressed the middle road, and he got that idea from the Greeks. It's not a new idea. Now we've replaced the Golden Mean with processed foods.
Is macrobiotics for everyone? Is a macrobiotic diet the ideal diet in your eyes?
Obviously macrobiotics is not for everyone, or else everyone would be doing it. But it is the ideal, without doubt. I've read a lot about other diets, and none compares to this way of life.
In what direction do you want to take your macrobiotic practice? Do you have support?
I want to refine my practice of macrobiotics more and improve it. I still have some weaknesses for certain foods because I can tolerate them fairly well.
What is the influence of macrobiotics on your religious beliefs?
At first I was leery of macrobiotics, thinking it was a Japanese belief system. But I saw its universal truths, such as infinity giving way to duality and multiplicity. These are ideas in the Torah. I've developed a heightened sense of religion from macrobiotic ideas.
What does it mean to be a spiritual person?
Spirituality means knowing that there is a force beyond us that controls everything. We need to tune into it. That force helped me to find macrobiotics. God helps those who help themselves. It's a wonderful journey.
The Profile Questionnaire
The complete list of questions:
What is your macrobiotic background?
What do you do now?
What direction do you want to take your practice of macrobiotics?
Have you had cooking lessons? Who cooks in your household?
Have you had formal macrobiotic study?
Have you had a health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor?
Do you eat out frequently?
Do you eat homemade lunches?
How do you define/understand macrobiotics?
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, how would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
Is your macrobiotic practice consistent? What changes have you seen?
Is your practice of macrobiotics comfortable?
Is strictness an ideal for you in your macrobiotic practice?
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
What is the backside of macrobiotics for you?
What is illness? What is health? Is health synonymous with happiness?
What do you understand as the main cause of [your] illness?
How did you/does one heal?
Why doesn't everyone heal?
What is the benefit of illness for you?
How do you replace fear with love?
How do you change/let go? Do you have a bottom line that you will not give up?
Do you participate in a macrobiotic community?
Is macrobiotics for everyone?
Do you use additional healing modalities?
Do you consult an allopathic physician?
Do you practice a religion? What does it mean to be a spiritual person?
Have you had cooking lessons?
Who cooks in your household?
Formal macrobiotic study?
A health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor?
Support?
What is the back side of macrobiotics for you?
What is illness?
What is health?
Is health synonymous with happiness?
What do you understand as the main cause of [your] illness?
How did you/does one heal?
Why doesn't everyone heal?
What has been the benefit of illness for you?
How do you replace fear with love?
How do you change/let go of attachments?
Do you have a bottom line that you will not give up?
Do you participate in a macrobiotic community?
Is macrobiotics for everyone?
Do you use additional healing modalities?
Do you consult an allopathic physician?
Do you practice a religion?
What does it mean to be a spiritual person?