Opinion

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With gratitude 8/26/21

By Shelley Hubal

Hanging above my desk are several postcards created by my Dad. He was a whiz with Photoshop, and I count his postcards among my most cherished possessions. Some of the captions are “Poppa Steve’s Summer Camp for Wayward Children” and “Josh Hubal Stars in the Attack …

In My Own Words: Biology, Gender, and Sexuality

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Are people allowed to have different opinions about issues without being demonized or receiving death threats? Those are all too common today when it comes to politics, but have not been restricted to that: the same are occurring with disagreements about issues of g…

In My Own Words: Ice Cream, Settlements, and Societal Pressure

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

This column isn’t going to make anyone happy, including myself. My reactions have been all over the place, so writing this is supposed to help me define my thoughts, but I’m not sure it’s going to help.

The issue? The headline on the JTA breaking news e-mail …

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude (7/30)

I wouldn’t call my desire an obsession. Let’s use the term “dream.” For years, I have been wanting to go to Cherry Springs State Park. Have you heard of it? Located in Northwest Pennsylvania, about a two and a half hour drive from Binghamton, it is one of only a handful of places on …

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude (7/16)

“I pledge to be funny.” Those are the words my son Joshua wrote several years ago when he was asked to sign a behavior contract before going to sleep-away camp. Not satisfied with just committing himself to respecting others and following the camp rules, he made a commitment that to keep…