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Old Opinion Stream - Manual Update

This stream contains articles pertaining to the author's opinion.

Executive Editor Thread: Difference of Opinion

One of my favorite memories of freshman year in college took place in a literature seminar: the students in the class got our English professor to admit that “Moby Dick” was a poorly written book. When I was in rabbinical school, I learned that the Herman Melville novel was the favorite …

In My Own Words: How much do you want to win? by Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Not every candidate I vote for wins. That’s the nature of democracy: sometimes your choice wins and sometimes he/she loses. When that happened, you used to have two options: 1) find a better way to present your candidate so more people will vote for her/him, or 2) find a better candidate t…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With gratitude 5/7/21

By Shelley Hubal

Back in early February I received a call from a friend. An acquaintance of hers went into the hospital and would, most likely, not be returning home. She wanted to know if I would take in Rosie, her acquaintance’s cat. I could not say no. Our other cat, Jojo, is about 11 …

In My Own Words: Mixed feelings by Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I have mixed feeling about New York state’s legalization of marijuana. Before I write about those feelings I should make a few things clear:

1) I have never used marijuana in any form.
2) I have many friends who have used it with no harmful effects. 
3) I have long supported the medical …

In My Own Words: The first months by Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I suddenly realized that I hadn’t written anything about President Joe Biden since he’s taken office. That’s not because I agree with everything he’s done. I’m reserving judgment on some of his policies, particularly as they reference Israel and the Middle East. I do like the fact …