By Bill Simons
It was 1973, a time, like our own, of resurgent antisemitism. The residents at 704 Hauser Street in the Astoria section of Queens, New York City, found a swastika spraypainted on their front door. An accompanying note read: “This is just the beginning. We’ll be back.” F…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
I never had a bat mitzvah. In fact, I’m a Hebrew school dropout. I have led services, read Torah and taught an adult b’nai mitzvah class, all without calling attention to that fact. Oh, and I graduated from rabbinical school too. I had thought of leading a Shab…
By Shelley Hubal
When we see the images of Ukrainian people fleeing for their lives with little more than the clothes on their backs, we can’t help but be reminded of the Exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. As of this writing, more than four million refugees have left their…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Most Jewish newspapers have been focusing on the current wave of antisemitic attacks on Jews. That coverage is extremely important since if we don’t stand up for ourselves, who else is going to come to our aid? But we will never be truly safe in this country until…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
My original plan was to write a column called “Entering the Third Year” about the continuing pandemic. Yes, I know numbers are down, but we’re not finished with this nightmare yet – a nightmare that has killed more than 947,000 Americans as of this writing. …
