By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
I admit it: I am not hip or in tune with current times. Actually, I’ve never been, but it’s gotten worse. When reading novels about contemporary teens, I’ve had to do online searches for photos of actors/singers who are used to describe a character’s looks.…
By Bill Simons
As the Israel-Hamas War rages in the Mideast, the battle for public opinion is fiercely contested in the Western democracies, notably in the United States. Thus far, three stages of media coverage have emerged and overlapped. Initially, the October 7 Sabbath morning surprise …
By Shelley Hubal
“From a place of deep pain we hold strong for you, Omer. We speak in your name tirelessly, we hope and we pray and we act, and I want to believe that our prayers and actions have power. “ – Orna Neutra, mother of Omer Neutra, one of the 240 hostages held by Hamas.
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By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
After a depressing Hanukkah during the first year of the pandemic, I worked hard to make certain I had a good holiday in 2021 and ‘22. That included getting presents all eight nights (something that never happened when I was a kid) and lighting all my menorahs th…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
I looked at the list of people who had signed the petition: many of them were rabbis I greatly admire and whose thoughts I cherish. However, something in me said, “No, I can’t sign a petition calling for a ceasefire in the war against Hamas until the hostages a…
