Opinion

In My Own Words: Before and after the election

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

There is an enormous amount of anger boiling across the United States. Some people are angry at what they see as restrictions on their rights to act, think or behave as they wish. Others are angry because they don’t believe they have the same protection under the …

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 11/15/24

My prayers for the world:

I pray for a world where we treat each other with lovingkindness regardless of our differences.

I pray for a world where the only hunger is to be of service.

I pray for a world where my children are not bullied for simply being who they are.

I pray for a world w…

In My Own Words: A rabbi explores what it means to be Jewish after 10/7

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

It’s difficult to write about Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove’s book “For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today” (Harvest) without offering a personal take on his view of American Jewry and its relationship to Israel and Judaism. I generally avoid reading books f…

October 7, 2024: day of reflection

By Bill Simons

For many around the world, October 7, 2024, constituted a day of profound significance, a time of sadness, remembrance and polarization. Exactly one year before, Hamas terrorists launched a war of annihilation. Murderous carnage, torture and rape marked Hamas’ surprise atta…

In My Own Words: Depending on technology

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I recently had a conversation with a neighbor who doesn’t own a computer. She’s younger than me by a few years, so age is not the reason. She doesn’t trust computers and mentioned that she’s not sure she trusts the smart meters New York State Electric and Ga…