By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
When we study history, we often view the result of an action as inevitable. We forget that there was no guarantee that a revolution would succeed or fail, or that any particular country would win a war. That can make it harder to understand the decisions people make…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
When someone who doesn’t understand Hebrew asks me what is the most accurate translation of the Bible, I find it difficult to suggest just one work. If you are really interested in the meaning of the words, the best way to study is to compare two or three transla…
Before I request a review copy of a novel, I check to see if it contains Jewish content. At a minimum, there has to be at least one Jewish character. If religion plays a role in the book, that’s even better. When looking at works by Israeli authors, though, the same rules don’t always ap…
Russian or Jewish, or a combination of both? That’s the question often raised in works about Russian Jews, whether they live in the former Soviet Union, the United States or Israel. In two recent novels, the emphasis often falls on the Russian aspect of their identities, even after they’…
During the fall season, publishers produce gift books – those works many people won’t buy for themselves but which they think make great presents. That’s clearly the case with “The Tale of a Niggun” by Elie Wiesel, illustrated by Mark Podwal and with an introduction by Wiesel’s s…
