By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Looking back at the past year, I’m surprised by the number of rom-coms I’ve read – at least for the paper. You won’t find many on my not-for-the-paper bookshelves. However, I find myself looking forward to the break these works provide since many of the nove…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Saints, demons and other mythical creatures
When one describes a novel as containing “everything but the kitchen sink,” it’s usually not meant in a positive way. In the case of “The Hidden Saint” by Mark Levenson (Level Best Books/New Arc), that phrase s…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Is it possible to objectively critique films, TV, books and music? In the past, scholars/researchers acted as if they were independent observers whose socio-economic and religious backgrounds had no impact on their opinions. In contemporary times, though, there are…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
A family mystery
Matt Goldman is best known for his wise-cracking Nils Shapiro detective series. However, as “Carolina Moonset” (Forge) shows, Goldman also excels at portraying family connections. Although the narrator, 46-year-old Joey Green, prefers using hu…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
An Anti-Defamation League audit noted that “antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021, with a total of 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to ADL (the Anti-Defamation League).” (To see the report, cli…
